It's been a while...
So here’s the thing – I had a job, then I lost my job, then I started courting unemployment insurance, then I interviewed for lots of jobs and finally I was able to breakup with unemployment for a position at a hotel…I thought that it would be a great “springboard” for a career at the corporate level – work five years at property level and then move to corporate…that was the dream…also, the errors of my way…
First of all everyone uses the term “springboard” like it’s going out of style…basically it’s a shitty position masked with a fancy title like “Assistant General Manager” that is supposed to take you further in life…in reality the springy position is another bullshit job where you work 70 hours a week; eat, sleep and dream springboard…I applaud those who can spring themselves further in their career with the shit cards they are dealt…however, I’ve done it all at a hotel and no longer want to spring into anything…I just want the corporate office on the 15th floor – I want to make policy not just try to implement it…that’s a hard go.
You’re now asking yourself, why would she take such a job?? Well, as much as I loved my bf unemployment, it was time to start over…try to achieve my dream of making it to the corporate office…so I took the job; the job with all the promise that required a huge investment and no return in sight.
A hotel truly is a funny place…here’s how my first day went…no training and I was told to handle a complaint – you’re the AGM, you can do this…no problem…so there I was, in a suit, wishing it was some form of yoga pants, talking to unhappy guests…why were they so unhappy, they just spent close to $300.00 for one night to be off the highway which was a 20 minute drive to the picturesque town that was quoted as minutes away on the website…so once the false advertising charges were laid on me, I knew I was screwed…then the guests went into how the front desk staff was rude and unaccommodating in addition to TV not working on top of the 45 minute wait for appetizers at the hotel restaurant…FUCK…that’s all I could think…how did I get myself into this…I want to be back in my yoga pants watching Family Guy (best show ever) not here listening to these people who want some form of compensation for geography in addition to all the other fuck ups of their evening away from the kids, dogs and cat…what’s a girl to do but give the farm away…I really just want these people out of the hotel; I never want to see Mr. and Mrs. Grumpy ever again…so I comped their stay – I know I should be more concerned about profit margin, but they sent me out to the wolves prior to my morning coffee, so really I couldn’t give a shit about their property or profit. In end the guests loved me…they got exactly wanted they wanted, a free night and I got them the hell out of my sight…win-win! Apparently this is not what the GM would have done, but again he didn’t want to go out to deal with this, so too god damn bad.
Solving the guest’s problems became my thing…Only I had to play by the rules…never give the guest anything, just listen and try to sooth them…the other managers never wanted to take ownership, they just wanted to pass the problem to the next manager…it was like a game…like duck, duck, goose and I was always the goose. Here are the highlights…
- the hotel was blamed for the stroke of a guest’s parent who was watching their house, the stress of house-sitting caused the stroke. Not even kidding – possibly the best complaint I have ever heard, also the most asinine.
-A guaranteed reservation was cancelled to sell the room for a higher rate, however this reservation was part of a room block for a wedding party and the cancelled room was for the father of the groom…who tried to check in after the wedding to find that he no longer had a room…oh the fun.
-A perfume vendor left two cases of samples to be picked up later in the week…upon returning to pick them up, they were gone…the staff had taken them – awesome squared.
-A room was cancelled in error – Mary F wanted her room cancelled not Sally F…so when Sally F shows up to find her room is cancelled and the hotel is sold out, the shit hits the fan…when Mary F is charged the no-show fee all hell breaks loose.
There are more incidents…but I won’t bore you…I have no idea how this property was able to opperate…but it did and it turned a profit…just fucked.
Anyway, after a month of service as the AGM the GM was fired and they demoted me becasue I didn’t have enough years of services to be the AGM…they took $17,000.00 annually away from me and told me that I could work as a front desk agent and work towards becoming the AGM…yay me! The best part was, they wanted me to continue dealing with the guest complaints, because I did that well…forget that…I hated that job and for 17k less you can deal with the shitty complaints. So I had to hustle to find a new job…I couldn’t work there…it was degrading. It took me three days to find a new job. I had to say goodbye to the hotel – good ridence…it was a mistake but I learned from it.
I am happy to report that I have taken a new job where I get to work with an awesome group of people and am very happy