Charlotte Howle on how she loves helping groups make memories

How did it feel when you realised you had won The Excellence Award? 

 It felt very surreal, like I wasn’t really there in the room. I’m not normally the sort of person to put myself forward for things, or somebody who likes being the centre of attention, so to suddenly see my name up on the screen was a really incredible moment. My boss said I was very calm and collected as I walked up to the stage to get the award, whereas in my head I was screaming because it was the craziest thing! It just felt very, very strange but also amazing. I was so pleased and happy to accept the award, it was an unbelievable evening.   

What was the reaction like when you got back to work?

It was really good and quite overwhelming actually as I don’t really know how to react to the compliments! It has been really lovely to receive so many nice messages. Our director came to congratulate me, and we do a weekly staff bulletin which included the news and I have had some lovely messages after that. 

What does your role as travel trade & tourism officer involve? 

We accept groups of all sizes and types, but generally speaking I work with a lot of coach tour operators and group travel organisers. I’ll take their enquiries either over the phone or email to make a provisional booking, take payments and sort the tickets for them. We also provide welcome packs if they would like and we can meet and greet the group to make sure everything is as it should be.

I also look after the marketing for group bookings, as well as updating the website so I’m always busy. I think people like that one point of contact. This year I have another member of the team helping me which is great and we’re going to be ensuring that bookers speak to one person from start to finish.

What’s the best part of your job?

I genuinely just love helping people have a lovely day when they come to Chester Zoo. I’m not curing cancer or solving crimes, but I’m helping people take a day out and escape the stresses and strains of life. I really love doing that, especially for groups as you’re creating that experience for a lot of people, so that’s why I’m so passionate about it. 

How long have you worked at Chester Zoo?

I’ve been here for about nine years, but I’ve been doing this job for about three-and-a-half years. It was mainly after the pandemic that we realised we needed to do more to get groups to the zoo and cater for their needs, so this role was created and I haven’t looked back.

I genuinely just love helping people have a lovely day when they come to Chester Zoo. I’m helping people take a day out and escape the stresses and strains of life. 

How have you impacted group visits to Chester Zoo in your role?

Groups always need extra thought as they tend to have specific requirements. Our coach park is a couple of minutes’ walk to the main entrance, and it’s a busy area, especially if you are walking 50 people through. I have now developed a way of making a GTO’s life much easier, where they can walk themselves in without needing a ticket to be scanned. It’s all organised in advance and just saves the group organiser time and takes the stress out the day.

Why should groups visit Chester Zoo?

We are the most popular zoo in the UK and it’s a really big zoo - I don’t think people necessarily realise how big we are when they arrive, so it’s definitely a full day out. We would normally recommend about five hours to see everything.

We’ve got a really lovely restaurant and shops on site plus a great range of animal talks so there is always a lot going on. We’ve got Monsoon Forest which is a huge indoor habitat that has all sorts of species to see, we’ve got orangutans and gibbons, and if it’s raining, there are plenty of indoor spaces to enjoy too.

Finally, what would you say to those who nominated and voted for you?

I would just say a massive, massive thank you - it really does mean so much. I like doing what I do and I do it because I’ve got a passion for it, I don’t do it so that people will nominate me for awards. So, the fact that somebody has gone out of their way and nominated me is unbelievable and I’m so grateful. Thank you so much for thinking of me and I’m glad to know that groups are enjoying their visits to the zoo, and hopefully they’ll come back.