The fastest two weeks of my internship were spent in the sales office. And I loved pretty much every minute of it.
I started off not knowing what to expect but was super pumped to have a job where I could both interact with people and be sitting down majority of the time. It was a repreive my feet begged me for. I started my first week really diving in and watching the process of what it meant to be a quote end quote "sales person." Mainly what I did was a whole lot of observing the first few days. One luxury I have observed working at this hotel is that it is a place that people want to come to, a destination so to speak. That being said, the hotel does a lot of selling for itself. The phones ring every few minutes partly due to it being peak season but also because people love the Capital and once you have stayed here or had a meeting or event here, if possible you will never book anywhere else. So, while the phones rang I watched the process of speaking to potential guests, understanding what they wanted/needed and analyzed how the sales team gathered and recorded that information into their operating system. This operating system holds every piece of information that organizes the whole hotel. It records how many rooms are available, sold, if they are clean, dirty, need repair, pretty much anything you might need to know about a room or a guest you would find on this system. So while I got that system down, I also got to observe and sit in on site visits from potential guests to view our meeting spaces. In my two weeks I saw several wedding visitors looking to book a reception room to celebrate their big day, several businesses looking to host an employee gathering or board meeting, and even the right hand man to Secretary Vilsack, who is the head of the US Department of Agriculture. It's so cool to be able to help people coming for such diverse reasons.
Once the observing was finished, and really observing is never truly finished, I was put to the test by answering phones, looking up availability and taking messages for the other sales members to return. I will have to say, the whole transfer the call process is not as easy as I might have thought, but thankfully I learned by my second failed try. There was never a lack of things to do or laughs to be had. The sales office is full of personality. We were constantly chatting and working on side projects such as photoshopping some department heads faces onto funny pictures, you know just typical work stuff.
One thing I really enjoyed was sitting in on the training for a new catering system. This system is used to show the set up in the meeting spaces for events. It was really neat because you could put tables where you wanted and add accessories. You could even put a palm tree in the room or a car on the dance floor if you felt so inclined. I was reminded of my younger days building on computer games like City Tycoon or the Sims. It was fun to be creative and see all the things you could show the guest. After you had finished, there was a button to push that turned the flat image into a 3D version! It is amazing the technology that we have today and to think about how much better it is going to get by the time I have kids my age.
I ended the two weeks really reveling in the fact that I enjoyed the job and didn't really feel like I was at work, even though I got quite a bit accomplished. I feel like this is what work is suppose to be like. I feel that if you can find a job that you don't mind going to everyday then you will find real fulfillment in your work. All in all, I learned that sales has more to do with being ready to build a relationship than anything else. It doesn't matter if you have the nicest facility, if you care nothing about your guests, they wont want to use you again. Luckily, we have the friendliest staff and the nicest facilities so it is a win win! I just love all the stuff I'm learning. I feel like a sponge taking it all in and I hope I stay that way for the rest of my life.
What are you lessons are you learning in life right now? Let me know if you have a chance!
Until next time, stay warm out there!
-Rachel
Inside the sales office, the land of cubes.
At training for new software in catering.
The little rounds on the screen are table setups.
What I call "my office"...we are best friends this scanner and I.
How beautiful did the sky look one night leaving the hotel! Had to share!
Me getting to try Google Glass. It is a prototype and these are the only pair in Arkansas. You look ahead and can check your email, video chat and surf the web. I felt like I was seeing the future.
