My Life in Cheshire - Craig Phillips
Craig Phillips, General Manager, ABODE Chester
How would you describe yourself?
Young, committed and dedicated, and a huge sports fan with a love for the gym and football.
Where is home? work?
I've just moved to live in Llansantffraid and am loving living in the countryside of North Wales. I'm a 55 minute drive from work in the centre of Chester and it's a very enjoyable and pretty commute.
What did you want to be when you were younger?
I was a football fanatic as a child (some say I still am…) playing for my local team, Oswestry Town, as well as representing Shropshire at county level. If I'd have had the chance to play for Manchester United, I'd have achieved my childhood dream!
Name a few of your favourite places to be...
Anywhere with my family or friends is good with me, and we spend a lot of time with my mother in Hengoed or visiting my girlfriend's family in Scotland and Dubai. It's been fun getting to know Dubai, with great food and new restaurants appearing each time we return, seemingly always in competition to be the biggest and best on offer.
What / who inspires you?
I started out as a kitchen porter at The Lion Keys Hotel & Spa in Oswestry, and my first manager, Jean-Jacques Poteau, was brilliant. Always full of energy and on the ball – he taught me a lot.
What was the last gift you gave someone?
We have an ongoing joke here at ABode Chester that my ops manager never uses his diary, instead remembering everything in his head – so I gave him a pack of post it notes on Friday to help!
Tell us a secret/fun fact?
I aimed to become a hotel general manager by the time I was 40, and made it aged 29 – that's something I'll be proud of for a long time.
Who or what would you place in room 101?
Smoking.
What's been your biggest life lesson?
Being the one in charge will always be a step up from a previous role, but the responsibility and hard work brings with it huge rewards, especially when you're leading a brilliant team.
Hungry for more?
Read up on the latest news, delicious eats, travel treats and seasonal style trends in FEATURES, or browse a curated selection of our FEATURED PRODUCTS, meander through our guide to the finest things to do in Cheshire and beyond in WHATS ON or partake in our COMPETITIONS.
About The CHESHIRE Magazine
We are the definitive guide to luxury lifestyle in the North West. Latest news, delicious eats, travel treats and seasonal style trends. The Cheshire Magazine is the largest luxury lifestyle title for the North West of England, dropping directly through the letterboxes of VIP subscribers from the Wirral to Greater Manchester plus all the villages and towns in between and digitally available as a subscription in print and digital on issuu.com worldwide. We specialise in connecting luxury brands to likeminded consumers.
If you are interested on how you can partner with The CHESHIRE Magazine, read more about us. Or get in touch to find out more about marketing, featuring or partnering with the Cheshire Magazine in print or online.
