Working Day: Sue Clement-Evans

Dec 3 2008 by Tony McDonough, Liverpool Daily Post

Raquet Club General Manager, Sue Clement-Evans _320

SUE CLEMENT-EVANS is the general manager of one of Liverpool’s best- known boutique hotels, the Racquet Club and Ziba restaurant.

Future Prime Ministers, celebrities and the public alike have come to rely on her and her team’s ability to deliver excellence in what is a very demanding and competitive industry.

6am: Hear the front door slam. Rhys, my husband, leaves for work – he has to travel to Birkdale. From where we are on the Wirral, it’s a good hour’s drive. I try to snooze for a bit, but once you’re up, you’re up. I reach over to grab the alarm clock to check the time and find a warmish cup of tea he left for me – well, it’s the thought that counts.

6.45am: Laura, one of my two daughters, wakes up and comes to join me in our bed. We have a general catch-up, my knowledge on Balamory is second to none. A short time later, Sarah, my other daughter, joins us and then we all get up.

8.45am: Packed lunches made, emails checked, everyone dressedŠ and we’re out the door like a well- oiled machine. We always walk to school as it’s only just round the corner, I then dash home, grab the car and head to work.

9.30am: I arrive at the hotel in good time and check today’s handover from the previous shifts, as well as glance at today’s business. I think it’s important to have a quick overview of business first thing – decisions can be made very quickly if need be. I then head through into the Ziba restaurant to make my morning hit of caffeine and walk through checking the various other areas of the hotel. We’ve got a couple of private parties, a wedding and a photo- shoot in today.

11am: Atomic Kitten star Liz McClarnon arrives for her Macmillan Cancer Research photo- shoot. We’re very used to celebrities frequenting the hotel.

11.30am: Catch up on some office work. If you’ve ever seen the film, The Bunker, well that’s our office, a hive of activity. I normally grab some time with our key members of staff, the head chef and duty managers, for instance. Team work is key in a hotel such as this.

12.15pm: For the next half hour, our privately dining lunch guests begin to arrive, we have a plentiful supply of mojita welcome drinks. They’re sitting down by 12.45pm and lunch is served. I like to stay local when we have a function in, it’s essential to lead from the front.