Okay first job in the hospitality industry, but pay is not comparable to the work and guest issues that arise.
Pros
*I adored most of the people I worked with here. *We had several regulars who would stop by and say thank you - you never realize how much that can make your night until you've had some angry guest situations. *On slow nights, there was time to get homework done. *It provided great material to use in my hospitality classes. *It's a great opportunity to network with management at hotels in the same cluster. *Benefits are great!
Cons
*Hourly pay is significantly lower than starting pay for other brands in the area (Marriott and Hyatt both start at almost $2 more an hour). *Little opportunity to grow within the company. *After 1 year you are supposed to get a review and a raise (usually a very small one, but one none the less) but my GM refused to give me mine. *Guest situations can get heated depending on who is talking to you. Being at the front desk means you're the first person they see when something goes wrong, and it's often that things escalate quickly when you're considered the "manager on duty" and there are no other managers in the hotel. *Management with no education seemed to look down on the employees that were getting their degree and wasn't open to the idea of mentoring or giving advice on how to move up in the company (besides basically saying we were wasting our time/money/resources). *Employees were often thrown under the bus by the GM - for example if the GM happened to be checking someone in and a reservation was done incorrectly he would say out loud to the guest "Oh, I bet XYZ messed this up." *Employees were berated often for insignificant matters, but serious issues with employees were never addressed *When an emergency medical situation arose, the GM was not helpful or compassionate with the situation and tried to pressure me in to coming in despite doctor's orders not to, so he would not have to stay late. (He managed to pressure another employee to leave the hospital where she was hooked up to an IV to come in, but that's another story).
