Since my internship will be coming to an end on Friday, I thought I would make my last blog all about what I learned during my internship. I hope you enjoy!
I learned that I can do anything that I put my mind to. I was a little timid to try the Executive Meeting Specialist position because I had never worked on any aspect of a meeting or event. The knowledge that I didn’t have about the job came with just getting out there and doing it. When I had a question or didn’t know what to do in a situation, I asked another employee and they were always eager to help me learn and grow. As a result I think this has given me more self confidence.
I learned some of my strengths and weaknesses. I learned these because I was forced to step outside of my comfort zone (the front desk). I found that my best strengths are my warm personality and my ability to create relationships with clients and guests. I found the areas that I need to work on are my ability to accept change and to delegate tasks. Without leaving my comfort zone I don’t know that I would have realized these things.
I learned that I don’t want to be a Conference Services Manager. Originally I had thought that I would either enjoy doing that position or being a Catering Manager. Through my experience as an Executive Meeting Specialist, I found that Conference Services Managers have to deal with a lot more stress than I could have imagined. I also found that they have virtually no time off and don’t get paid well enough to justify it. Because of this experience, I have now decided to focus on becoming a Catering Manager.
I learned that you have to find a balance between your work and home life. I have come to the conclusion that I don’t want my whole life to revolve around my career. Instead, I want my career to revolve around my home life. This is one reason I have decided to pursue becoming a Catering Manager. I want to learn all that I can about weddings in that position and then possibly start my own wedding planning business. This way I can write my own schedule while still maintaining a rewarding career.
I have learned that the most important thing that you can do is network, network, network. I had heard this before but I really learned this from some of the managers that I worked with during my internship. I found out that a lot of them got the job they have now because they knew the right people. And because I have been doing my internship and showing interest in other departments, other department managers have taken notice. I have had the opportunity to prove to them that I am a hard working, capable employee. I have already had one of the Sales Managers approach me and ask if I was interested in working in his department!
I have learned a lot of the terminology and aspects of putting on a meeting or event. I learned all of the meeting room setups and a lot of the terminology such as what a BEO is and what a polycom is. I also learned about the various positions available, such as Banquet Captain or Convention Services, and a little bit about what each position does. And I got to see first hand how many changes take place in the days leading up to the event.
I learned that everyone learns differently. As a trainer, or manager for that fact, you have to accept that not everyone learns at the same pace or in the same way. You have to figure how each person learns and adapt your style to match that.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
Action Plan
Shelley Smith
TDM 463
Action Plan
Current Accomplishments
I have accomplished quite a bit in the first part of my internship. I have started working on a training binder for the front desk, provided training to our current and new PBX and Front Desk Associates, learned a lot about the operations side of convention services, and added to my overall knowledge of my job.
Future Goals for the Internship
My goals for the remainder of my internship include:
1. I will be completing the training binder. I would like to add topics such as exchanging currency, sending voicemail blasts, and what to do when a guest’s credit card declines during their stay. This training binder will be very helpful because the topics covered in the binder are situations that don’t happen very often. Because they don’t happen very often, it is very easy to forget what to do in the situation. The training binder will be a point of reference for all associates when these uncommon situations arise.
2. I will be continuing the training that I have started with our current and new PBX and Front Desk Associates. This will include completing everyone’s Critical Path worksheet, making sure every associate gets to see all of our room types, and answering all questions that the associates may have. The associates have been very appreciative for this training so far and they are very excited to have the opportunity to tour our rooms. This training has proved useful so far because the associates are able to get their questions answered as well as learn new procedures.
3. I will be scheduling all Front Desk and PBX associates to cross-train in other departments throughout the resort. The departments that I would like them to get experience in include housekeeping, concierge, bell, and security. Learning how other departments operate and how each department depends on one another will greatly help the associates in their everyday position as well as see things from someone else’s point of view.
4. I will continue to study the various meeting room setups. This will help me everyday in the Executive Meeting Specialist position because it is my responsibility to ensure meeting rooms are set properly before the start of every meeting.
Actions, Resources, and Timeline to Complete These Goals
1. In order to complete the training binder I will need to ensure that I am placed on the schedule at least one day a week for this purpose only. I have already discussed this with the supervisors that create our weekly schedule. The timeline for this project will be from now until the end of my internship.
2. To continue training the Front Desk and PBX Associates I will need to be scheduled appropriately. The supervisors that create the schedule will be assigning associates to train with me every day that I am scheduled. To show associates our rooms, I will need access to a golf cart. I have spoken to security about this already and I will be able to check out a golf cart whenever I need one. On the days that I will be showing rooms, I will be responsible for choosing the room numbers and placing these on hold. I will continue this training throughout the remainder of my internship.
3. To schedule associates to train in other departments I first need to make contact with the managers of the desired departments. I want to ensure that the managers of the desired departments are willing to participate and will be able to provide our associates with a positive experience. I will speak to each manager involved in person no later than this Friday, April 24th. I will also continue to create a list of questions that our associates can ask each department. The actual training will occur between Monday, April 27 and Friday, May 9. This timeline may need to be lengthened or shortened depending on the schedules of the desired departments.
4. In order for me to continue studying the meeting room setups I will be using the Executive Meeting Specialist handbook. This handbook contains all of the meeting room layouts in picture and print form. I will be studying this during any down time that I have so the timeline for this will be from now until the end of my internship.
Future Goals Beyond My Internship
After completing my internship, my future goals include becoming a Catering Manager and potentially becoming starting my own wedding planning business. I intend to accomplish becoming a Catering Manager by first applying for the Administrative Assistant position. This position should be open in early June. As an Administrative Assistant I would learn most of what I would need to know to become a Catering Manager. I would spend as long as I needed in that position in order to learn the necessary skills. I would also continue to network with others in the field as this is a great way to learn about possible job openings. I plan on extending the reach of my networking by joining NACE (National Association of Catering Executives). From there I would apply for the Catering Manager position, assuming it is open at one of the Starwood properties in Arizona. If the position is not open within Starwood then I will start researching other properties in the area. The timeline for this begins with applying for the Administrative Assistant position in June with a goal to become a Catering Manager by the end of the following summer (2010). Once I become a Catering Manager I will evaluate my options and decide whether or not to start my own wedding planning business. This would require me to learn about owning a small business, probably by taking classes at either ASU or a community college.
TDM 463
Action Plan
Current Accomplishments
I have accomplished quite a bit in the first part of my internship. I have started working on a training binder for the front desk, provided training to our current and new PBX and Front Desk Associates, learned a lot about the operations side of convention services, and added to my overall knowledge of my job.
Future Goals for the Internship
My goals for the remainder of my internship include:
1. I will be completing the training binder. I would like to add topics such as exchanging currency, sending voicemail blasts, and what to do when a guest’s credit card declines during their stay. This training binder will be very helpful because the topics covered in the binder are situations that don’t happen very often. Because they don’t happen very often, it is very easy to forget what to do in the situation. The training binder will be a point of reference for all associates when these uncommon situations arise.
2. I will be continuing the training that I have started with our current and new PBX and Front Desk Associates. This will include completing everyone’s Critical Path worksheet, making sure every associate gets to see all of our room types, and answering all questions that the associates may have. The associates have been very appreciative for this training so far and they are very excited to have the opportunity to tour our rooms. This training has proved useful so far because the associates are able to get their questions answered as well as learn new procedures.
3. I will be scheduling all Front Desk and PBX associates to cross-train in other departments throughout the resort. The departments that I would like them to get experience in include housekeeping, concierge, bell, and security. Learning how other departments operate and how each department depends on one another will greatly help the associates in their everyday position as well as see things from someone else’s point of view.
4. I will continue to study the various meeting room setups. This will help me everyday in the Executive Meeting Specialist position because it is my responsibility to ensure meeting rooms are set properly before the start of every meeting.
Actions, Resources, and Timeline to Complete These Goals
1. In order to complete the training binder I will need to ensure that I am placed on the schedule at least one day a week for this purpose only. I have already discussed this with the supervisors that create our weekly schedule. The timeline for this project will be from now until the end of my internship.
2. To continue training the Front Desk and PBX Associates I will need to be scheduled appropriately. The supervisors that create the schedule will be assigning associates to train with me every day that I am scheduled. To show associates our rooms, I will need access to a golf cart. I have spoken to security about this already and I will be able to check out a golf cart whenever I need one. On the days that I will be showing rooms, I will be responsible for choosing the room numbers and placing these on hold. I will continue this training throughout the remainder of my internship.
3. To schedule associates to train in other departments I first need to make contact with the managers of the desired departments. I want to ensure that the managers of the desired departments are willing to participate and will be able to provide our associates with a positive experience. I will speak to each manager involved in person no later than this Friday, April 24th. I will also continue to create a list of questions that our associates can ask each department. The actual training will occur between Monday, April 27 and Friday, May 9. This timeline may need to be lengthened or shortened depending on the schedules of the desired departments.
4. In order for me to continue studying the meeting room setups I will be using the Executive Meeting Specialist handbook. This handbook contains all of the meeting room layouts in picture and print form. I will be studying this during any down time that I have so the timeline for this will be from now until the end of my internship.
Future Goals Beyond My Internship
After completing my internship, my future goals include becoming a Catering Manager and potentially becoming starting my own wedding planning business. I intend to accomplish becoming a Catering Manager by first applying for the Administrative Assistant position. This position should be open in early June. As an Administrative Assistant I would learn most of what I would need to know to become a Catering Manager. I would spend as long as I needed in that position in order to learn the necessary skills. I would also continue to network with others in the field as this is a great way to learn about possible job openings. I plan on extending the reach of my networking by joining NACE (National Association of Catering Executives). From there I would apply for the Catering Manager position, assuming it is open at one of the Starwood properties in Arizona. If the position is not open within Starwood then I will start researching other properties in the area. The timeline for this begins with applying for the Administrative Assistant position in June with a goal to become a Catering Manager by the end of the following summer (2010). Once I become a Catering Manager I will evaluate my options and decide whether or not to start my own wedding planning business. This would require me to learn about owning a small business, probably by taking classes at either ASU or a community college.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Great Customer Service Article
Last week was really slow at the Wigwam. The highlight of my week was my midterm site visit. It was great to finally meet our professor! I had a great time showing her around and talking with her.
Unfortunately since it was a slower week, I don't have much to blog about. However, I found a great article online that I wanted to share since most of us are in the hospitality industry. It talks about service and some of it ties into my blog from last week. The link to the article is: http://www.breakingtravelnews.com/article/20040910134537796 but I posted it below and highlighted what I thought were the best parts.
We’ve been told over and over, every time we come in contact with a customer, that we make a good impression or a bad one for the organization we represent. The gurus have taught us that these are called the “moments of truth”. That being the case, the first moment of truth takes place with a genuine and personal touch as soon as the guest walks in the front door. This sets the tone for the rest of the experience, and if it gets even better, the dining experience will be unforgettable.
As we continue to try to define customer service we find that there are some basic truths. To understand those truths you have to realize that customer service has to always be defined from the customer’s perspective, not the operator’s. In fact, we need to remember, the customer’s perception is our reality.
We all know that successful service is not a one-time event; you have to work hard at it. It is only as good as your last encounter. It is a production and it goes on stage every day at the same time, and it’s live. There’s no practicing; there’s no rehearsing.
I know not all chefs and chef owners will agree with this statement, but I’m a firm believer that a good server can save a bad meal, but a great entrée can’t bail out a bad server. In my many years in the industry I’ve found that when I took care of customers extremely well and made them a focal point, profit inevidently flowed.
Executives around the world recognize service as the most important tool a company can use to differentiate itself from the competition. Therefore, they also realize that the most important people in any company are those who provide service. J.W. Marriott Jr. said, “Service people are the most important ones in the organization. Without them there is no product, no sale, and no profit. Indeed, they are the product. Service is and should be a high calling.”
It is important for us to remember that guests are at our property to spend money, and we should not deprive them of that opportunity. This is an industry where we have to constantly train, and when we’re done training, train again, and then train again. It is human nature to under-learn and over-forget. Hospitality employees will tell you, “I already know that one.” That’s great, but it doesn’t matter if they know what to do, it matters if they do what they know.
We’ve all heard the phrase, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” The first thirty seconds sets the tone for the entire experience. The most important first step for anyone in our industry is creating a bond of trust and credibility with our guests. This is what we call rapport. The essence of rapport is commonality. People like people who are like themselves. If it’s true that almost everything you become and accomplish in your life is with and through other people, then the ability to create rapport with other people is the most important skill you can learn. That being said, it is easy to understand why the main challenge in our business is to manage these millions of moments of truth every day. That means managing hundreds of encounters with customers each and every shift, because it is in fact service that determines how much money they are going to spend and how much you’re going to make.
You can’t sell something you don’t know anything about, and you won’t suggest something if you don’t know anything about it. Closing a sale is actually a transfer of enthusiasm. It is hard to be enthusiastic about something you don’t know anything about and you can only sell something to the degree that you believe in it. You impress your guests when you are able to answer all of their questions with authority.
It is important to remember that in every service opportunity there is a sales opportunity, and in every sales opportunity there is a service opportunity. You can have the best product in the world, but if you don’t sell it, you still have it.
In this industry, we throw word “service” around like it’s a basketball. In the writing of this article, I feel like I’m preaching to the choir, but it comes back to that basic premise that it’s not what you know that matters, but doing what you know that matters.
Caring is the golden key. You have to care that your guests get the best service and the best value, and that they have the best time they could possibly have. When the guests know you care about them, that’s when they’re on your team. There is nothing better than having the guests be on your team; it’s a win win situation for everyone.
Service is an intangible product. It’s a commodity that customers pay big money for these days and it’s a word that’s way overused. I recently read where it’s the most overused word in the world.
Service, service, service. We spend a lot of time and money on training and retraining our employees about the importance of customer service, but we really never tell them how simple it can be. In fact, it’s so simple it’s mind-boggling. I have what I call the Simplicity Rule of Customer Service and it goes like this: “All you have to be is hospitable.”
In this industry, profits are not made by focusing on the larger details; profits result from focusing on small details and caring about the guests. You need to forget the macro, and focus on the micro. After all, when you really think about it, “It’s the small things in life that are big.”
William Orilio is CEO of GRANTHAM, ORILIO & ASSOCIATES INC., a San Diego based hospitality consulting company, which specializes in “Mystery Shopping”. He has been the publisher of “HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY REPORT” for 9 years and has taught restaurant and hotel management at San Diego Mesa College for 19 years. For more information or a free subscription to the monthly newsletter call 800-711-7776 or go to www.goashoppers.com .
Unfortunately since it was a slower week, I don't have much to blog about. However, I found a great article online that I wanted to share since most of us are in the hospitality industry. It talks about service and some of it ties into my blog from last week. The link to the article is: http://www.breakingtravelnews.com/article/20040910134537796 but I posted it below and highlighted what I thought were the best parts.
You might not be able to define service, but you know it when you find it, and so do our customers. Countless seminars, books, and articles have been written on the subject of service. Every company touts service as its goal, but as Melvin N. Barrington from the Department of Hotel Research, Travel and Administration of the University of South Carolina acknowledged, “Service is an elusive concept which is extremely difficult to measure and evaluate.”Service is elusive and intangible but it is the life’s blood of the restaurant industry so we must ask ourselves, “What is customer service?” In today’s competitive marketplace service is the most important thing a company has to sell. It truly makes the difference when two businesses have the same product. If service was just smiling or getting food onto the table on time it would be difficult enough, but we know it is much more complex than that.
We’ve been told over and over, every time we come in contact with a customer, that we make a good impression or a bad one for the organization we represent. The gurus have taught us that these are called the “moments of truth”. That being the case, the first moment of truth takes place with a genuine and personal touch as soon as the guest walks in the front door. This sets the tone for the rest of the experience, and if it gets even better, the dining experience will be unforgettable.
If you consider the effect that one person can have on the entire experience, and multiply that by a dozen or more employees, the moments of truth have increased exponentially. The first rule of service is simply to find the right people with the right attitude, and then teach them the rest. Let’s face it, serving techniques can be taught; sophistication has to be acquired. It baffles me that during the interview process more employers don’t ask prospective employees what they think customer service means.
Customer service is difficult to explain, and difficult to understand. The people who know best what customer service is, are customers, because they are the ones who know what they want. And because they are the ones who know what they want, it is the customers we should be listening to. Simply by accommodating the requests of your customers you create a demanding customer. And a demanding customer is not a bad customer. When you accommodate requests and your demanding customers go to another property, they’ll be disappointed if they don’t get the service equal to what you have created. Hence, demanding customers equal profits.
As we continue to try to define customer service we find that there are some basic truths. To understand those truths you have to realize that customer service has to always be defined from the customer’s perspective, not the operator’s. In fact, we need to remember, the customer’s perception is our reality.
We all know that successful service is not a one-time event; you have to work hard at it. It is only as good as your last encounter. It is a production and it goes on stage every day at the same time, and it’s live. There’s no practicing; there’s no rehearsing.
Ambiance at your restaurant can be overwhelmingly beautiful and your food delicious, but when service suffers the dining experience will be mediocre at best. The importance of customer service is forever clear: even the most delicious lobster isn’t good when service is poor, because poor service leaves a bad taste in your mouth.
I know not all chefs and chef owners will agree with this statement, but I’m a firm believer that a good server can save a bad meal, but a great entrée can’t bail out a bad server. In my many years in the industry I’ve found that when I took care of customers extremely well and made them a focal point, profit inevidently flowed.
Executives around the world recognize service as the most important tool a company can use to differentiate itself from the competition. Therefore, they also realize that the most important people in any company are those who provide service. J.W. Marriott Jr. said, “Service people are the most important ones in the organization. Without them there is no product, no sale, and no profit. Indeed, they are the product. Service is and should be a high calling.”
It is important for us to remember that guests are at our property to spend money, and we should not deprive them of that opportunity. This is an industry where we have to constantly train, and when we’re done training, train again, and then train again. It is human nature to under-learn and over-forget. Hospitality employees will tell you, “I already know that one.” That’s great, but it doesn’t matter if they know what to do, it matters if they do what they know.
We’ve all heard the phrase, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” The first thirty seconds sets the tone for the entire experience. The most important first step for anyone in our industry is creating a bond of trust and credibility with our guests. This is what we call rapport. The essence of rapport is commonality. People like people who are like themselves. If it’s true that almost everything you become and accomplish in your life is with and through other people, then the ability to create rapport with other people is the most important skill you can learn. That being said, it is easy to understand why the main challenge in our business is to manage these millions of moments of truth every day. That means managing hundreds of encounters with customers each and every shift, because it is in fact service that determines how much money they are going to spend and how much you’re going to make.
You can’t sell something you don’t know anything about, and you won’t suggest something if you don’t know anything about it. Closing a sale is actually a transfer of enthusiasm. It is hard to be enthusiastic about something you don’t know anything about and you can only sell something to the degree that you believe in it. You impress your guests when you are able to answer all of their questions with authority.
It is important to remember that in every service opportunity there is a sales opportunity, and in every sales opportunity there is a service opportunity. You can have the best product in the world, but if you don’t sell it, you still have it.
In this industry, we throw word “service” around like it’s a basketball. In the writing of this article, I feel like I’m preaching to the choir, but it comes back to that basic premise that it’s not what you know that matters, but doing what you know that matters.
Caring is the golden key. You have to care that your guests get the best service and the best value, and that they have the best time they could possibly have. When the guests know you care about them, that’s when they’re on your team. There is nothing better than having the guests be on your team; it’s a win win situation for everyone.
Service is an intangible product. It’s a commodity that customers pay big money for these days and it’s a word that’s way overused. I recently read where it’s the most overused word in the world.
Service, service, service. We spend a lot of time and money on training and retraining our employees about the importance of customer service, but we really never tell them how simple it can be. In fact, it’s so simple it’s mind-boggling. I have what I call the Simplicity Rule of Customer Service and it goes like this: “All you have to be is hospitable.”
Being hospitable is the act or practice of receiving strangers or guests in a friendly and generous way. It’s really that simple. All we have to do is hire people that are hospitable, and the rest comes easy. After all, we all know it’s easier to train the technical side than it is to train the personal side.
In this industry, profits are not made by focusing on the larger details; profits result from focusing on small details and caring about the guests. You need to forget the macro, and focus on the micro. After all, when you really think about it, “It’s the small things in life that are big.”
William Orilio is CEO of GRANTHAM, ORILIO & ASSOCIATES INC., a San Diego based hospitality consulting company, which specializes in “Mystery Shopping”. He has been the publisher of “HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY REPORT” for 9 years and has taught restaurant and hotel management at San Diego Mesa College for 19 years. For more information or a free subscription to the monthly newsletter call 800-711-7776 or go to www.goashoppers.com .
Monday, April 13, 2009
All it takes is one little thing...
It's amazing how one small problem, when not handled properly, can snowball. We had a guest staying with us this last weekend and he called today wanting to speak to a manager. Well my manager took the call and then shared this with us as a learning experience.
Apparently the guest checked in later in the evening and when he got to his room it was still dirty from the previous guest. He stated that he understood that mistakes happen but it was how the situation was handled that really got to him. He stated that when he came back to the front desk to get a different room the agent made him feel like he "had done something wrong" and "acted like it was a hassle" to get him a different room. Because this guest's stay started off on the wrong foot, every little thing that happened during his stay bothered him. As an example, the guest ordered room service the next morning and the server forgot to bring the strawberry jelly that he had requested. She did run back to get it though. He said normally this wouldn't have bothered him but since the previous night was still fresh in his mind, it turned into a big deal for him.
So basically the lesson was that if every single employee doesn't do their best to take of our guests, then we won't have any! This guest said he certainly won't return and I'm sure that he will tell everyone he knows about his bad experience. With the economy the way it is right now we can't afford to lose even one guest!
Apparently the guest checked in later in the evening and when he got to his room it was still dirty from the previous guest. He stated that he understood that mistakes happen but it was how the situation was handled that really got to him. He stated that when he came back to the front desk to get a different room the agent made him feel like he "had done something wrong" and "acted like it was a hassle" to get him a different room. Because this guest's stay started off on the wrong foot, every little thing that happened during his stay bothered him. As an example, the guest ordered room service the next morning and the server forgot to bring the strawberry jelly that he had requested. She did run back to get it though. He said normally this wouldn't have bothered him but since the previous night was still fresh in his mind, it turned into a big deal for him.
So basically the lesson was that if every single employee doesn't do their best to take of our guests, then we won't have any! This guest said he certainly won't return and I'm sure that he will tell everyone he knows about his bad experience. With the economy the way it is right now we can't afford to lose even one guest!
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Mystery Shopper and Mock Site Visit
Last week was a very interesting week. First of all, we had a mystery shopper. Of course we didn't know she was a mystery shopper until we received her report after she had checked out. Overall the Front Desk and PBX did really well. We only missed a few points such as:
1. We didn't use her name 3 times during check in.
2. We didn't ask if she was a Starwood Preferred Guest member (our frequent traveler program) during check in.
3. Twice when she called we didn't ask if there was anything further we could assist her with before ending the call.
All of these things are part of our standards, but to the average guest checking in they probably wouldn't notice how many times we used their name. This is why I say we did really well.
I think being a mystery shopper would be a great job! You would get paid to enjoy a resort or hotel. I know that you would be working so it wouldn't be like being on vacation but I still think it would be great. Since I work in a resort, everytime I go on vacation and stay somewhere I can't help but analyzing their work anyway- so why not get paid for it!
The other thing that made my week interesting was that I got to participate in a mock site visit. A site visit is when a decision maker with a company or group visits the resort to see if it would be suitable for their meeting or function. The reason we did a mock site visit was because we have a new sales manager named Kelly who has never done a site visit before. The Director of Sales, Joe, approached myself and one other person and asked if we could pretend to be clients with him. It was such a learning experience. We had to come up with questions on the spot to ask the sales manager as we toured the resort. This made us think like clients which gave us a whole new perspective on the resort. I think we all learned something. For example, one of the fake clients was Ralf, our Director of Food and Beverage. When I was asking Kelly questions about the rooms (i.e. how many handicap accessible rooms there are) Ralf said he actually wouldn't have known the answer to that. I think we should do things like this more often!
1. We didn't use her name 3 times during check in.
2. We didn't ask if she was a Starwood Preferred Guest member (our frequent traveler program) during check in.
3. Twice when she called we didn't ask if there was anything further we could assist her with before ending the call.
All of these things are part of our standards, but to the average guest checking in they probably wouldn't notice how many times we used their name. This is why I say we did really well.
I think being a mystery shopper would be a great job! You would get paid to enjoy a resort or hotel. I know that you would be working so it wouldn't be like being on vacation but I still think it would be great. Since I work in a resort, everytime I go on vacation and stay somewhere I can't help but analyzing their work anyway- so why not get paid for it!
The other thing that made my week interesting was that I got to participate in a mock site visit. A site visit is when a decision maker with a company or group visits the resort to see if it would be suitable for their meeting or function. The reason we did a mock site visit was because we have a new sales manager named Kelly who has never done a site visit before. The Director of Sales, Joe, approached myself and one other person and asked if we could pretend to be clients with him. It was such a learning experience. We had to come up with questions on the spot to ask the sales manager as we toured the resort. This made us think like clients which gave us a whole new perspective on the resort. I think we all learned something. For example, one of the fake clients was Ralf, our Director of Food and Beverage. When I was asking Kelly questions about the rooms (i.e. how many handicap accessible rooms there are) Ralf said he actually wouldn't have known the answer to that. I think we should do things like this more often!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Career choice
Lately I have found it very hard to juggle work and my personal life. I have only been working my regular 40 hours but for some reason I have been feeling completely overwhelmed. Part of it is that my fiance and I are getting ready to move into our new house as well as trying to plan a wedding. I can't even imagine how overwhelmed I would feel if I children. This has really gotten me thinking about my career choice. For the last couple of years I have been thinking that I would like to be a Catering Manager. I have always known that Catering Managers work long hours and I didn't think it would bother me. But the more I think about it, the more I think that I would resent working more than 40 hours once I have children. I don't want to be a totally stressed out wife and mother! Since I don't plan on having children for a few years I think I will still give the Catering Manager position a try but I'm not sure that I will make it my career. I'm just glad I am still young enough to experiment with different positions before I have to start helping to providing for a family. This internship is really giving me a new perspective on my career choice and my life.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Offering a Solution continued
Doing the Offering a Solution assignment has really got me thinking of other procedures in the resort that could be improved. One big problem that I face on a daily basis at the Front Desk is incorrect room charges. Basically what happens is when a guest eats in a restaurant or signs something to their room, there is a line on the receipt for them to write their room number, their name, and their signature. Well often times the guest will write the wrong room number (it's usually something close, maybe 648 instead of 684) and the servers don't check the name against the room number. So the charge that was supposed to go on 648's bill gets charged to 684's bill. This really becomes a problem at check out when guests are reviewing their bills. If they dispute a charge we have to go in the back and look up the ticket to see if the guest signed it. If the charge belongs to a different guest then we have to transfer the charge. On busy check out days this is a nightmare because it is not a fast process. The easy solution to this is to make the servers verify the name and room number in the system before posting the charge. I don't know why I haven't brought this problem to the outlet manager's attention before but I will definitely do so now.
If you would like to read my Offering a Solution post on Blackboard (which is completely different than this one), click here:
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