The hotel industry has been my hunting ground for the last 10 years and I must say, it has been a real eye opening journey. My mom has always asked me to take notes of all my journeys and also the people I meet so I can eventually (or hopefully) write a book someday about um... me? :P (This is work in progress big time, with a loooooooooooong due date).
So, what is a hotelier? For those who have not read this before, it is from an email commonly circulated among those in the industry.
A HOTELIER must be a diplomat, a democrat, an autocrat, an acrobat and a door mat. He must have the facility to entertain prime ministers, princes of industry, pickpockets, gamblers, bookmakers, pirates, philanthropists, and prudes. He must be on both sides of the political fence and be able to jump the fence.
He should be, or have been a footballer, golfer, bowler, tennis player, cricketer, dart player, sailor, pigeon fancier, motor sport involving dice, cards, horses and pool cues.As he sometimes has to settle arguments and squabbles, he must be a qualified boxer, wrestler, weight-lifter, sprinter and peacemaker.
He must always look immaculate when drinking with ladies and gentlemen – as well as with bankers, swanker, theatricals, commercial travelers, and company representatives, even though he may have just made peace between two, four, six or more of the aforementioned patrons.
To be successful, he must keep the bar full, the house full, the storeroom full, the wine cellar full, the customers full and not get full himself. He must have staffs who are clean, honest, quick workers, quick thinkers, non-drinkers, mathematicians, technicians, and at all times on the boss’ side, the customer’s side and outside of the bar.
To sum up – HE MUST BE OUTSIDE, INSIDE, OFFSIDE, GLORIFIED, SANCTIFIED, CRUCIFIED, CROSS EYED, AND IF HE IS NOT THE STRONG SILENT TYPE, THERE’S ALWAYS THE THING CALLED – SUICIDE!
In short, 'Pau Sua Pau Hai - a Hokkien phrase' direct translation : cover mountain cover sea, meaning : pretty much responsible for everything!
Areas of responsibility include :
1) Selling of hotel rooms, food & beverage outlets, meeting rooms (the most obvious :P)
2) Keeping your guests happy and complaint free (another no brainer)
3) Keeping the people who make the bookings for the guests happy and complaint free (it starts getting interesting)
4) Keeping your colleagues within the department and outside of the department happy and complaint free (hahaha!)
5) Attending to your guests whims, fancies and interesting requests (lets see, within the last 2 days, I've gotten a request for a union jack flag, a blender, HP sauce, pickles, a dog... yeah, a dog, don't ask :|)
6) Strategizing action plans
7) Compilation of reports
8) Staff training and development
9) Everything else in between not covered (hahaha!)
Come to think of it, for those who watch Las Vegas, its a whole lot like what Sam does, minus all the glamour, incentives and commissions.
It takes a strange bunch of people to make the hotel work. Yes, I admit, I'm strange :) The hours are long, guests are demanding, stress levels are high and yet, I love my job. It is one of the sure things I can say I am passionate about. I love meeting new people everyday and being able to interact with them. Entertainment at the hotel lobby or bar in the evenings takes up time but makes the biggest difference to a guest feeling comfortable at the hotel. Where I am currently working, a lot of our guests are long staying, averaging at 3 months and above per stay. Imagine if you're all alone posted to a new country and you have to live in a hotel for 3 months, it would be nice to know other people, especially those who are also staying where you're at. That's where I come in during the evenings when they are back from work, introducing them to each other and just watching the magic of interaction and friendship take place. The satisfaction I get from watching a happy guest, and having him/her leave the hotel with great memories, new friends and a promise to return is priceless.
A picture speaks a thousand words, so for now, i'll let the pictures do the talking :)
The poolside
One Bedroom Superior Suite
The kitchen :)
