‘I love Hull and I think we can make some really good changes in the city’
‘THIS PLACE HAS GOT HEART’: DoubleTree by Hilton General Manager Samantha Dunion
Chewing the Fat, out to lunch with Phil Ascough
This week’s guest: Samantha Dunion
Venue: Marco Pierre White Steakhouse, DoubleTree by Hilton
Never mind DoubleTree by Hilton. Some of those supporting the latest big charity lunch there will have been seeing double everything!
The last time I went to the Sailor’s Children’s Society’s Sportsman’s Lunch, the running order was a meal for about 400 at the Mercure Hull West and then, several hours later, a series of splinter groups heading off into the night. I joined a bunch of lawyers and accountants at The Lounge in South Ella, and by about midnight there were still a few organising cabs to Witham and even considering options for early morning cafés.
So the hard core headed from lunch to dinner and then breakfast, with little consumption of solids after about 3pm. Not exactly a sporting event unless you’re launching the Oliver Reed Memorial Triathlon.
The opening of the DoubleTree in 2017 was a game-changer for “the Sailors do” – and indeed for the hospitality scene generally. Banqueting capacity is nudging 750 yet the charity still sells out year on year. The customary waiting list is already in place for 2024.
It’s not just the volume of alcohol consumed that loosens wallets and purses – the sense of generosity towards one of the city’s favourite charities is overwhelming. At Willerby a few years ago the peerless Stephen Larard pushed bidding up to £50 for my modest auction donation, a copy of my Hull City quiz book which carried a cover price of a fiver. At the DoubleTree it will be a big surprise if the total funds generated don’t once again top £50,000.
Years ago the occasion was noted for kick-starting the autumn and Christmas social scene, and that certainly seems to be the case at the DoubleTree. In the coming weeks General Manager Samantha Dunion will welcome events including the Remarkable East Yorkshire Tourism Awards, fundraising dinners for Hull 4 Heroes and P.A.U.L. for Brain Recovery, and much more.
“The festive season is coming up quickly,” said Samantha.
“We’ll be doing Christmas meals in the restaurant. Some guests hire the Lexington exclusively. In the ballroom there’ll be joiner nights and some private bookings. It’s a really nice mixed bag.”
POPULAR FUNDRAISER: The Sailor’s Children’s Society’s Sportsman’s Lunch 2023
Deconstruct all of that and you’ll find the elements that make the DoubleTree unique in the region. Other places have great accommodation, fantastic food and drink, a professional approach and a proper Hull welcome, but this is the only venue with everything and that’s why Samantha came home.
She grew up at Anlaby Common in the house where her parents still live, and her recollections, dominated by memories of Christmases past, suggest she’ll be fine with whatever is thrown at her between now and when the tinsel comes down in January.
She said: “I had a great childhood. I also remember going into town and seeing the Christmas lights, and Dad driving us round Cottingham to see the lights there.”
A hotel isn’t just for Christmas of course, but Samantha developed such a passion for the industry across the board that she ditched the original career plan of using her A-levels from Wolfreton School to pursue a degree in psychology.
“I decided to take a gap year and that meant getting a job,” she said.
“I did waitressing, I ended up at the old Forte Crest at Hull Marina and loved it. I was doing split shifts of breakfast, lunch and dinner. We called it AFD – all flippin’ day!”
Curiosity fuelled a passion for learning and Samantha spent time on manual cashier work, reception and anything else she could find as she pursued industry qualifications at Hull College.
“I studied alongside my work and was there for a couple of years. It gave me the chance to dabble in everything,” she said.
BACK HOME: Samantha Dunion is passionate about Hull
“Food and beverage is my background and I also dabbled in banqueting. But I wasn’t great behind a bar and I didn’t like housekeeping!”
She jumped at the chance to broaden her knowledge and began a geographical trek that took her around the country – Manchester, Brighton, Caernarfon and more – and a career journey with various major hotel groups and up the ladder to general manager roles.
The unique demands of Covid led to the creation of a “cluster role” with Samantha running Hampton by Hilton Hotels in Birmingham and Sheffield as well as the Hotel Indigo in Newcastle, and then she heard about the opportunity in her home city.
“My dad had always said I should come back and work in a hotel in Hull but there had never been one I fancied,” she said.
“I was interviewed by the owners and directors and fell in love with it. I love the hotel – it’s exciting and the fact that it has so much space means you can do so many different things. I love Hull and I think we can make some really good changes in the city.”
We lunched in the “MPW”, a Marco Pierre White Steakhouse which is just one of the feathers in the DoubleTree cap.
We didn’t have the time or the appetite to go big so chose from the bar menu. Chicken Caesar salad for Samantha and Whitby fish finger roll for me, coffee and water.
All excellent, but a look at the main menus made it tempting to write off the afternoon. I’ll be back another time to face up to some tough decisions about an array which includes steaks, fish, lamb, pies, assorted vegetarian and vegan options.
‘EXCELLENT’: Phil’s Whitby fish finger roll
It’s not cheap but it shouldn’t be. There was nothing excessive about our meals, and there’s a mouthwatering midpoint of two courses for £19.95 or three for £24.95.
For a midweek lunchtime, the place was busy in the bar and the restaurant. A return visit a week later for the launch of Future Humber’s talent evenings, starring our old friend Carol Thomas, found the atmosphere up a notch or two.
Reception was busy with guests booking in, the bar and restaurant were buzzing with small and large groups unwinding, and the Lexington rooftop suite, with its sensational views across the city, was in hot buffet mode as a regional business audience listened to the remarkable story of the woman from Hull who was the first to clock up 50 caps for the Lionesses.
Samantha sees these as encouraging signs which she needs to build on.
She said: “I came in November 2021, four years after the opening and at the tail end of Covid. The challenge was to get the reputation back. People were still very nervous. Last year was successful and this year is just about back to normal.
“It’s looking good for next year as well. It will be interesting. This year people have been getting out because they haven’t done anything for so long. There are some new companies and we are getting some new businesses in, but there’s always room for more.”
For all the quality of the facilities it’s the atmosphere that scores top marks for me. The DoubleTree is fancy, but it doesn’t fancy itself too much. Whether enquiring at reception, waiting in the bright and stylish lounge ahead of a meeting, or enjoying the service in the bar or restaurant you experience a relaxed warmth in the welcome. The staff have the knack of not hassling you but knowing if you need a steer on anything. That’s not easy to achieve, and a lot of places don’t even come close to getting it right.
Samantha shared the secrets behind that: “This place feels like it’s got heart. The staff care here. I have a lot of the team who are from Hull and we have a lot of international staff, who all want to be here and do their best. As soon as guests walk in, they receive a warm welcome along with our signature DoubleTree Cookie and are well looked after.”
GOOD ATMOSPHERE: Carol Thomas at the DoubleTree by Hilton
She has a team of about 140 which is increasing with seasonal recruitment. It’s typical of the industry that a few people have left in recent years, but some came back and there’s a good retention rate.
Samantha said: “We have had challenges with that but once we get the right staff they’re very loyal and they feel part of the team because there are so many well-trained people around them. We have a fabulous management team who are really supportive and look after the staff.”
When it comes to recruitment, Samantha and her team are conscious that many people only experience the hospitality sector through their TV screens. Imagine wannabe managers and chefs turning up with heads full of Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares, Boiling Point or even Fawlty Towers. Or the armchair aficionados who learned everything there is to know about fine dining by watching Masterchef. So many “experts”, but Samantha is very selective.
She said: “We do a lot of work with colleges and schools. If I don’t attract talent they just see what’s on the telly and it’s not always favourable and it’s not always true so we work with schools to give them a taste of what we do and what it’s about. If I get one person out of 50 that’s a great success.”
A key element of the growth strategy is building a strong business network. In addition to supporting Future Humber and the Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce, Samantha sits on the HullBID board and the committees of the Hull Humber and East Yorkshire Hospitality Association (HEYHA) and Visit Hull and East Yorkshire (VHEY), which now has Local Visitor Economy Partnership status. Her motivation is to promote the hotel and the city region.
She said: “We share the story of Hull. We share what Hull is about. It’s a fabulous sustainability story. We tell them what’s going on in the city centre because there’s always something whether it’s the museums or the festivals or the fair. We also try to collaborate with the local restaurants because people don’t want to eat in the hotel every night.
“Hull has historically had a negative reputation, however following UK City of Culture 2017 and all of the efforts from our colleagues in all segments of the business over the last few years we are finally showing what we can do and what we have to offer. It will be fantastic when the A63 improvement scheme is finished and the Maritime City project is complete because that will give us even more of a story to tell. I am very passionate about the city’s long-term vision.”
Those references give an idea of how hard the DoubleTree team are working to bring people to the city, booking conferences, awards dinners, celebrations two years ahead.
FESTIVE: The DoubleTree by Hilton at Christmas
Samantha said: “We just need to make sure when people come here they have a good experience.”
To a degree. In amongst all the guests heading to the DoubleTree there are also football teams. They get the same warm welcome and special treatment as anybody else, but with a caveat around the “enjoy the rest of the day” message on departure.
“Some of them stay overnight before a match, others just come for a pre-match meal,” said Samantha.
It’s a relief to hear that these days they are well-led and they behave in an exemplary fashion, which brings back memories of when they weren’t, and a story from the south west about one player hitting a team-mate with a kettle after a card game dispute.
Samantha reveals that many teams also turn up with their own nutritionists to supervise meals and menus.
That reminded me of away trips covering Doncaster Rovers at the end of the 1970s. Billy Bremner was the boss, having left Hull City to take his first managerial role, and he once pulled up a young waitress as she diligently took several orders for steaks. Not too young to know that footballers enjoy a wind-up, she then gave a quizzical look at being asked for scrambled eggs. Bremer growled: “Just get the food!”
His predecessor, Stan Anderson, liked to use the opportunity of the pre-match meal to confirm his team selection. In the days of 11 players, one sub and a 13th member of the squad, only the goalkeeper was certain of his place as they sat down to eat. The rest waited until Anderson leaned over someone’s shoulder and whispered in their ear: “You can have chips.”