How 17 people came to together for the trip of a lifetime.
The Ugly Truth: The Other Side of Hotel Life
Hospitality is more than a front desk. After working in hotels for several years, there are two sides to it. There is the amazing side that includes employee discounts, awesome food and events, and then there is the other side, what I like to call the ugly side.
SIDE NOTE: When I tell people I work for hotels, they normally follow up with "Oh really?! That's what's up! So what hotel company? Marriott?" I respond, and then before I can finish my sentence, they say "Oh so you the hotel plug then?! Can I get a discount?"
My normal answer is typically "no", because hotel employee discounts are a privilege, and we're supposed to be selective about who we give it out to, in the event something bad happens, the employee could get the benefit taken away or worse-- fired.
But that's not what I wanted to you all to know. I probably just needed to get that off my chest (lol).
I think we often try to focus on the positive aspects of hotels without realizing it can rear it's ugly little head. I have seen hotels close down with no warning, get sold and people lose their jobs or go through a brand conversion and never tell their overnight guests.
I want to talk about, how to know when it is time to leave. Below are four signs I use to know when it's time for a change of career scenery when you're at the TOP of your game:
1. No Room For Growth So, you've been at your job for some time now, and your reviews have been great with your department head, and you express your desire for more, and...nothing happens. You follow up with your department head, and they do one of two things: give you the run around or come up with a reason as to why you're not ready. If you have been performing well and reviews have been "above and beyond" style ratings, this doesn't add up. It's happened to me. My suggestion? LEAVE. Run, honestly. Ok, I am being a bit dramatic, but kind of serious. The last thing you want is to work and be loyal to a company who isn't investing in to you and providing room for growth.
2. Lack of Career Advocacy I am a firm believer in career advocates. Now, it's important to note that this is not the same thing as a mentor. Professor Renée Dye gave a speech at the University of Michigan a few years ago and she said:
"A mentor can be a friend, a coworker or a therapist who will help you think through what you need to navigate your career more effectively. An advocate is someone who is going to create opportunities for you."
When I joined my first hotel, I was terrified because we were in desperate need of a renovation, we were up for sale and my director and mentor left the hotel. Six months into my new job after college, and I didn't know what to do. I was lucky enough to have an amazing General Manager, Shannon, who essentially told me to run like hell and find a new job.
Then I met my new department head, and new career advocate. She was seasoned in the hotel game, tough but fair, and a straight shooter. After realizing that, I almost immediately made my case on why I deserved a promotion and to be moved. In my heart, I knew it wasn't time for me to leave just yet (although I had been actively interviewing and had an offer letter for another hotel company....we'll talk about the art of negotiations later). A few weeks later I moved to Northern Virginia, to start brand new job within the company, with a substantial pay increase.
3. Hotel is Up for Sale Technically, a hotel can be sold any day, any hour for the right price. Now the example I gave above, I would've normally told anyone to run ESPECIALLY when senior leadership is throwing in the towel. Each case is different, as was mine, but keep your eyes peeled open if your property converts brands, ownership groups and/or management companies. If you sit anywhere in management, this could, and likely will affect your job.
4. Culture: When the Vibe Ain't Right At my first job, I was the only black woman, and the only person who was barely legal to drink. So, needless to say it was kind of awkward. The office was mainly silent, and when they did talk, they talked about things that we're not relatable to me, like kids and hip replacements (deadass tho, hip replacements) while I was barely awake because I had to work at 8am, and I still slept and partied like I was in college. Needless to say, this environment wasn't a fit for me, and every hotel job won't be the perfect fit, sometimes you got to take some small Ls in the short term when you're playing the long game.
Have any other trigger warnings you think I missed or want to share your own story? Comment below, and remember...
How to Survive Big Group Trips
It seems like the latest travel trend is to travel in large groups and wearing matching outfits. That all seems cool, but how do you really survive going to a foreign country with a bunch of people? I have been on huge group trips of 150 and smaller group trips where it was just five of us. In all of my group trips, we came back with a mix of unforgettable memories, hazy nights, early mornings and the best food we can find.
So whether you're planning a group trip, or interested in going on one soon...this one's for you!
There are a couple of questions you need to answer when you're planning to help you survive the trip:
1. What are your destination priorities?
There are several different types of travelers-- there's the one person who wants to pack eight sites in one day, there's the one who goes with the flow, the one who just want's to lay out and sleep and the one who has to get their flicks off. As a group, identify what's most important to everyone and find the synergies between the variety of input to pick places to see on your vacation and build your overall itinerary.
2. Where the bag at?
Money can get really funny with people, so it's easier to get this out the way early and discuss budgets. Some people don't mind a splurge, and some need to iron out the hard expenses early to prepare. I think it's important to travel responsibly when it comes to money. It's one thing to have it, but another thing to waste it. Always consider the destination you're traveling to when putting together your budget. Travel expenses in Mexico differ from travel expenses in Milan, or Santorini.
3. what's on your plate?
Food is a huge part of immersing yourself in the culture. Find out early what your group is into, allergies, etc. and plan around that. Pick a few must-eat places and leave room for the hole in the wall food spots you'll run in to that has amazing food. Lastly, bring cash-- nothing is worse then the awkward moment of splitting the check. We all dread it when we're going to a large brunch or birthday dinner where someone becomes an accountant and pulls out their calculator to split the check with eight different credit cards. Avoid this when you're traveling by bringing cash and keeping yourself on a budget.
4. solo time
When you're constantly around a ton of people, planning some alone time is key. People have different eating habits, sleeping habits and energy levels differ, so know that it is okay to duck off and do you. It helps to break off in smaller groups or by yourself to do your own thing, even if it's just a nap. I've been on group trips where the turn up started with shots at the airport and being lit on the plane to the moment we land. It can get intense. Make time for you!
I hope these few tips helped you out for planning or you can at least relate. Love ya'll!
Check out some photos below from group trips I've been on.
How I Got Started... A story about why I love hospitality...
By Emily Egan
I wish I had a cooler story about how I got into the hospitality trade. As a kid, my family did a fair amount of driving up and down the East Coast to visit family members. We usually stayed at budget motels but on occasion we’d stay at a nice hotel. I can remember running around the hotel with my siblings – sneaking into large, empty ballrooms with giant chandeliers, checking out the amenities and just taking in the largeness of it all. I thought hotels were magical.
In college, I took a marketing class and loved learning the ‘behind the scenes’ of how brands could market their product for someone to want to buy it. I found my first job (on Craigslist!) after college as an event coordinator at a small but chic restaurant group in New York. I assisted the event planner with planning large private events at the restaurants, promoted our food at festivals and generally was an advocate for the brand. So, I was where I wanted to be – NYC: check; Event planning; check but life has a funny way about changing things for you.
In 2010 brands were just getting into social media and I, being the youngest in the office, was asked to ‘start Twitter for the restaurant.’ I said ‘yes’, momentarily freaked out as I hadn’t learned about social media (for brands) in college and then, for the price of a coffee, met up with a friend to teach me everything about ‘MTs and RTs’ on Twitter (remember those?) Spoiler: I got it and the restaurant was even featured in this 2012 article on Mashable!
From there, I focused on social media for 5 years working for advertising agency and then, I found my job as the Marketing Manager at the Millennium Hilton. The concept of working on property versus in an office environment intrigued me. And honestly, I did enjoy getting to know the bellmen during short breaks in the lobby; I liked running into guests in the elevator and learning about their experience at the hotel.
My favorite aspect of working at the hotel was developing relationships with the other marketing managers from across the country and world. Most of us were one-person teams and wanted to share ideas and resources with other people who had jobs like ours.
Following different hotel Instagram accounts piqued my interest in domestic travel. From road trips in the southwest through American reservations, and visiting the heartland of America—Omaha, Nebraska, I have a new goal to visit 50 states
I love the hospitality industry since it’s such a people-oriented industry. You come together with your coworkers and to create amazing memories and moments for people.