I recently had the fabulous pleasure of having the ability to take a field trip to the Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City with my college’s hospitality club. Join me as I take you with me on a full behind the scenes tour. We’ll get a sneak preview of the 770 room hotel tower, banquet spaces & more!
Starting The Day:
Our tour kicked off at the lobby where we met the Director of Sales for the property as well as a Sales Coordinator. We began the day inside the beautiful meeting room upstairs poised above the lobby. We all introduced ourselves and got a sense of the property, how Covid has affected the day to day operations and how the city has seen an increased competition from more neighboring states legalizing gabling over the past few years.
Hotel Tower Tour:
After this, we were shown around the 770 room hotel tower where we got to tour a basic standard room, a junior suite, a normal suite, and a VIP/Penthouse suite. These rooms were just stunning and mind blowing! The views of the entire city, the ocean and bay were stunning!
Would you believe me if I told you the last time the rooms were renovated was in 2012? Yes 2012! These rooms are in fantastic shape and well kept for being long overdue for a renovation. All of us students were all mind blown when we were told this. We were told there are plans to soon renovate one floor of the tower at a time shortly after the holiday season. If the rooms looked this good now, I can’t wait to see what they will look like after all the upgrades and improvements are made.
Casino, Restaurants & Marina Tour:
From here, we went downstairs and got a tour of the casino floor, as well as all the restaurants on the gaming floor. Unfortunately, we were strictly prohibited from taking photos or videos on the casino floor. From what I can tell you, the casino floor is definitely smaller than the other casinos in the city but it still offers plenty of slot and table games. Personally, I think less is more for the space they have. The way the casino is set up, it’s not overcrowded or empty. It’s perfectly designed for the space there is and it works. It doesn’t dominate the property or is up in your face which is perfect. The property markets itself as a boutique casino hotel that goes more for a luxurious resort feel. With the casino set up in the manner that it is, it works perfectly to achieve that goal and feel they are going for.
After taking a brief tour of the gaming floor, we were granted a sneak peak inside the Chart House which is one of their top restaurants in the resort. The restaurant overlooked the entire marina and had stunning views across the entire dining room. Most of not all the walls were covered with floor to ceiling windows.
From here we descended down a spiral staircase and were taken down to the lower level where the Marina is and one of many of their outdoor patios/decks. This outdoor space was personally my favorite since you had stunning views of the city, ocean as well as the neighboring Borgata and Harrah’s resorts. Besides this outdoor space, there are also two outdoor rooftop decks one near the pool and one directly next store to that. These roof top decks are so massive, that they have the ability to host events for a couple thousand people! Speaking of events, our guided tour headed there next.
Ballroom & Event Spaces Tour:
At this point, everything I saw on the tour was impressive enough but my jaw dropped even more when we were taken into the grand ballroom and The Wave nightclub. My first thought was how many of my hotel ballrooms could fit inside the grand ballroom (most likely between 4 – 6) and the sheer capacity it had. When I heard the kinds of events they have there, it honestly made sense. We were told the ballroom hosts anything from large dinners, fundraisers, conventions, weddings, concerts, shows and more. I’ve seen first hand at my hotel what goes into running large events but it’s mind blowing to see that on a far larger scale.
From here, we were shown The Wave nightclub which as the name implies, is Gold Nugget’s night club and premium nightlife spot. Ironically enough, the club is marketed towards an older, middle aged crowd instead of a younger crowd. The club hosts a lot of cover bands and well established DJs. I think the coolest thing about this space is how when the club is closed during the day, it is used as an event space. You wouldn’t think a nightclub would be a good fit for an event space but honestly the space works very well.
Lunch & Guest Speakers:
After this, we took back upstairs off the lobby where we started the day to take a lunch break. We were not only welcomed to a great lunch but also guest speakers from the property as well. We got to meet the Director of Food & Beverage, Human Resources Team, the Executive Director of Player Development & Front Desk Operations and of course the sales team who was showing us all around.
This honestly was one of the best parts of the tour in my opinion since we got to ask questions about the property, casino operations, career advice and any other questions we had. One thing that amazed me was the one human resources lead worked in Atlantic City for 40 years! She told us her experiences at all of the casinos she worked at and shared insights with us on how to help our careers. This was really eye opening and inspirational. I recall telling my professor after the fact, how it was so cool to get a taste of the culture and the morale just in a short 2-3 hour span.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, I got to say I was super impressed the entire time while on the tour. From the rooms, hotel operations, employee culture and more. It honestly really won me over and gets me excited for the future. I am extremely thankful for the hospitality we received during our tour and glad to have met everyone. This was the first casino hotel I took so far down in Atlantic City and now that I will be going to school down in the area, I can’t wait to go on more tours like this.
Better late than ever! Back in May it officially made one year of me working in the hotel industry after working in the restaurant industry for two years while studying Engineering in college. I honestly can’t believe it’s been a year already! Time really flies! It truly feels a lot longer than just a year.
In today’s post, I’ll be answering some of the most common questions I get about the hotel industry as well as share any tips for those looking to get into the industry for themselves.
What is your favorite part of working in the hotel industry?
To be honest there are many things I love about the hotel industry. One thing I love is how each day is different and not every day is the same. For example, some days it is slow at the hotel while other days it’s crazy busy. I also love being able to bounce around and learn all aspects inside the hotel from guest services to F&B and so on. Another thing I love is how much teamwork and collaboration play in day to day tasks. The amazing team I work with is one of many reasons I love working and coming to work everyday!
What is the most challenging thing you face on a daily basis during your shift?
Wow… such a great question! I think the toughest thing I face on a daily basis is very irate, and upset guests that just scream at you for every little thing. I’ve honestly built up a tolerance for this and it really doesn’t bother me too much anymore. These are always tough situations since each time, the circumstances are different, you’re dealing with a different guest and do not know what to expect. One thing I have learned from dealing with countless of these situations is to just let the guest “vent” to you and just listen to everything before you respond. When you respond you want to be calm, professional, respectful and most of all try to solve the problem at hand.
Have you ever worked with anyone you do not get along with? If so, how do you deal with that for a whole shift?
Such a great question. I’ve actually had this happen to me a few times, as a matter of fact I’m currently dealing with this now. Honestly each person is going to be different. Not everyone is going to like you or get along with you. One thing I always do is no matter how much the person may not like me, I always remain polite and respectful at all times especially in front of house areas. I always hate when coworkers belittle you in front of guests. Not only is it awkward for you, it also makes the guest you are helping uncomfortable. I want to make one thing clear, not everyone I’m currently working with is like this at all! We are all very close with one another and act like a family.
Other things I do is, when a co-worker acts like this, I always keep my composure and treat them as if they were any other co-worker who I do enjoy working with. Why do I do this? Well, the industry is all about teamwork, collaboration and guest service. I like to look at the big picture and remember why we do what we do each day.
What’s one of the funniest moments you had with a coworker?
This is a tough one… there are so many funny moments, it’s so hard to pick the top moment! I think of the funniest moments is when my old Front Desk Manager ran outside while we all were staying over during a blizzard and began making snow angels, throwing snowballs at the window and even tried to make a snowman! YES TRENT I’m talking about you lol!
Do you ever get free food while on shift?
Yes and no. It honestly depends on if we have events going on in the ballrooms. Say there is a wedding going on, if there is any leftover food from cocktail hour or dinner service, then yes we are allowed to grab some. Some days you get a lot of food while others you get slim pickings.
What is the single most important trait you need to have to be in the hotel industry?
PATIENCE! This is one of the, if not the most important trait and skill to have. You are going to be working in tough environments, situations and sometimes dealing with back to back difficult guests.
What are your future goals and dreams you hope to achieve?
Right now in the short term I would love to get into a management role such as a Front Desk Manager. Long term after I finish school, I would love to work my way up to a General Manager and eventually one day own my own hotel.
Hint! Hint! Totally not dropping any hints here bosses! 🙂
If you could go back in time to when you first started, would you change anything?
Yes and no! I’ve definitely come a very long way from when I first started. There are definitely certain situations that I look back on that I wish played out differently, however though, for the most part I really wouldn’t change a thing. I try to keep growing every day I work and move towards my goals.
Very big news just came out of the hotel industry recently and I have to admit the news came as a bit of a surprise. Join us today as we discover the headlines, break down the news and give our thoughts on it.
The Big News:
In this very shocking news, Choice Hotels announced it was acquiring Radisson Hotel Group Americas for a sum of $675M. Currently, Choice Hotels has the following brands in its current portfolio prior to this transaction:
The deal, once closed, includes nine brands, 624 hotels and over 68,000 rooms!
For those unfamiliar with the Radisson brand or Radisson Hotel Group (RHG), it emcompasses all franchised, operations and branding of the Radisson Hotels throughout the U.S., Canada, South America as well as the Caribbean. RHG also includes 10 Radisson Blu hotels, 130 Radisson hotels, nine Radisson Individuals, one Park Plaza hotel, four Radisson Red hotels, 453 Country Inn & Suites by Radisson and 17 Park Inn by Radisson hotels, as well as the Radisson Inn & Suites and Radisson Collection brands.
Thoughts & Reactions:
Overall, this is definitely a bold move for Choice Hotels. Earlier in the year a few rumors were going around saying Choice was looking to drop some serious cash to expand into the luxury and higher tiered hotel market. I think one primary reason for doing this merger is smart, is by doing so you can compete with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. Wyndham, like Choice, has economy brands, extended stay but Choice lacked many things that Wyndham had. Those being luxury brands, upper-mid scale brands and resorts. Can they compete with Wyndham and overall be at the same level or better? Only time can tell.
With this merger to close in 2022, there are still many loose ends and questions left to be answered. Here are some of the top few questions and concerns that come to mind:
With Radisson under Choice Hotels, will standards for Radisson drop? Get better? Or stay the same?
Personally, I’m not sure how this will turn out for Radisson and their nine brands. While I feel like this a good move since they will expand and get more exposure, I feel like with how Choice operates some of their brands, I can’t help but feel standards may slip. Then again, with acquiring nine strong brands and a few luxury brands in the mix, maybe this will make Choice stronger and in turn help them. Only time will tell how this plays out.
Will the Radisson Rewards/Loyalty program be combined with Choice Privileges?
Radisson Rewards is not as well known or as large as Choice Privileges. With that being said, I can definitely see one of two things happening. Choice takes Radisson Rewards and merges it with Choice Privileges to make one cohesive rewards system that is easily utilized across all brands. The other thing I can see is Radisson Rewards stays around and is overhauled and works together with Choice. They would promote both together, be able to transfer points between the two and redeem member only offers for both. While that may seem like a lot of work, I think that makes the most sense. (And we’ll see why with our next question).
With the European operations still under Radisson and not being sold, will this cause confusion and inconsistencies from the American operations?
Anytime you have split operations across the globe, it’s always a challenge logistically keeping supply chains, standards, operations and finances on track. However in this case, this transaction makes it interesting and creates a tough challenge. If Choice makes changes to Radisson, they only have control over the American/North American division. I think there are definitely going to be some tough challenges that both Choice and the European/Asian division of Radisson will need to figure out. I find it very odd how you would sell off half of your brand then keep the other half. It’s just so hard to wrap your head around.
I definitely think this merger took a lot of people by surprise. As mentioned above, we did hear rumors earlier in the year about Choice looking to buy but, those rumors only mentioned purchasing one or two induvial brands not an entire hotel company. I honestly did not expect that either. Regardless I think over the next few months and years, we’ll have to see how this plays out for both sides. What do you think about the Choice Hotels and Radisson Hotel Group merger?
After a long tiring (yet rewarding) semester of college and a hectic work schedule, I decided to take a brief vacation from work and do a quick overnight trip to Pennsylvania to kick back and relax. In today’s Touristician Review I will be recapping my trip from my hotel and all the stops I made along the way. In part one, we will be focusing on the hotel review and our visit to The Turkey Hill Experience. In part two, we’ll focus on the restaurants we are at during our trip. So without further ado, let’s dive into today’s review!
Holiday Inn Express Lancaster – Mount Joy, PA
Customer Service – 5/5
One of the main reasons I always choose this particular brand is because of the high service standards and never having a problem with service. This time was no different. Upon entering the hotel, the gentlemen working the front desk gave a very friendly and welcoming greeting. I honestly didn’t catch his name but I wish I did so I could have left a positive comment about him online. It honestly felt good to be on the receiving end of a check in versus on the giving end. Throughout the check-in process, the gentlemen were very friendly, helpful by providing information on the amenities and also thanked me for being an IHG Rewards member. Being a rewards member, I was able to get the membership rate of $127.00 for the stay plus taxes versus $149.00 for the standard rack rate. Honestly not a bad deal at all! Well worth it!
As a fellow front desk agent who also works in the industry, to see someone else doing your job and killing it (in a good way), is absolutely amazing to see.
Rooms – 3.8/5
Now for one of the most important areas of the review, the hotel room! This particular location was brand new and only about a year old. When you entered the halls, lobby, etc you can definitely tell it was new since it had that new building smell.
Overall, I was very impressed with the design of the room and the attention to detail that was done in the room. For example, the pillows being embroidered with the type of pillow it was (soft, firm, etc.). This not only is amazing attention to detail, but it helps you be more comfortable while relaxing and sleeping. Many of the hotels don’t do this and it makes figuring out what kind of pillow you are using difficult and more time consuming. On top of very detail oriented rooms, the technology utilized at this location is very impressive and should be used at all their locations. Upon walking in and turning on the television, you are greeted with a screen that welcomes you, says your name on top and acts as a personal concierge. From the tv you can view your bill, check out, request a late check out, explore attractions in the area as well as get information about the hotel.
You may be asking, why such a low score for such an impressive room? One of the main reasons for such a low score was due to some minor cleanliness issues in the bathroom of the room. It was mostly some soap scum stains under the shelving units in the shower, shampoo and soap remiance (these came from the shampoo, body wash and dispensers in the shower. IGH eliminated single use toiletry items [with the exception of soap] and replaced them with dispensers in the bathrooms). Other than those few issues there were a few stains on the wallpaper but they were not earth shattering nor did they affect the functionality of the bathroom.
The only other cleanliness issue I had was the microwave in the room was covered in food. It appeared like it was some kind of soup broth. (I’m honestly not sure what it was). Regardless, it was pretty gross.
Amenities – 3/5
I’m going to be honest, this was the most disappointing part of the stay right here. Upon going down for breakfast at 8am, the cinnamon rolls that were under the lamp were dry, crusty and hard. I can tell they haven’t been changed out for a while. When I went to get a fresh one that wasn’t warmed, I found a piece of plastic in the roll as I bit into it. Also too, I can tell food wasn’t being rotated out like it should have been either. A lot of the food looked like it was out for a while when I went down. I would say the absolute worst thing about today was seeing the breakfast server take the garbage can full of trash, put it on the coffee counter where I just made coffee moments earlier, take the garbage out, put a new bag in, then put the can back and never wiped down the counter.
As someone who works in the industry, I definitely have a level of understanding for employees who work in hotels. However, when I see simple things like this being done incorrectly and food not being handled safely where it affects you, I do get fired up so to speak about it. I think if you work in the industry, you tend to be a lot more nit picky and notice everything that a normal guest wouldn’t see since you’re exposed to the line of work daily.
Final Thoughts & Rating
Overall, minus the few issues I had with the stay, I did have a very nice relaxing stay. Getting back to customer service for a second, when I did mention the issues I had the brand and management was very polite and professional and handled all the issues I addressed with them. As mentioned above, one of the main reasons I always choose this particular brand is because of the high service standards and never having a problem with service.
Rating the hotel on a scale of 1 to 5, I would rate this location a 3.8/5! But hang on, that’s not the end of the review! We still have an ice cream factory to talk about!
The Turkey Hill Experience – Columbia, Pennsylvania
The Turkey Hill Experience features interactive exhibits allowing you to learn about dairy culture, the story of Turkey Hill Dairy, and how the company’s ice cream and iced tea flavors are selected and created. The best part is the unlimited free samples of iced tea and ice cream!
I have to say this was a very fun and interesting experience. When was the last time you were to eat unlimited amounts of free ice cream and sample as many ice tea and lemonade products? That was honestly the best part of the whole place! Despite having a lot of exhibits geared towards younger children, the displays and history where very interesting to both learn about and see. My favorite exhibit was the one where you had to pick a ice cream flavor and be quizzed on what went in it. Overall, a very fun stop on the trip.
If you enjoyed today’s review, be sure to check out part 2 of this post coming out shortly. In part 2, we’ll be covering all the delicious eats and restaurants that where experienced during this weekend trip.
Welcome back to the blog! In our previous Disney post, we discussed the history behind the creativity and innovation Disney was known for. We also discussed the shift away from Disney’s core ideas and the unfortunate move towards greed. In today’s post, we will discussing the highly backlashed Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser Hotel. May the force be with us because we are definitely going to need it.
History
Let’s take it back to the very beginning. In 2017, the Star Wars franchise released Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi and there was a lot of buzz regarding the film. It was also around this time Disney was in the process of creating Galaxy’s Edge at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. With all the buzz, Disney decided to gauge interest in an exclusively Star Wars themed resort. Without surprise, the interest in the project was incredibly high. Shortly, after this the concept for the hotel was born. Let’s take a look at the concept art that first came out.
Concept Art & Announcement
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Anyone Order Some Disappointment?
Obviously concept art is meant to be a proof of concept where the idea is put down on paper and visually created in the form of sketches, renderings, etc. Throughout the stages of creation concept art is of course subject to change. Generally when changes are made, it is usually for a variety of reasons such as financial, construction restrictions, permit issues, or any other factors that affect the operations or guest experience. Usually, what we see is when the concept changes from the art, elements from the original design are still present along with the changes.
What Disney did here was kind of the opposite and it honestly is just a complete downgrade from the concepts. You would think with how Disney is they would under promise during the concept then over deliver in the actual product. In the announcement video fans were promised an “immersive, interactive Star Wars experience” where we are the characters of our own journey in the Star Wars universe. When I first heard this, I was pumped about this project and couldn’t wait to see it. However, that feeling of excitement soon turned to disappointment. Everything shown and promised was either really watered down, not done or just cheaply done.
Now to be fair, we haven’t fully seen the product yet, since it just opened, so it could possibly be better in other areas of the resort we haven’t seen as much of yet. Also with the resort just opening, there may be improvements and expansions being planned that we may not yet know about. But at the same time, it could also go the opposite direction too where the resort is worse in quality and what Disney has shown us really is the best they got. If that’s the case, that is just really sad. Regardless, the Disney community has really been full of activity during this time.
The Disney Community
Generally when Disney announces a new project there is always a split opinion between Disney fans. There is always a group that isn’t in favor, a group very much in favor and then there is the other group of fans that don’t really care either way. This project started out very much like this but as time went on, and more previews were released, fans’ opinions all very much disapproved of the project and began calling Disney out. I mean can you blame them? Let’s take a look at what the community has been saying:
Our Thoughts & Feedback
As a fellow Star Wars fan and theme park fan, I am honestly torn on this project. The Star Wars fan in me is excited behind the idea of the project yet at the same time I am disappointed with the execution of the final product. I do agree with the some of the points the community has brought up:
Promised an immersive, interactive, roleplay type experience. Very watered down version of what we were promised countless times.
Hallways are generic with Star Wars theming.
Rooms while the idea is nice, they are very boxy and pod-like.
Pricing is very high for an average family.
Overall however, I do have to say while Disney did slack big time on this project, I definitely feel like the project is not a total loss. I feel like with some adjustments to price, expansions and improvements, the hotel can be successful.
I definitely agree the promised product isn’t there and the price point does not match the value you get as a guest. I honestly feel like this project was overlooked and really pushed aside since in many areas of the resort shortcuts were made that really hurt the product. For example, the famous welcome video a guest received when they booked a reservation is really poorly done. In one of the YouTube videos linked above, it explores this idea and actually shows how bad it really is. After I watched the video for myself, while it was still floating around, I couldn’t help but agree with the points raised in that video.
I really do think that at some point this project was overhyped by marketing, there was probably some sort of budgeting issue, company restrictions imposed or some other factor that caused the project to really nose dive publicly. I honestly do feel that there is a lot to play here. Was it laziness and lack of motivation from the team? Did Disney handcuff the creativity in the project? Did the company honestly stop caring and wanted to pull out but realized it was too late? All these are very possible. Regardless, as a Star Wars fan I hope to see this project reach its potential and not be an embarrassment. Hopefully the price decreases so I can one day go and experience it for myself.
Grab your popcorn bucket and buckle up! It’s time for yet another post about the most crazy, odd, strange and unbelievable hotel stories. From handsy teenagers thinking this is prom night to crazy adults who shouldn’t even be parents! Yea… this is a wild one we got for you! So without further ado, let’s get to it!
Blake’s Stories
Save Your Drama For Your Mama!
Okay, I think this takes the cake for my most insane story ever as a front desk agent unless Hyrax or any of my co-workers can top this which I don’t think they will. So to better understand the story, just a little bit of context and background on the circumstances.
About 5 ½ months ago, this guest (we’ll call her Jane Doe for privacy purposes) called the hotel saying their house burned down to the ground and they needed a place to stay. Generally, for this they contact the Room Sales Coordinator where they can work out how long they are staying and a negotiated rate. However it was about 10 p.m. when they called. Generally, people in this situation only stay like a week or two then leave us. I quoted them the lowest rate I could for a week but they said the total amount needed to be under $500 due to the Red Cross giving them a card to pay for a hotel. After crunching the numbers with the help of my Front Desk Manager, we were able to do this for them.
From the very moment Jane Doe came in, she was a pain and just overly rude. Like listen, I get your house burnt down but when I took like 20 mins with you on the phone and went above and beyond, you could at least be respectful. This was foreshadowing of how the rest of her stay and behavior would be… Yes it gets worse!
Flashforward to the day after Christmas, all was calm on this Sunday night at the hotel until about 9:20 p.m. at night that’s when it went off the rails. Why, you may ask? Well, Jane Doe decides to call 911 from her room phone. Now, as soon as that happens there is a whole procedure you must follow and carry out as a Front Desk Agent. You have to call the room then if you don’t get a hold of them, you go down to the room with another hotel employee to go check on them.
So, I called the room three times and Jane Doe did not answer as the line was in use. After calling, I sent my housemen down there while I stayed at the desk to monitor everything. Jane claimed to have “accidentally” called 911 from her room phone and claimed to be “okay”. If you accidentally dialed, you would have hung up right away and been able to answer your room phone. She was clearly not okay, as she was acting very high strung, panicked and looked very upset. She stated to the housemen there was a fight with her partner (boyfriend. Husband, etc.) and there was a whole situation going on. She kept asking if we saw her “partner” on camera or if we bumped into him. The housemen did not as there were a lot of people coming in and out and I did not for the same reason. Think this story is crazy already? It gets crazier…
Right after asking us if we saw her “partner”, she went outside and was walking laps outside then disappeared for a solid 20 mins. After 20 mins, she calls the front desk and asks if we could check the room, make sure it’s clear and then meet her down there to give her new keys. On the phone she sounded very quiet and I could barely hear her. Anyways, I went to check her room for her and as soon as I opened the door, it was like an episode of Hoarders… Floor to ceiling was covered with crap, the floor was completely covered with clothes, and you couldn’t even open the door. To open the guest room door you literally had to push things over/out of the way. On a side note, she never came down to her room to grab the keys from me so I left.
Long story short, after all this happened, Jane Doe comes to the lobby, stops, shoots me a very evil and crazy look and does so for a solid 30 seconds before walking out. It was at this point like eight cop cars pulled up front so I guess she called them again? After this, I am unsure of the outcome since one the cops most likely took care of it and I did see her the rest of the evening.
So yes, this 100% takes the cake as the most insane hotel story ever for me. I don’t think there’s any topping that… Although anything is possible. Speaking of anything, that reminds me of my next story.
No-no, don’t touch me there, This is my no-no square!
Well… I honestly don’t even know how to tap dance around this one so let’s just get to it. During the peak summer season at nightime, a teenage couple thought it would be fun to do after prom things in the fitness center after coming out of the pool. Little did they know, there was a security camera in the fitness center area watching over them as they did so. I think you know where I’m going with this… Need I explain more? Anyways, as they started to do adult things the evening housemen walked past and caught them as they awkwardly tried to play it off as they didn’t do anything. After that happened, they left the fitness center, kissed as if it was a romance movie then went into their room. This was one of those WTF moments (can I even say that on this platform? I totally think I can…) for me and sticking out is one of the most interesting stories of the summer. Speaking of summer, what’s the summer without a nice refreshing swim in the pool or in this case a parkour course.
Wipeout! Pool Mayhem Edition.
Remember the television show Wipeout? For those who don’t know, it was a game show where contestants raced each other to complete crazy, ridiculous obstacle courses and at the end you can win prize money. Anyway, this story reminds me a little of the show.
One summer a group of two adults came up to the desk and told me there was an unsupervised kid who was throwing pool chairs into the pool, taking said chairs out and then jumping off them into the pool. The kid was pushing tables towards the edge of the pool deck, jumping off those tables and was also taking tables and chairs, putting them in one stack and diving into the pool from them. The adults said that the kid almost at one point slipped backwards and cracked his head open on the pool deck. Luckily, this didn’t happen since that would have been a headache to deal with.
You Say Potato, I Say Pot-ato.
Ahh yes… Good ol’ Ramada, always good for a good laugh and fun time. While I was at our Ramada property converting the desk for a couple hours while they had their staff holiday party, the front desk agent told me there was a gentleman staying there who was very intoxicated and would keep stopping down by the desk and just talk non-stop. And sure enough what happened? That exact thing just as the front desk agent was coming back to the desk. So the crazy drunk guy came to the desk for 10-15 mins and would not stop talking about mashed potatoes. He kept asking me if I had any mashed potatoes I could give him or if I could smell mashed potatoes since he apparently smelled them. I swear you can’t make this nonsense up…
Flooding The Hotel & Power Games
Nothing is worse than coming into the hotel and having problems with power, water or any other utility. So during the summer time I remember coming in and the hotel had half power. Literally half of the hotel had power and the other half did. Oddly enough it wasn’t evenly spread out. For example, parts of a floor would be dark, while others had light while the rest of the floor would keep flickering. If this wasn’t interesting enough shortly after having half power, the power went out fully for a couple hours. Ahh yes doing everything old school… So not fun! Luckily, the power did come back on before it got dark and before the crazy evening rushes started.
Bonus Story – Pizza Time!
Speaking of crazy evenings, this next mini story is yet another interesting interaction with a drunk person. A gentleman was attending a wedding and had too much to drink during the wedding so he decided to get a room for a couple hours to rest then go back to the wedding later on. After getting his keys he went to the room to put his stuff down and then came back to the desk. He asked if there were any pizza places around that delivered to the hotel. I gave him a menu, he looked at it and then said to me “Yo man… I’m way too wasted to order right now. If I tell you what I want, give you the cash for it, can you order for me, please?” He then proceeded to pull out his wallet and gave me $45.00 for his order. His pizza came to like $18 with the soda he wanted. I gave the pizza guy $25 total with the tip and the rest of the money was mine. I asked the guy what he wanted me to do with his change and he told me to keep it. So yea, I got a $20 tip just for calling to order a pizza.
Hyrax’s Stories
Charlie The Rock??
So let me first explain how this story actually started. During the time that I was working at the motel, I worked the second shift as per usual. My motel is located right on the edge of downtown, with the main river running thru the city just a few blocks away. Though the river is rather popular for tubing during the summer time, people also love to go fishing in the river and catch some amazing sized trout. (For example, the winning trout was a whopping 8 POUND 7 OUNCES!). Our pool that was located right by our main building had just opened for the season and guests like to relax in the water while beating the heat.
Once I had arrived for work, my manager and I got to talking about how the situation with COVID was progressing as well as any news for the day. As we walked the property to make sure things were all good, I noticed in the bottom of my eye something in the pool. My manager and I both entered the pool and I looked fully to find a huge rock in the shallow end of our pool. I am not talking about a pebble, this rock was probably the size of a watermelon or smaller. Unsure about why there was a rock in the pool, I went over and grabbed the cleaning net. Once I pulled the rock out of the water, my manager said for me to take the rock into our garden. As we were about to past the gate, a woman bathing on a sunchair beside the gate shouted “Not Charlie!”
You can imagine the looks on our faces. Just pure utter confusion. The woman explained that her daughters and herself had gone to the river earlier in the day. While river walking, they came across the rock and decided to take the rock for themselves. They brought the rock back to our hotel, washed it in the shower, then gave the name of Charlie. Then since it was so hot, “Charlie” decided to go swim and they put the rock into our pool. These would be probably the most hilarious memories I have of this year. If you were to adopt a rock, what would you name it?
Not Impersonators, It’s Entertainers.
Halloween is my favorite personal holiday. It’s the one day where you can look silly as you wish and no one questions it. The week of Halloween, we had a group of Elvis enthusiasts book our entire property. My manager warned us that calling the group Impersonators would upset the main leader. The group arrived without any issues, checked in and settled for a weekend of themed shows.
The first day was Halloween, in which I dressed up as Symbiote Spiderman. The second day was themed to Elvis Woodstock, or mainly the 50s Era. The lobby was full of Elvis singers walking, laughing and talking. The Third day was Parrothead paradise, or Margitaville themed. The funniest scene was watching this woman wearing a parrot costume with wings walk into our elevator. The last day was themed to Cousin Jethro’s Backyard, or hillbilly/redneck themed. All in all, I think it was a successful group event and honestly look forward to the next time they come around.
What day would have been your favorite? Honestly, I enjoyed Halloween as it was the only day I was able to dress up.
Cops Mania
Before I start with this story, let me explain a few things. The title is not stating I had to actually call the cops, though I had to do so sometimes at my old job. My lodge is rather popular to be booked by several groups and events including weddings, meetings, and reunions. We had two events back to back weekends where we hosted two groups of cops at our lodge.
One group of cops were actually cops from all around Georgia schools to be trained while the other group was retired cops who enjoy going on bike rides named the Blue Knights. Imagine my surprise after asking that there are also multiple groups similar to the Blue Knights but for other types of First Responders and even military branches.
It was honestly the safest I think anyone would feel with several cops at the lodge. Even the bears were deciding to hide away due to the noise of the motorcycles.. Speaking of which, that is my next story!
A Big Furry Friend Visits
During one of my evening shifts at my motel job, I had just finished folding the laundry after a rather slow night. I walked back into the office to get a cup of coffee and imagine my surprise when the horse carriage driver came barging into the office. He was rather spooked and slammed the door shut behind. I walked over to ask what the situation was and he told me of a friend digging around outside in a bin. So at a quick speed, I locked the door and grabbed the mobile phone off the hook in case of an emergency. After a while the bear left and I was able to unlock the door so the carriage driver can go home.
I am also going to add a Part 2 to this story, though it is probably a different bear. After I had just gotten off work and was heading home, I pulled up to the main street to turn right and head back south home. As I stopped and looked both ways, I noticed something moving ahead of my lights by the bakery. I took a double take to see a big black bear roaming across the street ahead of me. Quite spooked as I knew that some guests were still sitting outside having a drink, I called our Night Auditor and warned her.
Kids – 0, Dad- 1
I was told by my parents that I wasn’t a bad child to raise. Yes, I did get in alot of trouble at times. I was a curious boy who wondered if a RVC would play a sandwich, yes I actually did that. My lodge has 3 floors at our Conference Center , where you check in for the lodge. On the 2nd floor of the Center is our Fireside Room where we have our Table tennis, while the 3rd floor holds a pool table in front of our Tavern. You can imagine how popular the two upper floors to people to relax
Sometime during our Thanksgiving week, we had a full house at the lodge. Our Tavern was dealing with several guests and groups that night. While the kids decided to wait for a table, they put hand sanitizer all over the door of the 3rd floor. The kids also broke some of our pool cues, but were called out by our staff at the Tavern. Now, most of the time, parents can be like “my child is perfect. You are lying.” I am not saying all parents are like that. This father decided to take matters into his own hands and investigated the situation. He asked the kids first if they put hand sanitizer all over our Elevator door, which they denied. The father, skeptical, asked the kids to hold out their hands. You can imagine what was revealed… The kids had lied to the father.
Because kids were bored, our staff had to start logging the pool cues and supplies to guests from the front desk. Another issue would come from kids who decided to stand on top of table tennis, which caused them to break in half. Now things have changed to where we just keep the pool cues and supplies on the 3rd floor to make things easier. Lesson here: Don’t lie to your parents.
We hope enjoyed our post about even more of our craziest stories as Front Desk Agents. We always enjoy creating this posts recapping these kinds of things. Do you have a crazy work story? Share it down below!
Welcome back to Touristician and the first ever Touristician Review! Back in 2018 while on a summer vacation, I stopped in one of my favorite areas of Pennsylvania, Lancaster. Coming from Ohio to PA, I needed a place to stay the night since driving home was not feasible plus I had things I wanted to do the next day in PA before leaving the state. I stayed at hotels before and never have I ever had a bad experience like this one. Finally after all these years, I will be revisiting this experience to give it a proper rating. Before we get started let’s go over the rating system:
I will be rating the hotel on a total scale of one to five on the following categories;
customer service, rooms, amenities and finally, cleanliness/upkeep. After rating the hotel in each category, I will then rate my overall experience then give my final thoughts.
So without further ado, let’s dive into today’s review!
Days Inn by Wyndham Lancaster PA Dutch Country
Customer Service – 0/5
For the purposes of privacy, no specific names of staff are mentioned down below.
Initially when first entering the very dated and dingy lobby, there was no front desk agent present or staff at all for that matter. I stood in the lobby for five minutes with my belongings after a long day on the road. Finally the front desk agent came around behind the desk, and they seemed a bit annoyed that I was “interrupting them”. They couldn’t even be bothered to apologize for the wait or be friendly. I’m sorry, but if you’re a front desk agent that is your job and you have no right to get annoyed at a guest for wanting to check in or for needing assistance. If they truly felt this way, they are in the wrong business.
When I came back to the desk, after having problems with my room, literally nothing was done about it. The front desk agent had the nerve to say to me “Well, sir, any room I give you is going to be exactly like that so there is nothing I can really do for you.” Again, they seemed annoyed that they were being bothered again. They did not take ownership of the problems or even once apologize. They didn’t even offer me anything! It was at this point that I immediately checked out, called and had to fight for a refund and went to a Holiday Inn Express near by. In a future post, I will be reviewing that amazing Holiday Inn Express location.
Looking back and now as a Front Desk Agent myself who works for this brand, that is not acceptable by any means. I think this is one of the biggest problems with this brand is sometimes the hotels are just utter dumps that are poorly run and poorly managed. With these things unfortunately comes employees who also don’t care. I honestly don’t think this particular location was poorly run or managed based on other locations out there. I think overall they were heading the right direction but need to correct their problems to run smoother. You can tell the rooms were cleaned but there was no system to check or inspect the rooms therefore causing rooms to have cleanliness issues that should have been spotted. Speaking of rooms, let’s take a look at the rooms.
Rooms – 0/5
At this particular hotel they offered rooms with two queen beds, rooms with one king and suite rooms. From the pictures it looks like a decent, nice and affordable place to stop for the night. Unfortunately, the rooms had many issues from cleanliness to maintenance issues.
Starting off with the bathroom, which honestly for the disgusting room I had, was the cleanest spot of the room. Upon entering the bathroom, it looked like a 1990s McDonalds dining room, which honestly I could care less about except for the fact in some spots wallpaper was peeling off the walls, there was rust, dirt and hairs in the grout of the tiles. Obviously since I left, I didn’t utilize the shower despite it looking ‘clean’, I honestly didn’t trust it. Everything I touched in the bathroom was sticky and if I recall correctly, I believe the floors also felt this way. Despite all these issues, they at least got some of the basics right, clean towels, fresh toiletry items and a clean sink. Other than that, everything else like I mentioned was either subpar, dirty or was not upkept well.
Now onto the living space and sleeping area of the room, which is where the wheels truly fall off. The beds from the outside appear clean; however, once you peel the comforter off, you’re greeted with hairs, crumbs and lint all under the blankets. I honestly didn’t look at any of the pillows since I don’t usually use hotel pillows since I don’t sleep with hotel pillows. Much like the bathroom, all the furniture was sticky as was the floor too. The furniture was so bad that I had to place towels on the table I had my bags on. I think one of the most disgusting things in the room was the phone by far crushed up, and caked up layers of hairs, crumbs all over the phone and in every corner.
Amenities – 1/5
During my stay, I did not utilize many of the on property amenities since I immediately checked out. However, I did want to give my initial thoughts and feedback on what I saw at the hotel. The breakfast area was subpar and poorly executed. The entire area looked very neglected and thrown together. Seems like all this location offered was stale bagels, and old cereal in questionable looking containers. As I was putting together this post, I noticed the photo of the breakfast area looked nothing like what it did when I stayed. Makes me wonder if they finally got their acts together and improved it?
As far as the fitness center, I really did not take a look at it during my short time at the hotel. However, I do want to give my thoughts on this as well. As with the breakfast area, this fitness area shouldn’t even be called a fitness center at all. Shame on them for even attempting to call that a fitness center. If we look at the top picture this is what they are trying to pass off as their fitness center while the bottom photo is the fitness center that is actually there. You can not throw two exercise machines and weight rack in a tiny room that’s smaller than a guest room bathroom. UNACCEPTABLE!
The Reviews Don’t Lie:
For the purposes of privacy, no specific names of guests are mentioned down below.
Ouch… Looking at the ratings summary the hotel is rated a 2.9 (Fair) with a 3/5 star rating. About 60% percent of guests found safety was an major issue, 59% said cleanliness was a issue and finally the biggest percentage of them all, 83% of guests said the bathroom in their rooms was an issue. If we dive into some reviews, we see all these issues and them some:
Just as bad as the reviews are the responses from the owner. Does this owner even have a clue what the heck they are doing? For example, in the review where it mentions bed bugs, the owner has the nerve to respond by saying “The room was thoroughly inspected and no bugs were found and also the room was rented out, with no further complaints. I want to assure you that we are thoroughly investigating this claim…” TIMEOUT! This owner has the audacity to say this guest’s complaint is only a claim?!? If more than one guest is complaining review after review, clearly this isn’t a claim. The fact the owner also says the room was rented out with no further complaints is pretty much saying to this guest that they don’t know what they are talking about. If this owner responds to reviews like this then doesn’t take the proper time to take care of issues like this one then just flip the room over and resell it is unacceptable.
Here’s yet another example of this owner calling a guest out saying that their complaints are only claims. “I want to assure you that we are thoroughly investigating this claim and that although we have not found any evidence of a bug infestation, we are taking the necessary precautions to ensure that nothing is missed. We respond promptly to pest alerts with expert extermination services and also treat to deter pests on a regular scheduled basis. We take this business very seriously and assure you that management has taken all the steps to make sure that all the rooms are clean and our ultimate goal is to make sure each guest had a comfortable stay.” Okay buddy… we don’t need a whole essay here. Stop saying what guests are saying are just claims. We don’t need a essay explaining how or what you do to “address” the problem. I love how this owner thinks by writing this, they will win over future guests by showing the procedure they do. Guess what… guests do not care about your long winded response. You should be ashamed of yourself and your embarrassment of a hotel. This owner needs to be sent back to hospitality school to relearn the basics.
Final Thoughts:
Overall this hotel is in rough shape from cleanliness issues, lack of maintenance, staff problems, poor management and finally poor ownership. This definitely was one of the worst hotel experiences I had so much so it almost ruined the vacation I was on. As I was writing this, to see the hotel has not improved at all and only has gotten worse is very sad. It’s Days Inn locations that give the brand a poor image and reflect poorly on Wyndham. This hotel is in such a perfect location if they only got their acts together there is no reason they could be making bank and achieve higher ratings.
In a future post, I will be reviewing the Holiday Inn Express location that saved my vacation and helped give me my love for hotels. I hope you enjoyed today’s post. What do you think of this hotel? Have you ever had a bad hotel experience? Share your story down in the comments below!
Ever wonder what it’s like to work in a full service hotel for a day? You’re in luck today! Today, I will be taking you inside a day in my shoes as a front desk agent at a full service hotel. Just a quick note I want to mention, not every hotel is the exact same or runs the same since each property is unique or has different standards. For example, if you work in a select service hotel (a hotel with no ballrooms and select amenities) or a full service hotel (a hotel with ballrooms ,restaurants and expanded amenities), it will change your work environment. I hope you all enjoy it and if you have any questions or comments, feel free to post them down below!
America’s Best Value Under The Sun
Before I take you through my day to day, let’s explore the property I work at and essentially consider a second home. So prior to being a Days Hotel, the property opened as a Holiday Inn in 1974. In 2016 the property was renovated and converted into a Days Hotel. The hotel currently has two ballrooms, a restaurant, indoor pool, fitness center, outdoor patio area. There are a total of 173 rooms in the hotel which makes us the largest hotel in town.
You may be asking yourself, what’s a Days Hotel? Days Hotel is the same brand as Days Inn. The reason for using the word Hotel instead of Inn is due to the fact of how many rooms we have and also the fact we are a full service hotel. I’ll be honest, I was just as confused too when I first started but when you think about it, it does make perfect sense.
I know the Days Inn brand does not have the best image to it. You may think of a rundown or poorly kept location on the side of the interstate. Well… you wouldn’t be wrong there about the brand since a lot of locations are like that. However, not every location is like that. Take mine for example, our property is one of the best Days just simply for how well it is run and how well it is maintained. In a future article, we’ll cover this topic more.
Holiday Inn vs Days Hotel Before & After Photos:
It’s amazing how hard it was to find these photos. I really had to dig for them in the archives but I found them. It was totally amazing to see how the hotel has changed from since I was to a kid to now working there. I remember attending a wedding here as a kid and looking back at these photos and comparing them to what I see daily is just crazy and brings back some memories.
Before taking you through a day in my shoes, I just want to quickly point a few things out and explain a few of the changes made to the building. One of the maybe not so clear things is the changes to the Coral Ballroom and restaurant area. Originally as seen below in the 3rd set of photos, the ballroom was a lot smaller than it was now. When the building was renovated, a part of the restaurant was demolished to create the bigger ballroom you see in the after photo. The restaurant is still there today but is smaller than it once was. Of course by doing this that whole dining room was redone. If I am being honest, I sort of like the original restaurant layout and ballroom design better. (If any of my bosses are reading those please don’t fire me lol). However when I think about it, I see why and it makes sense to increase the size of the ballroom so we can host two events at the same time. (Which is what currently happens here a lot of times on weekends).
The only other thing I want to point out that was a major change is the removal of the saunas and hot tub in the pool area. Sadly, I couldn’t find any photos of these amenities as many of these older photos are disappearing. I am very happy to recover these photos and keep the history of the hotel alive. As I work day to day and roam the halls, I can definitely still see touches of Holiday Inn and design elements of from the past still preserved. For example, we still have in the storage area some original Holiday Inn posters with the old school Holiday Inn logo. If my bosses are reading this, DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT THROWING THOSE OUT!
Just Another “Typical” Day
First, let me begin by saying there is no such thing as “just another day” for me at my hotel. My surroundings are always changing from having 2 weddings in house to having a full house during a busy holiday weekend. Depending on what is going on in the hotel on a particular day, it all shapes how my day will be. Like, I just mentioned having weddings. If I have no weddings, then I can expect for the most part a slower day depending on the time of year. On the flip side, if I have two weddings going on at the same time, I can expect a busier day and know to be prepared for it. Despite having events or not, busy or slow, I still make sure to do the best job I know I can do and am expected to do.
The Daily Grind
Typically, I begin my day at 3pm and will wrap up my day around 11pm. When I first come in, I meet up with my team and get filled in on everything that is going on and what happened in the morning. After that, I head around to the desk where all the action happens. I typically check my arrivals, my availability and prepare accordingly. Depending on the day, I can get anywhere from 10 arrivals, if it is slow, to over 100 if it is busy. Of course one of my main jobs is to check guests in and out, serve my guests and assist them with whatever they may need.
Sometimes if there are banquets going on, I will jump in the back and help out as needed. Typically, I only can do that if there is another front desk agent working with me and if it’s not overly busy at the desk. I’m very big on being a team player and helping out where I can. For example, if I go into housekeeping to get more towels, if I see the dryers are done and finished, I’ll take the extra few minutes and empty them for the housekeepers so that it is less work for them.
Anything Can Happen…
Remember how I said how no day is ever the exact same? With the fact, anything can happen anytime and anywhere in the hotel, it makes each day different and sometimes challenging. On some days you will have a busy shift but it is quiet where nothing happens and there are other days you have a mix of both. From having emergency situations to dealing with crazy people, anything can happen. Sometimes you even have things happen that you have never seen before and you can’t believe it. Believe me, I have plenty of stories to tell and some I still can’t believe even after some time. For example one of my most recent stories includes a guest screaming at a bush outside and having a solid one on one argument with the bush. I think the bush one though… cause after a while the guest gave up. It’s things like this that make the job interesting and play a part in the idea that not everyday is the same. I can honestly, sit and write about all my crazy stories for hours. If you want to hear some of those stories go check out our Top 10 Craziest Stories as Told By Front Desk Agents blog post.
Advantages of Working Full Service:
At this point, you may be thinking why would I want to work in a full service hotel, it seems like a lot of work. I’ll be totally honest, some days are very challenging and you’re running around like crazy while other days it is a lot slower paced. One reason I love full service is for this very reason the fact there is that balance of slow days and busy days. So you’ll never just be dead slow or insanely busy all the time. I tend to notice this more on weekends where Fridays and Saturdays are insane followed by a relaxed Sunday to end off the week.
Another reason I love full service is the fact of the people you meet during your typical shift from the events going on or the large groups coming in. Sometimes you meet the coolest people from these groups and you suddenly find yourself talking with them as if you knew them for a long time. I think the best example of this that sticks out to me is the time this gentleman came up to me and told me he was inside my hotel when it was being built during the late 1970s. He told me this story of how the police department used the half built building for police drills and training. If that wasn’t cool enough, he took out his wallet and showed me pictures of the hotel during construction and of the drills. Even months later, I still put this at the top of my list as one of the coolest interactions I had.
Sunset At The Days
As the day fades into the night and it turns 11, my shift officially comes to an end. Before I leave for the night, I do any paperwork or reports I need to do, count the drawers again and finally I hand off the night to the night auditor. Typically, I fill them in on what happened all throughout the day, things they need to know and anything that needs to be passed on to the morning crew. Lastly before I clock out I make sure the cabinet with all the towels and extra linens is stocked for the night so it makes the night crew’s job easier. After all that is finished, I head out for the night and wait to do it all again the next day.
And that is a day in my life! Thank you all for enjoying this blog!
Welcome to a day in the life of a Front Desk Agent. I (Hyrax) recently started this job back in September of this year, just before the rush of the holidays. My main job is to check in guests at the lodge, cabins and our campground every day. My work shift is from 3 pm to 11 pm, which overlaps sometimes with Reservations and Managers shifts. I am going to explain how things work from day to day without giving out too much information. So, let my day begin!
The 3 P.M. Grind
I start by arriving at work and parking on our 2nd level of covered parking at the front. I must walk to the 2nd floor of our lodge where our punch clock is located. There, I scan my temperature and my thumbprint to clock in. Once I am clocked in, I walk back down to the Front Desk Reception on the 1st floor. The first major task is to count my drawer, including the number of Park Passes and Annual Park Passes. The next task is to check on our Red Book to make sure there is nothing major to note from previous shifts. I also must check our Whiteboard, which stores our Occupancy numbers as well as our Groups in House and Major notes to know. The last thing I must check is what we call our BEO book, which is a black binder full of the group information and things that will happen at the lodge.
Checking In?
Checking in process starts officially at 4 pm, but guests are told that they always come in early to check. Please understand that we can’t promise early check-ins, keep in mind how hard the Housekeeping staff are at the moment. Even our Tavern and Restaurant is dealing with a major staff shortage due to COVID pandemic right now. I ask all guests to be patient and kind to the front desk workers. We are only able to do so much within our powers to make your stay enjoyable. In order for a guest to check in, I ask for a form of ID and a form of payment to be provided. We must match the information provided to us in the system with the information on the ID. As I check the guest in, I make the keys for their room or cabin using our Key Card system. I also ask the guests to sign three main papers: the sign-in sheet, a bear warning sheet, and the authorization or charge for remaining (if any) balance.
Wait… Did You Just Say Bears? Like The Animal?
Yes… I said bears. The lodge is part of a state park located in the mountains, so bears are active. We warn the guests that the bears are actually quite timid creatures and scare easily with any noise. The bear sheet states the rules for campfires and warns of not leaving food or trash out for the bears. After they sign all papers, we present the guests with a Thank You letter, their keys to the room or cabin, and a Park Pass. It is required that all vehicles must have an official State Park Pass located in their rearview mirror with date facing towards the windshield. If a guest is part of the Annual Park Pass, we do refund the guest part of the lodging fees collected upon check in.
The Lodge vs Campground
The main difference between our Lodge and Campground area is the lodging fee that is included. Campgrounds are not charged a lodging fee and have to pay extra for Park Passes if necessary. Campground must also pay the full remaining balance upon check in compared to the Lodge and Cabins which don’t get officially charged until the day of departure. Check In time for the campground is at 1 pm instead of the 4 pm for the lodge and cabins. Guests that are camping can check in either at the Visitor Center at the Campground or at the Lodge (especially if after hours).
My Typical Shift
During my shift, I usually answer the phones if I am not busy. My tasks can range from checking on reservations to making a reservation. If I am busy and alone, I usually try to answer the phone as quickly as I can. As the shift continues, I also must keep track of supplies at the front desk market. I can sell any snacks, forgotten items, and drinks at the front desk. We also sell firewood at the front for anyone to use at the firepits. Yes, we have fire pits around the state park that guests are allowed to use. However, fires are allowed only till 9 pm as quiet hours start at 10 pm.
Sometimes I am able to get a 30 minute break to eat my dinner, but at times I may have to eat at the front desk. When I am alone, it is a rule that states I can not leave the front desk unmanned. Even if I have to go to the restroom quickly, I must put a sign out and lock the doors. Finally, after a long day of working, I must start getting ready to leave for home. During my closing chores, I must print out paperwork necessary for my night audit person. I also must again count my drawer and drop any money over. Once my night auditor comes in and signs off for my paperwork, I am able to head back up to clock out and head home for the night.
And that is a day in my life! It is chaotic but very much enjoyable and relaxing. I put my trust in my fellow staff members to keep all the guests happy and enjoy their stays. Our staff at the front are all laid back and enjoy their job. Thank you all for enjoying this blog!
Welcome to Touristician, in today’s first ever post we will talk about who we are, the topics in which we will cover and finally, we will meet our team. So without further ado, let’s get started!
Tourisitican’s primary focus is on the Hospitality industry which encompasses hotels, restaurants, theme parks, travel & more!
Our blog will specifically focus on stories from our very own writers’ experiences in the industry, hotel reviews, hotel history, industry news, theme parks & more! We have so much planned we can’t even fit it in a single post or sentence!
Some of our topics are separated into categories and might be referred to as a series on the blog. Here are some examples of our series we have:
Touristician Reviews – Ever wonder if a hotel, theme park or attraction is really as good as they claim they are? Now you don’t have to! Our team of writers has got you covered.
The Vault Collection – Immerse your self in the past and revisit an era of Nostalgia where innovators and industry pioneers forever change the industry.
Area 51 Food – Unleash your inner Gordon Ramsey as you see some of the worst and most disgusting food ever from cafeterias and beyond.
And now let’s take a look at the voices behind Touristician and hear their stories;
Founder & Lead Writer – Blake
Hi, my name is Blake! I am currently studying Hospitality & Tourism Management in college. I am currently a Front Desk Agent and have been working in the industry for a little over half a year now. I’m excited to share my personal experiences so far with you all. Hope you all enjoy Touristician!
Co-Lead Writer – Hyrax
Hi! I am HyraxNixus, but you can call me Hyrax. I am currently a Front Desk Receptionist and have been working in the hospitality business for 3 years now.
Writer & Theme Park Enthusiast – Peter
Hi, I’m Peter but you can call me Silent as well. I’m a college student studying electrical, mechanical and construction engineering to make roller coasters down the line. So happy to bring my creativity and educate as well as learn more about theme parks. When I’m not fanboying over giga coaster and paying attention to B&M every move, you can see me playing on the volleyball team or working with kids. Hope to see you around!
We hope you all enjoyed our very first post where we introduced ourselves, discussed the topics in which we will cover and finally, meet our team. Be sure to follow us on our social medias for updates, previews & more!
*Please note we are not full time writers and we will release content as it is ready rather than a flood of content that is subpar. We will try our best to release at least one to two posts per week*
Touristician 