Going Places

Training as a skin specialist with Aveda in New York, Christie Shillinglaw had a clear ambition to one day open her own spa.

Joining Titanic Hotel Liverpool six years ago as a receptionist and therapist at its in-house Maya Blue Wellness was intended to give her the perfect grounding.

But she fell in love with hotel life and, she says, it took her in a new direction she’d never planned. Now at 26, having decided she’d never say no to any opportunity that came her way, Wirral-born Christie already has an entire career’s worth of roles to her name.

“My background was in beauty but I found that my true passion was in providing the best personalised service for guests’, she says, ‘i just really thrived on dealing with and helping so many different people from diverse backgrounds and cultures.”

Having quickly progressed to supervisor within the spa, she was able to take on duty managership. That led to front of house where she relished the chance to create a lasting first impression on guests.

“Titanic is such a unique and authentic experience, in a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the backdrop takes your breath away. I love learning all about its history and sharing those facts with guests.”

Going on to work as the general manager’s PA and sales manager, she joined international sales missions to New York, Paris and China with Marketing Liverpool and Visit Britain.

Christie had no idea, though, that her enthusiasm to learn every aspect of the hotel to become such an asset. Her varied CV meant she was ideally placed to help the Grade || listed hotel, a part of the city’s maritime history, to successfully navigate its way into the post-Covid future.

“Because I’ve worked in so many areas, I understand all the systems, so I was able to help in getting the new processes in place.” she explains.

“We had to think creatively and methodically about how we could adapt everything so all that experience I’d accumulated over my years here really came together.”

In January, Christie became business development manager, and she’s keen to take on that next challenge.

“I feel like I know every part of the Titanic Hotel and I look forward to this next challenge in my career, to continue to build on my knowledge and experience further. I cannot wait to welcome guests back, nothing beats the buzz of having a busy hotel.”