What do you do, and how did you get here?
After finishing my internship in London and graduating from college, I decided to stay in London. The Front Office Manager who I worked with during my internship moved to Jumeirah and recommended that I apply there. I’ve been working as a Rooms Division Clerk at Jumeirah Carlton Tower for over a year now.
How do you spend your day?
To be well prepared for the day I ensure that I always arrive early at work, so that I have enough time to go through the days arrivals and departures. Being well rested and prepared for the day is very important as it will directly influence your behaviour and will reflect how you present yourself to your guest. As soon as everyone is present we start the day by doing the handover, in which the previous shift manager will go through the daily figures and advise the team about any important issues that might have occurred.
Upon arriving at my desk I make sure my work area is tidy and organised, so that I can focus completely on my guests. My first task is to go through the departing guests’ billings to see if all membership benefits have been applied and if there are any incorrect or missing charges present on the bill, resolving this ahead of time will lead to a smoother check out process. While doing other administrative work and checking to see if guest requests are being honoured, new guests will start to arrive. I always greet the guest with a smile before they greet me, this shows the guest that I am happy to see them and prepared to assist with any requests.
It is also very important to show empathy, as the guest might have just had a long flight or has a busy day ahead of them.In case of an early arrival we will always try to provide a room as soon as possible and offer the hotel facilities for the guest to use in the meantime. During the entire shift we are communicating with all hotel departments, to keep an eye on everything I always note down all requests and ensure follow up is communicated clearly to the related department. At the end of my shift I double check all the paperwork that I have done and make sure to report any guest issues or requests which will need follow up to the team leader who will look after this during the handover. We then finish our day by tidying up our desk for the next colleague and presenting all the paperwork to the Duty Manager to review.
What’s the best part of your job?
What I like most about my job is interacting with the guests. I love having the chance to get to know my guest and to learn something new about them every time that they come to visit us!
What’s the hardest part of your job?
The hardest part would be having to refuse a guest’s request. If it’s not possible to help them out on that occasion, we ensure we try our very best to succeed with any other request they may have.
What traits are ‘must haves’ to do your job well?
Being able to keep calm under pressure and time management, while handling lots of guests. At the Front Desk, you must remain calm and patient and do everything smoothly even when you’re under time pressure.
Also, you must be confident and efficient while handling unusual situations or requests, as you may not be able to honour all the requests of the guests – you have to keep the hotel’s interest top of mind!
Any advice for people applying for a job like yours?
Utilise body language in order to make a great lasting impression. Your eye contact, posture and even the way you walk into the room all impact an interviewer’s perception of you.
What’s your ultimate goal in your career?
I would like to have the opportunity to run my own hotel. For that opportunity to present itself, I will try my very best to contribute and grow with, and learn as much as possible, from an established company such as Jumeirah.
How do you unwind after work?
Learning something new. To break the standard work week routine I encourage myself to learn something completely new in my spare time. Learning a new skill is usually just what I need to “refresh” myself and it also allows me to meet different people outside of my usual circle.
Tell us one quirky thing nobody would know about you?
When I was 8, I told my parents I could name all the states of my country. Then the next day I was asked to write them all down. Not wanting to admit that I had forgotten a few, I combined names of items, which were present on the table, to fill up the remaining states. Unfortunately they somehow found out…
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