front desk agent

housekeeper

breakfast attendant

night auditor

hotel housekeeper

Holiday Inn Express and Suites

A typical day at work begins the moment you walk in the doors.  Employees and guests are requiring your attention.  You put out any fires and then get started on your work. Making sure all emails and clients are responded to by time zone requirements. Because I handled a duel role I had both positions to attend too. Some days I didn’t move from my desk. Except for property walks, and site visits with clients.  Addressing employee needs and schedules, and operations needs, were always a constant.  I learned to really focus on time management.  I  was on call for 24 hours a day.  Making time to take care of home life was a schedule as well.  I learned how valuable schedules and time management truly are.   The management team was hard to win over because they were used to lacks type hotel management styles from previous managers.  Exercising implementing hotel goals and specific department tasks were a challenge but I steadily implemented change with positive outcomes for the hotel, in all departments.  Each month we had a lunch for all employees which was nice. Birthdays  were celebrated, and holidays were a nice time with the company. I really appreciated the holiday bonus.  The hardest part of the job was handling upset front desk staff and filling in their absences on top of my regular schedule.  Inherited attitudes and lack of disciplinary structure lead to push back and firing. Which was not the goal but evidently needed as the front desk had a quick turnover. Keeping each employee happy was a chore for some reason.  A task I met with tremendous optimism.  The most enjoyable part of the job was seeing the hotel recognized for its scalability due to my efforts in sales and customer service satisfaction.  I loved walking through the hotel making sure guests were happy and helped during their stay. Guest service relations was been my expertise and seeing the guest scores become overwhelming positive,  and hotel market share turn in our favor, was exciting.  I miss the job because I was invested.  They took a position away from me due to the Vice President of Sales and Marketing.  He thought I didn’t have enough time to focus on the position.  The hotels sales numbers didn’t match his opinion and I was taken back when after fighting for my duel position, the outcome was to take the position from me.  From there I figured out they were slowly letting me go for a reason that wasn’t clear.  I recommend a different management style one of open and transparent conversation in regard to employee’s position changes and restructuring. I was disappointed and felt it was unjust to take a income stream from a employee.  But, if your looking for a place to work that has opportunities this is a good company.  

In over two years of working here, there's is a constant lack of communication between workers. There is a strong lack of communication amongst the supervisors and owners. A majority of workers here half work, but never have an issue gossiping about other workers or guest/customers. The guests can be fairly difficult to work with or around. The guests often make great efforts to belittle or mistreat the staff. The guests always want their way, often against what IHG policy states. Although not all guests are rather insufferable, and rarely are some guests actually pleasant in a legitimate manner. Proper 'training' or certification was not addressed or "required" until 8 months into working the position. Meaning all information provided for the worker was provided via word of mouth of one of the supervisors. They do not fully equip you for the position in regard to ensuring a worker is fully trained on all necessary protocols or procedures. They tell the worker that you have to ability to make 'final' calls in response to certain request or issues that arrive, then often take issue with the individual choice the worker makes. Guests often complain about the cleanliness of their rooms and sheets which often have markings of dirt or general stains on them. Guests want to be moved rooms at the slightest inconvenience. Many times, upon arriving for my shifts, there would be several if not few rooms that had not been cleaned or prepared at all for the current night; of which I would not find out they weren't clean until I had already checked guests into the room. This would cause much frustration and issues for both the guests and worker. Everyone in every department seems to have a hard time managing and keeping up with the demand of the business for months on end. There was a lack of structure and consistency early in to working there and maintained to be a lack of structure and consistency towards the end of my time with the company. Employment here is a revolving door as many faces will come and go in short periods. 

At my specific hotel the management was great, as were my coworkers. It is the best hotel to stay at in the area, and for good reason. Most of us really did care about keeping the rooms cleaned and getting customers what they wanted. However the job itself is not great.

To start the higher management got rid of commissions for selling out the hotel. Before this we at the front desk would actively work to sell it out. Afterwards there was no point, and we didn't really care whether or not we sold a room. Whoever made this change is an idiot who obviously doesn't understand how to run a business. Wouldn't you rather fill out a room than leave it empty? That is how you make money. Filled rooms provide money. Empty rooms do not. Very simple stuff.

Benefits are a joke. There are essentially none. You can get reduced price for rooms but who at our salary is honestly going to use that? We are nearly paid minimum wage. We don't have the money to travel around and use reduced price rooms. Give us things that matter like healthcare (they are trying to implement) and, more importantly, dental.

Customers. Are. Terrible. Well, not all of them. We had many great customers, including customers who would tip us and customers who were just really nice people. There were some from Canada who would often bring us Tim Horton's donuts. To those customers I say thank you. It does make a difference.

Then you have the customers who believe they are owed the world. Snobs, parents who can't watch after their children properly, parents who act like children, and the sort of people who break things or mess things up because they think they can get away with it. You also have people sending emails and making direct complaints about anything, even things that aren't even true. Customers can even get free nights this way.

Speaking of which, if you want job security don't work here at the front desk. If enough customers complain about you then you will get fired. Its company policy. Too many complaints and you are gone. And customers will complain. They will, as I stated, complain about things to get free rooms. They will even make things up. Customer comes first. No real way to fight it.

If you’re reading this let this be a bit of a warning



Working in the day was always too much work, it’s a lot for what your making an hour, management could be better and more reliable, our general manager is very nice but IS the general manager, just overburdened by all the work. Benefits are decent, 50% off some 2 star hotels, free breakfast (even though it’s pre made and just heated) is ok, unless they cheap out and forget breakfast or have the same old thing every, single, day, to the point where even McDonald’s breakfast is better, heck even anything, coworkers don’t care it’s only about the money, and why should they, there is always something wrong with the hotel or in someone’s room and I mean every single week this has to be fixed, that has to be fixed , noise complaints, water issues, breakfast issues, every little thing and nothing to do about it except report it and wait for next week  to come back again with the same thing over and over again, training could be better, and it has if your trained by someone who cares, even if that someone wants you to do basically everything so that they don’t have to (manager),  management even needs training too sometimes, hospitality in general is always going to be an issue, no bonuses unless holiday pay which is 21$ an hour, the standard for buc ees btw , which the pay is wack like I worked overtime and got less than what I normally got paid? I personally wouldn’t work here unless no other hotel is hiring (exactly what I did lol). Overall stay clear from here unless you don’t value your time and want to make decent money for busy shifts on a daily bases. My advice, Turnover rate is high, don’t have high expectations and you’ll make it, that’s if you’ll want to apply, but hotel is ok, better than most with good reviews, just let this be a good reminder of what kinda position you’ll put yourself in. Ps. I worked for almost 2 years and speak not just for myself, but for every other person who left and quit, just apply if you need experience or want a taste of what you’re getting into, then move into Hilton the goat or Marriot, don’t settle for less, other than that keep calm and don’t apply 🙏

STAY AWAY. A typical day at work, is being stressed the minute you walk through the door and get your board for work. They're always incredibly UNDERSTAFFED, and what is expected of you is completely inhumane, and tiring. You barely get any training, and you're thrown to the wolves, expected to understand everything in a very short time span.

You're constantly working against the clock, linens have to be down in the laundry room by 1pm, yet they give you 16 to 24 rooms, so it is literally almost impossible to meet this demand. For every 1 good manager that is supervising for the day, they're followed by 2 supervisors that are constantly hounding you down all day, pretty much silently demeaning you. 

There is absolutely no positive reenforcement from upper management, no real leadership, and when you think you're doing a good job, you're left with a passive aggressive note on your board, asking you to return to a room you already cleaned meticulously, to wipe something down that doesn't need to be wiped down again. Every day is almost complete mayhem. 

More than half of the time the stock rooms are not stocked with extra supplies you need to set yourself up for success since the laundry room is also UNDERSTAFFED. You constantly have to visit the laundry room where half the time they don't have any linens available to you. 

The only enjoyable part of this job is the housekeepers themselves that are all on the same page, besides management. You'll be blamed for negativity going around the crew, when in fact, it is the management that are failing the hard working women on a daily basis. You're scapegoated if you ever decide to stick up for yourself, and are blamed for the managements lack of leadership, and accountability. 

They take a 30 minute lunch out of your check, and barely have time to go to the bathroom. You will be worked to the bone, like a mule, with no sense of empathy whatsoever from management. 

YOU CAN DO BETTER THAN THIS JOB. IT IS NOT WORTH YOUR BODY, NOR YOUR MENTAL HEALTH. YOU WILL WANT TO QUIT AFTER 2 WEEKS. STAY AWAY. 



Worked here for a little while. Other staff were very nice and (usually) willing to help others out if needed. Weekdays and sometimes on weekends we would have quick morning meetings, and were able to get breakfast from the back/kitchen afterwards for free, and if you ate fast enough and got back to work it didn't count as a break. My main point of stress was getting the rooms done within the 30-minute limit that everyone had. Some days were better/within that timeframe more than others. Another issue that I had was the inconsistency in hours. Technically speaking, all shifts are meant to be 8 hours. There was a set start time, but leaving was another matter entirely, depending on the number of rooms to clean and staff present. I've arrived at work at 9 and left around 1, and other times I've left around 7. (My back is usually killing me after hours of making beds, stooping for buckets of chemicals, and restocking the linen cart throughout the day, so be wary of that too). Makes it fairly difficult to plan //anything//, especially if you're attending classes at the college. Postings of the schedule are taped up near an office door, which I don't mind, but often with incorrect information (like someone confirming a day off but it being printed as them working that day), so occasionally different versions are posted. I've gone in a couple times only to discover that I can't clock in because I wasn't actually scheduled according to the computer system, it was just a typo/carryover from the last week's. When this went up was also nebulous, usually the sunday-through-sunday was printed on thursday, corrected on friday, and maybe recorrected on saturdays. And if you're not scheduled any of those days and live a ways away, better hope that somebody is willing to text you a photo of it or that it's been properly set into the timeclock system.
That's really my only gripe, it's decent pay, other staff is nice, and management is accommodating and generally open to hearing what employees want to see change to make a better work and guest environment.

I've been working at this company for over a year. The work itself varies with the season. Overall, the work isn't that bad. Its cleaning hotel rooms, pretty self explanatory. However, with the strict time limits and ever-evolving and expanding list of things to do, it gets very stressful. They expect a lot of detail in a 30min limit. And its never clearly defined when you start there what specifically needs to be done its all just an overview. Theres no way that you can clean everything they want well and still keep your time limit unless you RUSH everyday. They preach that its all in the routine but that's not always true. You never know if you'll be getting off at 2pm or 5pm.There's almost no extra linens so you will have to go back to the rooms later to stock towels and make beds which puts you over your time limit almost daily and you will be talked to about it.    Nothing in storage is organized in a logical way so its difficult to find extra things for the rooms (ice buckets, TV remotes, xtra comforters or towels. Ect) which takes more time. You'll be hoping for a 1pm end day and end at 4pm instead because of slow laundry and disgusting rooms. Benefits non existent except for pizza party like rewards sometimes. Little room for advancement and they make it clear that you are totally replaceable. Loyalty is not rewarded. Management is toxic and when they get stressed out they take it out on employees. Guests can harass employees and management doesn't seem to care most of the time. Some guests creep on the housekeepers and management doesn't seem to care about that much either. The best part about this job is that your coworkers will validate how awful it is to work here. Culture among housekeepers can be gossipy. When you're left alone to do your work thats nice. God forbid you have a bunch of thrashed rooms in one day because you will get in trouble for going over time. The main takeaway is that there are probably much better places to work. 

The job itself is wonderful and often fulfilling. I get to speak with people and help them improve their experience with our hotel. The customer service aspect is my favorite. Unfortunately, that's pretty much where the pros end. My front office manager is the most petulant, passive aggressive, mean spirited person I have ever experienced in a professional setting. Part of her day consists of sitting on her phone gossiping and badmouthing guests and employees with our GM, while the rest of her day consists of belittling new employees for not understanding something after one day (she's been working here for 8 years), interrupting employees while they're speaking to guest because she doesn't like how you word something or didn't think your answer was good enough, and being mean to our hispanic workers even though she doesn't try much of anything to accommodate them. They all speak Spanish and can't read in english, yet she gets mad at them for not understanding how to do something when it's not even in the language they speak? I have not once observed her offer an alternative clock in that's worded in Spanish. She just yells at the head housekeeper and puts all the pressure on her and then starts her "why is everything so hard" speech as soon as she walks away.  Also, I have never experienced someone putting "subject to change" on a schedule. It denotes the whole concept of having a schedule in the first place. I've been asked to work 2 consecutive shifts or the schedule has been changed with less than 24 hours because when something goes wrong with her schedule, she'd rather put an employee in a tough position rather than be a manager and get the shift covered herself. Although I am grateful for the experience In hospitality, the main thing I learned from working here is what I DO NOT want in a manager.  Working with housekeeping and our maintenance man was another great part about working here! Always very nice and respectful. Just wish we had better leadership!

A typical day at work would be to handle/process all cash/credit card transactions for those checking in/out; to answer and direct calls as needed; take and update reservations in the Opera/Holidex systems; sort, wash, dry and fold all laundry; deliver missing toiletry/linen items to guests and/or ensure housekeeping has all necessary items to make rooms; restock front desk items; update room cleanliness status in the computer systems; send and receive faxes for guests and employees; other duties as requested by management. 
 The main things I have learned from this job are how to appropriately interact with the public to ensure a professional, friendly and enjoyable relationship between customer and business. I have learned how to multitask and trouble-shoot issues between front-desk and housekeeping. I have also learned how to appropriately approach co-workers and management when there are issues. 
  The hardest part of this job is ensuring proper communication between all departments and ensuring accuracy in areas where one does not have direct involvement. There seems to be an issue with this due to alliances and blatant favoritism between management and  certain employees. There is also no unity or agreement between the levels of Management, resulting in contradictory instructions and decisions. Gossip is also a large problem which affects ones ability to advance in the industry or feel secure in ones position. There are no set rules or regulations for rewards, rates, schedules, or income and issues with maintenance constantly go unfixed.
  The most enjoyable part of the job is the interaction with the public and the housekeeping staff, as Front Desk Clerks share many of the same responsibilities.

I was told one thing in the hiring process, but was told otherwise when working there.  as maintenance, your main job is to turn over rooms, then work on work orders, then whatever else management has.  they wanted atleast 2-3 rooms turned per day.  when i got there, all was working out fine but then management decided to change up the process and wanted me to prioritize the housekeeping management, which means every single call they made for every little thing, takes me out of the rooms im working on, to do small tasks.  you cant turn any rooms and work on work orders, and deal with the calls of management, and other tasks all at one time.  it got frustrating, and it only got worse. they said you are required to take off for lunch, but majority of my time there, i had to work straight through lunch and do overtime, which they didnt like, but I had no choice because they wouldnt quit calling me with issues to fix.  
it got to the point they kept overworking me and still wanted me to take off for overtime, but wanted me to still work on everything, then they started to give me a time frame for completing tasks, which meant i wasent even able to turn over rooms any more, and I have all this written down for 2 months, i kept a record of everyone who asked me to do something, every day and what time- looking back at it, there wasent any free time at all.  i tried to talk to managment, but they always had their door shut, or was not there.  management wouldnt let me order the parts i needed, she wanted to be the one in charge of that, so many days i needed to discuss what i need, and they are not there, or behind closed doors.  
I would suggest that management change their style, because this company has lost many technicians due to their management style, and maintenance cant go to anyone about this, cause all the management is involved and work together with each other, but they dont work with maintenance.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Front desk agent 1252 salaries reported	$14.46 per hour
Housekeeper 993 salaries reported	$13.57 per hour
Breakfast attendant 615 salaries reported	$13.81 per hour
Night auditor 398 salaries reported	$15.24 per hour
Hotel housekeeper 350 salaries reported	$14.34 per hour

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