Last day at work...almost
Yesterday was 'officially' my last day at work, cause I am still scheduled for work on Apr 2,3,4 as they needed extra manpower. I worked morning shift yesterday, and I was in a great mood. I arranged the item display very neatly, probably the best ever since I started work. I greeted every guest with a bigger smile, and had longer chats with them. This is definitely the work performance that my manager wants out of employees every day, haha.
But as always, there would be something that would try to dampen my mood. As there was very high checkouts yesterday, the bellmen were very busy. I had a guest who needed a can of hairspray to be sent to her room urgently. I was alone at the gift shop, and my colleagues were all busy. I then had no choice but to request help from the Guest Relations Office [GRO] people. These people are the ones who walk around the lobby greeting guests, help to open the main door when people walk in. I called them on the phone and had this conversation:
[me] Good morning, I'm from the gift shop. I need help with sending an item to a guest room, the guest needs it very urgently. The bellmen are very busy at the moment.
[GRO] I'm sorry, but can you look at the lobby right now, there're many guests around and we need to direct them. We have only three around, I cannot help you.
[me] But the guest needs it urgently, can you help me please?
[GRO] No I can't.
[me] OK, thank you. ... and I hung up
I then walked out to look at the situation at the lobby. One GRO personnel was doing the door duty, and the two others were chit-chatting away! They were laughing and talking along. I was really angry at that time, but I had to resolve the problem first. At that moment, very fortunately, a bellmen walked towards me, and I quickly requested for his help to send up the hairspray. Very luckily for me, problem solved. But I still cannot believe a luxury hotel would have staff like this. Later on, I looked out towards the lobby area again, and I saw FOUR GRO people standing at the door talking away. What an efficient use of human resources, people getting paid $1,500 a month to chit-chat half the time. I then asked a security guard who has worked at the hotel for about a year, if their always like that, he responded affirmatively. He also said the security department's manager raised the issue to the GRO, but little has been done. A guest came into the store to browse, thus we stopped conversing.
Four months has flew past me so quickly, and I've definitely learnt a large amount of skills, those I've never been able to learn in school.
1. Talking to guests politely and confidently
2. Taking calls professionally
3. Understand basically how a hotel operates day in day out
4. Doing some basic cashier accounting, stock taking
5. Have an idea of what goes behind the scene at a hotel's retail shop and business centre
6. I've also been immune to looking at high prices, cause all of the hotel's retail items are marked up tremendously, some items as high as 10x!
7. Get exposure to branded stuffs like Bvlgari, Ploh pillows, Davidoff etc.
Now, I've got about a week to settle my University admission applications, and also to relax myself after so long. It's about 3 more weeks till enlistment, and it's really closing down on me.
But as always, there would be something that would try to dampen my mood. As there was very high checkouts yesterday, the bellmen were very busy. I had a guest who needed a can of hairspray to be sent to her room urgently. I was alone at the gift shop, and my colleagues were all busy. I then had no choice but to request help from the Guest Relations Office [GRO] people. These people are the ones who walk around the lobby greeting guests, help to open the main door when people walk in. I called them on the phone and had this conversation:
[me] Good morning, I'm from the gift shop. I need help with sending an item to a guest room, the guest needs it very urgently. The bellmen are very busy at the moment.
[GRO] I'm sorry, but can you look at the lobby right now, there're many guests around and we need to direct them. We have only three around, I cannot help you.
[me] But the guest needs it urgently, can you help me please?
[GRO] No I can't.
[me] OK, thank you. ... and I hung up
I then walked out to look at the situation at the lobby. One GRO personnel was doing the door duty, and the two others were chit-chatting away! They were laughing and talking along. I was really angry at that time, but I had to resolve the problem first. At that moment, very fortunately, a bellmen walked towards me, and I quickly requested for his help to send up the hairspray. Very luckily for me, problem solved. But I still cannot believe a luxury hotel would have staff like this. Later on, I looked out towards the lobby area again, and I saw FOUR GRO people standing at the door talking away. What an efficient use of human resources, people getting paid $1,500 a month to chit-chat half the time. I then asked a security guard who has worked at the hotel for about a year, if their always like that, he responded affirmatively. He also said the security department's manager raised the issue to the GRO, but little has been done. A guest came into the store to browse, thus we stopped conversing.
Four months has flew past me so quickly, and I've definitely learnt a large amount of skills, those I've never been able to learn in school.
1. Talking to guests politely and confidently
2. Taking calls professionally
3. Understand basically how a hotel operates day in day out
4. Doing some basic cashier accounting, stock taking
5. Have an idea of what goes behind the scene at a hotel's retail shop and business centre
6. I've also been immune to looking at high prices, cause all of the hotel's retail items are marked up tremendously, some items as high as 10x!
7. Get exposure to branded stuffs like Bvlgari, Ploh pillows, Davidoff etc.
Now, I've got about a week to settle my University admission applications, and also to relax myself after so long. It's about 3 more weeks till enlistment, and it's really closing down on me.
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