Passionate about creating connections and finding real meaning behind her work, Eloise is a natural leader and hospitality hero.
Nominated by her team at The Westin Melbourne, Eloise was crowned the Hotel Industry Rising Star at the recent Victorian Accommodation Awards for Excellence. Already a hospitality tragic, Eloise cannot imagine carving a career in anything other than creating special and memorable experiences at hotels.
Eloise’s passion for hospitality began with a high school foray into food technology. Initially, she imagined herself as a chef, but her true potential and strength in front of house operations became evident to all those around her when she started working in cafes.
With a little encouragement, she changed lanes and set her sights on becoming a Food and Beverage Manager.
Eloise began a Bachelor of Culinary Management at William Angliss, while continuing her part-time hospitality work. She relished the opportunity to do a year of work experience at a hotel, making the most of her British heritage by completing this assignment at St. Pancras Hotel in London. This is where her journey with the Marriott brand began, and her one-year “gap year” soon stretched into a second year as she became a supervisor.
Don’t worry, we were sure to ask Eloise the important questions. We can confirm her favourite and most recommended high tea item is an egg mayonnaise sandwich on cranberry bread with truffle oil. What a way to elevate the standard egg sandwich!
Eloise put the London hospitality lifestyle on pause to come back to Melbourne to complete her formal studies. She worked at Melbourne Marriott Hotel while finishing her degree and then moved across to The Westin Melbourne to take on the role of Team Leader.
Eloise relished any opportunities to learn and grow her skillset, making the most of Marriott’s development programs and structures. These pathways complimented her natural curiosity and leadership skills, and she quickly realised her original goal to be a Food and Beverage Manager.
We were lucky enough to talk to Eloise about her hospitality journey and what winning the Hotel Industry Rising Star award means to her.
Eloise, having already smashed your career goal, have you decided what your next goal will be?
I was lucky to achieve my goal at a fairly young age, now I can explore different areas and roles but still within hotels. It’s likely that I’ll work towards becoming a Director, and then an Operations Director. From there I’ll reassess where my passion lies and if I’m keen to attempt the General Manager pathway.
What have you loved about our current role and the opportunities it’s afforded you across other Marriott properties?
There have been so many opportunities and learning moments. Recently I was part of a taskforce in Sydney, working at Pier One Sydney Harbour for three weeks. It was great to assist their team in a moment of transition while also sharpening my communication and coaching skills. It was great to utilise my strengths and be a driving force to improve mindset and attitude and help reset team culture.
I loved being able to give practical and encouraging feedback, while helping the team identify potential talent. Watching people grow in confidence and develop better strategies while enjoying themself is so rewarding.
Creating connections has always been your favourite part of working in hospitality, is this still the case or has this evolved as your career has progressed?
It’s definitely changed over the years, creating connections with guests and facilitating a positive and memorable experience is still so important to me. But I now love empowering my team to do this. Watching them learn and grow, it’s so rewarding to see the team flourish.
I love being able to be a leader that my team can come to. It’s more important to me to ensure the team feels supported and listened to, and that they know they come before forecasting and all the other administrative duties we complete. Team culture is so important to me.
Have you always felt like a leader or is this something you’ve learned from mentors and development programs?
I’ve always been a leader, and I’ve watched my parents lead in their respective fields growing up. Although it’s natural to me, I’ve been able to become more articulate and conscious of how I interact and lead by example as I’ve taken on new roles and completed various professional development programs.
My superpower is to be charming and be able to diffuse a situation. This works well with grumpy guests that need some extra care and attention, but is also important when working out how to get the best out of a team and recognising when it’s time to boost the mood. It’s so important to ensure there’s balance so everyone can find moments of joy and fun, which in turn lead to positive interactions and sentiments for guests.
What would you say to someone that is interested in starting a career in hospitality but not quite sure if it’s the right fit for them?
It’s worth a try! If you’re a social person there’s nothing like the camaraderie and fun you can have while working hospitality. You literally get paid to connect with interesting people and provide enjoyable and oftentimes memorable experiences.
It’s also such an exciting industry! From travelling for work or taking your skills to a new country, the opportunities are endless. Hotels are at the heart of major events and what makes a city buzz, there’s always something exciting happening and you’re right in the thick of it.
Thank you for taking the time to talk about your passion for hospitality, Eloise. It’s evident why you were crowned the Hotel Industry Rising Star for 2025! Congratulations again and we can’t wait to see what you do in the future.