After more than a decade working for Center Parcs, Kim Capstick brought her experience in the hospitality sector to Netherby Hall

 Kim Capstick is Director of Operations of Netherby Hall Ltd which operates luxury self-catering cottages and apartments at Netherby Hall, a private estate near Longtown, Carlisle, and the Michelin-starred restaurant Pentonbridge Inn at Penton. Kim joined the Netherby Hall team in January 2023 after working for Center Parcs for more than 10 years. She lives in Penrith with her husband Phil and son Ryan, 15.

She says: "I’m a really outgoing, upbeat person so the hospitality industry is a perfect fit for me. My first job after leaving school was working for a life insurance broker in Penrith before I got a temporary job as a HR administrator at Center Parcs. It wasn’t long before I was doing extra shifts helping out the entertainment team on Saturday nights. I was naturally drawn to that side of the business so I made the switch to work in guest services soon afterwards.

I worked my way up to become a Village Events Manager working across all of Center Parcs’ UK sites. I was part of the seasonal team, overseeing the delivery of big projects such as the Winter Wonderland. At Center Parcs, we focused on the same high quality, consistent experience for every guest across every site and service. One of the first things I did when I started at Netherby Hall was to introduce systems and ways of working which enabled us to deliver a consistently excellent experience every time.

One of the reasons I came to Netherby Hall was because everyone who works here has so much passion for it. During the interview process, you could tell how much people loved the place. It was the best decision I ever made accepting the job.

Hospitality is all about attention to detail. I want every guest who stays at Netherby Hall or dines at Pentonbridge Inn to have the best experience possible. It is part of our ethos and we live by it every day.

I don’t like to stand still. I’m always thinking of new initiatives and projects to grow the business. One of our biggest success stories has been our summer experience breaks where guests can choose from a range of activities to add to their break, such as taking a horse-drawn carriage ride from Netherby Hall to dine to Pentonbridge Inn. I love the fact we can come up with ideas and make them happen.

Netherby Hall winning self-catering accommodation of the year at the 2024 Cumbria Tourism Awards was one of the proudest moments of my life. We’ve all worked so hard to get to this point and to be recognised in that way was just out of this world.

I’m really passionate about promoting our corner of North Cumbria as a destination for tourists. There is so much more to Cumbria than the Lake District. North Cumbria definitely doesn’t get enough credit for how beautiful it is and what it has to offer.