Midweek Interview with Crowne Plaza Sydney Coogee Beach’s Gareth Long

Midweek Interview with Crowne Plaza Sydney Coogee Beach’s Gareth Long

This week, we caught up with Gareth Long, area general manager at Crowne Plaza Sydney Coogee Beach, who wishes he met his wife 10 years earlier. Awww.

The challenge for the industry is…

Besides recovering from the impact of COVID-19, attracting and retaining talent. It is a war out there and finding amazing people, which is the foundation of any great hotel experience, is really competitive. We are constantly challenging the perceptions of what it is to work in hotels/hospitality to make sure people understand it is a vibrant, flexible and rewarding career path.

The things I like about my job are…

The diversity. Every single day is different. I also really enjoy having an impact on someone’s career and love nothing more than a good, honest career conversation.

And the frustrations are…

Finding enough time in the day to achieve everything I want. Hotels are complex assets that need constant attention to keep them performing at their best, at every level. There is always another project that needs attention and that can be a drain on time.

If I didn’t work in travel, I would be…

A sports commentator.

My favourite airline is…

Qantas.

My proudest moment was…

Completing my first opening of a brand new hotel in Amritsar, India.

The naughtiest thing I ever did was…

Approaching sporting teams for autographs when they were staying in hotels I was running.

I try to relax by…

Weekends away with my wife.

The last time I feared for my life was…

Being the only passenger on a 747 flight from Kolkata to Delhi. It was really weird.

If I can, I always try to avoid…

Morning and evening traffic on the daily commute.

I really wish I had…

Met my wife 10 years earlier.

The best advice I’ve ever received was…

There are only two things that have changed in the hospitality industry in the last 2,000 years: technology and we now fold little triangles in the toilet paper.

I don’t understand why people…

Don’t use their indicators when driving. It drives me crazy!

My greatest weakness is…

Hotel minibars.

And my greatest strength is…

I genuinely love what I do, and I think this allows me to bring energy and passion to work every day.

If I won a $1 million lottery, (aside from travelling) I would…

Pay off my mortgage.

If I was prime minister, I would…

Listen more and be very clear on what I stand for, and then stand for it.

If I could be someone else for one day, I would be…

Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam.

I’ve always wanted to travel to…

Jordan to see Petra.

My favourite holiday was…

My honeymoon throughout South America.

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