Benjamin Dalton

Tell us about your career journey since you graduated from Glion and how it’s led you to your current position?

When I went to Glion, I was actually a late starter in the hospitality industry. I’d already done a Bachelor’s degree somewhere else, and I knew that I wanted to go into hotels. I’d been doing summer jobs and I wanted to go somewhere where I could get some momentum behind me and get a fast start in the industry.

I headed straight off to Glion and, upon graduation, got one interview, one job offer, straight to Mandarin Oriental to the flagship property in Hong Kong. I had an incredible time there, and it was a terrific learning environment. After that, I came back to London, my home, to The Ritz London, which has treated me enormously well over the past few years that I’ve been here.

I started as a Management Trainee and, with the help of all that I learned from Glion, progressed through the hierarchy four or five times: Supervisor, Assistant Reception Manager, Reception Manager, Front Office Manager, and now Front of House Manager.

As I reflect on my career progression, it is clear that my experience at Glion, and the time spent in academia, has helped to speed my development through the ranks. It is evident that Glion as a brand name puts you to the top of any pile of CVs in luxury hospitality. This allows you to get your foot through the door – which is often the hardest part.

What are some of the main things you learned at Glion?

For me, Glion was a tremendous decision. Because unlike my relationships with other academic institutions I’ve passed through, my relationship with Glion has stood the test of time. Whether it’s the global network, with a friendly face in every city; the expertise of the teachers that you can lean on even years later; or the warmth of everyone when returning to campus for Career Days. The Glion Spirit lives on!

It is evident that Glion as a brand name puts you to the top of any pile of CVs in luxury hospitality. This allows you to get your foot through the door – which is often the hardest part..

How has your membership of the Glion Alumni network helped you professionally?

The wonderful thing about Glion and having that learning experience is not just for all the soft skills that you learn, and the techniques or tools, but specifically the great friends you make while you’re there. You don’t just graduate and then fly off across the world, you maintain the network. They pop into the hotel all the time – people I haven’t seen since graduation! It’s a wonderful network that really helps going forward in the industry.

“The wonderful thing about Glion and having that learning experience is not just for all the soft skills that you learn and techniques or tools, but specifically the great friends you make while you’re there.”

What would be your career advice to current students and recent alumni of Glion?

My advice would be that they should have no doubt that luxury hospitality can be an incredibly rewarding line of work to be in, because you witness first-hand the thrill. Your endeavours can have an impact that’s etched on the faces of your guests and your team.

I would advise anyone committing to this to be whole-heartedly dedicated to achieving the utopian ideal of being perfect! Or at least trying to be the best in their market, or field. You should be constantly chasing this. You should also be under no illusions – this is the people business, from whatever angle you look at; whether it’s delivering service to a guest, marketing a product or training a team, you are constantly surrounded by people with all their quirks and charms. And with people you get the lowest lows and the highest highs – all part of the fun!