From Receptionist to General Manager: Nine Years of Calm, Chaos, and Community at The Hoxton, Shoreditch with Cecilia Horner
Cecilia has been with The Hoxton for nine years, starting as a receptionist and working her way up to General Manager of The Hoxton, Shoreditch, our very first Hox. We sat down with her (and her dog, Elliot) in the lobby to talk about career, chaos, community, and why she never left.
You’ve been with The Hoxton for nearly nine years now, but you didn’t start as the General Manager. Can you walk us through your career path?
I started as a receptionist—that was my very first role here. From there, I transitioned into a supervisor role, then became an Assistant Guest Services Manager, Guest Service Manager, Front Office Manager, and Director of Rooms. I worked across our other London properties in Southwark and Holborn before coming back full circle to Shoreditch as the General Manager about two years ago.
Do you remember your first week at the front desk?
Honestly, the actual work of that first week is a bit of a blur! But what I remember vividly were my interviews. I was interviewing at quite a few hotels at the same time, but here the interviews were in the lobby, and I remember when I walked in for the second interview, something just clicked. It felt entirely different. It was an instant feeling of belonging.
What’s something you think every Hox GM should experience before taking on the role?
Every GM needs to experience a day where absolutely everything goes wrong and it is total chaos. If you can stay calm through that, then you are probably the right person for the job.
“It’s like you just breath out when you come in through the doors of The Lobby. A little oasis, away from the chaos of Great Eastern Street.“
You spend a lot of time in this lobby. What’s the first thing you notice when you walk through in the morning?
The first thing I notice is probably just how calm it always feels here. It’s quite manic outside in terms of, you know, traffic, London life, everything going on. In here it’s busy; it’s busy with guests, it’s busy with staff, there’s always stuff to do – but it still has this energy of calm. I always think about that when I get here.
It’s like you just breath out when you come in through the doors of The Lobby. A little oasis, away from the chaos of Great Eastern Street.
What is your favourite part of the lobby as it is now?
My favourite part is this kind of cosy corner — the fireplaces. I think that goes for all Hoxton lobbies, like the little nooks and hidden away places. You just sit, sink into a sofa, have a glass of wine, watch the world pass by. That’s definitely my favourite.
“I’ve quite literally seen people pulling out each other’s hair extentions right in front of the reception desk!“
Shoreditch is The Hoxton’s OG neighbourhood, and you’ve spent a lot of time here. What are your favourite local spots, where do you go on your lunch break?
I love this neighbourhood! Because I was working in Shoreditch and then worked in our other hotels in Southwark and Holborn for a while, it took a few years before I came back and hung out here again. So it’s been really nice coming back, seeing all new places, but also the places that lasted.
My favourite places — I love Dumbo. They make the best veggie burger I’ve ever had. I love Labour and Wait if you want little homeware things for your house. And I love The Photobook CafĂ© for either a coffee or a drink after work as well. And that’s just around the corner from us.
During your time here, what has been your most “you had to be there” moment?
Nine years ago, Shoreditch was a very different scene, the nightlife especially. It was a bit like the Wild West! I’ve quite literally seen people pulling out each other’s hair extensions right in front of the reception desk.
You see absolutely everything when you work in a hotel (a lot of it I’ll have to take to my grave…). We also see a lot of first dates unfold in front of us. Before our recent refurbishment, we had a couple of seats placed right in front of reception. Behind the desk, you become a bit invisible, and I don’t think people quite realized we could hear and see every awkward, sweet, or funny interaction.
What is the most bizarre guest request you’ve encountered during your time here?
The absolute weirdest was a guest asking if they could bring a live goat to an event in the Apartment [the hotel’s meeting and events space]. We also get whimsical little tests from guests who want to see if we actually read their booking notes, like requesting a printed photo of Leonardo DiCaprio to be placed in their room. If we can make it happen, we always do!
What is a phrase you must have said at least 10,000 times?
I wish I had a quirky, glamorous answer, but realistically, it’s giving directions to the bathroom! After that, it’s the hospitality classic: “How can I help you?”
What’s an unglamorous part of being a GM that no one really warns you about?
I’d love for someone to tell me what a glamorous part of being a GM is, to be completely honest with you! It might look more glamorous than what it is. It’s a lot of just everyday looking after your team, looking after your guests. But that’s glamorous in its own way, I guess. Surround yourself with fun people and colour all your spreadsheets in pink, and then you’re set for success.
And what’s the best part?
The best part of the GM role is definitely just being able to be here and be part of it. You decide yourself how much you want to influence, but you can really influence the experience that guests are having, you can influence how your teams are feeling. You can feel, even after you’ve left, that you’ve made a difference, and that you’ve created something.
If you could swap jobs with anyone in the company for a single day, who would it be?
If I could swap roles for just a day, I’d want to do something that feels opposite to what I’m doing now. I’d swap with someone on the development team. I spend my days in the live, daily operation of the hotel, so I think it would be fascinating to step back to the very beginning, to when a new hotel is just an idea being born.
What do you think is the best part of working for The Hoxton overall?
My favourite part of working for The Hoxton is just our culture and the way we see people. Before I started working here, I would swap jobs every six months to a year, I’m quite restless as a person. When I started here, the plan was only to stay for six months. I literally said that: “I’m going to work at reception for a few months before I look for other jobs”. And then I just really fell in love with the brand. It’s really just how we put people first, that’s crucial for me. And that’s why I’ve ended up being here for nine years. From six months to nine years, it really was not the plan. I was also just moving to London for one month, and now it’s been eleven years. So clearly don’t trust anything I say, that’s the summary of that.
Tell us about the photo booth, it’s become quite iconic. Why do you think it still draws such a crowd?
People love that old school vibe. You can take great photos with your phone, but there’s something about it. I was in Hoxton Amsterdam not too long ago and the queue to the photo booth was genuinely out to the street. I was like, what is everyone queuing for? And it was the photo booth.
Because it’s a proper development process, the photos take a few minutes, and sometimes people have had a little bit too many drinks and they forget, or they wander off. So we always end up having so many random photos of people just left behind from the photo booth.
We’ve definitely had some beautiful stories too. I actually met a couple randomly in a pub close to where I live, and they told me they’d been to The Hoxton Shoreditch. They had one of their first dates here, took a photo in the photo booth, then got married and stayed here the night they got married. So they have another photo from that. And now they have a little baby as well. They just need to bring her in and take another photo…full circle. Someone even named their baby after The Hoxton. We do have a special meaning in people’s lives, for sure.
And finally — the restaurants. Where do you take people when they visit?
When we recently refurbished Hox Shoreditch, we also opened our new restaurant downstairs, Bambini . It’s an Italian all-day dining vibe. My favourite thing to eat there is definitely breakfast, because we do classic breakfast but with an Italian twist. So you can have your Eggs Benedict but on Italian focaccia. It’s very, very nice.
If I’m going more for a little romantic dinner, or bringing some friends for drinks, I do love going upstairs to Llama Inn . We do a Sour Hour with Pisco Sour, it’s lethal, but very, very lovely. The food upstairs is incredible. Gorgeous views. It’s a very good little hidden spot in Shoreditch. I think sometimes with a rooftop you think summer, but it’s so nice and cosy to go up there this time of year as well, because you’re sitting right within the Shoreditch skyline and you see all the city lights twinkling in the evening. A very good winter spot.”
The Hoxton, Shoreditch has been open for 20 years now. How do you think the lobby will feel in another 20 years?
No matter how much technology advances or how hospitality changes, I believe this lobby will remain a constant. It will always feel like a home away from home and a creative space for the community. Even when the robots eventually come for us, people will still need a comfortable lobby to meet friends, work, have their first dates, and grab a great coffee.
As our interview wrapped up, a member of the team appeared at the edge of the fireplace corner, carrying a box of flowers and a handwritten note. Cecilia opened it, visibly surprised:Â
“Cecilia — thank you for being the best for nine whole years. Please enjoy a stay at any Hox of your choice.”
She laughed, touched. “I genuinely did not see that coming.” When asked which property she’d choose, she looked out at the grey London November skies and said: “I know immediately where I’m going. The Hoxton, Barcelona.”
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