front desk agent

housekeeper

server

cook

night auditor

Hilton Garden Inn Hotel

When it comes to working at the Garden Inn, you will often be required to perform duties outside of your actual job title or department. Which isn't a terrible thing. It provides you the opportunity to learn more about the hospitality industry, how it functions, and what all goes into it. You can acquire some valuable knowledge and skills, even if does seem like a pain at the time.

In my experience, the Garden Inn had a family atmosphere, and I know, where you hear the word "family" in reference to a job, that's a huge red flag. But honestly, the relaxed relationship between front desk staff and even managers was noticeable and made working there easier. Management was often willing to hear you out about your needs and do what they could to adjust things to fit me and my actual family. In 5 years, I've never been turned down on a day off request. They are very flexible with their schedules to meet your needs, and since everyone benefits from it, everyone is willing to fill when needed. That part of the job is awesome.

While management is terrific on a personal level, when it comes to a professional level, it can be hit or miss. Some decisions management makes are questionable, at best and you will sometimes get contradictory instructions, creating impossible tasks. Management will never take responsibility for their mistakes. Even if you do exactly as instructed, if it goes wrong, it's on you.

Like a family, policies don't apply equally to all. There will be a stark warning about write-ups for something posted at the front desk, while those in sales or within management will do the exact thing they're threatening to write front desk staff up for with no issue. This unequal treatment also applies to hotel guests. Some guests are required to strictly follow policy to get what they want. Other guests who have established a rapport with management will be exempt from following policy. This can create issues where employees or guests can become upset by the difference in treatment, making work at the front desk much more difficult. And again, when things go wrong, it's not management's fault. It is yours.

Outside of guest complaints, the job isn't particularly difficult. The majority of the time, it's really easy-going. There are days where I have enough time to practice a language on Duolingo or catch up on an episode of a TV show. At $13 an hour, where there's some days you're getting paid pretty much just for attendance? That's a great deal.

And while there are plenty of little things that make the job fun, easy, and at times feel like an incredible place to work, there are also plenty of things that make it frustrating. Lack of coordination, blatant lies, and a lack of support when dealing with particularly unhinged customers can create some bad days, as you would expect with just about any job.

But the biggest downside of employment at the Garden Inn is the lack of opportunity for advancement and your lack of job security. Like most companies these days, they prefer to hire talent from outside of the company for management positions and ignore the talent they already have on hand. If you work at the front desk, expect to be there for decades before you move up, if you ever move up at all. If you want to advance your career, it will be necessary for you to seek employment elsewhere. You also can be laid off or have your hours cut at any time without warning. That's not just a pandemic-related issue. They kept doing this long after the pandemic ended, even in 2024!

But when you go to that next job, you're going to be bringing with you an absolute dearth of experience and knowledge that you can apply to your next job. And hey, the cheap hotel rooms for vacations in the meantime isn't a bad deal, either. Plus two weeks of paid vacations! I may have my complaints, but I recognize that compared to most other places, it's not so bad.

The job was decent. It’s a More business oriented hotel so there’s not too many interactions and things to do after tasks are completed.. they also mandate the vaccine here so if you’re not vaccinated don’t even think about it. I hate how weird my managers acted when I didn’t want to take the vaccine for work it’s like they made me feel inadequate afterwards.. it’s my choice. but Management doesn’t really make you feel welcomed or inclusive, it seems like they like to sit around and talk about their employees and other guest/people for a living and have attitudes about things like they aren’t grown. Their patience level is not where it should be for its workers.. you train for a little bit and then they rush you to get out in the front desk because it’s VERY under staffed like VERY. Small mistakes during training felt bigger than it needed to be. Felt like I was being blamed for making mistakes even if it was little.. rather than have a manager that guides/train he gets frustrated sometimes at us. There was a lot of red flags at this job but it was a 4/10 to work there for me but it had its moments where things were nice for sure. You don’t really get breaks if nobody is there you have to stand there on your feet all day for the most part or sit to the side for a couple minutes to eat when it’s super slow. You have to wait a long time to get health insurance and an employee review. They also pay you based off of experience so make sure to check your paycom app to be sure they’re paying you correctly from what they told you. Theres really no point in telling them your availability and shifts you want because they change it up and give you what they feel works for THEM, Schedules are given last minute at the end of the work week, PTO never accrued from the date I worked there. The management organization is poor from the day you start training, I barely filled out any paper work to solidify things and it took too long to get my direct deposit started. 
You’re alone basically the whole night so you have to figure things out on your own from engineering to housekeeping and even plunging out a guests toilet. I never felt super safe to know that there was NOBODY on site especially at the times I would need them the most. No security and barely an engineer, Everybody leaves early so it’s just you till the rest of the night till the auditor comes in. They never want you to be normal and have a bad day they expect you to be perfect and be happy coming into work everyday. Understandable, but saying that we basically can’t be human isn’t right. As long as the job is getting done and the guests are being treated with the respect they deserve that’s all that matters. We need time to learn how to fit in/stand out in our own ways and input some of the Hilton ways but TELLING US how we should be and what we NEED to do based off what another person is doing doesn’t work that way. There’s a lot more that can be said but hopefully things change within the company as a whole especially when it comes to the way they speak and treat their employees then maybe they'll find more tolerable people that are willing to dedicate their time to this job. I enjoyed putting a smile on my guest faces and interacting with them everyday. I was very grateful for the opportunity. ;)

There needs to be an overhaul at this location. Management is sometimes to overwhelmed with assisting other departments to make sure the rest of the hotel is in great working order. Prioritization and cleanliness is an issue. From the lobby to the dining room, the kitchen and various other parts of the hotel, attention is needed. Pay rate was 70 cents above minimum wage and was told assistance in other departments could add extra hours to the paycheck. I would like to see a higher starting wage if one is to cross-work in another department where gratuity is not an option. Long gone are the days of employees wanting to work 10+ hours for just above minimum wage. Kitchen was unorganized and opening the breakfast option with table seating for guests was not something the hotel was ready to do with one server/attendant and one cook. Leadership did not understand that most of the time, the lone server was inundated with guests standing in line waiting to order hot food(s), tables needed to be bussed, the cook was ringing the bell for food to be served to guests, items in the self-serve area needed to be replenished as well as guests reminding that coffee was out, was too much and often was left with bills being signed with no tip due to lack of service in a timely manner. HGI decided to start charging for their breakfast. $8.99 for the continental breakfast. This presented a problem in itself as being the only server taking orders, I would notice that guests were helping themselves to the continental breakfast area not knowing there was a charge. I would have to excuse myself while talking to current guests and remind others that there was a charge for the continental breakfast in addition to an added cost for any a la cart hot food menu items. About 60% of the time guests would put the items down and walk away saying they did not know breakfast was not included. This meant there was a huge communication breakdown between the front desk as guests were checking in and not being given the breakfast option/information consistently as part of the check-in process. This left many guests unhappy, except for Diamond Members and those whos breakfast were included in their package. I took it upon myself to organize the walk-in cooler, walk-in freezer and dry storage as it was a complete mess, same with most of the kitchen area behind the chef's counter. Besides the F&B Manager being somewhat involved and after numerous requests, I could not get the MICROS system to be updated with the breakfast buttons needed to place orders correctly. This was problematic for the cook reading the tickets. This resulted in having to read the tickets one by one as they printed, to the cook, at her request as she could not read what was being printed. This took me away from my guests and other duties that I needed to do throughout my shift. During this 3-week period that table service resumed after COVID, the General Manager did not bother to check in, ask how things are going, asking for updates, changes needed, thoughts, recommendations or feedback. This was disappointing as the was the idea of the GM to move forward with table service. The only enjoyable moments were being able to make myself breakfast. Coming from a hospitality background, this was not an experience I enjoyed or wanted to continue enduring.  

A typical day at work meant you were up hours before the sun was up. Welcome table was almost all you, in the mornings it was all you. Kitchen staff never seemed to be on the same page as servers. Chicken wings would be one minute served like the menu says without fries and then the next they wouldn't inform the servers it came with fries. Set up an entire conference room just to be told that they weren't having it anymore - the system was checking the clip boards and if it was still on the clip board, that meant it was happening.

Turn over rate was very high. So high, at one point I was working with temps that barely spoke English. Setting up the welcome table after the morning shift, included a fruit water and welcome bars. Kitchen staff wasn't on the same page about who was making the water. Large glass container was pretty and all, but broke and I'm pretty sure leaked.

Was casually scheduled to work by myself a few times and they changed it to where servers served the drinks which would be great if they were staffed to handle it. People frequently wouldn't tip because they paid with breakfast coupons. Because of the open concept, a lot of people tried to walk up and just start making a plate thinking it was free - woman's children legit toasted 5 slices of bread while I told her it wasn't free. She left and left the bread for me to throw away. A lot of people want to do a la carte options of the breakfast buffet/menu but there isn't a way to do it so they get mad and try to blame you. You ever see an Assistant general manager help buss tables? I have because we were that understaffed and we got really busy one morning. Scheduled until 12 or 11 some mornings but ended up there until 1 or 2 trying to finish all the closing duties - because again, by myself. There were a lot of closing duties they wanted done daily and some mornings were really slow.

Makes it hard to want to stay that extra hour, knowing full well you aren't getting anymore tips because breakfast is over. So other servers wouldn't polish/roll silverware or do simple tasks that were supposed to be mandated. Immediate supervisor switched while I was there and the original supervisor left. They call them server lead to get away with paying you low btw.

I worked there for most of 2016. That year, the then-GM and AGM quit and the company (Crestline) hired, if you can believe it, a series of accountants (!) to work the books and be temporary GM. Obviously this can cause discipline issues but for the most part, we had a good staff.

We also went through 2 Sales Managers in 6 months' time. 

These accounts turned temporary GMs had their rooms, food and even dry cleaning all comped. The hotel was being charged tens of thousands of dollars per month for this. Insane.

Apparently, Crestline bought up too many hotels (over 30) at the time but did not have a plan in place to hire and train the GMs how they wanted. Lack of foresight.

The hotel is also starting to show its age. It was built around 2001 and to be honest, a better choice would have been a long-term stay hotel (such as Homewood) rather than HGI as Intel is right across the street. In the end, it makes no difference: Intel has lost over half of its workforce since 2004 and is trying to reinvent itself as a software maker. What this means for HGI is that Intel's contribution to the place is in serious decline. So is Rio Rancho in general.

Speaking of Rio Rancho, this is not a location if you use the bus. Only a few buses go up 528 to Rio Rancho, none of them all that late.

The place does have breakin problems but that goes for all hotels. It is relatively safe (nowhere near any interstates and not even in Albuquerque) but when I worked there the front doors did not lock, nor were there any cameras. My attempts to get this remedied failed every time.

It wasn't a bad place, and I had the experience necessary to figure out how to run Night Audit properly, but if you're just starting out, you're going to be running in circles because there's no GM, or they cannot attract one for some reason.

I was only here for a couple of weeks. My coworkers were nice and helpful but the managers are horrible and have favoritism. I was told not to do certain things that other people who have been there for years were sneaking and doing, and the managers will act nice towards you but will talk about you behind your back even if you’re completely new and still learning how to do the job. With housekeeping jobs, everything has to be detailed down to a T.  if you’ve never done it before, it takes awhile to get fast while being confident that everything looks good, i.e making sure there is no stray hairs on the floor, no prominent wrinkles on the bed, etc. I wasn’t as fast as other housekeepers and instead of just taking into account that I’m new at this, still learning, and that i will get faster in time, they talked about how slow I was to my coworkers. The job is from 8 am to 4 pm but they expect you to be done in 4 hours so you aren’t really getting the hours that you want and you’re technically being rushed to clean rooms. it’s more of a part time job than anything. 

Since it was around slow months as well, it was between getting constantly laid off and being told not come in or arriving to work just to be told to go home, and they’ll pick the ones who’s been there longer to stay and get hour’s which is understandable, but my hours were almost nonexistent. I was the only new employee at the time but they could’ve just had me do something else to get hours. If you haven’t been there for a long time, don’t expect to not get talked about or even get hours during their slow months. You won’t be treated fairly unless you’ve been there for a long time and have established a good relationship with the managers.

Clean kept hotel, but no warmth from management. A shame really, because the owner is amazing, kind, and generous. Whenever he came to visit, that was really the only time you would see management in, putting on a show for him. Owner comes about 2-3 times a year. He'll come introduce himself, and get to know you. On some occasions, he would even cook in the kitchen for us. He was a very kind and humble person. 

When I was hired, General Manager didn't have time to say hello or introduce himself. The only time he would talk to you, was if you did something wrong or he needed his fedex packages out. They were usually items for his sports team that he coaches on the side. 

Sales and marketing team only cared about looking great and giving us things to do for their groups or decorating the lobby for Christmas. When customers get upset about their group arrangement, sales would hide in the back and have front desk say they weren't there. Pretty unprofessional to me. 

Housekeeping/Maintenance was always trying to override FD manager, trying to give us write ups instead of worrying about his own department. He did a great job with the upkeep of the hotel, unfortunately it came at a high turnover rate in his department. 

FD was challenging, but I learned a lot and enjoyed working in the hospitality industry. I enjoyed meeting people from all over, and learning how business worked. Hilton has awesome discount benefits for rooms! It paid off a lot on days off and vacations. At times I had to work alone, but it was a learning experience. No opportunity for growth there, so I left. 

I’m an international student, and I worked at HGI Corvallis for four months to complete my OPT. Looking back, I wish I had worked there for the entire year of my OPT. When I joined, the hotel had just changed its General Manager and, I believe, the entire management team. Everyone was incredibly welcoming and supportive.

I had worked at three other places before this, and none of them came close to my experience at HGI Corvallis. The management here is outstanding. The GM is truly hands-on—if we were short on staff, whether in the kitchen or for checking parking during game days, he would step in and handle it himself. My Front Desk Manager and Supervisor was also always ready to help, especially with guest-related issues.

The work environment was fantastic. My coworkers were amazing, and since most of us—including the GM—were relatively young, it made for a fun and energetic atmosphere. The benefits were also great, especially the team member discount for Hilton hotels.

The hardest part of the job is dealing with complaints on Sundays when there’s no manager on duty (though there is a supervisor). However, everyone trains you well in problem-solving, so it’s not that bad—especially if you have good people skills.

What really stood out to me was how much everyone, including HR, wanted to help me stay. Unfortunately, they couldn’t offer me an H-1B visa since my role wasn’t at the management level, but they genuinely tried their best to support me, which is something you don’t see everywhere.

Overall, I highly recommend working at HGI Corvallis, especially if you enjoy interacting with people. Every day was interesting, and there was never a dull moment!

What is the best part of working at the company?
I really enjoyed working at the Hilton.  I felt like I had a family there, and enjoyed helping my coworkers when we were all running behind.  We all worked together as a group.  And holidays were the best for me.  Even though we worked threw them we were given a good meal and I enjoyed working threw the holiday because I have no family here.  And felt I belonged.  I know it sounds funny but when you have no one to go get festive with the Hilton was the next best thing.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Having to cut some hours off but not much.  Sometimes  not have all of our cleaning supplies.  I didn't  mind bring sprays and such to make the hall ways and rooms smell good.  But the management didn't  approve of this,  if they only knew I only spent about 5.00 every 2 weeks and it last forever.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Worked with a great bunch of people  who I thought enjoyed the job.  I know I did.  Sometimes  I just wanted to branch out and learn a different position  but never got the chance.  My coworkers were all happy and I thought my job very seriously was and could break the bank.  We take good pride in our work.  

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Getting there on time is one of my best qualities.  You learn as you get to be a seasoned staff member that it's  important to everyone to be on time.  To show the younger generation  that it improves work relations no one needs to over work themselves when you have good team work.  Just doing your job and being proud of that job.  Guests see the place in good clean order and will come back.

start at 4:30 - 5 am, make coffee, fill ice bins to set a  breakfast buffet (fresh cut fruits, yogurts, juices, milks, cearal, breads, toaster, plates, rolled silverware & loose,cups-mugs, paper ware, glasses, nuts, ocassionaly assisst chef in hot prep foods, set out fresh coffee !

Greet guest, offer coffee and juices, take order to cook, and serve, be guest friendly while serving. Was also responsible for money/drawer,charging ,cashing or posting room charges while handling  a 65 Occupancy area. 

End of shift wash everything, clean, mop, sweep, take all food back to kitchen and storage repeat of set up but take down !!

It is not easy work, lot of bending, carrying loading, restocking, cleaning, guest service and attention while acomadating  guest,  always cleaning, restocking, prepping for another day,  keeping all table supplies filled, I was also in charge of keeping the juice machine and coffee makers clean and contacted vendors when needed.  I also ordered coffee  and some  supplies. 

My favorite part of the job has always been the Hilton Guest, I even saw guest from 16 yrs past come to my location and they remembered me! That's an honor in itself. I have made so many worldly followers I have been blessed.  I kept high salt scores and have a portfolio of "Thank you and comments". 
The worst / hardest part of the job, Training new hire . Its the same amount of work everyday, it is often not shared  work and when training new people it hard hard to teach them balance and to multi task , that is a skill that you learn to do .

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Front desk agent 284 salaries reported	$15.53 per hour
Housekeeper 210 salaries reported	$14.55 per hour
Server 137 salaries reported	$12.62 per hour
Cook 182 salaries reported	$16.73 per hour
Night auditor 177 salaries reported	$16.79 per hour

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