A Family Affair: Following in Mum’s Footsteps 

Long before Evie joined the team at The Falmouth, she was a familiar face here at The Greenbank, where her mum has spent more than two decades welcoming guests with warmth, care and dedication.

“I’m delighted to have inspired Evie and so proud to see her start her career in hospitality,” Gilly says. “I now see her being interested in hotel work as inevitable. She’s grown up in and around The Greenbank.” 

From helping decorate the hotel at Christmas to laying tables and folding napkins, hospitality became part of her childhood. As Gilly puts it, Evie had “been folding napkins and laying tables since she could reach them.” Evie remembers those early days just as fondly. “I used to fold napkins and felt like part of the team,” she says.

When she was 15, Evie completed her work experience at The Greenbank, spending time in every department. Although she enjoyed seeing how the hotel came together behind the scenes, it was the restaurant where she felt most at home. “I was used to the environment and felt comfortable there,” she says.

For two years, Evie has been part of the restaurant and events team at The Falmouth. This September, she’ll begin the Rising Star Programme, developing the skills to progress through The Cornwall Hotel Collection. With aspirations of one day becoming a General Manager, she’s already looking ahead to the next chapter of her career. 

For Gilly, watching that ambition grow has been one of the proudest moments of her own career. She fondly remembers bringing Evie into The Greenbank from a young age, long before she imagined she might one day follow in her footsteps. 

“As a baby I would bring her in when I had a meeting. As the years went by, she’d wait for me in the restaurant whilst I was finishing a shift – there was always a friendly bar person with a biscuit and apple juice to help her pass the time.”

Now, although mother and daughter work at different hotels, they’re connected by more than just a shared love of hospitality. “I can see the top of The Falmouth Hotel from the restaurant windows,” Gilly says. “I often look over, wondering how Evie’s day is going.” 

Both being part of The Cornwall Hotel Collection makes that connection even more meaningful for both of them. “It’s very special to be part of a group of hotels that are thriving,” says Gilly. Meanwhile, Evie expresses “it’s comforting to know that we both work in the same Collection because if I have any questions, I know Mum can help me and teach me, even though we work in different hotels.” 

While Gilly has passed on a passion for hospitality, it’s her resilience that Evie admires most. “If I could only learn one thing from Mum,” she says, “it would be how not to let a mistake knock your confidence and motivation.” 

Gilly’s message to Evie, and to anyone starting their career, is wonderfully simple: “Every day, find something new to be excited about.” 

For Evie, some of those exciting moments have already become lasting memories. “My favourite memory at the hotel is the Sea Shanty Festival, when we were all singing and dancing behind the bar.” 

Perhaps that’s the secret to a career in hospitality. Not simply delivering exceptional service, but approaching each day with curiosity, kindness and a genuine desire to make someone else’s day a little brighter. It’s those moments of camaraderie, laughter and shared experiences that make hospitality so rewarding – not only for guests, but for the people behind the scenes. 

Together, Gilly and Evie represent something we’re incredibly proud to celebrate across The Cornwall Hotel Collection: those who have dedicated their careers to hospitality, and those just beginning their journey.