front desk agent

housekeeper

night auditor

breakfast attendant

hotel housekeeper

Best Western

When I worked as a maintenance employee I would have a list of tasks to complete in the morning which would include taking out all the trash in the hotel, cleaning the pool, sweeping the parking lot, cleaning the kitchen and the grill, vacuuming the hallways/Lobby, watering the plants, and then setting up the conference room for any groups we had coming in. After doing so I would be assigned specific tasks by my manager such as shampooing the rug, cutting the grass, helping housekeepers take their laundry/trash upstairs, checking rooms for any repairs needed, walking the premises of the building to look for repairs and then referring to the maintenance work sheet to check if any tasks were left to be completed. Many times I was given jobs such as stripping the room of furniture, painting the rooms after making sure the rug was safe then setting the room back up to be resold for any check-ins. I've learned to make sure my workplace was safe and to never endanger anybody with the tasks I was given. Management worked with me very well and my co-workers were very pleasant to work with. The hardest part of my job was to make sure my work was more than satisfactory. The most enjoyable part of my job was working with others.

When I worked as a front desk clerk after arrival I would count the drawer, when doing so if I had any calls I would answer them following the correct etiquette and would create any reservations the customer may want to make or answer any questions they had. Sometimes I would get company calls which would require multiple laborers to check in at once in which I would create a group reservation to check them all in or by the time of their arrival. Immediately after getting ready I would make registration cards which are made for guests that had made reservations for that day and with the registration cards I would have their room number assigned with a key used to enter the room. Another responsibility I had was to check people in, and while doing so I'd check their personal ID's, take their payment if not already paid for by a third party website such as Hotels.com, Expedia, etc. After making sure I had a payment, I'd assign them a room if they were a walk-in. If a guest had to make copies or faxes of any forms they needed I would do so after filling out a fax form which is required to send things over specifically requested by a guest. I've learned to be very sociable in appropriate manners, I also enjoyed working with my co-workers though usually I'd be by myself. I've kept the same manager as I did with maintenance which helped out a lot. The hardest part of my job was to make sure there were no errors while making reservations and checking guests in. The most enjoyable part of my job was accommodating the customers and making sure they were happy. Many times I would receive compliments which was very satisfying. 

When working as a Housekeeper I was supervised by the manager of Housekeeping. I would strip the rooms of dirty linen, dust the room, remake the beds, clean/wipe down all of the furniture, clean the bathroom, then vacuum shortly after I was finished. I would separate all of the dirty bed linen from towels/rags into two different bags, I would also make sure any trash left in the room was cleaned up and put into a bag to be thrown into the Housekeeping trash bin. If we were running low on linen I was taught to wash all of the towels/sheets in the commercial laundry machine and dryer machine that we had then I would fold everything and make sure it was correctly placed in the storage room. If we were dealing with "stayovers" with the guests still occupied in the room then we would simply change the beds, clean the bathroom as best as we could without moving the guests' belongings, make sure to vacuum the room, take out any unwanted trash and refill the room with any of the bathroom supplies such as toilet paper/soap/towels. I've learned to make sure that my tasks were well-done and to make sure that everything was super clean. Co-workers in Housekeeping were amazing to work with since most of the time you have 2 people per hallway to work with throughout your day. The hardest part of my job was to make sure everything in the room was impeccable and very sanitized.  Management was great and I enjoyed working with everyone which was the most enjoyable part of my job.

I loved this job, I was good at it and had fun doing it. It's very fast paced, and multi tasking is a must. Answering phones, guests at counter etc.. management as well as guests definitely can push buttons, so being patient and able to remain calm and even toned is a good quality, you'll have some people who are awesome and it's fun seeing different faces and meeting people from all over. However they started me at 8.25 because it was my first hotel job, I was told I'd advance after a probationary period, I got to 9.50 and stayed for 2 years, they took paid time off away, offered no benefits or retirement options what so ever. I went through 2 owners and 4 managers over the course of a little over 3 years. Hours at first we're ridiculous several times I got off at midnight had to be back at 8am for corporate coming in and stayed until 2, left and had an hour to grab food and be back by 3 and stayed until midnight for my shift and then back 7am the following morning until 8pm. There is never a steady crew of workers at the front desk, they leave after a day or maybe a week. Some last a few months until they run, the original owners were great and my second 2 managers were awesome and I had some amazing co workers through the time I was there. But for a job that is so demanding on time, no solid schedules or days it's always shift by shift if someone shows or not if you have to come in, I literally trained EVERY person except maybe 4 or 5 and there was at least triple that in my time working there, never would know until the day before the new week what your schedule would be, assuming everyone came in for their shift and no one quit you'd get to keep your schedule they give you, it was just very unorganized and needed some order around there and a manager who could handle the employees instead of put them down and treat them like trash, for 9.50 with them not wanting to give a raise (but was starting new hires with zero experience the same pay someone who'd been there years was getting), no benefits and no paid time off it's a dead end. 

I was never even "fired" nor had I quit, my husband's grandmother passed the day before Thanksgiving and I called in that night to work to be with family and after that I never received a schedule or could get an answer from the manager and when I applied for unemployment to gap the income to pay bills they told them I was given a warning (which I had been a month earlier because I was on leave to Austin and got back late and missed my shift ONE time without being able to call my manager back the last time he called) him knowing where I was and I had spoken to him that morning telling him I was running behind and had car issues on the way back he still wrote me up which my first time being written up or being in trouble at work
yet another co worker literally never came on time, wouldn't call or respond for hours and came in half way through their shift, and they were never warned or written up, so my unemployment got denied because my manager lied and used the warning I'd gotten the previous month, he was a real gem and get also made it a point to tell me I needed to lose weight and walk 10 laps around the property every shift because it would help me... Very unprofessional

I work at night, and the thing with the job is that you have no regular life. Your life will revolve around two things:
1. Sleep
2. Work
Rinse and repeat. The job is VERY easy, you do not have to deal with the customers for the most part like the other two shifts. The problem with that is you get very bored and time does go very slowly. 
-One issue with the job is that you do not have a stable work schedule- you will get the hours, but NOT a regular schedule. That makes it VERY hard for the body to get used to third shift. For me, I sleep and try to have a life, but when you just get used to the third shift, BOOM- three days off and now you want to be up in the day to accommodate friends etc. But you are too tired to do so, and all you want to do is sleep. It does burn you out fast. 
-Second issue- each hotel is going to be different because each are independently owned (so you won't be working with Best Western itself), but our hotel owner does not offer benefits. NO PTO, no health, dental, NOTHING! You are guaranteed a discount to stay with any BW (even that is not as good as other chains), and also I get plenty of points for free nights, but that does you NO good if you can't get off! We don't have the staff to replace me. It's so hard to find night shift people that if I am sick, we have only one other person to take my shift. 
-Third- no breaks. Again, you work an 8-hour shift (here at least- it may be different at other places where they need two workers etc, but we don't have the staff for two) and get no breaks for lunch or to simply relax. I have to go outside with a travel phone, stand near the door if I want a break, along with eating at the desk. 
-Little chance of upward movement in your career if that is what you want. 
-The pay is not the best. Granted, you do nothing for that pay. But still, for a night shift, it could be better. Expect to be paid around 12-15 an hour for the job in most locations (unless it is in places like New York/ LA and other typical higher-wage cities). 
-With any customer service job, you will work most weekends and holidays. Goes with the job. 
-Last, you do get to deal with the night crazies from time to time. If you do not have a backbone, do not bother with this job. It's rare, and I don't worry about my safety (cameras all over), but it does get annoying. 

PROS- I have a great boss. I am even allowed flexibility to bring something to do when idol. She also tries to give some weekend days off, but that matters little when you are too tired to do anything. I also get to sit most of the time,  and of course, the job is indoors in a climate-controlled building. I also qualify for SNAP and cheap marketplace healthcare due to my low wages to help. 
-Best Western does have an online portal for training which is actually very good. It's all self-paced and covers anything you would take in a hospitality college program. 
-Sign up customers for the rewards program and you also get bonus rewards which have provided me enough points for 2 free nights within the 4 months I have worked here. I can't use them now, but they are there. 

Overall, this was, at best, a lackluster working experience, and at worst, a full-blown occupational dumpster fire. The biggest problem was the company morale among employees of the various departments. Of the two, the front desk agent position was full of extraneous and unrelated duties foisted upon them due to an endemic of short staffing, and the pay was extremely low for the amount of work issued. Employees cared little for the wellbeing of each other. There was no energy or initiative to succeed, and cameras observed every inch and moment of the employees actions on the premises. Obviously, there had been problems in the past, thus necessitating the need for cameras, but the whole concept of being monitored and watched at every corner seemed over-zealous. 

Due to short staffing, the front desk agents were tasked with not only checking guests in and out and making reservations, along with customer service duties and working the multilayered and complicated Point of Sale system, but were also required to perform daily janitorial duties (only vaguely mentioned in the initial job description) to maintain cleanliness of the front lobby, and required to wash, fold, organize, and put away the laundry (not mentioned ONCE in the initial job description to the best of the employee's memory). 

Training was lackluster and rushed. I had to learn the Point of Sale system on my own most of the time. I struggled with health issues and a learning disability, which either were shrugged off, or treated with apathy. This affected my ability to perform the daily tasks that I needed to, and I made many errors and mistakes that could have been easily mitigated were I properly trained. Often, I was passively aggressively taunted and ridiculed by fellow coworkers and even management staff for my deficiencies in the workplace. Regardless, I worked hard to do my best, despite all that. 

Around July of this year, toward the end, I stated my desire to resign from the job. The pay was paltry compared to the workload, and the work environment was utterly dismal. I worked as best I could through some of my health issues, and at the very end, I was suddenly relegated to an "on-call/emergencies only" type position, when I was clearly told that I would be physically working the night shift. I never got ANY calls during that time, save for once, which didn't work out. Thus, the company didn't have to technically pay me. I believe full-well that they KNEW that this was the case. I could have been working those last several days in the evening! Unfortunately, such was not the case. I hope this facility improves their practices in regards to training, employee care and morale, and initiatives to energize better work ethic and team-building amongst the employees in the future. Without a doubt, this was the worst job I have ever had.

This hotel operates like any other. There are tasks to be performed by all shifts on top of the standard checking guests in and out and keeping the client base happy. 

I learned everything I know about the hotel business here. I came here knowing nothing about the industry and after a couple years I have a fundamentally different perspective of the service industry. 

The management is only as good as the hotel owners allow them to be. This property was purchased out of bank receivership for pennies on the dollar, and the owners are sure to maximize their profits at the cost of allowing the hotel infrastructure (and new hire salaries) to deteriorate. This is not the fault of management. They are given a puzzle and told to make it work. And that's how things are run here. The management will ALWAYS stand up for his staff, even when they are wrong. Problem solving always comes first.

It used to be that the co-workers were pretty two faced. Friendly and polite to each other, but when the other was gone, words would fly behind their backs. It was a pretty poisonous atmosphere. Over the last couple years however, the management has hired employees who really compliment each other and take care of each other. It's a small house (only 97 rooms) in a dumpy neighborhood, but when a guest comes in, the harmony among the staff translates into a positive experience for the guest. 

The hardest part of the job is constantly making excuses for the ownership. for example, The free wifi here has been pretty poor for as long as I've worked here and Ive always been told to tell guests that improvements are coming along with renovations. Well, the renovations happened and the internet still has problems. We have lost business over this issue. The rooms are fantastic. Very recently renovated and fresh. They are beautiful. But the hotel itself is 50 years old and the infrastructure (pipes, phone lines, electrical, boilers, etc.) are out of date and sometimes even rigged to work in ways that would make OSHA cringe. There is one underpaid/overworked maintenance guy who takes care of this place. he does a heck of a job at it too. 

The most enjoyable part of the job for me is the guest interactions. At this hotel you meet everyone from executives on business to bums who get lost and stumble into the lobby wondering where they are. It's a pretty weird, and sometimes entertaining mix. But this will only serve to better your interpersonal skills if you let it. The stories you hear and the things you experience here are unique to this property and even with its problems, I wouldn't give any of this experience back even if I could.

A typical day as a night auditor includes: cleaning the pool area, perform bucket checks to make sure all info matches what's in the system. Always remember that you are the only hotel worker available from 11p-7a, so customers are looking to you if something's come up. The work environment is okay, mainly because everyone is often in bed during your shift. Each hotel is independently owned, so the experience may vary per person. A good thing is that security is outside on patrol, so you're not entirely alone. Like most places, it's often busy during weddings, birthdays, and the occasional truckers in house. Some nights are quieter than others, so bring something to read or music, or anything to help you pass the time. At my location, I'm responsible for also preparing breakfast for the breakfast attendant. The position would fit a college student like myself or someone that enjoys being a night owl. 

The overall audit process is really simple once you're comfortable with it. Much of the training is hands-on, while the computer training focuses on front desk duties (since you'll be doing both at night). Again, each hotel's night audit is different. My job is to mainly print off reports for management, followed by closing the business day. The audit is mainly completed on the computer and doesn't require much manpower. The only tricky part is charging no-shows.

A few drawbacks: 
1. You're the only hotel employee at night: Make sure you ask plenty of questions during training as well as take note because if something comes, 8 times out of 10 no one is available to assist you. So it's like you learn as you go.
2. Some customers are rude: But hey that's in a lot of industries. The best thing to do is smile and be polite.
3. There are the occasional cliques: I recommend that you keep to yourself and all will be fine.
4. Your paycheck may not go through at your bank: This happened to me three times and now I just use the ATM instead. The reason will always be "insufficient funds" on the owner's side. So to save a headache, I use the ATM.

I worked for the Sebastian Best Western Hotel & Suites for over five years at the front desk. I had at least four different General Managers come and go during this time. The best one was the first one in the beginning when the hotel opened back in 2005, who had hired me. Those first few years were my best and most enjoyable ones while being employed by this hotel. The job became much harder over the years as they let go of more positions and made their current employees do the extra work. I never received a pay raise from my starting agreement after the first year of my expected rate of hourly pay when I started working there, and this was after the requested first 90 day pay increase that I did get. I checked in & out hotel guests at the front desk. I worked at cleaning the office, lobby, hallways, bathrooms, kitchen, breakfast room, and my work area every day. I kept the breakfast room stocked up after they got rid of the position. I washed, dried & folded hotel laundry after they got rid of that position. I fixed various mechanical problems in the rooms during my shift. I helped out the hotel guests with whatever need they had if I could do it for them. I also took phone calls, transferred calls to guest rooms, and made reservations for the future guests. I would say that the absolute best part of this job were the guests at the hotel. They were the only reason I went to work every day.....and didn't leave the job earlier. The work environment was not easy, because it was sort of like a soap opera or high school. Most of my co-workers were okay with me and I had no problems at all with them, although a few bad apples just had to gossip, talk behind my back, and make my work experience intolerable. False attacks were made against my character and I never even knew what I did to deserve this treatment in the first place. I complained to the management constantly, but nothing was ever done about the problems at all. Some employees were forced out of their job or quit because of this bad job environment. I was told that I should consider myself lucky that I even had a job working there. So, I don't miss anything about working at the Best Western in Sebastian anymore. I consider myself lucky to have escaped!

Definitely not worth making a career out of! They don’t appreciate their employees at the call center they expect you to roll over and be disrespected by hotel employees AND guests all in the name of making bw money. No matter how hard you try to get a reservation if you don’t succeed your supervisor will still blame you even if it was out of your control like the caller didn’t have their credit/debit card with them to reserve. They want you to sound like desperate sales agents on the phone to get bookings. They don’t care about your personal family issues even if you have a sick family member or one who’s passed away they’ll say they can’t afford vto for any reason when you’re sitting there 10-20 minutes with no calls coming in. This was BEFORE the pandemic so it got 100x worse after. They took away everyone’s extra bonus pays there were 3 bonus pays and once that was gone you only got your basic pay which is 12.50-13 usually. They fired over 60% of the company and left the other remaining people DROWNING in calls and did nothing to keep up morale during that time except send out a mass email saying “we appreciate you” cool if that’s the case give me my bonus pay back before I’m about to be evicted from my house but of course they don’t actually care. The supervisors are absolutely clueless you ask any of them a question and they don’t know so you have to email other departments to find out yourself and then end up telling the supervisors so they’ll know in the future which is the opposite of how the interaction should go. They don’t grade your call based off of the sharepoint grading checklist they grade them based on how THEY feel and what THEY would have said/done during the call which is ridiculously unfair. If you move departments you get a raise but if you end up not liking what your doing and decide to go back to your original department they’ll take your pay raise away from you but still expect you to do the things that you were doing in the department you hated and left pretty much getting free labor out of you. Good summer job for the young adults and even a fine temp job for about a year but not at all worth making a career out of. 

I work morning shift at the Best Western in Howe, IN, as a breakfast attendant. I think I got very lucky with where I work! What really makes the Best Western I work at so great is the manager. She is very hard working yet laid back and easy-going.  I have always thought that management is the key to a good establishment, but never seen it in action with my past jobs. Until now, where I have a great manager, you really see how much the management correlates with how easy/nice work is. I have a debilitating disease which causes me allot of pain and fatigue, but my manager is very understanding, patient, and considerate of it, which I can’t express how appreciative of this I am! I love the hours I work, 7 am-12pm 4-5 days a week. I love the fact I work 5 hours a day and get off at noon. I feel like I have the rest of the day to enjoy and I’m not completely dead (most days, due to my illness) after work! This is a very emotionally fulfilling job, the guests are very appreciative and kind here. I also enjoy the fact that my manager shows appreciation for any extra work you do and for doing a good job. I feel like that is not something I’ve experienced often in my past jobs! I also love the fact that my manager gives constructive criticism if you make a mistake, she is very patient, kind and doesn’t get short tempered when you mess up. I have never had a manager that has trained me so patiently and constructively, it is something I have learned to appreciate after working many jobs with managers who don’t simply care about their employees. For the first 2 weeks I made 9.50$ an hour, then after I make 10$ an hour, then after 3 months we’ll go through an evaluation and have the opportunity to get a raise, then after 3 more months I’ll have another evaluation and opportunity to make another possible raise! After a year of working here I will earn (paid, I believe.) vacation days. I believe it’s 2 weeks, I’m not entirely sure, but I’m very excited about the opportunities to earn raises! I greatly reccomend working at the Best Western in Howe, Indiana.

First I want to state that I work from home.

Worked through training, the trainers and other people were great and understanding, it was fun while it lasted but got terminated on my last week of training supposedly due to "attendance issues" but in actuality it was because I was having internet service issues (My internet was down for maintenance all day that day) and had called the right people to let them know, and followed all of the policies that I was taught. Only to be called the next day stating I was terminated effective immediately.

Person that terminated me supposedly couldn't find any record of me calling into report the outages despite the fact that I had called three times to update them and the people that answered my calls about my outages literally noted my calls down, the times and everything. I just guess they didn't bother looking and when I pointed that out they went silent and simply said something akin to "Oh, but still you're terminated".

Feels as if they were trying to replace me from the get go, and pick at everything even though I followed the necessary protocols. Especially during a time I really needed the job, and was recommended to me by a friend.

However before the day I got terminated I got to take some phone calls and do some reservations which weren't hard, had a few laughs with customers about stuff and it overall was great, I would totally do it again if I could.

Got one funny call, got into a call with a pizza delivery driver asking if I was at the front desk of a specific BW hotel. I stated I am not and that I am a remote reservation agent. I did give him the phone number of the hotel and now I wonder if he ever did deliver that pizza.

Although honestly wouldn't recommend it, if they can do it to me they could very well do it to you too. If you already work there just be careful, they might just target you next. Stay safe.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Front desk agent 465 salaries reported	$14.30 per hour
Housekeeper 321 salaries reported	$13.45 per hour
Night auditor 122 salaries reported	$15.86 per hour
Breakfast attendant 120 salaries reported	$14.10 per hour
Hotel housekeeper 151 salaries reported	$14.69 per hour

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