WSH's guest service arm enters Irish market

WSH's outsourced guest services company Portico has launched in the Irish market.

It has been appointed to manage the guest services of Allied Irish Banks' (AIB) seven-storey headquarters in Molesworth Street, Dublin.

The firm is the sister company of contract caterer BaxterStorey and the two will work in partnership to offer clients a broad range of hospitality services.

Paul Jackson, managing director at Portico (pictured, left), said: "Launching into Ireland has always been an ambition for Portico. Many of our UK clients have offices in Ireland and we have experienced a growing interest this past year in us looking at their Ireland operations.

"The award for AIB this year arrived at a perfect time as we were already planning to invest in operational resources and infrastructure to support our launch and growth."

Portico manages the internal customer journey and external guest experience for clients offering a range of services that include providing the first welcome for visitors, managing reservations, creating events and managing client's workspaces.

Explaining how Portico can benefit clients Jackson added: "At Portico we immerse ourselves into our client businesses becoming the custodians of their brand and echo their culture through our guest experience."

Over a 15-year period the business has grown to a team of 800 employees. Portico has reported that more than half of its new business comes from first time outsourcers, which it says indicates that growth continues.

Both Portico and BaxterStorey are divisions of WSH, which was founded in 2000 by Alastair Storey and has grown to become the largest independent catering business in the UK.