Respect and Loyalty

I've really learned this week the importance of treating employees well.  As long as there is mutual respect between a manager and an employee, and they are both fair to one another the employee will feel a loyalty towards the company and will want to work hard for them.  However, if that respect is broken, then so is the loyalty.  Without loyal staff, especially in the hospitality industry, a business is nothing.

Hotels, Restaurants, Cafe's, Bars etc - treat your staff well and they will work well for you.  Yes they may just be a waitress, a barman, a receptionist - but they are the front line staff of your company and they are what gives the personality and first impression to your customers.

Oh and a Happy New Year to all.

The Pie of Realisation

The last few weeks I haven't really had time for much.  Working full time and doing university on my days off and accidentally continuing to run my cake business does not really leave a lot of spare time.
I love the job and there's no way I am leaving, but I wish there were more hours in a day!

I haven't missed  going out with friends or watching tv - but what I have really missed are some of the basic housewifey things such as baking pies and throwing dinner parties (yes, I am very sad - i know).  But when I got to thinking, I realised that the reason I miss these things is the same reason that I want to work in hospitality - I love to entertain people, I love to make people have a good time, I love to make people feel at home.

That is what I enjoy doing and why I love working in hospitality - it's also why I want to open my own hotel, it's all about creating an enjoyable experience for my guests.  

That is also the reason I love my job.  Sure, I don't want to finish work at 11pm just to get up at 5:30am and start the next morning, but once I'm there I enjoy it, and every time a new guest walks in the door or up to the desk, there's a tiny part of me that is excited to speak to each and every single one of them.  The best part is when the guest remembers you or tells you that you have made their stay extra special - that is what it's all about.  

Saltire Foundation

There is a fantastic organisation called the Saltire Foundation who offer summer scholarships for students studying in Scotland and give them the chance to work with successful companies all over the world to gain some experience in their industry.

The best thing about them is that it's not just a summer internship - they have a whole network of Alumni who have learned from their internship and then come back to help out the next generation of scholars.  All in an effort to 'invest in Scotland's future'.

 I found out about them through my University and made an application and have been one of those lucky enough to get through to the next stage of the process.  I have an interview scheduled with them coming up and am looking forward to meeting with the representatives and hopefully making a good impression!

Top O' the Mornin' to ya!

I have now been a full time receptionist at Hotel M for a couple of weeks and I have to say I'm really enjoying it.  I have learned so much about how the hotel runs and operates and the things that have to be done that people don't think about.  There is a lot of analysing things, making things balance and investigating things that don't add up.  It's all really interesting.

I also got to explore the rooms that we have in the hotel a bit more and all I can say is wow.  They rooms are absolutely beautiful, well thought out and impressive in every aspect.  If I could just live in the hotel I would!  The really impressive thing is that it is not a purpose built hotel; the building used to be a Greek Orthodox Church and so some of it is quite awkward and I imagine would have taken quite a lot of consideration in the planning.  They have really utilised all the space really well.

I also recently took a short trip to Dublin where I stayed in an independent hotel about 20 minutes drive from the city centre.  It was called the Tara Towers hotel.  I was really pleasantly surprised by the high standard of this hotel.  The hotel itself was beautiful but more importantly the service was really top notch.  They did everything they could to accommodate our ever need and were incredibly friendly.  Also, the food was delicious and the breakfast buffet was fantastic.   It was a great example of how service should be.  So thank you Tara Towers for a wonderful stay!

First Day

Today I had my first shift at Hotel M.  I really enjoyed the shift and all of the staff seem really friendly and helpful - genuinely.  The front desk manager said today that I seem to be picking things up pretty fast, so that's good.  There is a lot more to the job than I first thought, but that is a good thing, I don't want to be standing around doing nothing.  I have more responsibility for more things than I expected so I will be kept nice and busy.

The really great thing is, I am right where I want to be; at the front, dealing with all of our guests.  It is so interesting seeing all the different people and interacting with them.  Of course, I met a lot of people when I worked at DisneyWorld, but no two guests are the same, so it never gets dull.  Also, I saw some of the rooms today and they are STUNNING.  I really really love the whole look and feel of the hotel, will have to take advantage of the brilliant staff rate sometime soon!

Only downside is that lunch is very rushed - just half an hour to walk to the shops and get lunch, eat and get back again.  But luckily I have much practice at inhaling my food :)

All in all I'm really pleased and am looking forward to going back tomorrow morning.

My Inspiration

I thought I would talk a little about people that inspire me.

My number one dinner guest, could I have anyone in the world - would be Walt Disney.  I didn't go to work there just because I like fairytales and pixie dust.  The man is a massive inspiration.  And despite all the other things that he may have been and the allegations against him - he was a dreamer and a creator - and he did magnificent things.

My all time favourite quote is:

'The world is a magical place - choose your own adventure' - Walt Disney

I really believe in this.  So many people have the potential to do incredible things - but it simply doesn't occur to them that they could do it.  Particularly in the UK.  When I was an intern for SIE (Scottish Institute for Enterprise)  I got to speak to students at my University about setting up their own businesses and ventures.  The general feeling I got from them was 'I'm not the kind of person that does that'  but they are!  Anyone can do it, and I believe everyone should dream big and go for it.  We need to get the idea out of our heads that there is a certain kind of person that does these things, that we are not suitable, because it's simply not true.

My mother always taught me that if you aim really high and you don't reach your goal, you'll still achieve something pretty good.  But if you aim for something average - you will only ever achieve something average or below.  This has always stuck with me.  Some people think I am over ambitious, that I am naive and a dreamer.  But everyone also thought Walt Disney was crazy when he started speaking of the plans he had for the company.

So this is why Walt Disney is my idol - because he dared to dream.  And I will too.

Square One

So I am a nineteen year old beginning my journey in the hospitality industry.  And as I have found myself wishing I had kept a journal throughout my achievements in the past, I have decided to blog from this point onward about carving out my career in the world of hotels and tourism.
My background?

I have just returned from working in Cinderella Castle in Walt Disney World, Orlando FL.  An experience which tried and tested me in many ways, but which I will never forget.

Before that I ran my own cake company for two years, SnuggleMuffin.  A steep learning curve and a lot of fun, but I have decided to hang up my cake making hat in order to get my foot in the door with hospitality.

Right now, I am about to start work at a hotel chain (let's call it Hotel M) as a full time receptionist, while doing my third year of my BA Business degree (joint honours Management and Hospitality & Tourism).

This is what I love and it is absolutely the industry I want to end up in.  So let's see how far I can take it!