o
Blog #1: Reflect upon / discuss your insights from a
hospitality-related experience you've had this semester (preferably in your
area of interest)
The best hospitality-related experience I had this
semester was interviewing the Director of Rooms at The Graham Georgetown
because I gained insight on a part of the industry I had never recognized fully
prior. Through this interview, I learned about the stylistic techniques of
operations at different hotels, the importance of maintaining the essence of
quality, and the significance of personality in a hotel. Furthermore, I was
able understand the type of charisma one must have in order to succeed in the
industry. My interview lasted an hour and a half because of the power in the
way he expressed himself about the industry and it made me realize how
important the power of attraction and being able to make someone feel special
is. In an industry based on service, being able to initiate a feeling or
reaction from someone and handle emotions is extremely important. The fact that
people follow him to each hotel he works at based on his service and kindness
shows what the hospitality industry is really about. Learning about boutique
hotels and their rise in the industry was very inspiring and I appreciated the
experience greatly.
o
Blog #2:
Reflect upon / discuss your insights from an experience you've had volunteering
/ working at a hospitality-related event this semester (not where you currently
work)
This semester I actually ended up volunteering for my
previous job at the Four Seasons Hotel in Georgetown at a brunch just to help
out because I love the hotel and the people working there so it is always a
great time being amongst that environment. I previously worked as a Front Desk
Agent at the hotel last year and one of my colleagues at the time was promoted
to working at one of their restaurants so I was able to be with her and help
out with the event. It was interesting to see operations down at the restaurant
because I never spent too much time there during my job and I realized how
hectic it gets during an event. The details of the event such as the timing of
each course to the scent of the restaurant were the parts that really captured
my attention. To me, it is those details that can really make an event
incredible. During the event, I was also able to have a few words with the
General Manager of the hotel who talked to me quite a bit about how they are
updating the style of rooms at the hotel. Having known the style of the current
rooms, it was interesting to know what they based the changes upon, especially
since I actually talked a lot about it during my interview mentioned in the
previous blog and that is technology and modernization. So as the world absorbs
the advances in our society, so too does the entire hospitality industry.
Finally, at the event, I was able to discuss with the coordinator how easy it
had been to plan with the Four Seasons and it is that sense of organization and
positivity that is embodied by the work ethic at this hotel in every aspect.
o
Blog #4: Reflect upon / discuss your top three learnings that you will
take with you from our course this semester (not including anything from blog postings #1, 2, or 3)
In this course, the top three things I learned were
branding, customer relationship management, and performance management.
Learning about branding not only informed me more about how a hotel works under
its brand and the importance of maintaining it, but also about personal branding
and how to manage that. Although often, building a brand can take a bit of time,
learning the Ten P Model gave me an outlook on what to focus on in order to
strategize creating one that best portrays the company’s values. On the topic
of relationship management, I learned a different way to view customer
complaints and how to handle them in the most appropriate manner. By building
valuable relationships with guests, hotels are able to build loyalty, while
also defining their unique hotel personality. Lastly, I learned about
performance management and the importance of being able to understand and
measure the customer’s experience. From this I learned how a hotel was treat
and train employees in order to formulate a work environment based on the
values created at the hotel. By enforcing a great work environment, management
is able to foster an energy in the employees that is upheld around the entire
hotel, which gives guest the best possible experience during their stays.
Below are photos of the restaurant I volunteered in, the lobby where I interviewed the Director of Rooms, a photo of the most important quality of a hotel, and a link I found interesting during my research of boutique hotels.
http://www.ibtimes.com/major-hotel-brands-compete-space-boutique-hotel-trend-1793168
No comments:
Post a Comment