Christophe Torbay

As Restaurant Manager of The Connaught Room and The Dungeon at the legendary Ashford Castle, I lead two distinct dining experiences within one of Ireland’s most iconic and celebrated hotels. Overseeing daily operations, service excellence, and team performance, I ensure that every guest experience reflects the estate’s renowned standards—honoured with Double Forbes Five-Star status and Two Michelin Keys.

In this role, I manage and mentor a diverse team, elevate service rituals in alignment with ultra-luxury expectations, and collaborate closely with culinary and leadership teams to deliver unforgettable, story-driven dining. I am responsible for driving guest satisfaction, upholding award-winning hospitality standards, and continuously refining operations to embody the timeless elegance of Ashford Castle.

This phase of my training is designed to provide in-depth exposure to the financial and commercial operations of the hotel industry, equipping me with the skills and knowledge to drive business growth and profitability. Key aspects of this placement include:

Financial Analysis and Reporting: Developing a comprehensive understanding of financial statements, budgeting, and forecasting to support informed decision-making.

Revenue Management: Learning strategies to optimize revenue through effective pricing, inventory control, and market analysis.

Sales and Marketing: Engaging in strategic planning and execution of sales and marketing initiatives to drive occupancy and revenue growth.

Commercial Strategy: Contributing to the development and implementation of commercial strategies to enhance competitive positioning and market share.

Cost Control and Optimization: Identifying opportunities for cost savings and operational efficiencies to improve the bottom line.

Collaboration with Cross-Functional Teams: Working closely with various departments to ensure financial and commercial goals are aligned and achieved.

Projects/Achievements:

Marketing Leadership: Created the marketing strategy for the rebranded venue "VINEUS", earning high praise for actionable insights.

SevenRooms Expertise: Optimized the booking platform to drive customer retention, awareness, and satisfaction.

Sustainability Initiatives: Worked on implementing EV charging stations, enhancing guest satisfaction and ESG leadership.

Housekeeping Outsourcing Feasibility Study: Led a comprehensive financial analysis, empowering the GM to make data-driven decisions.

The Elevator Programme strives to develop talented individuals to be future General Managers at Hilton. The initial training is designed to give the foundation knowledge required by providing broad based management experience across every core function of a hotel. By the end of the program, I will have developed the skills and expertise necessary to start my progress on a fast track career to a General Manager position.

Played a pivotal role in achieving remarkable results by increasing the operating profit of the F&B outlet by nearly 50%, positioning it as the most profitable establishment in the hotel.

Orchestrated comprehensive trainings on upselling, wine, and food knowledge, resulting in breakfast, lunch, and dinner checks surpassing forecasts by an impressive 36.65%, 74.69%, and 235.05% respectively.

Spearheaded the pre-opening phase by dedicating over 450 training hours, resulting in a significant average improvement of +30.60% in employee performance based on final assessments.

During the Qatar World Cup, maintained a consistently high restaurant satisfaction score in Medallia while driving the successful implementation of new standard operating procedures (SOPs), significantly elevating guest satisfaction and enhancing working conditions for the team.

Strategically prepared menu engineering for the restaurant, guiding team members to effectively upsell items with high cash margins to optimize profitability.

Efficiently managed daily restaurant orders through Birchstreet, ensuring seamless operations without any disruptions.

Created and utilized various financial performance spreadsheets, enabling targeted efforts on specific days and meal periods to maximize revenue and profitability.

Actively participated as a member of the SALT committee, attending weekly meetings to collaboratively enhance guest satisfaction. Implemented concrete action plans to continuously improve the overall guest experience.

Demonstrated creativity and adherence to brand standards by designing all menus and promotional flyers using the pre-approved branding brief provided by the Sales & Marketing team.

Provided invaluable support to the restaurant manager by efficiently managing a range of administrative tasks, ensuring the seamless operation of the establishment.

Proactively updated the food menu and wine list, leveraging menu engineering methodology to strategically enhance offerings and maximize profitability.

Exercised keen financial acumen to determine appropriate selling prices, meticulously considering F&B costs and implementing margins that balanced profitability and customer value.

Assumed the responsibility of overseeing the smooth flow of service, guaranteeing an exceptional dining experience for guests. Promptly addressed inquiries and complaints, employing effective problem-solving skills and maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction.

Demonstrated exceptional organizational skills by effectively handling monthly beverage, china, and silverware inventory, maintaining variances at an optimal and acceptable level.