front desk agent

housekeeper

line cook

night auditor

room attendant

Marriott International

I knew when I was being interviewed for a job at Courtyard (for room attendant) that I wanted to work there because the housekeeping manager was awesome. She actually seemed like a real person instead of just someone who was doing their job. Almost every person I talked to, it seemed like we were already friends, so I knew I liked the atmosphere.

For about a month, the job was amazing. I loved the fact that I knew exactly what I would be doing each day and got along with mostly everyone. I did start to notice, however, that certain room attendants were treated differently than others (think discrimination between races). There was one girl I worked with who would take her sweet time to get her rooms cleaned so that the rest of her "group" would come help her after they got done with their rooms. So I started doing this with my best friend, who started working there three days after me, and we ended up getting every single one of our rooms done in half the time it normally takes. We made sure that it was okay with our housekeeping manager before we started cleaning rooms together and she said it was fine, but the very next day, our housekeeping assistant (basically the room inspector) told us we couldn't do that anymore. So we were getting conflicting information from different managers.

Then, two weeks later, our room inspector got fired, which made everyone's jobs in our department harder. Our housekeeping manager had to be there every single day to get the rooms inspected and, therefore, would have to bring her kids to work on the weekends. Her kids were never in the way, but the same "group" of people I spoke about earlier felt differently. I'll come back to that in a minute.

Two weeks after our room inspector got fired, our general manager decided to quit. I talked to her about her decision and she said that Courtyard was basically forcing her hand. They kept complaining to her about the standards of the hotel (about how we didn't have enough supplies for every room and how we'd failed inspection once - keep in mind that the inspector only had to find one hair in a room to fail a hotel, which is completely ridiculous), even though the company was the reason why we failed inspection. We didn't have all the supplies we needed because the company wouldn't give our branch the money it needed to buy everything. So our general manager got fed up with being blamed for everything for 6 years and left. I don't blame her at all.

And then - another two weeks later - my friend and I, who carpooled, pull up to work to see the building owner (basically our boss's boss's boss) and our housekeeping manager outside, deep in conversation. We both had this feeling of dread and, sure enough, she had been fired. So for a few weeks, we were left with no management at all! We constantly ran out of supplies, no one would make the laundry people do their jobs, so we would run out of towels and linens constantly, and the room attendants all started fighting over supplies because that one "group" I mentioned would come in early so that they could overfill their buggies so they wouldn't have to come back downstairs for more supplies - leaving everyone else without enough to supplies to even halfway fill their buggies.

After our HM was fired, we found out that the "group" of people I was talking about earlier was responsible for both our HM and AHM getting fired. They had gone to the building owner and told him that AHM wasn't doing her job - not true; she was doing her job, trying to make THEM do their jobs and they got mad - and that HM was letting her daughter do the room inspections - totally and completely fabricated! 

Finally, they get a new general manager in place and she was awful! They kept going on and on about how they were trying to find a new general manager who would be respectful and open to us, but she was anything but! Every time we would go to her about the others taking too many supplies or laundry not doing their jobs, she would completely ignore our complaints and tell us to, "just go do your job," in a snarky attitude. One day, my BFF found that someone had been smoking in one of our rooms (we were completely non-smoking in the whole building) and came downstairs to ask whether she should take pictures or not and get the vapor fan to get the smell out of the room. Our fill-in inspector (a wonderful guy who worked his butt off, usually worked at the front desk, but helped us out because he was just a really good person) had told her to go up to the room and take pictures before doing anything, but our general manger told her to take the trash out first. My BFF simply asked - and I was there, so I know - which is it they wanted her to do. Our GM then yelled at her, "Oh my God, just please get out of here! Just please go do your job!" She was the most disrespectful boss I've ever had in my entire life!

And now we come to the worst part, which is why I quit. They finally hired a new housekeeping manager. I was off for her first two days, but I had to go up there to give one of my coworkers something she left in my car. I asked her about our new HM and the very first thing she said was that her breath smelled like death. She said, "She can be standing all the way across the room and you can still smell it." I thought she was exaggerating, but when I got back, I understood. This woman's breath was awful and you couldn't get away from it. If you stood in a small room with her, like the hotel room bathrooms or her office, it would fill the whole room up and leave you coughing for fresh air. But that isn't what made me quit; it was her attitude.

That same day, we had a conference going on for a certain group of religious people (indeed won't let my type the name) in the area (they seemed to have a conference every other week, if not every week). Well, not to be rude or anything, but all the room attendants hated it when they came because they would leave their rooms a gigantic mess. They would cram 8 people in one room, so that's a lot of trash. All the women keep their hair really long, so there were really long hairs everywhere. I even had one room where someone had thrown everything that was on a tabletop on the ground. They all used the pull out couches and roll-away beds we had. It may not sound like it, but just taking the linen off of the couch bed (and replacing it) and roll-away bed (and bringing it back to the storage room) takes an extra 15 minutes at least. That's a lot of time to a hotel.

That day, I had 17 rooms, only 2 of which were stay-overs (stays only take about 3 minutes, whereas check-outs take about 30 - 45 minutes, depending). So I already knew that there was no way I'd get all of my rooms done that day. I tried as hard as I could, though, and only took two ten-minute breaks to smoke. I didn't even take my lunch break. We're supposed to stop at 5PM - that's when our cards stop working - but I had so many rooms that the new HM made me work until 8PM. This was a problem because I rode with my BFF to work, she can't see after dark, and we lived an hour away. So we were already irritated when our HM finally said we could stop and restock our buggies.

When we got finished, she stopped us and asked what had taken us so long. We answered: 1) You gave us 5 more checkouts than you gave anyone else; 2) the religious people are here and they are dirty as heck; 3) the laundry staff wasn't doing their job, so we had to keep coming up and down the stairs for linens. She then told us that we weren't allowed to take smoke breaks anymore until we could get out of there by 3PM (we usually did finish by 3). I was so angry that I didn't even mention that I didn't take a lunch break, so I was actually entitled to another ten minute break (we got 30 minutes for lunch) and just clocked out and left without another word.

And that's how I quit.

So be careful when it comes to Courtyard Marriott. It may seem fine at first, but they can do a whole management change and everything will change.

I have worked for the Marriot Corporation for the past 10 years, most recently at the Portland, OR Waterfront Hotel.
I would like to bring a most egregious issue to your attention that I believe goes against the beliefs and policy of the Marriott Corporation, especially around diversity, harassment and racism.
I have been harassed and discriminated against by my manager, Billy Thurman and my supervisor Brandon Soto.
Their behavior and treatment of the employees is unprofessional as well as considered harassment and borderline racism.
I am in shock that a corporation would allow this.
Neither Billy nor Brandon ever provide positive feedback, only negative, even when guests send letters to Tim Pyne, the General Manager, praising my performance in the M Club Lounge.
So if guests praise my performance then why would Billy and Brandon only provide negative feedback to me?
When the M club is extremely busy neither Billy nor Brandon ever pitch in to help as does our General Manager Tim Pyne.
They have a responsibility to the guests as well so they should offer help during peak hours not negative feedback on the employee’s performance during that time.
I would like to provide some insight into several issues I have encountered with them.
A few months ago, I was told they wanted me to work less hours during the clean up each evening of the M Club when it was time to store the food and get ready for the next day.
Howeve it is difficult to do that as the lounge is open 24 hours a day so the guest traffic makes that impossible to do.
Our responsibility is to the guest therefore we often end up staying late to accommodate the guest.
One evening because of that new directive, I was rushing to the kitchen to return the left -over desserts, the floor was wet without a yellow sign indicating such, and I fell very hard.
My supervisor, Brandon came and left me lying on the floor while he went to get a yellow sign.
He never asked if I was ok, nor did he help me up or help me clean up the mess or show any signs of concern or manners or common courtesy to inquire on my health or ask if he could help in any way.
That was such a disappointment that a supervisor would not be concerned with the health and welfare of an employee.
Is that really what this corporation has become?
Instead a fellow co-worker helped me to clean up the mess and get up from the floor and ensured I was not hurt.
Whenever my manager, Billy needs paper work signed by me he sends my supervisor, Brandon to interrupt my work several times during the evening which takes away from my ability to provide excellent service to our guests and perform my work flawlessly.
Can the paper work not wait until end of shift or beginning of shift instead of taking an employee away from their work?
Considering we are a hotel and our main priority is our guests, by continuously harassing me to sign paperwork during my shift takes me away from the priority of the job which is making sure our guests are happy and well taken care of does it not?
Again, is that what this corporation has become, more about the company and not the guests or employees?
In June, I had PTO plans to go away for two weeks.
My normal day off is Friday and I was leaving on a plane on Saturday.
My supervisor Pilar asked me to work on Friday and I advised her I could not as I had items to complete in order to leave for vacation on Saturday.
She continued to ask me and implore me to work as she had no one to clean tables in the restaurant.
I eventually agreed to help her out as she was short staffed and we agreed upon a time for me to begin work.
I did arrive a few minutes late that day as I was finishing up personal items that needed to be completed before I could go on vacation the next day.
When I returned from my vacation 2 weeks later, my manager gave me a written warning for being late on that Friday which had been my day off.
I explained that it was my day off and I was doing Pilar a favor as she was short staffed and he very rudely informed me I should have said no then that I could not work.
He insisted I sign the warning and advised me the next time I would be suspended.
Again, I ask you is this the way a corporation should treat their employees especially when they are a company in the service industry?
On the evening of July 20th, I had started my shift when Billy came to me to inform me I was being suspended as I had modified my time card.
He claimed that I did not arrive at 4:21 but instead he claimed that I had altered the time and I had started at 4:23.
I most certainly did not incorrectly record my time.
However, it is his word against mine.
He escorted me to my locker to clean out my personal possessions and escorted me from the premises.
While he was escorting me out he had a large smile on his face and was very happy.
I find him unprofessional and disrespectful toward the employees and I cannot believe that this is in alignment with the Marriott policy and charter.
After all Marriott claims to be nationally diverse does it not?
I feel this man has done nothing but treat me with disrespect since the day we met.
He has made it clear in many situations that he does not like me and has gone out of his way to cause issues for me.
Why would Marriot employ such a person at a manager level?
Our job is to be courteous and professional to our guests so why wouldn’t that same behavior be extended toward each other as employees.?
One evening my manager Billy Thurman came into the M Club incognito (in plain clothes after his shift ended) and sat at one of the tables to watch my performance.
That evening was extremely busy with many guests (over 200) as each table was taken and the flow of guests had not let up in quite some time.
My co-worker and I were working as fast as we could to clean tables, wait on guests and make sure everyone was taken care of.
Billy, my manager had come to the M Club to see what he could find us doing incorrectly.
When he could not find anything to complain about he went to our supervisor for the evening Pilar and complained that I was wasting time and not cleaning the dirty tables for a quicker turn over in guests.
On that occasion, I complained to HR about him as I felt that he was not telling the truth during that situation.
I have always gone above and beyond to deliver my best performance to the guests even though I am extremely busy most nights.
I certainly hope you will take my letter seriously and consider their behavior by surveying other employees on their opinions or interactions with Billy and Brandon as I know others have had problems with them as well.
I am not alone in this thinking that they unnecessarily harass many employees and are rude to the employees for no good reason.
I feel that I am being discriminated against due to my Cuban heritage.
I have received many compliments from my guests on my high quality of service.
Several of those guests have complained as well about Brandon and Billy’s behavior and their treatment of the employees.
The fact that a guest has seen them treat employees badly and complained about it is a sign that something is not right in management that this behavior is allowed.
Thank you for your attention to this matter as I feel I have been unduly harassed and discriminated against by Brandon and Billy and I cannot believe the Marriott corporation would want this behavior to continue.

Worked at the St Regis Residences in Chicago.

Management was incompetent on such a level where they had to be harassed in order to make good on any scheduling promises they made, rarely made themselves accessible outside of work even though there was no manager on site about 50% of the time.

 Workload is much higher than other comparable Marriott positions but pay is far less than the average (blamed on growing pains of the building's acquisition), union failed to recognize employees resulting in confusion regarding policies at the expense of employees. Management going as high as HR had so little information about any of it that instead of seeking out the information in order to support the employees, they either ignored inquiries made by said employees or made up contradictory answers to any questions regarding the pay, the union benefits, and the company benefits.

Due to no on-site drug testing and the unreliability of scheduling third party tests, despite being paid weekly, it took the company over three weeks to issue me any kind of compensation for hours worked, to the point where the HR Manager herself had to personally loan me money to get by until payroll finally did pay me.

Took sick time off due to illness after accruing nearly 24 hours of PTO as evidenced by my paystubs. During the same time a different employee went on paternity leave. We both returned to find out that despite not signing up for the union (as they provided us no option to do so until the 4th month of employment), we were still beholden to their policies and thus, were not entitled to sick time off until a year of continuous employment. The managers did not know this prior to our times taken off, and thus there was no way to know until after we had returned.

Payroll literally forgot to process our checks one week and it ended up being deposited days late.

Basically got told signing up for the union was a condition of my employment and was consistently pestered about it by upper management even though the union didn't even reach out to any of us until month 4, and management made no attempt to facilitate this.

Work culture was so awful that the entire prevailing conversation between employees in every department during their shifts was in regards to their hatred of their jobs.

I took a weekend off once a month in advance and had it scheduled but during that weekend, a lower level manager called me and demanded I come in to work anyway, going so far as to suggest he was acting on behalf of the building director. Which, after contacting said building director, turned out to be a lie.

Training was haphazard. You learn on the job, and are reprimanded for your mistakes.

Managers kind of just left work whenever they felt like it, often without informing anyone else on shift that they were even leaving in the first place. The Senior and Assistant Residence Directors were the worst offenders of this practice.

In regards to scheduling, you will hear "This is a business of weekends and holidays" constantly as a justification for having your previously approved time off revoked (usually due to the scheduler forgetting they approved it). Your grievances are not taken seriously and management will make up an excuse to evade responsibility for any mistake they make.

Management is also severely lacking in discretion and organization. If there is a private conversation to be had or a reprimand, everyone on staff will know about it. There is no importance in secrecy here.

All in all, as it was my first Marriott position, all of these experiences completely turned me off to Marriott as a company and nearly soured my opinion on the hospitality industry as a whole. You won't meet a single non-management employee there that isn't actively seeking out a new job.

Location requires a complete overhaul of leadership before any kind of positive work environment can be produced.

As far as large Corporate companies go, Marriott certainly isn't the worst. Nor, however, are they the best.

As a stepping stone in the industry, my specific Hotel would suffice. In my specific circumstance my Hotel is a great place for young people to get their foot in the door in this industry.
In my specific circumstance, my Hotel had a very bad problem with holding onto the wrong staff for (very) far too long, and by numerous means, scaring away any high skill or high potential people away. Leaders, from Supervision to the Executive level, have stuck around far too long, and as a result I can confidently say stagnation is prevalent. It can be seen in the culture as well as in the pay scales.

Go ahead and get a 4 year College degree in Hospitality, but you wont get much more than an hourly wage in the low to mid-teens. Do they compensate by granting excellent advancement opportunities? Well, no not as graciously as other corporations or businesses have in the recent and reported years.
As for pay scales, HR has told me that pay scales are determined by comparing scales and rates of other Marriott properties nearby; typically franchised Marriott Hotels as opposed to comparing rates to that of COMPETITION that isn't specifically Marriott or Marriott related. I for one feel that to be unsettling and a gross display of competition-lacking Markets.But I do not have a degree in Economics so take my words as you see fit.

Work culture is on the decline in my specific circumstance. Remember those work parties or events your Parents or Grand Parents would talk about? Those excellent opportunities for networking? Yeah, those days are gone at my specific Hotel. They instead hope the executive team members earn their bonuses at the end of the fiscal year, and show their appreciation to the entirety of the Hotel staff with $20.00 Target Gift Cards. Which, I must add, you are taxed for as evident in our pay stubs. Taxed for a gift that you didn't necessarily ask for. Yikes! Give me a $20.00 bill and let me use it as I see fit.

Let me get back on topic here:
As for the people? Excellent. You have people of numerous backgrounds, political beliefs, religious beliefs and yet as coworkers we all tease and have great laughs when we're working and through downtime. Sure we are not perfect, but at the end of the day we get along and smile from time to time.
Yes, there are issues of inappropriate behavior from Management and non-management, yet in numerous cases people still keep there job. I for one believe there is a fine line between forgiveness and downright toleration for such bad behavior. But that problem, keeping the wrong people for the worst of reasons stems all the way to the top of the Management tree.

My Hotel is a former shadow of what it used to be, compared to way back in the day. Certainly the times and economic situation is a reason. However poor management and business choices add to the trouble.We hear news of an improving economy, but seldom do we see any affects to our business and certainly to our pay. People have worked here for well over 10 years and have not seen a raise. Not even a small adjustment for Cost of Living, inflation or a job well done. If you look to find a job to settle on, please keep working hard and do better for yourself. Let Marriott get the kids, its all they really want.

A typical day at work for me is always different depending on the department I am scheduled to work in for the day. Mostly I run the kitchen in the hotel. Being quick on your feet to help the guests and to be aware of all details of how food items are prepared and delivered are crucial. In the kitchen I start off with getting any information from managers or staff members to prepare myself and my team for the day. During service I supervise both kitchen and front line. I constantly am moving. Checking on the guests and checking on the staff and productivity for the day. At the end of the shift, I make sure all money handling is done correctly and that we balance at the end of the night. 

Working with the front desk department and the operations supervision department. I am needed to do check ins or outs. I am there to assist with any questions that guests may have to to make sure to be aware of details guests require and how the hotel handles them. I make sure to be available if any department is in need of extra assistance throughout the day and delegate what needs to be done to each department.

Being involved with the administration and Sales/Marketing department allows me to expand my knowledge with not only my hotel but various locations. We constantly are dealing with different groups and situations. Handling the event planning, execution, and follow up. As well as handling majority of billing and any other details that relate to our property, such as rooming for group blocks.

I've learned that within this type of business it is vital to be very versatile. Being able to work with whatever comes your way and to make best with what is available to you. I've learned to think quickly on my feet and solve problems as they come. 

The management is excellent at my location. They are very supportive in all my training and listen to any issues that I may have and try to fix and/or compromise to the best of their ability. The co-workers at my location are like family to me. Everyone gets along very well. We have no complaints about each other.

The hardest part of my job is giving myself a break every now and then. Working for a place that is open 24 hours 7 days a week means there will constantly be the need for someone to be there to help the guests or take care of paper work or even oversee a department. The hardest thing about my work place is being so dedicated to your job that it sometimes you don't know how to take a break.

Which brings me to the most enjoyable part of my job. Its being needed. With the knowledge I have acquired, I am needed to do different tasks every day. Every day is different and everyday I am given the opportunity to do different things. I love this kind of work. I love my managers and my coworkers. I enjoy working for the company I work for. 

A typical day requires arrival at 7:00 AM, making the assignments for the employees who arrive at 8:00 based on the anticipated departures and occupied stay over rooms for the day; working on creating  the schedule for the next work week, handling paid time off or requested time off and managing schedules; handling employee and/or guests issues (e.g. an employee needs supplies or has a maintenance request in a room, a guest has a complaint or comment, etc.); handling lost and found items, taking lost and found calls, and coordinating return of items; inputting data of productivity and work completed by department; handling payroll (making corrections, adjusting for weekly changes, ensuring it is accurate and correct); planning and implementing programs to improve productivity (incentives/bonuses, activities, etc.); working with all departments to ensure efficient hotel management and proper guest service; communicating with guests and associates; providing constructive feedback to employees and training as needed; interviewing prospective employees; providing correction as needed; checking for quality in public spaces, back of the house, and guest rooms; checking guests out as needed; checking inventory of supplies and making orders as needed, etc.

As a supervisor at a full-service hotel I have a lot of duties and responsibilities to perform. I love rising to the challenge and feeling pride in knowing what I did in a day at work allowed for a smooth running and efficiently functioning hotel. I have learned that I am valuable and can meet any task required of me and make it the best and better.

There are so many employees working together to ensure the best experience for our guests that we all come to rely on one another and help each other rise to the occasion.

Working for a corporation, I sometimes feel like management believes it should all come down to a bottom line. When we get emails asking why our department had x hours of overtime and stating that it is unacceptable to have overtime can be discouraging. In a circumstance when the hotel has been sold out for two weeks and we are short-staffed because three employees have recently quit or were let go, I would appreciate instead an email acknowledging the successful week our employees had despite the circumstances and providing help/training/instruction rather than only asking for an explanation of why this "unacceptable amount of overtime" occurred. That then becomes, for me, the hardest part of the job, balancing trying to keep the employees happy and productive while pleasing management by staying under budget. 

One of the best parts of working here, as I stated earlier, is feeling the success of knowing I did my job well. Another is getting to know the great people I work with including coworkers, employees and the guests who stay with us.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Fair break times. Depending on the staff on at the time sometimes you could pitch in and share meal orders from a restaurant together. Like pizza, wings, or subs

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Being the only female in my department at the time was stressful for many reasons.
1. The department manager hired someone to specifically micro manage me and only the work I completed. 
2. Having my completed projects be done over by other less experienced co-workers who would then impact the quality of the project after their handiwork. 
3. Having to be told by my new micro manager what is and is not acceptable to do in our down time within days of his first arrival in our department. (I would be put on radio duty and either organize the shop or sit quietly at the desk area with a pen and paper.)
4. Having to explain myself more than necessary on projects due to micro aggressions from peers/coworkers. ("You're not completing these tasks to the status quo, why are you failing?"  "I noticed you're leaving these projects unattended, if you can't pick up the slack around here then maybe this role isn't a good fit for you"  "My role doesn't do that task and neither do the others. That's your role."
5. I would often translate conversations/orders between departments from Spanish to English and English to Spanish for commands over the radio or in person when radios were not available. I would then be told that I was not doing enough to help mend the language barrier or help communicate between departments.
6. Overwhelming amount of "surprise" from peers in other departments. Comments like "wow I had no idea females would be interested in that department, definitely unusual around here.." would be shared on occasion. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
While I was new the overall work environment felt and seemed welcoming, but over time that welcoming feeling changed into fear of being discriminated against. 

The first day on the job our department was given an award for outstanding work, pictures were taken and I was instructed to go be apart of the celebration. 

My final week on the job I was being micro managed, my own work from personal projects were being tampered with and I was found at fault for this outcome when I spoke up to the DM. 

I think the culture is different between departments, FOH vs BOH may have different experiences. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
I would clock in, report for duty and receive an assigned list of projects to work on for the day unless certain necessities were not available for any projects I would send back what was needed to complete each task for the day. After daily tasks were completed I would go where assistance was needed and take on radio duty until it was time for clock out.

A typical day as a housekeeper is pretty busy. Vacant rooms, occupied rooms, and no service rooms. Up to 30 mins each room depending on need. I learned that advancement within a company like itself will possibly never happen yet they claim to "promote from within." Management is there to do the job they have and go home. Your issues are your issues. Your concerns are your concerns. Marriott claims to be about team togetherness as well as many other claims to culture they do not specifically stand on. The "culture" entails team work, customer service, and food waste management (lol) to say the least. This company doesn't stand on anything they say. Food waste is the number one concern, food is thrown away from banquets and breakfast literally everyday. You'd think they feed the staff all leftovers and not just what they feel fits. (Shaking my head.) There is not team work in housekeeping. Customers and giving them service is the only thing keeping the company going other than the housekeepers. The hardest part about this job was walking into an environment painted with theory and build from manure. If you speak of a problem you see, you become the problem they see. The most enjoyable part was witnessing the process they planned to fire me after numerous concerns were raised by me. I'm sure of someone took the time to dig deep much they realize the faults within the company. When employees perceive that their employers aren’t living up to their end of the deal, they’re less inclined to live up to theirs, often becoming disengaged, displaying passive aggressive behavior or letting work quality slip. When employees are under the impression that there are no consequences, or that consequences are handed out unevenly, they may use it both as a justification for not reporting poor behavior (why bother?) and as a reason to be less careful about their own actions. Doubt about the company’s commitment to its values creeps in and the “See something, say something” mentality that defines collective cultural stewardship often falls by the wayside. No one should ever be punished for reporting behavior in the workplace. I personally experienced discrimination and disrespect from the employed for Marriott city center Lexington KY housekeeping department. Being the only African American (bilingual) housekeeper, I was over looked when bringing my issues to staff due to my appearance. The typical black girl wouldn't be able to address issues concerning the Hispanic group due to being unaware. It's hard to bring a problem to housekeeping management about any of the majority housekeeping staff  without you being the target for noticing. . I was hired after manifesting the position, ended it never wanting to step foot in another Marriott facility and will be sure to redirect anyone else I come in contact with.

A typical day at the Monarch Bay Club usually begins with arriving early and preparing the work area.  Assessing availability of supplies and resources, restocking deficient supplies, consulting with kitchen and management regarding items that may be unavailable at the current time.  Once all the prep work has been finalized, the first table usually arrives.  
Guest service begins with introductions and greetings.  This is followed with initial beverage service.  Sometimes the guest is unsure of what they would like to drink, and the associate (me) needs to discover the guest's likes and dislikes in order to suggest some beverage options.  Completing that portion of service, it is time to discuss the main courses and appetizers.  Guests occasionally have allergies or dietary needs that need to be communicated to the kitchen.  Occasionally the guest makes the associate aware of these needs at the start of service, however, sometimes the associate needs to ask the guest directly.  Often during service, there will be a number of modifications and alterations that need to be made for the guest's satisfaction.  It is the job of the associate to ensure that these adjustments are made, and that the guest receives what they want.  However, there are times that a mistake is made.  Whether it is a mistake on the part of the guest, the associate, or other staff members, it is the job of the associate to immediately recognize and alert higher seniority individuals, and the guest, of the situation.  Following recognition and acknowledgement of a problem, the associate must endeavor to recover the situation.  Generally food service goes without issue, but there are always the occasional problems.  
My co-workers are amazing.  I have worked in numerous restaurants since I first started working, and I have to say, St. Regis employees are unparalleled.  We generally work as a single unit. There is never the feeling that anyone is looking out for only themselves.  If one person is busy, and the rest are not, the entire staff works together to help the individual that has more going on.  We all perform this way without complaint or resentment.  It really has been the best place to work.
The hardest part of the job has to be organizing and prioritizing.  There are times when you simply have to recognize that you cannot possibly do everything at once, and if you cannot find anyone to help, you need to prioritize accordingly.  Organization is also difficult at first.  It takes some time to learn procedures and exercises that take more time than others.  Additionally, you need to know what is more important and time sensitive.

Marriot is a great company to work for, great benefits and higher then normal pay.
BUT the Housekeeping Dept at the new Ocean Front Hotel is terrible!

I really hope the new male supervisor can figure things out and get them straight.

When I was hired on the spot back in June, i was hired at $20 per hour. Yes, summer incentive BUT that was not made clear to me until 9 days after i started working there. To get that $20 your rooms have to be above 90% cleaniness, perfect attendance, be on time every time AND THE BIGGEST KICKER OF THEM ALL.....YOU HAVE TO HAVE ALL YOUR ROOMS DONE BY THE END OF YOUR 8HR SHIFT. 
SOUNDS EASY, RIGHT?
Well you cannot complete 9 to 16 rooms by yourself in a 8hr period when check out isnt until 11 (80% of guest stay later 12 to 4pm) Also your different levels of the Marriot Rewards program determines your check out time, for instance if you are a titanium member your check out is at 4pm. That many rooms to be done to their check list standards is impossible! Yes, many girls get all their rooms done in that time, HOW?  Well they cut corners! 
Dont vacuum, sweep, mop, change sheets. I was paired with 7 different partners and ONLY 1 did it 100% right, and correct to their standards. They are blind to that factor.
On top of running floor to floor trying to find supplies, sheets, towels. Super busy weekend but the night time house men or early morning housemen dont do their jobs, so when housekeeping comes in and are ready to work...closets are in disarray, no supplies, carts used for housekeeping are DISGUSTING, trash left on them, old wet towels, sheets, cleaning rags, glasses/cups etc left for the next person to take care of....but wait most of them do not, they sit them on the floors or in the supply closets so no one can find them for days at a time. No One is on the same page, communication is terrible when trying ro get a answer or you get a rude, nasty answer from the new male supervisor. At least he was very rude, and defensive towards me.
When i was hired I let HR know I needed days off to move...wasnt a issue with anyone, BUT him, 3 weeks after I started!!! Yes, i did miss a few more days after that initial week of moving due to personal reasons....when I notified all
The supervisors of my absence, i never got a response (called hotel, texted each of them and called the main one at the time) no answer from anyone, when i showed back up to work a few days later, they didnt even approach me about the time I had missed? (IDK if thats good or bad...of course its not good though)

I really feel if you dont know someone or if you dont kiss A** , you will not go far in this company. I did end up quitting, after all the mess I had experienced.
Yes, im aware its a new hotel and things are usually messy at the beginning but several months aftet the opening its that much of a mess?? Someone isnt doing their job!


Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Front desk agent 428 salaries reported	$17.15 per hour
Housekeeper 462 salaries reported	$16.91 per hour
Line cook 285 salaries reported	$18.65 per hour
Night auditor 218 salaries reported	$18.35 per hour
Room attendant 177 salaries reported	$17.25 per hour

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