SUSAN YOUNG talks to Gillian Myles, General Manager of The Resident, Edinburgh
I caught up with Gillian Mylles on a Sunday morning, her day off, when she joined me for a coffee at the hotel she manages – The Resident Edinburgh.
Having spent the night there myself, I was struck by the thoughtfulness of the guest experience, and it’s clear that attention to detail is central to how Gillian approaches hospitality. Gillian’s path into the industry wasn’t exactly planned.
After university, she spent a year in New Zealand with her then-partner, a chef, and “fell into hospitality,” she says with a laugh. “Once you’re in, you realise how much you love working with people.”
Returning to Aberdeen in 2007, she started at Skene House Hotel Suites as a receptionist before moving to the newly opened Malmaison as Front Office Manager in 2008. By 2010, she had become Rooms Division Manager at Malmaison, gaining essential operational experience and an early understanding of the nuances that make a hotel feel welcoming.
“Malmaison and Hotel du Vin were very good to me as brands. I’ve been lucky to have great leaders who supported me,” she reflects.
“They encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and put myself forward so I could progress. I’m quite introverted, so that encouragement made a real difference.”
Gillian’s career then broadened across brands and roles. She became Deputy General Manager at Hotel du Vin Edinburgh in 2011, later moving to Brighton in the same role.
In 2012, she joined De Vere Oulton Hall as Rooms Division Manager, before becoming Deputy GM at De Vere Slaley Hall, where she experienced firsthand the challenges of large-scale operations.
“At Slaley Hall, we had a major power cut during peak season – full hotel, full golf courses. It was chaos, because our generator didn’t kick in, and we had a full restaurant to serve. It gave a whole new dimension to the term ‘spinning plates.’ That’s why we come back every day, though, isn’t it? We’re adrenaline junkies. We love the chaos of it sometimes.”
Her first General Manager role came in 2014 at Hotel du Vin Edinburgh, achieving a personal goal she had set: to become a GM by 30.
“I was very lucky that I was in organisations that saw that as achievable. Yes, I had to work hard, but I was also lucky to work with great people who encouraged me.”
Senior roles followed at Macdonald Hotels & Resorts, Principal Hotel Company, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants in both Edinburgh and Glasgow, InterContinental The George Edinburgh, and Marine & Lawn Hotels & Resorts in North Berwick.
Each role, she says, added new layers to her understanding of leadership, guest experience, and team development.
In February 2024, Gillian took on her current role as Pre-Opening General Manager of The Resident Edinburgh, a chance to shape a hotel from the ground up. Being involved from pre-opening meant influencing every detail – recruiting the team, choosing glassware and crockery, and overseeing operational planning ahead of the November opening.
“It was my first opening, so a big learning experience. Building your own team and then finally opening the doors – it’s a huge relief,” she says.
Her dedication reflects The Resident’s ethos: to make guests feel like residents in the city. “We want people to feel like residents – that’s the whole idea. We don’t have a restaurant or bar. We offer a drink, but the aim is to encourage guests to explore all the wonderful places to eat and drink in Edinburgh.
“We encourage our team to find out about places they genuinely enjoy and to recommend them to guests. This makes their interactions more bespoke, rather than trying to turn our guests into covers. That’s not what we’re trying to do here.”
Local connections are important, she adds. “Even our snacks and drinks are local – whiskies, gins, and so on. We work with local businesses and make sure the team knows them. A deli across the road recently thanked us because so many guests said they’d been recommended by us. That community connection is really important.”
Gillian is hands-on as a manager, hosting weekly evening drinks to connect with guests. While she sometimes misses the restaurant environment of larger hotels, she values the focus her current role allows.
“It gives me more time to focus on the team and guest interaction.” Her eye for detail is evident in the rooms.
“We tried to address common issues travellers often have. For instance, the dressing area outside the bathroom means that while one person is getting ready, someone else can still use the bathroom. And we put plug points by the mirrors!”
Sustainability is central to her approach. “Our rooms use motion sensors instead of keycards to control energy – lights automatically switch off when a guest leaves. We utilise air source heat pumps on the roof and have no gas in the building. We also recycled materials from the original building, such as the glass in the windows. It’s about lots of small things – products, suppliers, processes – that add up. We’ve recently achieved a Gold award from Green Tourism.”
Reputation is equally important. “We’re not part of a big organisation like Hilton or Marriott, so we rely on reviews. Most travellers do their research nowadays. We’re currently number nine on TripAdvisor in Edinburgh, but one of our London properties, The Resident Covent Garden, is number one. Our attention to detail and room quality helps drive the brand organically.”
Guests vary from UK visitors on weekends to international travellers in summer, and she is pragmatic about travel trends. “It’s out of our control – every day brings something new.”
She is also candid about challenges in attracting young talent to hospitality. “It’s becoming harder to bring young people in. We’re a well-paid industry in many cases, with living wage employers, but people need to try it to understand how rewarding it can be – no two days are the same, and you get real satisfaction from helping people.
“It’s also about educating parents on career paths and apprenticeships. Hospitality is far more than standing behind a desk – there’s revenue, marketing, PR, finance. There are so many paths, and that’s something we need to communicate better.”
Her own development was shaped by deliberate choices, mentoring, and hands-on learning.
“In Aberdeen, the F&B Manager and I swapped roles for a month to broaden our experience. That kind of exposure is invaluable – an eye-opener.” COVID was a challenge, too. At Kimpton Blythswood in Glasgow, she had only just started.
“I’d been in the role for three weeks before we had to close. I hadn’t really got to know my team. We opened and closed multiple times, worked with a skeleton team, and often stayed in the hotel for several days. We kept busy – painting, flipping mattresses, doing whatever we could. It was tough, but we made the best of it. There were worse places to be than Blythswood Square.”
Guest expectations have chagned since the pandemic. “People are more focused on value for money. Everything is more expensive, so expectations are higher – and rightly so. People work hard for their money and want a great experience, especially in peak season. If someone is paying £400 a night, they expect a lot – and they should.”
Service recovery is central to her ethos, she says, “Communication is key – between departments and with the guest. If someone is staying more than one night, there’s always an opportunity to fix things. That’s our role – to make sure departments are aligned and issues addressed quickly. If something goes wrong, we need to learn from it and ensure it doesn’t happen again.”
Looking ahead, Gillian is focused on consolidating a strong first year at The Resident Edinburgh. “It’s about building on a strong first year and navigating what could be a challenging period for the city. The hotel has gone from strength to strength. We had our first full year last year and hit our budget, which was fantastic. At the moment, there’s a lot happening globally that could impact travel. But that’s part of the job – finding solutions and keeping the business growing.”
Outside work, she explores the city with her beagle and spends time with her partner, who also works in hospitality. “He travels a lot for work, so we make the most of the time we have together. When I leave work, I try not to talk about it too much – it’s nice to have that separation.”
Many of her friends are in the industry, so discussions inevitably return to hotels, but she sees that as an opportunity to learn from peers. Her career, mentoring, and hands-on experience, reflects her ethos – thoughtful service, team development, and a connection to the city she calls home.
Gillian exudes calm confidence, quick wit, and a clear love for her work – qualities that make guests feel genuinely welcome and her team inspired to deliver their best every day. For those starting out, her advice is simple, “Enjoy it. Be yourself – you can’t fake genuine hospitality. Ask questions, be passionate, be ambitious. That will take you further than anything else.”
