LOVE LOCAL
A commitment to the delivery of consistently outstanding customer service twinned with a desire for growth and development own trip – self-catering all the way and in off-the-beaten-track locations to get a more local experience. CE: Have you drawn on your own personal experiences, both good and bad, to help you in your work? DF: Of course, I am always on the lookout for anything that I feel is transferable from one hospitality experience to the next, whether that be examining customer touchpoints at a local cafe or noticing the end-to-end experience when booking a nice restaurant. Anything that makes me stop and think, I will try to find a way of introducing into Citystay Living. CE: Finally, when you’re staying away from home, what do you always hope to see on the tea tray? DF: Without a doubt, Yorkshire Tea – nothing else comes close. I probably drink more coffee than tea in general, however, and wherever we go I am always on the hunt for an independent coffee shop to stop at for breakfast – and with two small children this is often a pre-requisite to starting the day!
to. We are ‘for everyone’, whether that be the business traveller or relocator to Cambridge, the long weekend gig-goer, graduate intern or language school student. Our different models include sleep, stay and live options, and allow our customers to get precisely what they need from our flexible accommodation. CE: What, in your opinion, is the single most important quality of good accommodation? DF: This is almost impossible to answer in one go, as different people have different needs. The short-term business traveller’s primary requirement may be a superfast and secure Wi-Fi connection, while a weekend city visitor may prioritise location, clear guest service communications and transport connectivity over other factors. So, we ensure our accommodation stands out across a broad spectrum of requirements – from consistent furnishing and attentive communications pre-, during- and post-stay to reliable Wi-Fi and hand- selected locations – to be certain that our guests’ experience goes beyond the four walls of their accommodation. CE: Have you ever had an awful accommodation experience? DF: Fortunately, I have never had any nightmare experiences, although through my professional life, I’d like to think that I have become quite adept at choosing the right places to stay. I have, however, had lots of other misfortune with travel, from lost luggage to impounded hire cars, missed flights and problems getting into airports. Not ideal when travelling with a young family! We would consider ourselves pretty independent travellers and we tend to prefer places where we can control our
citystayliving.com
HOST WITH THE MOST Before joining the company behind these plush accommodation options, Declan found a passion for hospitality through various roles
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