It is such an overwhelming experience to
have been able to experience what the hospitality industry is all about within
a 3-month time frame. From applying to numerous hotels, to hopes of being
called for interview, to processing requirements, to actual training, to
learning experiences, and finally, to having your freshly printed out
certificate of completion.
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| Hotel's Facade |
I was first assigned at the Housekeeping
Department. At first, I was kind of hesitant about everything. I wasn’t sure if I can handle all the work knowing
that housekeeping is a very tiring job. You have to be fast and focused when it
comes to cleaning rooms. For trainees, we are assigned either as a runner or as
a partner to a Room Attendant – we call this “tandem”. As a runner, you are tasked to follow everything what the Team
Leaders, Coordinators, Linen Attendants and Room Attendants asks you to do.
Runners run guest and Room Attendant requests. They fold linens whenever the
laundry arrives. They prepare daily operation materials such as linens, towels
and amenities, and does inventory every month. Being a runner is not very
tiring, however, much of your time is taken by the slowness of the service elevator
whenever going to different floors. On the other hand, whenever in tandem with a
Room Attendant, trainees also act as a Room Attendant. They get to do and
experience all the work that RAs do. They remove trash, strip linens, clean
bathrooms, wash dishes, set up beds, sweep and mop floors, do dusting in all
the furniture in the room, and set up clean towels and amenities for arriving
guests. Every day, each RA must obtain a minimum of 16 points – where 1 bedroom is equivalent to 1 point – regardless if it’s a Vacant Dirty (VD) or a Make Up Room (MUR). There was a time when the hotel’s occupancy rate is high and each RA was given
more than 20 points to accomplish. Most of them had to work for unpaid
overtime. And so, they would always tell us that they’re thankful that they have us trainees to help.
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| Bed Making |
As
for my second department, I was transferred to the Food and Beverage Department,
mainly in Banquet Service. Trainees are tasked with a lot of things including
setting up function rooms, ironing table napkins, cloths, toppers and runners,
arranging center pieces, skirting tables, setting up buffet tables, monitoring
the coffee and water station, serving food and beverages to guests, and
clearing (bust out), washing and drying plates, glassware and utensils. All of
these procedures are done for every event or function. There were times that
our duty lasts for a minimum of 10 hours, depending on the length of the event.
We got to experience going home late and tired because of all the work.
However, being at banquet service had been very challenging for me. It enhanced
my skills and abilities regarding creativity, time management and
communication. I became more sociable by dealing with numerous guests in one
event.
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| Banquet Service |
I would just like to suggest that the hotel should
have a more established and organized management. They should conduct
orientation of the proper procedures in the different departments before
deploying trainees in the actual operation. And also, for the betterment of the
hotel, they should invest in equipment, materials and industry standard
machines to improve facilities and service. My 500 hours of training at
Lancaster Hotel Manila had been one of the best experiences I ever had. I have
met new people and gained knowledge at the same time. There were certain
problems that I have encountered, but eventually, everything was resolved
through proper handling and communication. For my training as a whole, I have
experienced it “The Lancaster Way”. :)
