Meet Ginnie, General Manager for Railway Club Hotel

Dec 05, 2022

Ginnie Farrah is General Manager at Railway Club Hotel and is this month’s employee of choice nominated by Colonial Leisure Group. Read below about her hospitality journey, and her experience at Railway. 

About Ginnie:
Tell us a bit about yourself – how did you get into hospitality?
I am 26 years old and originally from North Wales, UK. I got into hospitality at a very young age - my parents bought a country pub when I was 10 years old. My father, who was a chef by trade, ran the pub where I spent most of my time, learning all about hospitality and the different elements of running a successful business. After working in the family business for 8 years I went to university to study Criminology and Sociology, where I began working in a sports bar, which exposed me to a completely different kind of hospitality. During my university years I was fortunate enough to spend a year living In the Netherlands, where I worked part time in a 5* wedding venue which again, exposed me to an entirely different working style and environment. I realised that no matter what kind of hospitality venue I was working in, the principles were all the same - to look after people, to bring joy to people and to have fun at work. Although I took great pride in my course at university, I realised that hospitality is my true passion! 

How did you find yourself in this role?
Upon graduating university in 2018, I decided that I wasn't quite ready to go into full time work within the field of criminology. Knowing I had the benefit of hospitality experience, I decided to travel for 12 months before beginning my professional career. I found myself drawn to Australia for a number of reasons, but the laidback lifestyle and personality of Melbourne especially appealed to me! Upon my arrival, I applied to many pubs and restaurants and found myself at a trial at the Railway Club Hotel. I Instantly fell in love with the venue. The cosiness of the open fireplace, the quality of products and service and humbleness of the staff and guests was something I found quite homely. When the pandemic hit, I Intended to return to the UK but was fortunate enough to be offered a promotion and sponsorship visa to continue working at the Railway Club. And so, 3 years later I still love the venue, the staff and the guests and have now worked my way to the General Manager position and have the amazing opportunity to run the venue I love so much.

Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
I suppose I don't have a direct vision of where I would like to be in 5 year's time. 5 years ago, I had no Idea I would even be here, so I try not to plan too far ahead! But I do intend to further my career within hospitality - I would love to combine my passion for hospitality with my degree and incorporate a way of helping young offenders find employment and satisfaction within the hospitality industry. 

Who inspires you?
I would say my father Inspires me the most. He taught me the absolute basics of hospitality when I was 10 years old and continued to educate me throughout my teenage years. It was tough working in the family business when I knew other kids my age were out having fun, but my dad's love for his job and watching how he made guests feel so welcome and happy in our pub ignited my love for the job and pushed me to do the same. Unfortunately my father is no longer with us, but I like to think I carry his work ethic, morals and enthusiasm into the workplace with me!

What do you do when you’re not working, any hobbies?
Outside of work I like to keep myself busy. I am a keen yoga enthusiast and love plants! I spend a lot of my time caring for my plants, plant shopping with friends or just visiting garden centres with friends. Growing up in Wales, we spent a lot of time outdoors as children, climbing waterfalls, hiking, making dens etc. so, when the opportunity arises, my friends and I love to escape the city and go exploring! I have also begun taking Tamil lessons, as my mother's side of the family originates from Malaysia and mainly converse In Tamil. Although they all speak English too, I wanted to feel closer to the family and continue to speak the language through the generations.

What’s your favourite meal?
Without a doubt Hainanese Chicken Rice, from a very specific food hawker in Singapore! 

What’s your favourite TV show?
The Following or The Blacklist

What’s the one utensil you can’t live without? 
Kettle for tea!

What’s your favourite function you’ve ever worked? 
I've worked countless weddings but I couldn’t pick a favourite. I love working weddings because everyone is in such a great mood and it's always such a lush day!

About Working for Colonial Leisure Group: 
What do you love most about working for the group?
I love how the group values individuals and has such an emphasis on training and progression. It allows employees who want to learn more and progress through opportunities, which I think helps in retaining staff immensely. The group also regard mental health and wellbeing as a priority which you don't see much of in the hospitality industry.

What do you love most about working in your current venue? 
The Railway Club Hotel is an extremely special place to work. The warmth of the staff filters through to our guests, who always comment on the homeliness and comfort of the venue. The products we deliver consistently blow customers away and the venue itself is cosy and welcoming, making it a favourite spot for many guests and making the 'job' feel less like a job. 

What do you love most about your current role?
I love the fact I can come to work everyday and work with such an amazing and enthusiastic team. The guests who visit our venue are genuinely happy to be there and always leave promising to return. I love that I have the ability to nurture young employees who want to progress in hospitality, but have never been invested in. The most satisfying part of my job is when a young employee has worked hard to master a skill, and then goes on to teach other staff members their newly learnt skills. I also love that no day is ever the same at the Railway Club Hotel, and the satisfaction of knowing the team pulled together, had fun at work and made special memories for people is why I love my job so much. 

What do you love about hospitality?
I love that hospitality is all about giving guests an experience to remember. Whether it is a big birthday or anniversary celebration, or a small gesture of remembering their last order, in hospitality we have the power to make people's day and I think that is really special and rewarding. 

What’s the funniest thing that’s ever happened on shift?
I remember working a busy Friday night service and one of the managers telling me a story of a time when there was a power-outage and the place spiraled into chaos. As she was telling me this story, the exact same thing happened. The lights went off and the restaurant plummeted into darkness. The extractor fans in the open kitchen failed and smoke filled the dining rooms, and the fire alarms began. We worked hard to ensure the guests were kept safe and happy whilst we fixed the problem. We hustled for around an hour, running around the place with torches trying to look after guests and avoid any accidents. But once the power was restored, staff and guests were able to have a good laugh!

What’s your favourite type of event to work? 
I love all elements of hospitality, from fast-paced bar service to full dining room section service. I think it's important to mix it up and not become complacent at work!

About The Hospo Industry: 
COVID-19 had a huge impact on the hospitality industry. What have been the main challenges for you during the past year? How have you learned to overcome them?
Covid-19 brought unprecedented challenges to those in the hospitality industry, from casual servers not receiving support to managers trying to navigate the ever-changing restrictions. As a casual employee during the beginning of the pandemic, I was lucky to be supported by the Railway Club Hotel. I was offered sponsorship to stay in the country and began my management position during the pandemic. This was a huge shift from waiting to see what options were available for me, to proactively working to keep the business alive. We're lucky to have such amazing and loyal customers at the Railway Club Hotel, but I would say our main struggle in the recovery of the pandemic is finding staff. As temporary visa holders were not supported during the pandemic, we lost many of our staff and have struggled building the team up since. In recent months, we have done well to hire some amazing people! But we are always on the lookout for more talent!

What do you think will be the biggest game changer in hospitality over the next 5 years?
I think the hospitality industry as a whole needs to work hard to keep the public engaged. The pandemic taught many people that they could have great times hosting their own dinner parties, and many took up cooking as hobbies during the lockdowns. So, it is the industry's duty to come up with new ideas and evolve with time, otherwise I fear that hospitality will become decreasingly popular over the next few years. That being said, I do believe that there is so much room for innovation and growth for the industry and those with passion and love for the industry have a duty to pass that passion along.

How can hospitality be made better? 
I strongly believe that looking after staff is the most important thing in hospitality. You simply cannot expect staff to go the extra mile and make a guest’s day if they themselves do not feel valued. Happy staff translates to happy customers and it’s as simple as that. 

Ready to make the jump and work for one of Australia’s best hospitality groups?
Check out all of Colonial Leisure Group roles here.