Harrogate hotel employee rewarded for 35 years’ service

A long-serving employee at one of Harrogate’s best-known hotels was joined by colleagues recently to mark a major career milestone. 

Dave Johnson, who is events operations manager at the Majestic Hotel, celebrated 35 years in the job with prosecco and a cake baked by his wife Joanne, who is sous chef there.

He was also presented with a special golden ‘35 years’ pin-badge and given a two-day stay at the Redworth Hall Hotel near his hometown in County Durham. 

He said: 

“I first came to Harrogate as an 18-year-old from Shildon and thought ‘what a wonderful place’, so I stayed. I started at the Majestic as a night porter and have held quite a few positions since then. 

“I even met and married Joanne here, so the Majestic has been a big part of my life.” 

When Dave first started work at the hotel, the world was a very different place. The Cold War had yet to thaw, the digital revolution hadn’t even begun, and Margaret Thatcher was in No 10. In fact, she visited the Majestic twice as Prime Minister when Dave was there. He said: 

“There were police on the front desk for three weeks before she came, vetting everyone who came in. Security was very tight.” 

Mrs Thatcher was far from the only VIP Dave has met over the course of his career at the hotel. He met England cricketing hero Ian Botham on his first day in the job and has met lots of other famous people since then, including Prince Charles, Rudolph Giuliani, Lenny Henry, Princess Anne, Rick Astley and many others. 

In 1988, the hotel was owned by Trusthouse Forte and changed hands several times until it was finally bought by the Cairn Group in 2016 and rebranded as the DoubleTree by Hilton Harrogate Majestic Hotel & Spa. Dave said: 

“That was a great boost to morale. They invested £15 million in refurbishing the hotel, and our wages went up. The perks of working here now are brilliant, and we have a greater choice of hotels to stay at when we take time off. Flying the flag for Hilton also brings a lot more customers in.” 

Dave may have put in a long stint at the Majestic, but at 53, he’s not ready to quit any time soon. He said:

“I just like looking after customers and meeting such a wide range of people. Maybe some day I’ll move to sunnier climes, but I’ve got no plans to move just yet.” 

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