Dominic's Story

“For me, the biggest thing is making my team feel like they are part of something amazing.”

After a recent move from Breydon Water Holiday Park to a new challenge at Vauxhall, it is immediately apparent that Dominic is obsessed with the hospitality industry and has a resilient passion for people. Growing up in Great Yarmouth to a family of accountants, you could say Dominic’s love for holiday parks started at an early age, as he remembers bouncing around various resorts from just 2 years old and landing his first job at 14 as a pot washer at Liffens, now known as Breydon Water.

It wasn’t always obvious to Dominic that he would find his future career in holiday parks. When he was younger Dominic’s passion was in sport, particularly football and semi-professional tenpin bowling which he sadly had to quit after a significant injury to his wrist when he was 21. Dominic says, “I was all over the place at that age and didn’t know what I wanted to do, the world would tell me I should be following the family into accountancy but something about hospitality drew me in. I kind of fell into the hospitality world and didn’t ever leave it.”

Over the next few years Dominic would go on to work in a number of holiday parks, gaining experience as a Sports and Leisure Manager and winning a number of awards, and then in holiday home sales for 5 years which he says "changed his life". Jumping forward to today and Dominic still hasn’t left the hospitality world. Having joined the Parkdean Resorts family over 9 years ago, Dominic started his journey as General Manager at Sandy Bay which he states was "a really good challenge that I loved – I learnt a lot." He then poetically returned to where it all began when he was 14, at Breydon Water in Norfolk where he stayed for 6 years.

It is no surprise that Dominic has excelled as a General Manager at Parkdean Resorts when you get a glimpse of how passionate he is about his role.

"I do this job because I love it every day. Every day I wake up in the morning, I drive to work with the upbeat music, and I cannot wait to get in. What I love about this industry is that you get to work with people who become your professional friends and you get to share all of these amazing facilities with your friends and family. There’s no better feeling then sharing things like this."

Dominic talks fervently about the way in which he has "grown through the industry as both a customer and a team member" using his experiences as both to completely understand the guest and support his team. What really stands out for Dom at Parkdean Resorts is the support and guidance he has received from key people within Parkdean, and also the autonomy and freedom he is given as a General Manager.

"Over the last few years, I have been given great support and guidance around mental health from various people within Parkdean Resorts, further confirming that I 100% chose the correct industry for me. The business also allows you to manage in your own way. You’re the General Manager, you have the skills, you’re there for a reason and you can run the park how you want to."

We can’t wait to see what Dominic does in his new role at Vauxhall Holiday Park!