front desk agent

housekeeper

night auditor

breakfast attendant

room attendant

Fairfield Inn & Suites

Fairfield Inn & Suites could have been a top tier experience, had it only been properly staffed. Management was active and friendly, holding regular 'checkup' meetings that included free lunch, and were both work-related and personal. There was a strong sense of attempting bonding that I have never seen at another job, before or since. And while I attribute that more to the manager's personal style, it was certainly a boon to the company. Even the less-personable staff made an effort to be clear in communication, and finding a connection was usually a matter of patience.

Pay was also fair. It was a livable wage, and all hours that exceeded standard numbers were immediately allotted overtime, no question. 

Unfortunately, because this is a high-turnover profession, I never did experience a fully-staffed hotel, and after trying to run a 400+ room building on three housekeepers for the last few months, I finally gave up. We were struggling to maintain the constant twelve hour slog it required, and for every day off one person got, that left two to do the rest. In order to get home around midnight, I could only take a single ten minute break. Humanely speaking, the hotel should have accepted a smaller guest capacity, at least until more staff could be brought on. 

However I do believe that it was one of the rare places that truly had both a commitment to excellence, and a staff with the will to carry it out. I experienced very little verbal pushback or criticism that was not honest and constructive. And for that, I will be ever grateful. With the exception of one person, the staff at our location was also willing to pitch in and support each other through long shifts. If you finished before the rest, assisting with remaining tasks was not unusual. This was not limited to one department; front desk and administrations might assist with housekeeping, housekeeping would fill in for laundry, etc. I appreciated that sense of dedication and goodwill. 


The Good: 

One of the standout aspects of working at this company is the strong sense of respect and camaraderie among employees. From day one, you're welcomed into a supportive environment where you're treated like family. Need assistance or have questions? The staff is always willing to lend a helping hand, even during off-hours. Plus, working in a hotel setting comes with its perks - there are frequent occasions for free food and employee appreciation events, including thoughtful gifts during the holidays and generous gift cards. Additionally, starting your day with complimentary breakfast and enjoying free lunch on Mondays and Thursdays adds an extra layer of convenience and satisfaction.  

The Bad: 

However, there are some challenges to be aware of. Flexibility with scheduling can sometimes be an issue, which may pose difficulties for those with demanding personal commitments. Furthermore, working in hospitality means encountering guests with varying attitudes, and occasionally, guests may display entitlement, which can be disheartening. This can impact your motivation and energy levels while on the job, particularly for roles like front desk, which demand emotional and mental resilience. Moreover, employees often find themselves juggling multiple responsibilities beyond front desk duties, such as room inspections and financial tasks, without additional compensation. As a result, the pay may not always reflect the level of dedication and effort required to excel in the role.

Good pay, somewhat flexible hours, and relatively easy work. My only complaints are that shortcomings with the housekeeping department often leads to front desk being required to not only assist in the housekeeping workload at times. Whether that being laundry, or being responsible for the cleanliness of all public areas (hallways, lobby, patio public bathrooms, stairwells, pool area, trash cans, etc.) but front desk, as you'd imagine, also often deals with  the brunt of customer disatification and is responsible for sending out apology emails for branches they have no control over. Though, this is somewhat standard practice at most hotels you'd work for so it's manageable. The worst part by far though is the management. Though all of my co-workers we're very understanding and easy to get along with, the manager would often constantly be watching and judging the actions of the front desk despite from desk being the most responsible branch by far. Not to mention, her mood was a consistent factor in your work day you'd have to account for. You could very easily be run ragged if she happened to be in a manic mood when she came in (very common). Thankfully in my shift, I didn't have to see her very often, but there was an uncomfortable tension with all other workers when she was in a bad mood.  Last but not least, due to complications with my second job and a lack of flexibility with the position, I had to leave the company. I had attempted to be respectful upon my departure as I provided a proper 2 weeks notice and recommended a qualified replacement for my position, however, on my last day with the company and despite working with them for 2 years, the manager did not show me the same respect, as they angrily ranted to me about my departure and attempted to guilt trip me regarding my decision until the end of my shift came and it was time for me to walk out the door. Overall, nice place to work, but the manager is extremely overbearing and disrespectful towards her workers.

The Fairfield Inn & Suites Calhoun is owned by Horizon Hospitality, and is licensed as Ganesh Hospitality LLC. It's on ok place to work, having the same situations that arise in Hospitality as in any other hotel. However, the corporate office often ties your hands behind your back and micro manages you to excessive levels. Whether you're a full GM, AGM, or any other position you will be treated like you are adolescent or younger, by people who can't spell or string together two sentences without glaring grammatical issues. The upper echelons of corporate also are somewhat inept with computer use, so often rely on younger, lower positioned subordinates to do their work for them.
Raises and promotions are rare, and pretty much do not happen until someone quits or is promoted to regional. 
On property management has been level headed for the most part for the past several years, but it does change frequently, and there are no real long term prospects here for most people employed here. 
The best part of the job is that most of the hotel's regulars, who are generally carpet company executives from Mohawk and Mannington, become like friends. They become quite happy to see you and converse with you, and make you remember why you considered a job in Hospitality in the first place.
The hardest part about the job is being unable to deal with guest issues relating to monetary issues or refunds without first seeking corporate approval. This relates back to having your hands tied. There are things that GMs should be able to do for guests by the brand standard that the franchise owners won't allow without their yes. 
It's like working for a political party in the government without any of the  benefits. 
I've worked here for nearly five years, and have yet to be given a paid day off. 

If you have real bills, such as rent, car note, car insurance, things of that nature, this is not the job for you. This job is great for a teen who maybe has just a phone bill and that's it. Management plays favorites and it takes very little to get written up here if you happen to not be one of the favorites. They won't promote you if you're a good, hard worker, they'll promote whoever they're buddy-buddy with. This job offers close to the crappiest benefits I've ever seen. They offer health insurance for $300 a month, knowing d*mn well that $11.00 does not leave room for that kind of insurance as that is close to half a check, it not actually half. I have wanted to quit this job since the three month mark and here I am close to a year and a half here. I wanted this job to simply get me through college, and now that I've graduated I need a career, not a job. If you don't come into this job looking for a management position or a sales position, then this job is a complete waste of your time. It makes a wonderful second job or 2nd part time job but not a single full time job. This job could only work as a full time job with no second job if you have a roommate, live at home with parents or have a spouse because the money made here wouldn't even really support someone with more than 2 bills to pay, considering they will NEVER give you full time hours. They will give you 39.5, 38, 37, but never 40. Then they have the nerve to freak out whenever you hit overtime even if that's by 3 minutes they'll have you come in 3 minutes later which is ridiculous. Overall, I don't recommend working here. A lot of these properties aren't even owned by Marriott and that's where they get off with paying you less. Go work for actual Marriott properties, you won't get rich but I feel it'll be a lot less b.s. if you catch my drift. Worst year and some months of my life spent working here.

It was a really good job to a point. The training was hilarious, I was trained by 3 different people "how to clean" without cleaning. My biggest problem was that I want to clean ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING and doubly so for anything that anyone would touch and to learn that I was the only one cleaning certain things was appalling. They train you one way but then want it done a different way,then basically get upset with you when you take to long to do a room.I was ALWAYS the last one to leave, And why because everyone else half *** did everything. The biggest pet peeve was staffing and laundry. One person would end up cleaning up to 20 something rooms (because there'd usually only be 2/4 of us) and they'd want you done with the same room you just got into as quickly as possible. Laundry, anywho who's ever worked in housekeeping knows there will never be enough linen for everyone ( because there's always that one person who over stocks their cart and heaven forbid you say anything about it) so you will have to come all the way back down to the laundry room multiple times for so much throughout your shift. I will say I absolutely loved the hours ,early start but during the week you'd usually always be out of there by 1-3 pm . And the free coffee kept me going on the weekends which were to say the least very busy and wild. However the drama that was in the air almost always was just to much to bare. I see the same thing everywhere though the meaning of WE WORK TOGETHER AS A TEAM is malarkey. This job would absolutely be perfect if everyone was always on the same page. 

A hot, never-ending mess that couldn't be tamed. I cannot speak for all Fairfield's, but for the one I worked at - there was more than enough to turn someone off of people completely; between the always defensive management & constant issues. Managers cannot hear criticisms and instead will argue, retaliate or simply lie to avoid a confrontation. Sanitary issues were a CONSTANT, yet it would be overlooked until something HAD to be done; and even then it was insufficient - leading to the same issues arising again & again.

I met some truly wonderful people at my location, and some terrible ones - which can be said about any job. However, employees who would harass, and harm property were protected. If it were not for the spectacular people that I encountered, I believe I would've left much sooner.

Job security, however, was something I was not worried about. They need each and every person; skeleton crew to the max. The discount for rooms at other hotels is unbeatable, huge perk! Being able to stay at resorts for dirt cheap helped put up with the daily ridiculousness. But it was ultimately the regular guests that made it for me; they'll treat you like family and seeing a familiar face after a long day is refreshing. I will always appreciate the kindness regular guests extend, knowing what you typically go through in a day.

I believe the primary issues stem from management who have their goals skewed, resulting in a slowly failing hotel. It is sad, I loved this Fairfield and wanted to see it flourish - being in a wonderful location and having a plethora of potential, it could be much more than what it is. But, unfortunately, the way it is headed - I do not see any future for my former Fairfield Inn & Suites.

* Management is rude, two-faced, picks favorites, has their own agenda against people they do not like, they will lie on you
* Hard working individual's efforts are not recognized or appreciated.
*  There are double standards present. Some rules apply to some employees but not others. 
* Excessive tardiness is shown by most employees and even some managers without discipline.
*  Employees lie on each other, stab each other in the backs and talk about one another
* If you are not in the clique then you are treated as an outsider
*  If you voice displeasures or concerns to management, they are very dismissive, combative and confrontational. They will try to flip it and make it seem like you are being too sensitive and that your concern is not important to them. 
*  Certain management members have their family members working here which is clearly against company policy but then they turn around and tell employees that they cannot allow their significant others, family or friends work at the location. Which is blatant hypocrisy and double standard. 
* Certain management members are really close friends with each other so if you have an issue with one manager another will come to their defense regardless of what the wrongdoing was. 
* Housekeeping members are toxic
* Management will give a false impression to new employees that the location is a bubbly fun place to work however after you have been there for a while everyone finally takes off their masks and reveal their true selves, the fake smiles disappear, attitudes change and they begin to find ways to push you out of the door. 

The Fairfield I worked at was nothing to write home about, I'll tell you that much. It was so outdated, everything seemed to be falling apart, management was terrible, it always seemed like they kept having problems keeping people, and the workload that was put on everyone working there just because of the fact they couldn't keep anybody was insane. When I first started working there, we were told we got a 30 minute break during our 8 hour shifts of nonstop standing. We technically did get those breaks during day shift, only because management was there, but not technically during night shifts. Whoever was working Front Desk is the ONLY one there meaning no help during our busiest time of day and no break was ever guaranteed since there wasn't anybody there to help out. Also, the fact that one Front Desk Clerk is the only working at night posses a huge saftey risk for the person on duty. The only saving grace when you're working alone at night was the fact that the main entrance in the lobby could be locked to allow limited access. While I was there, we had a problem with the managers talking bad about people and essentially spreading rumors about staff and guests. At the end of the day, the managers were difficult to deal with, the people that worked there got screwed over a lot when it came to hours and being able to go home and it overall wasn't an enjoyable workplace. The only pro to me working there was getting to know my coworkers and being able to connect with them on a personal level.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Managers did not work with all of the employees equally.   It was very hard to grow with the company as far as advancements in management.  Working for the company was very enjoyable, helping the guest and learning different job positions, at the hotel.  However; I  do not recommend South Hill, Va. location as a happy place to work after being there for more than twelve years. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The most stressful part about working at the company was not being considered for advancement, after running the Hotel by myself on mid-nights and working all of the other different shifts, positions, and departments.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
I do NOT have any comments about the work environment and culture of this company.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
I started my night by counting the cash in the bank, reading the desk daily journal, and communicating with the person that I was relieving to find out if there was anything special that need attention.  Look to see how many guests were in the house and how many that was going to arrive and prepare as necessary.  Proceed to run nightly reports, process paperwork, and do the necessary nightly duties such as checking guests into their rooms, making reservations, and assisting guests as needed. Set up the breakfast station up for the guest befor the incomming day shift employee arrived.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Front desk agent 361 salaries reported	$14.31 per hour
Housekeeper 288 salaries reported	$13.19 per hour
Night auditor 159 salaries reported	$14.94 per hour
Breakfast attendant 152 salaries reported	$14.51 per hour
Room attendant 121 salaries reported	$14.12 per hour

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