Hey everyone.
I hope all of you are enjoying our exciting and fasincating world.
I've been working in the hospitality industry for 4 1/2 years now and you would think that by now that I've seen and heard just about everything but that's certainly not the case. I try to document things that have happened so that I can refer to them later if I need to. In a few more years I could probably write a book about all of my experiences alone. I've had more coworkers than I could count, I've heard numerous denials regarding legitimate room charges, and have heard too many "I didn't know that's" to remember. I've seen damaged rooms due to parties and weather conditions, had to deal with numerous noise complaints because "the walls are too thin," and have had guest's literately yell at me for following orders and procedures when something happened that I had no control over. I can't tell you how many times I've heard the "it was like that when I checked in" line too. It amazes me at what some people think that they can get away with.
Whenever I have a guest check in I always give them a registration slip that I tell them to read and sign before I hand them their room keys. It clearly states hotel policies and procedures such as check in and check out times, if the hotel is pet friendly or not, if the guest's room is a smoking or non-smoking room, and if something is done to the room which will prevent the hotel from renting it following the guest's stay that the guest is liable for those charges. So it amazes me that if something should happen (maybe someone smoked in a non-smoking room or they are still in their room past the check out time without prior approval from the front desk) that guest's will say anything to get out of admitting their responsibility. Many times people will just sign the bottom of the slip without even really looking over what it is they are signing. I would expect that from someone who stays regularly at one hotel but for someone who doesn't travel much or travels all over the place I would expect them to take at least a moment to to read it first just in case there is a policy or procedure that they're familiar with.
Sorry this one's short but that's all for today. Until the next line.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
The Travel Channel
Hello again.
Whoever created the Travel Channel I would say is a pure genius. It feels like you're getting to travel everywhere without having to leave your living room. The only sad thing is that while your wallet isn't taking a hit you're having to watch someone else have all the fun.
For a long time, I would envy those I knew who had the Travel Channel just because where each of them was living their cable provider offered it. This was before everyone had to switch to digital cable and those who I knew that had the Travel Channel each just had basic cable. For nearly 12 years now, I've been able to have some sort of digital cable (mostly comcast and recently dish network). My mom and stepdad would pay nearly 4 times the cost of basic cable and we would get something like 200 channels. We had almost every single movie channel known to man and just about every single other channel known except for the Travel Channel.
One day while I was home our cable went out. After calling Comcast I was told that the service in our area was out because they were making improvements to the service. When the technician mentions that we would be getting DVR service I literately begged him to through in the Travel Channel. He laughed but agreed with me saying that getting the channel would be cool. Soon after that, it was offered in our area and so far, I'm the only one in my house that watches it.
I've always loved watching Samantha Brown. I've always told my best friend that if she was looking for an assistant I would so jump at the chance for that job. I didn't get to watch much of Great Hotels but when I did get the chance to, I try to imagine what it would feel like to walk through those hotels. Sure it's nice to see them on TV but I think seeing them in person would leave a more lasting impression.
I've also loved watching Passport to Europe, Passport to Latin America and Passport to Great Weekends. I liked how these shows would highlight the main attractions for certain cities and suggest places to go, things to see, places to eat and even the best time of year to go. It's almost as if you could plan a good portion of your dream vacation just by watching these shows.
Another show that I've been watching more recently is Man v. Food. Adam Richman is definately funny and I admire him for taking on so many challenges that not too many people would dare to take on. I know I wouldn't be able to attempt challenges like that. I wonder just how many restaurants really have food challenges?
Until the next line........
Whoever created the Travel Channel I would say is a pure genius. It feels like you're getting to travel everywhere without having to leave your living room. The only sad thing is that while your wallet isn't taking a hit you're having to watch someone else have all the fun.
For a long time, I would envy those I knew who had the Travel Channel just because where each of them was living their cable provider offered it. This was before everyone had to switch to digital cable and those who I knew that had the Travel Channel each just had basic cable. For nearly 12 years now, I've been able to have some sort of digital cable (mostly comcast and recently dish network). My mom and stepdad would pay nearly 4 times the cost of basic cable and we would get something like 200 channels. We had almost every single movie channel known to man and just about every single other channel known except for the Travel Channel.
One day while I was home our cable went out. After calling Comcast I was told that the service in our area was out because they were making improvements to the service. When the technician mentions that we would be getting DVR service I literately begged him to through in the Travel Channel. He laughed but agreed with me saying that getting the channel would be cool. Soon after that, it was offered in our area and so far, I'm the only one in my house that watches it.
I've always loved watching Samantha Brown. I've always told my best friend that if she was looking for an assistant I would so jump at the chance for that job. I didn't get to watch much of Great Hotels but when I did get the chance to, I try to imagine what it would feel like to walk through those hotels. Sure it's nice to see them on TV but I think seeing them in person would leave a more lasting impression.
I've also loved watching Passport to Europe, Passport to Latin America and Passport to Great Weekends. I liked how these shows would highlight the main attractions for certain cities and suggest places to go, things to see, places to eat and even the best time of year to go. It's almost as if you could plan a good portion of your dream vacation just by watching these shows.
Another show that I've been watching more recently is Man v. Food. Adam Richman is definately funny and I admire him for taking on so many challenges that not too many people would dare to take on. I know I wouldn't be able to attempt challenges like that. I wonder just how many restaurants really have food challenges?
Until the next line........
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Welcome to my blog.
Hello fellow bloggers. Welcome to my very first blog. In my blog I hope to express my thoughts and views about our ever changing world including the exciting world of the travel and tourism industry. Although I have not yet had the chance to travel around this great big planet of ours, I hope to use the experience that I have had working in the travel industry to help further promote interest in travel.
Here is a little background on me. I currently live in a huge metropolitan area in California that is known for it's historic museums, beautiful parks, and champion professional athletic teams. Each year, millions of people travel here and it is a pure joy to be able to share this area and my knowledge of it with everyone that I meet.
For almost 5 years now, I'm been working in the hotel industry for a major hotel chain. I originally started working there because I loved the idea of being in being in big, luxurious hotels and felt that this would be a good start for my career. I have since discovered that I also love meeting people from all over the world and working in this industry allows me to learn about other cultures through the guests that I meet everyday. It certainly is fun to meet new people every single day and learn about where they are from.
I hope that you will find my blog useful as well as exciting and interesting. If you have any questions about the exciting world of the travel industry don't be afraid to drop me line sometime.
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