front desk agent

housekeeper

night auditor

breakfast attendant

guest service agent

Hampton by Hilton

I received a call to set up an interview at the site that I was interviewing for. I went in for one interview and then for a second; both times the person I was supposed to interview with either wasn't there or wasn't aware of my interview. 

The interview process took 1/2 hour or less, and I was not asked any challenging questions regarding my skill-set or experience. The training at this job was atrocious and it was to the point of Idiocracy. Which is crazy, because they tend to boast about their training program! It was hours and hours on the computer and reading with quizzes at the end of each chapter. 

Once on the floor, I quickly found out from the general manager why there was some sort of discrepancy between what I learned on the computer and what was actually being taught to me in person on the floor. I was then informed, that the training module on the computer was well outdated, and most of those little things that I learned did not apply to my job and or are completely different as far as processes go. This was confusing and aggravating, as you can imagine. Most of the time that I was training on the floor, it was not with a trainer; it was not with managers at all. In fact, it was mostly with a different employee who had only been there one month longer than me. So my actual training for that job mostly was done by the trial and error on my own. Since the training was spotty at best, I was severely uncomfortable with the lack of knowledge I had in order to do my job: not only properly, but in a fashion that exceeds most expectations (as I'm routinely accustomed to). And to make matters worse, when I continued to ask questions, I was not just met with an unresponsive and callously indifferent responses, however, I was also made to feel inferior and just plain stupid for not knowing the answer - even though I had not been trained! He spent three hours with me one day to train on the floor (3 weeks). His style of training was to point at the computer screen, and ask what was missing from this certain transaction or task. So I would have to spend quite a bit of time guessing what might be missing. Now tell me if this is crazy: how am I supposed to know what's missing if I don't know what's missing and it is MISSING?? Obviously, if I knew, it would not be missing. I had to request of him to stop asking me this question, as it not only made me feel inadequate and ill prepared, but it was wasting valuable time- considering I had virtually no training and I needed guidance. In fact, the general manager did not take ownership of his lack of training and/or guidance. Most of the time, he made ME feel responsible for that lack of training! I also asked for positive feedback as well as negative, as I need both - as a human being to stay sane.

The management, at  this location anyways, did not have a management style that I "vibed" with. I tend to flourish with somebody that doesn't breathe down my neck, but is seriously approachable and available for guidance and/or feedback. That was not my manager's or general manager's style. My questions were usually met with sarcasm and disdain, which eventually led to me not wanting to even ask a question if I didn't have to. 

In fact, I ended up asking a lot more questions or needing help more from the housekeeping manager, who is delightful by the way. (Side note:  she was the only reason I got through some days, and was much more helpful than any other person in that building). I eventually felt that my management was unapproachable and only sought guidance from management if absolutely necessary. 

Also note: I was going through a hard time as well in my personal life. One time: my general manager was so  inappropriately critical of my questions and processes, that he ended up making me cry on the spot - which I rarely have done in my professional career to say the least! I was mortified and also flabbergasted at the event. 

Other things about the job:  
I never got a lunch or break unless I sought somebody out to get some sort of relief. And when I did ask for a break, they looked at me like I was nuts. So odd and pretty illegal. 

I typically was working the front desk by myself, long hours prior to management even showing up. On average I work till 3 p.m., and my only management would not show up until about 2:30 p.m. And, he actually scheduled me to work alone my first weekend, after having had two days on the floor. Talk about yikes! 

The schedule every week was not done until the day it renewed. The week started on Saturday, and the schedule for that particular week was finished on Friday evening after I left for the day. So every Friday night, I had to call to find out if I was on the schedule for that next morning or not. This meant no planning, and no life balance. Also note: the manager did not post the schedule on the employee portal website as policy dictated by Hampton/Hilton.

I was hired for certain days of the week, and so many hours a week as well. To my surprise, my general manager not only cut my hours by at least 8 per week or more, he started scheduling me on days that I did not agree to or could possibly keep up with. Life balance is important to me at this stage of my life, however this way of scheduling  with which days he decided to put me on, was not conducive for any kind of balance in my life at all.

The general manager did the ordering of various supplies for the entire Hotel. There was such a lack of communication between management and departments, that most of the time honestly, there was not enough of anything (ie: shampoo, lotion, trash bags even, and laundry soap), with no management scheduled anytime soon! Example:

One morning, there was no laundry soap. That meant no clean sheets to sell rooms. The housekeeping staff did not know what to do without King sheets clean, so their solution was to use Queen sheets for the king beds. What does that mean for me as an employee? That meant serious complaints from most of the guests that had King beds, and as you can guess, the corner of the sheets that were ill-fitting continuously popped up and hit them in the face while trying to sleep. - The housekeeping staff does not deal with customer complaints, front desk agents are the complaint department! I often had to take complaints, and pass them along to the general manager to resolve them. Every complaint was still met with disdain and annoyance, and most of the time shrugged off as far as importance for customer satisfaction.

For the interview and the job ad, "light cleaning" was listed as one of the job duties. The general manager cut one of their best employee's hours  to save money. That meant most of the week, the front desk agent was in charge of the light cleaning. This was not light. There was vacuuming, dusting, polishing, sweeping, mopping and cleaning the parking lot! This is not what I call light-duty, and it was expected and inspected daily.

Good things about the company: 

Fantastic discounts on hotel rooms within the Hilton brand and Concord company! Traveling anywhere in the US was actually made affordable. 

The company also had an amazing set of benefits, both Medical and non-medical. They were great discounts and perks just for being a part of the company, and it actually helped me out a lot with my personal events happening at the time. 

There were some employees there that I really connected with and appreciated them a lot. Most of which, I would not have survived as long as I did without them. 

Mostly, as I am a "people person;" I enjoyed the guest interaction. A lot of them were easy to please, and were very courteous and kind the entire stay. 

The hotel was in a good location, not too busy, and not too slow most of the time.

In summation, my experience at this job was mostly negative. Which is severely disappointing, mostly because I was very excited to get a job there. It was not the best experience, but it could have been made to be extremely satisfying if not enjoyable. I could have possibly worked as a front desk agent for a year, and eventually moved up within the company- as there are plenty of opportunities to do so. 

My time there was unfortunately a disaster to say the least, but again could have been made much better if there were a different set of managers, and coverage for employees at the time. Besides that, an increase in professionalism and respect with management, (specifically the manager and general manager), would go a very long way - not just for management but for everyone across the board. 

I would not recommend this job if you're looking for some sort of life balance. If you're looking for a part-time gig with great benefits & perks for travel, this is your place babe! My advice: I would be very honest with yourself. Ask yourself how much life balance you need at this point in your life? And also what part of that balance in your life is most important to you at the moment. There are great opportunities, but there are a lot of deficits to this position, at this location, with those managers.

02-2019 to Present
Balanced credit card and cash transactions.
Created all spreadsheet applications used by night audit department and hotel properties.
Complied, printed, and distributed daily income reports for use by accounting department, Front Desk, Manager, Assistant General Manager, and General Manager.
Computerized all aspects of night audit procedures, increasing efficiency and accuracy of the audit department's output.
Making reservations while answering questions.
Balanced out cash drawer and keeping log sheet.
Menards, Oakdale, MN
03-2018 to Present
Greeted customers in a friendly professional manner.
Using scanning device, while collecting cash, check, or credit card payments.
Answering customer questions.
Maintaining store appearance, while keeping work area clean. 
Trained in other department to get to know the store.
Residence Inn. Bloomington, MN
01-2017 to 01-2019
Post room charges and taxes to guest accounts
Processed guest charges, vouchers, and gift certificates.
Transferred charges and deposits to master accounts.
Verified all accounts postings and balances.
Monitored the current status of coupons, discounts, and other promotional programs
Tracked revenue, occupancy, percentages, and other front office statistics.
Prepared a summary of cash, check, and credit card activities.
Run end of the day procedures in property management software.  
Understanding principles of auditing, balancing, and closing out accounts.
Hampton Inn, Woodbury, MN
05-2014 to 07-2016
Check in guest, answering phones and taking reservations.
Respond to guest complaints and emergencies.
Process invoices, post checks to vendors, and reconcile accounts.
Keep accurate financial records and ledgers.
Balance the cash drawer and keep log receipts.
Handling end-of-day book keeping, and auditing.   
Massage Envy, Woodbury, MN
06-2012 to 04-2014
Provided excellent customer service to members and prospects,
Answering phone calls, taking reservations, and upselling products and services.
Filling, organizing files, updating client’s information in computer system.  
Keeping spa impeccably clean and organized which included therapy rooms, common areas, bathrooms, and storage rooms.  
BP Gas Station, Maplewood, MN
07-2009 to 05-2012
Verified starting, lottery, and cigarettes.
Maintaining store appearance, while balancing cash drawer.
Responsible for maintaining store inventory, restocking shelves, replenishing products in shelving, coolers, and hot food area.
Responsible for cleaning bathrooms, changing garbage, sanitizing trashcans, mopped floors, and cleaning outside areas. 




Education
Harding High
Diploma – 06-2006
General Studies – GPA 3.5
Century College, White Bear Lake, MN
05-2014 to 12-2017
Office Medical Support Diploma (No degree obtained)
Skills
Proficient in Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Outlook, Desktop Publishing,

The beginning was great. I couldn’t understand why the turn over rate was so dang high for front desk. After a few weeks I realized housekeeping sucked. They would not show for a shift, not change sheets, never vacuumed and yet they still were employed. The first time I realized something was fishy was when the GM had told me that the AGM was the sister to the house keeping executive, and that their mother was working in laundry, and the AGM’s boyfriend was working in maintenance. Kinda weird to employ this girls entire family when she’s their boss. Yet, I figured not my problem. Then one of the girls who worked front desk got fired. She deserved it tbh, but before they had a reason the AGM would say things like, I’ll kist make her cash drop short, take money out of the drawer and blame it on her. I’m all for firing people who deserve it but not like that. Again, figured it’s not me, so it’s not my problem. Then about 3 weeks before I was fired the AGM’s boyfriend was set to arrive at 8:30, so she calls and has a housekeeper clock him in so he doesn’t show late on payroll, he arrived about 15 minutes later. At this point I’m over it. It over the nepotism and the lack of responsibility. Again, I keep my mouth shut though because I don’t want to lose my job as “payback”. Well, a week later my husband deploys and instead of going back to be with my family I decided to stay for this job because they said they would be more than willing to work with my time. After a week of vacation (I had planned to take the week of and it was approved by the GM) then the next week, I was on the schedule at all. I figured it was to give me some more time. I had figured out my situation for my kids and gave the GM the days/times I could work. The next day I get a call from her to discuss some “odd” time clocks for the month previous. I had clocked out for about an hour 2 days in a row while I was working with another person. One day I was in the breakfast area feeding my son (he’s breastfed still) and eating dinner with my husband. The next day I had gone into the parking lot, again to breastfeed my son and eat dinner. GM said it was careless, unprofessional and a waste of company time. Not entirwly sure how it was a waste since I wasn’t on company time. Anyhow, she said it would be best if we just parted ways. Not once had I been written up. Not once had I been talked to about ANY performance issues. Yet, I was still fired after one (little to be honest) incident. They don’t know why turnover is so high, yet they fire their good employees and keep their horrible ones. Management is a joke. The AGM should not be in the position and shouldn’t be allowed to have her entire family on payroll. I until that changes, I guarantee the turnover will not change.

(A typical day at work)-Throughout the day I completed various administrative duties as well, including answering phones, drafting documents and emails, filling and greeting customers, I also provide strong customer service and resolved customer issues or any kind of printing machines and make sure the machine is in the right place to print out papers for DVS. (What do I learn about my job)- is that I feed a machine all day, making sure I'm doing my job right and being a team leader and help one another because I have a big heart and I try to show people how to do the printing machine so the new people don't get fired and I try to help them out with the printing company. (The management)- Very generous, respectful to you and others they help you if you are behind on work. if you have an emergency with family or if you have kids, they work with your personal stuff if needed and they work with you schedule if necessary. I love the management in Hilton Hotel they are the sweetest and loving people and they make sure you rooms and perfect, all so Dinner ,Breakfast is hot and ready to come up in your room. (The hardest part of the job)- is none
 (The most enjoyable part of the job)- Is helping one another out if they need it and making people smile, I like when people enjoy themselves while they are away and with family. Also I like meeting people around the would coming to the Hilton Hotel Suite and seeing what they're journey are about sometimes they tell me a little bit about there life, and the reason is the people get close to me because I'm very friendly, respectful, Trustworthy, I'm the best person to get to know and sometime I call myself a gullible person because I trust anyone and I have been hurt the worst and I will still give the shirt off my back to whomever, One thing I have learned is to never depend on nobody but your self and the man upstairs and give your all to your job and do your best to make sure some people like you, everybody don't like everybody but I always put on a big smile and do my job the way I know best to do and I'm very grateful to have this wonderful Hilton Suite in my life. This is the best Suite Hotel in the world and the people will treat you the best and give you the best stay at the Hilton Hotel.

A typical day at work would involve getting the notes from the shifts before me in the first 10 minutes of work, and checking people into the hotel. On the 3-11pm shift, I was usually the only one there. During this shift, I would continue the flow of laundry that needed to be cleaned, vacuum and clean the lobby area and back hallways, take care of any simpler maintenance issuses that arose after the maintenance team left, take care of any housekeeping duties that needed to be done as well, and checked in all the guests that came through my doors in that time period. Where those duties I just mentioned were what I was being paid to do, I also was an open ear to co-workers, management, and the guests. On my shift, I would probably spend anywhere from 1-2 hours of just talking and listening to the guests at the hotel. The Guest is what makes the hotel profit, and I believed that if you spent just a few minutes with each guest, they might return to stay at your hotel again, or they might pass on the word of how great our hotel was and recommend it.

I'd say that we had quite the team at the Hampton Inn, Fairmont. We all got along pretty well, and I was able to ask the questions that I didn't know and get the answer that I needed. The management was the same way, because they were always respectful of me.

The hardest part of my job was the constant movement. There was so many things on my plate during those 8 hours, that my feet usually hurt after my shift was over. But I found that if my feet hurt, than I must have been doing my job right.

One night, a guest came in with a problem, in fact his father had just died and he was in town for the funeral. When he checked into the hotel, I could tell that he was rattled. By the time he came into the hotel, I had all my other duties caught up, so I spent the next hour or two just listening to his story, and he was able to open up to me. He told me stories of his dad and him when he was younger. The most enjoyable part of this job was the one-on-one conversations that I had with the Guests. There are some very amazing people in this world, and everyone should pass on their story.

My day was filled with reservations, check ins/outs, banquets/meetings, training, deposits, inventory and lots of paperwork. A hotel is definitely a place to learn about customer service. I can't count how many different situations I dealt with in the time frame that I worked at these hotels. It starts from the moment you answer the phone or someone approaches the counter. You give them what they want at the price they want and if anything goes wrong you have to make it all better. 

The boss that I had at this age kind of spoiled me for the rest of my working life. My boss did his job well and expected everyone from the front desk staff to the maintenance workers to do the same. He was also a lot of fun and goofy and didn't mind us to "goof around" as long as the job was getting done. My coworkers and I followed his laid back attitude, which made our shifts more enjoyable. 

Like I said earlier a hotel is the place to learn great customer service skills. To be able to stand there and listen to someone talk so unkindly to you and keep your composure takes a lot of willpower at some point. On the other hand you meet interesting people as well. I still remember one of my first extended stay guests. He was in the hotel for 2-3 weeks and was an illustrator. His room was scattered in dinosaur bones for a new book he was doing. I believe that the front desk staff made it bearable for him to be away from home for such a long period of time. When his stay was coming to an end he gave me an autographed copy of "The Flag We Love" which he illustrated and I still have that book to this very day. 

Not everyone has a good day everyday and there were times I wasn't the best I could've been. It might have been because of something that happened before work or during work that took a little time to get over. Or maybe someone else was having the bad day and it rubbed off and took away from having a good day. But looking back during my time with this company I have more fond memories than negative and I think that makes every bit of it worthwhile.

I strongly advise against working for this location.
I can't speak about other Hilton properties, but this one in particular has been a shipwreck from day one. I know this because I was employed there before the hotel even opened.
To make a long story as short as I can, most of this location's problems boil down to poor management and a toxic work environment. Blame can't be placed solely on management, but they do carry the bulk of it. For my entire 10 month total experience working there, employees were expected to overwork themselves to keep the hotel afloat, and there was a struggle to find and keep new employees because of this heavy workload placed on everyone. Some shifts lasted between 12-18 hours of constant, fast-paced labor. To management's credit, ample breaks were provided. However, most employees I spoke with all agreed that we cared more about getting home to our families, or having time to complete school work. The expectation that we had to stay and work more than double the usual shift length directly contributed to the aforementioned cycle of losing more employees than we were gaining.
In an attempt to try and find a positive to include in this review, all I can say is that I loved my coworkers. Most of the people I worked with were fun and resilient, and even though we spent many shifts crying together over the long hours and rough conditions, most of us were able to keep each other in relatively good spirits, despite it all. Obviously with the high turnover rate, the list of staff is constantly changing. However, the ones who have stuck it out and are still working here are very good people, and they are a dream to work with.
Conditions have improved some in the last few months, or so I've heard, and I know the recent raise in the pay rate will be enticing to many people. I'm posting this review in order for everyone to know what they're potentially signing up for.

I worked here for a month before having to move - overall I absolutely loved the job and people, I would've stayed if I could since I loved the cleaning. However, if you're slow to clean rooms then be prepared to work extra hours just about every day. I was scheduled for the standard 8 hours but ended up working at least an additional 2 hours to finish my board consistently after my rooms increased to 14-20.
Coworkers were nice enough to occasionally help if they finished their board early but more often than not you're on your own. Every once in a while the general manager would help strip all the rooms for the housekeepers to cut back time which was a great help.

Room boards start out with about 7-8 rooms and you'll have a more seasoned Housekeeper train you for a couple days, then you're cleaning rooms by yourself if you're ready to. I've found that if you don't clean those rooms within the expected 30-40 minutes then you're most likely going to go overtime (which can be an issue if you're trying to thoroughly clean the rooms instead of rushing through them to get off on time). The only hiccup I really had with the whole 3 day training period was that I had to ask my trainer when I was supposed to start each day since I was never really told what my schedule would be.

I have a feeling that management didn't care for me too much since I was so slow at cleaning rooms and often forgot small things, but even then they were pretty patient with me since it was my first job and I was fresh out of high school. 

Favorite thing was probably the workout since you're moving constantly (if I stayed longer I'd probably have super buff arms from making the beds) as well as the finished room after all is said and done.
Least favorite part is that since it's not a 5 star hotel, you're going to get a lot of trashed rooms that take forever to clean but that's out of anyone's hands.
The pay was alright at $15/hr and probably not the best starter job but it's great if you love to clean for long periods of time. Definitely beats a starter retail job though - 9/10 would recommend to future housekeepers



One of the people in charge -always-uses an aggressive tone and raises them voice, which is  unnecessary. This person is stresssed out often and takes it out on you with their voice. 
When I first started working here one person Had quit and now I know why, no one should be talked too like this all the time. It’s recommended this person gets their attitude in check. Also some people apparently not understand what you are saying but when you genuinely don’t understand what they said they get upset. Co-workers talk about you to your face when they think you don’t understand what they saying. There’s health care after a certain amount of days but can be pricey so I wouldn’t go through them. 
Also when I got hired i was asked what size shirt I wear I said I’ll go with xl to be comfortable but not to big and sloppy, and was given a  L shirt which is too body conforming for my body type. Then when I was handed the shirt I mentioned again that i needed an xl then she gave me a 2x which is a little baggy. no employee should feel like they showing too much or like they are wearing a garbage bag because they shirt too big. So in another word this person don’t care. But I decided to give it a chance and it was the worst mistake because from the get go them don’t listen all. Also I couldn’t go to work one day because I was visiting a friend at the hospital the night before, but when I was on the phone they didn’t say anything like hope your friend is better or anything just negativity came through the phone. Then while trying to work in this negative environment one day I have car trouble and I don’t have money for Uber and dont know anyone who can take me cause they at school or work and can’t leave. I just get talked to about missing work and ... basically all negativity and blame on me even when I reassured them I’d have a ride the next day because I know mechanic peoples. Also if I needed a ride how come no one offer a public transportation and take it from my upcoming pay check of something? 
Exactly don’t waste your time.

Show up 5 minutes early to count drawer and prepare for shift, clocked in at time I was suppose to, did what I needed to. Night shift so things randomly changed from time to time. Night audit occurred at same time every night. 

Learned a few things from other co-workers that I was not taught because certain issues were not taught in the learning material or did not occur when was getting trained. 

General Mangers 1st one friendly, up beat and helpful.
2nd not so much helpful, figure it  out on your own kind of deal. Wanted her own CLICK to work for her. Had a grudge against other General Manger.

Workplace was okay, mainly worked by myself. Did not work during the days so not so sure how workplace was with other employees.  

Hardest part was getting the General Manger to answer phone calls and help when needed. Dealing with angry customers when pool was down and elevator not working, ice machines not working, and other issues that were wrong with hotel. Rooms not  being properly done, dirty and smelly.  Sheets not being changed, just covered up by blanket. Dealing with issues that happen before my shift started. Dealing issues of other employees not doing their jobs. Waiting for other employees to show on time so I could clock out on time and so I did not have to get written up for or talked to about getting overtime, because they did not want their employees to have overtime. Was expected to clock out on time, when other shift person was not there and I was only one there.  

Working at night and being able to get what I needed to get done, done and ready for the next shift. Made sure I did was needed to be done on my shift, even if it was left from other shifts. 

Additional information: Was called in to do night shifts when it was my days off or they were requested off. Worked on holidays. Helped out on days when they needed extra help because they gave all the housekeepers the day off and ended up having full house, so they needed extra help. Went in early when someone got sick or had emergency.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Front desk agent 780 salaries reported	$14.71 per hour
Housekeeper 643 salaries reported	$13.93 per hour
Night auditor 337 salaries reported	$16.04 per hour
Breakfast attendant 310 salaries reported	$14.04 per hour
Guest service agent 226 salaries reported	$15.72 per hour

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