Iberian rhapsody
Chris Wilks, 28, is room-service manager at the Kempinski Resort hotel in Estepona in southern Spain. He enjoys the challenge of hotel life in another country, but misses the grey skies of his native England.
Working in Spain involves completely different working and socialising hours to those back home. It's usually the early hours by the time I go to bed so I don't get up until around 8am. Breakfast is a double-espresso from a 1950s-style coffee machine, and a cigarette. Then it's off to work, a journey that takes about 15 minutes, depending on the traffic.
I joined Kempinski about 17 months ago. My girfriend, Yolanda, is Spanish although we met in England when we were both working at the Gatwick Hilton. She wanted to return to Spain, so I applied to Kempinski to see if there were any jobs going.
The first time I rang, I was told there was nothing, but when I phoned back about a week later I was in luck. The guy who had been room-service manager before me had come into an inheritance the previous day and had decided to jack in work. So I came over for an interview and got the job.
It was very hard to get to grips with the language at first - I understood only about 10% of what was said. But within six months I had improved a lot. I wouldn't say I was fluent now, but I can understand about 90% of what is said, and even reply.
As room-service manager, I am responsible for all room-service deliveries including chocolate, fruit and Champagne for VIPs. I also oversee the minibars and large functions, with a bit of banqueting thrown in.
My working day starts at around 10am with a team briefing - in Spanish, of course. There are 14 of us in the department. One guy, Nico, was voted Mr Estepona last year.
Then I walk around the hotel to check what's going on and make sure all our systems are working. I used to run a Costa Coffee store in Brighton, and that's where I learned about stock control. When I first arrived here, there were no minibars. We've now got them in all the rooms, and they've generated a lot of money, about 65% profit.
Lunch is a late affair in Spain, often not until 2pm, and on days off much later, sometimes not until 3pm. I eat in the staff canteen. It's really good. There's always a choice of salad and different hot dishes, and we have our own chef. There's no charge for this.
Half-an-hour later, I'm back at work. In the afternoon, I tend to do the paperwork and often meet with other department heads. People here are much closer than they are in hotels back home. It's more like working as part of a family.
I'm lucky in that I work reasonable hours. I also work a five-day week with two consecutive days off.
I usually leave work about 6pm and then it's home to Yolanda. Whoever gets home first cooks dinner, but often we go out. People eat supper very late here and it's not unusual to go to a restaurant at 10pm.
Generally, this lifestyle suits me, particularly the hours. Funnily enough, the only thing I really miss about England is the weather; it can get just a bit too hot here.
As it is hot, people don't tend to sleep as much as at home. When I'm at work, I'm generally in bed by 1am. But when I'm off, it's often 6am before I turn in.
Interview by Jenny Webster
Just a minute…
What was the last film you saw?The Score, with Robert de Niro. I'm a Robert de Niro freak.
What would be your last supper? A steak, with a good bottle of Rioja and a lemon sorbet to follow.
What do you most enjoy about working in the hospitality industry in another country?
Being able to work in an outdoor environment, except when it's really hot.
Kempinski Resort hotel
Estepona, Spain
Rack rate: from €200 (£123) for a single; €240 (£147) for a double
Rooms: 147
Opened: September 1999
Kempinski owns and/or operates 26 hotels worldwide.
The nearest airport to the Kempinski Estepona Resort hotel is in Gibraltar. Monarch Scheduled operates flights to Gibraltar from £123 per person return. See www.flymonarch.com
