Behind the Scenes: The Women of Pavilion
This International Women's Day, we are celebrating the talented, hardworking women who make The Pavilion on Northbourne a warm and welcoming place throughout the year. From the kitchen to the front of the house, from events to housekeeping, their dedication and passion shape the day-to-day experiences we offer every day.
Celebrating the women who make your stay exceptional.
We spoke to four incredible women in our team: Marilyn (The Head Chef), Snigdha (Housekeeping Manager), Janet (Assistant Restaurant Manager) and Emily (Events Sales), about their journeys, inspirations, and thoughts on empowering women in the hospitality industry.
The Journey to Hospitality
Hospitality is an industry driven by passion, service, and resilience. All of the women we talked to had a unique story to tell about how they found their way into this field.
For our Head chef Marilyn, her earliest culinary memories were in her mum’s kitchen cooking beside her and her eldest sister, learning the recipes and techniques that were passed down across generations. The love for cooking and nurturing others through a memorable meal led her to be an award-winning chef, leading her own kitchen at the Atrium.
Snigdha our Housekeeping Manager started out with a degree in Hotel Management and chose Housekeeping as she is a problem solver, prioritising efficiency and teamwork to achieve a shared goal. No two days are the same and it keeps her excited and motivated everyday to lead her team to greatness.
Our Event Sales Emily loves seeing a good plan come together and has been doing so from a young age. Whether it’s helping a couple plan their dream wedding or working on a special event, the idea of creating an unforgettable experience for people excites her.
Janet, our Assistant Restaurant Manager loves to see a smile on people’s faces and goes out of her way to make sure they have a memorable experience. Her passion for hospitality stemmed from her love of helping people and providing excellent service, giving her a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction.
Proud Achievements
Every job in hospitality comes with challenges, but it also brings rewarding moments. From leading successful events to mentoring new team members, these women have achieved milestones that deserve to be celebrated.
Marilyn - Implementing a Seasonal Menu and receiving positive feedback from guests, working with local farmers to support local communities and serving fresh produce, training & mentoring the kitchen staff to improve their culinary skills, winning the TripAdvisor Traveler’s Choice Award in 2024 and many more. Encountering obstacles like budget constraints, supply chain issues and differing opinions were all challenges along the way, but she overcame them all leading to professional and personal growth.
Snigdha - Bringing clarity and efficiency to the housekeeping team at Pavilion is her primary achievement. The way she went about with this is commendable, setting clear expectations and making sure the right people are in the right roles. Giving staff ongoing training and focusing on continuous improvement to improve efficiency vastly improved results, offering a consistent guest experience every time.
Emily - Personal growth is her greatest achievement working with Pavilion, transitioning from an ASBA to becoming an Events Sales Executive. It provided a better opportunity to demonstrate her abilities by taking more responsibilities, refine event and sales skills and expand her horizons in the event industry. She has come a long way and everyone around is proud of the progress she has made.
Janet - Her resilient and composed nature in dealing with unexpected situations that can arise anytime as an assistant restaurant manager is her biggest achievement after being with Pavilion. Facing challenges and jumping through hoops has strengthened her to handle anything while maintaining poise and delivering excellent service.
Women Who Inspire
Behind every successful woman is a role model who has guided or inspired her. We asked our team members if there was a family member or mentor who influenced their journey.
Marilyn - For her, it’s her mum and eldest sister. Sharing her mum’s passion for food from a young age and the dedication to create a memorable and nurturing meal, taught her the how’s and why’s of being a chef. It’s not about putting a plate of food in front of people, it’s about creating a memorable dining experience showcasing craft, creativity and skill. Her eldest sister plays a key role too, by pushing her to be better everyday to experiment and explore new flavours, and offering support all the way in her culinary endeavours.
Snigdha - Her greatest inspiration is the person who taught her the values of kindness, resilience, determination and integrity, and upholding those values whether it’s at work or at home, her mother. She is the person she is today, because of her mom.
Emily - A constant source of inspiration throughout her journey, Emily’s mother always has her back, offering unwavering support even when she doesn't have to. Her mom’s belief even during times of self doubt, has been one of the driving forces behind the persistence and growth that’s continuously seen in her life.
Janet - She drives inspiration from inside her, looking back at the challenges she faced along the way to take on new ones in front of her, striving to be better than yesterday and motivating herself to move forward.
Creating a More Inclusive Industry
The hospitality industry has made strides in gender equality, but there’s always room for improvement. We asked our team what the industry can do to better support and empower women.
Marilyn - Empowering women enhances overall performance and reputation of the hospitality sector. This can be achieved through leadership development programmes, flexible work arrangements, equal pay & opportunities and safe and inclusive work spaces.
Snigdha - She wants to address the reducing number of staff in the industry and wants to make it a more favourable career choice by offering flexible work arrangements, and trying to work around the schedule of the staff to improve their potential and well-being.
Emily - Gender equality and equal pay in leadership roles and offering a fair chance for everyone to move up in their careers, with a balanced leadership team. When women are in positions of power, they can become role models, mentors, and advocates for other women, helping to create more opportunities in the industry.
Janet - The hospitality industry can support and empower women by implementing bias-free recruitment and promotion practices, fostering an inclusive work environment, investing in professional development opportunities, encouraging female representation in leadership roles, advocating for gender pay equity, and providing flexible work arrangements to accommodate personal needs, particularly for mothers.
A Thank You to the Women of Our Team
We are incredibly grateful for the contributions of these talented women and all the women who work in hospitality. Their hard work, leadership, and passion make a difference every day.
We hope you enjoyed this behind the scenes look at what goes into making your stay at The Pavilion on Northbourne a memorable one, all because of the efforts of our incredibly talented and passionate staff who go above and beyond to make your stay, perfect.
