Acorn winners 2017: Hayley McGarrell

Assistant head concierge, Amba Hotel Charing Cross, GLH Hotels

Nominated by Steve Cane, general manager, Amba Hotel Charing Cross

Proudest moment "Making the transition from reception manager to assistant head concierge and guiding the team through the rebranding. The team's success is underlined by the property making TripAdvisor's list of the top 20 hotels in the UK in 2017."

Greatest inspiration "The feedback and reaction I receive from guests for the service that my team and I provide."

Ambition "To become a member of the Society of the Golden Keys of Great Britain, which has only 20 female members out of 350."

Hayley McGarrell's career began as a breakfast waitress at Hilton, quickly progressing to receptionist at the Thistle Euston in 2011. Here, her passion for great guest service shone and she moved quickly through guest relations executive and then reception manager at the Charing Cross Hotel before being promoted to her current role in 2015.

Her talents were put to the test during the hotel's rebranding to Amba during that time, but she kept a clear head. Not only was she instrumental in recruiting rising stars to replace 70% of the team, she also helped raise the hotel's TripAdvisor ranking from 154th to fourth and gained an 89% guest satisfaction score.

McGarrell's commitment to increasing profits means she sets daily targets for dinner reservations. And since joining the concierge team, she has nudged extra revenue up from £657 in 2015 to £1,286 in 2016.

Keen to give more personal recommendations to guests, she regularly attends West End productions and restaurant openings. She also monitors guest satisfaction through ReviewPro and benchmarks the hotel against sister properties, as well as against the top 15 London hotels. She shares credit for the fact Amba Hotel Charing Cross boasts a global review index rating of 95.5% for the year to date, which puts it seventh out of 1,087 hotels in London.