The Drake Hotel’s Damien McArdle on Being Irish in Chicago: “It’s Done Me Well.”
When the Irish tricolor flies high above the Drake Hotel – as it will for the annual Ireland Network Chicago Ball on February 8 - it serves as more than a striking image; it symbolizes the pride of the Irish in Chicago and the deep connection between the hotel and the Irish community here. For Damien McArdle, who serves as The Drake’s General Manager, the event is an annual reminder of his heritage as an Irish immigrant and the professional heights that he has climbed to lead the iconic hotel.
Damien McArdle and crew
One of six children, Damien was born and raised in Dublin and attended St. Michael’s boarding school in Omeath in County Louth. After boarding school, he took his parents’ advice to take a job within the hotel industry, starting his career by apprenticing as a bartender at Jurys Inn in Dublin.
“I wasn’t a great student,” Damien admits, “but I knew I was outgoing and personable, so the industry was perfect for me.”
After taking on various roles at Jurys Inn Dublin – everything from manning the front desk to working in accounting and managing food and beverage – at the age of 20 Damien moved to Cork to serve as the manager of the Jurys Inn there, a role that he enjoyed immensely.
Damien had always wanted to come to the United States, but it took a letter from his mother to set in motion his move across the Atlantic. She had clipped a story from the Irish Herald about a new bar opening in the Chicago Hilton – Kitty O’Shea’s – and that its management was looking for Irish bartenders, waiters, and chefs to create an authentic Irish experience. Damien faxed his resume, was offered the position, and moved to Chicago on a J1 visa, a move that would change his life forever.
“That first year in Chicago, I had a great time with the others who were working at Kitty’s,” Damien recalls. “We made what felt like gobs of money for us, and I’m still friends with those co-workers today.”
Beyond learning how to make a screwdriver for his American patrons and getting to know Chicago, Damien’s time at Kitty O’Shea’s was special for another reason: it is where he met his wife Eileen, herself a recent graduate of Loyola University who was working as a server that summer. They have been married for 36 years have three boys, Ted, Aiden, and Coley.
After working as a bartender at Kitty’s, Damien was itching to get back into hotel management and joined the Four Seasons, which had recently opened, and began what would become an impressive run of leadership positions within the hospitality industry in Chicago. Over the course of two decades, among his many positions, he would work as room service director and food and beverage director at the Hilton, general manager at
McCormick Place, regional food and beverage director for Levy Restaurants, and general manager at the Conrad Hilton.
All of these roles ultimately led to Damien to take his current role at The Drake, which he joined as general manager in 2014. The import of the position is not lost on him.
“It amazes me how people are connected to The Drake,” Damien says. “I travel extensively, and everyone around the world knows the hotel. Locally, it’s so iconic within the city. People have strong memories of going to the Cape Cod Room, or the Coq d’or, or seeing the holiday decorations. It’s unlike any other hotel.”
As general manager, Damien oversees a sprawling operation of 15 departments – everything from food and beverage services to HR, legal, and security, to name a few – and he admits that it is a “complex business.” He credits his team members for maintaining the high level of service that people have come to expect from the flagship hotel.
“Team members have the longest tenure of any hotel where I’ve ever worked. It’s not uncommon to celebrate 25, 30, or 35 years of service for our staff, who take great pride in their positions.”
The hotel, now over 100 years old, needs no introduction for Chicagoans and those who know it. For Damien, his task is protecting its history while maintaining its iconic status in an everchanging world.
“We need to stay current with the expected amenities of a modern hotel, so we’re constantly updating that, but the core of the hotel remains the same. We haven’t gutted and reinvented it, and we’re very proud of the way it looks,” he shares. “But what makes The Drake special is the feeling that guests experience by being in the building and interacting with staff. It’s the sense of tradition.”
Another part of The Drake’s tradition is its connection with Ireland and the Irish in Chicago. This will be on full display for the Ireland Network’s annual ball, when a sold-out crowd of over 400 attendees will descend upon the hotel for an evening of celebration in the striking ballroom overlooking Lake Michigan. The annual event has become a staple of the winter calendar, and Damien credits Ann O’Riordan, former director of catering, for connecting the network with the hotel, and Antoinette Cahill, who also served as director of social catering, for strengthening the partnership year after year.
“I consider the Ireland Network to be a partner rather than a client,” Damien says, “and we are absolutely 100% vested in the success of the event.”
In addition to hosting the Ireland Network ball, the Drake also maintains a strong relationship with the Irish Consulate in Chicago, regularly hosting events and visiting
dignitaries from the Irish government and diplomatic corps. For Damien, the Dublin native, he admits that he does not take this partnership for granted.
Reflecting on his career, Damien believes the hospitality world was a perfect fit for him, and he particularly appreciates being part of the global community of professionals who develop friendships and extend professional courtesies to each other. He credits one piece of advice he received from a mentor – “God gave you two ears and one mouth for a reason” – as the guiding light of his career. As he says, “If you listen more than you talk, you tend to build a great relationship with so many people.”
Ever grateful, Damien points to these relationships, particularly among local Irish and Irish Americans, as a source of strength and pride.
“Chicago is a tight city, big but small. The Irish within Chicago, I’m still amazed with how many people I could pick up the phone and I’m always welcome. At the same time, so many people contact me telling me that someone from the Irish community gave them my info, and I try to help. The Irish network is inclusive, it’s constantly growing, and I thoroughly enjoy that aspect of being Irish in Chicago. Every position I’ve had, it’s always a result from a mentor, either an Irish person or someone with an Irish name. It’s done me very well.”