Glasgow Hospitality Stories: I went from chef to manager of the luxuxy Dakota hotel in Glasgow

Dakota Glasgow is one of the city’s most prominent luxury hotels where visitors can expect a first class stay from the moment that they first enter the hotel to the point they leave the premises.

We visited the hotel in Glasgow city centre on West Regent Street to speak to Dakota General Manager Andrew Doherty to find out about his journey from the kitchen to being the boss.

He has been working for Dakota for over eight years and started off as a chef at the hotel. Originally from a culinary background, Doherty moved to front of house just over five years ago to be food and beverage manager, then hotel manager, then general manager.

If someone hasn't stayed at a Dakota Hotel before, how would you describe the kind of concept behind Dakota hotels across the UK?

“I think you always talk about Scottish hospitality being very welcoming. So I think that resonates through all the properties, not because it's Scottish, but just as a mindset for everyone. Essentially, we want to always make it a home from home for all our guests coming here. That's exactly what they are, they’re guests, not customers. So we want them to feel that they can be relaxed and just enjoy themselves and soak in the atmosphere.

“If they haven't seen it before. We're probably dark, moody, muted, all the relaxing things. We're not a bright airy space, which can and can't take some people by surprise. But overall I feel that's the right tone to set for guests that are staying with us. I think we just do a lot of things right when it comes to basics like a great shower, a great bed, things where they should be to hand.”

Would you say that there is a certain uniqueness to Dakota Glasgow as there appears to be a lot of pieces in the hotel which relate to the city?

“A lot of that will come naturally by the team working within that hotel. There'll be things that they'll be passionate about, so they want to see that webbed through its design and even the mannerisms certain areas will be speaking in. We will pull that together. But equally each property might work with different brands. Each property has got its own autonomy to do different elements that are fitting at the time or for example, the terrace. There may be cigar events and so on, and then work with the seasons to do things that make sense. So yeah, it can get a localised feeling.”

With your background in food and drink, I think that is something that Dakota Glasgow do really well. The Grill is a great place to dine at and Jack’s Bar is also a great spot for a drink - was that something that you had aimed to do?

“I think originally we built up a local market. It wasn't necessarily staying with us. A lot of people don't always like to eat where they're staying. I think it's quite big in London if you go to some of the top London hotels and it's very much part of that experience, but I don't think that's carried through the rest of the UK so much. So I think when we opened, this came as a bit of a surprise where they were staying for the nice rooms. We were starting to pick up some traction on that end and then equally they were coming down by encouragement, getting to eat at the grill or drinking in the bar, realising that it's actually quite good. And then from that word of mouth.

“Maybe just doing their nosey and coming in saying, actually this is nice and it's somewhere away from their office that they can come in around the corner, have a nice coffee or possibly an early dinner before they head home. We built a lot of traction on that, which then later led on to becoming a bit of a special occasion place as well. That comes with confidence of the guest. Guests will maybe try out our Simply Dakota menu, so that's an entry to market and what that does is build confidence to go, well that's what we can do for £35. What's the a la carte menu like? So you maybe come in the two of you, before you know it, you're bringing the family back and saying, do you know what special occasion, 60th birthday, 30th or whatever it is, and we've given them the conference to come back and spend their hard earned money and then return.

“We were given back a product that's of a certain quality and service to marry up with that as well. Equally, I was considering how independent restaurants operate. Generally if you've got a booking at 6.30 you turn up to that restaurant ready to eat, ready to start your dinner. Whereas here we've got people who are joining us an hour before they want to go to the bar, so they're in the bar first or settled, then it's downstairs for dinner, then back upstairs for after dinner a drinks. So it's a real journey. So that's something that a lot of standalone restaurants can't necessarily offer.”

Would say that it is a real benefit to staying at a Dakota Hotel?

“You're just nice settled into the environment rather than coming right in off the street and then sat down at the table. And then, so it's a benefit that we have and it kind of extends that journey that the guest has with us and it's our job to make sure that we make it as slick as possible and that it's seen through to the very end.

“If you drop the ball at any one of those stages, you've got hours of exposure to I guess rather than just an hour and a half, two hours equally that lends itself to the hotel as well where they're staying for 12 hours or an overnight or whatever it may be or a matter of days. So you need to be touching all points at all levels to ensure that those expectations are met. Saying that it's also good to have great bars and other restaurants around you as well if you're completely isolated.

“People do get cabin fever when they're staying in one place if it's for a few days and they want to explore the city. So it's just great having great ether and great bars in your local surroundings so that they can jump out to these areas and that just heightens there. Their experience staying in that city wherever it may be. Both Manchester and Leeds are fantastic cities for going out in the bar scene, restaurant scene, and everything is just amazing down there. So I think if you're somewhere for a few days and you're getting that experience, you end up talking about it to people, you get yourself down to Leeds and have a great two or three days. You get to see something a bit different. I think that's what Glasgow's just needing to pick up a little now.

“I think we had a lot of that before in the last few years and it's not through hospitalities fault. I think there's been other influences that have maybe hindered that a little and tainted people’s perception of Glasgow so I think they collectively need to do better at just ensuring that every person that comes to the city gets their socks blown off and it's every person's job to do that.”

Is it difficult for The Grill at Dakota Glasgow to compete with other restaurants in the city?

“We've got the benefit of the fact that we've got 150 people walking through our front door to begin with that maybe don't have a decision on where they're going to a restaurant for that evening. So we've already got a captive market that have come through our door. Those other restaurants are trying to work out how they get that market in.

“I suppose it's not heavy sales tactics or anything, but it's just highlighting the fact that we do in fact have a fantastic grill restaurant downstairs. So it's just highlighting that to our guests and equally if they're wanting recommendations for other food types or restaurant styles or whatever, we've got a full list of fantastic recommendations. We want the guests to have a great stay regardless. We'd love them all the time with us all the time, but we accept the fact that people want to get out and about.”

“I wouldn't say it's particularly challenging. I think on the food scene we've done really well over the last eight years and we sit well acclaimed Glasgow in terms of what our food offering has been pretty much since day one. I think people should definitely have the confidence to explore hotel, hotel restaurants because it's a restaurant with loads of rooms more so it just so happens that we've got some amazing rooms above us as well, which are also very busy. The Hydro's very close to us as well.”

Just in terms of your time working at Dakota Glasgow over eight years, what has been the evolution of this hotel and the Dakota brand itself. The story of Dakota does begin in Glasgow after all.

“Our original founder was a Glasgow guy. I mean I think the evolution is knowing that you've got something a bit different, it'd be silly not to open up in all as many cities as you could in the city. I think from a hotel perspective, when you're building brand, you need to consider your exposure within the country.

“If you're limited to just two or three hotels, then it's difficult for guests to continue that loyalty if they may be travelling up and down the country, whereas they might come up here and have exceptional stay. If we aren't based in Manchester, we aren't based in Leeds or Newcastle as we open next year or various other places that we may or may not be looking at within the UK as a whole, then that's probably where you're going to hinder that evolution really. So I think what we've done, we've gone so far putting a footprint in Glasgow and then moving now on to Leeds and Manchester. The more of them, the better.”

Why do you think Johnny Depp chose to stay here at Dakota Glasgow as well as the other celebrity figures which have stayed at the hotel?

“I think sometimes it's just by being quick, receptive, acknowledging and just working with the bookers to make it as slick as possible because everyone just wants it nice and easy. I think of all the channels that you can get bookings coming in from, whether it's online travel agents, direct phone, email, but I've got a host of people in my phone that just drop me a message. Getting to know that person is so much better in life.”

What else can we expect from Dakota in the future?

“Newcastle's looking like it's going to be quite an exciting project. Certainly I don't think there's a hotel like it in Newcastle. People maybe argue differently. From what I've seen, it's a great location. I've been down seeing the site, so it's right on the key. So it's a very cool, unique building. It's a kind of revamp of an existing building. I think it was an office, a mixed use which has been turned into accommodation essentially. So it's not a listed building, but I think it's got a kind of protected category as such a meaning can't change too much to façade. So aesthetically it'll look very different from the black box. This is red brick, but internally it'll have everything that's reminiscent of what a Dakota is and again, the team being laced through that and web through the workings will be what makes it feel Dakota.”