Some of the scariest moments in life are only scary because you are on your own, and the prime example of this is today when I sliced open my thumb. Of course it wasn’t as bad as it seemed at the time but I didn’t know that, all I could do was freak out because I didn’t have a clue what to do. I even contemplated going next door to ask… glad I thought that one through.
I have had a few moments like these during my first month at the Cumberland Hotel but of course it has been expected. I have now learnt that within the work place, although you are never alone, you cannot depend on your collegues to be there for your every need. There is no doubt that they would be, but I like to think I can use my initiative, something which I have discovered whilst being at uni, many people lack.
Initiative is very important, and so is being polite to customers.
Yes sometimes guests ask me things they could find out if they used their own initiative.
Yes I sometimes do not have answers to some of their questions.
Yes, like any other human, I do get annoyed when someone is wasting my time.
But that’s not the point.
This first month has taught me how to do my best for the guests no matter the request. If I do not know the answer, or know how to do the task I will be honest and find out the answer or method for future reference. I may get annoyed at times, but that’s life and I will continue to do my job well =D
It’s the end of my first week and I feel like my brain is about to explode. There is a lot to learn working in the hotel industry and working at recpetion is not as easy as people make it out to be. Not only are you the main person guests will rely on, but you are responsible for taking bookings, quoting prices (the correct ones), and there is a lot of administration and finance to calculate. Definitely not for the faint hearted.
So far I know how to do these things;
Check people in
-Remembering what information I need to tell them
- Has the room been upgraded
- Where can they park
- What floor their room in on
- What time and where is dinner/breakfast
- Do they need help with luggage
-Remembering which internet companies require the guest to pay on arrival or not.
Check people out
- Checking and charging outstanding balances
- What to do if there is a missing key
- Calling guest rooms that haven’t checked out at the correct time
Enter Internet bookings into the system (which has to be precise)
Answer the phone within 3 rings (and give the right information)
Post room ccount bills and credit card bills
Ensure the PDQ and Cash sales are balancing from the bar and reception
Find, print and check reports
I know I said my brain feels like it’s about to explode but it’s really not that bad. I seem to be quite a quick learner and am quite confident in what I am doing - the majority of the time. I’m not quite ready to do a shift on my own yet but hey! I have only worked 7 days!
Apart from learning and containing a lot of information, this first week has been pretty good. All of my colleagues are really helpful and there is a nice atmosphere to work in. They understand if I don’t do something right as I am learning, and are always willing to show me how to do it correctly which makes it feel a lot less pressurising.
All in all I think I am going to like it here. You do get the occasional rude guest but then again, you also get guests who like you so much they give you their details so they can show you around next time you are in France. We’ll see about that one.
Until next time…
As Thomas Edison rightly said “genius is one per cent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration”. Being a student however, usually means ninety-nine per cent partying and one per cent thinking about studying and there is nothing genius about that.
The jump from 1st year to 2nd year is like jumping from the top of one moving bus to the top of another going in the opposite direction. If you don’t calculate the physics first or time it just right there is a high chance of panic, dodgy footing, and inevitably, you may end up with a bus sized hit to the face. For some a bus sized it to the face isn’t even enough.
For me I have found this year an uphill struggle. Juggling 3 times as much coursework, higher expectations and a continual search for a placement for my 3rd year has been very difficult. In all honesty though, this academic year has been better by far and I would happily do it all again.
Searching for a placement has been the hardest thing for me to deal with this year. Finding a company that will take you on for 40 weeks when money is tight is not as easy as our lecturers make it out to be, especially when I personally limited myself to one place - sunny Bournemouth! Alas, good things come to those who wait and after months of calling around and stressing out, I have a placement! And probably the best placement I could ask for too.
So I start tomorrow with the Cumberland Hotel www.cumberlandbournemouth.co.uk and this blog is going to be dedicated to the work I am going to be doing with them. So if you are interested in the behind the scenes of working in a hotel, I will be working in a few different departments and will try and update this blog weekly.
If you would like to know a bit more about the hotel or what I will be doing then feel free to comment or check out their website (above). It’s a lovely art deco hotel, has 107 rooms and endless amounts of entertainment.
Wish me luck!
