Ciarán Fahy

I'm from Dublin originally but live in Windsor, Berkshire, now. I leave my home just before 7am and drive to work along the M4, which takes about an hour and 15 minutes if I'm lucky.

I've now been doing this commute each day for nigh-on three years, but I can still remember my initial shock at how busy London was when I relocated from my previous job as general manager of the Cardiff Marriott.

The pace of London is so much faster than elsewhere. Customers want things turned around much more quickly and there are many more demands on your time. Still, I enjoy the buzz.

Nowadays, I have my two Weetabix at home and get on with it. At least the car journey in gives me time to think and collect my thoughts for the day ahead, usually with Radio 4 as background.

I have a team of six senior managers at the hotel and, with the actual design finished long ago, our job now is to make sure all the agreed details get implemented.

The hotel was previously a Swallow. One half of the building has been transformed into our separate budget brand, Travel Inn, while we enlarge and upgrade the rooms in the Marriott area to reflect customers' higher expectations.

High standards
With the design agreed nine months ago, it's important to visually inspect the rooms and check everything is in order. Customers expect a very high standard of accommodation and service when they stay at a Marriott, so a loose power point or poorly fitting room trim is unacceptable.

The focal point of the refurbished hotel is the glass atrium that encases the front of the building. Although unfinished, it's already becoming a landmark here in west London.

The atrium is the largest of its type in Europe and stands 28m tall, weighing 60 tonnes. Scarily, the bottom of the structure is only eight inches above the District Line Underground tunnel that runs from Gloucester Road to Earls Court station. It's certainly an ambitious project. The designers have had to contend with the steel atrium structure expanding in the heat, while also improvising when the unexpected happens. One problem that hadn't been factored in was when the steel frame started to buckle under the weight of the glass, ruining the fit. It meant the contractors had to mount concrete sacks in the correct spots to counter the effect.

At noon I'll grab something to eat, which, as we don't have a staff restaurant until the opening, is usually a sandwich.

At the moment I don't feel stressed, thanks to the supportive and professional team I have around me. However, at our grand opening in July the board of Whitbread (the Marriott franchise holder in the UK) and John Marriott, executive vice-president of lodging, Marriott International (the franchisor) will be in attendance.

Although we've planned the opening exhaustively, there will be stress involved, as you get only one chance to get an event such as this right. Because Marriott is a seven-day, 24-hour operation we'll be incorporating a ceremony into the opening to reflect this fact. All I can say at the moment is that it will involve a key and some balloons.

If I'm lucky, I'll head for home at 7pm. I try to go for a walk along the river with my wife to the pub at least once a week. It's a great way to unwind ready for another crazy day in London.

Factfile
London Marriott Kensington Hotel
149 Cromwell Road, London SW5 0TH
Tel: 020 7973 1000

Web: www.marriotthotels.com/lonlm
Opens: 21 July
Rooms: 216
Rates: start from £119 (plus VAT) per room
Facilities: Fratelli Italian restaurant, Nabuco bar, café, executive lounge and business centre, gym and pool

Just a minute…
What's your poison? Chilled Burgundy, without a doubt.

How do you relax? I'll switch on the set. I hate highly plotted dramas and instead opt for programmes like The Office, Jackass and The Osbournes, which give me a laugh. Although, paradoxically, I also enjoy a good paper.

Tell us a secret
I used to do Irish dancing, just like Michael Flatley. I'm from Dublin, and if you had an aspiring mother, as I did, it was what you were put through - at least until you got old enough to say no.

By Chris Druce