Receptionist Review

My job role is looking after guests who check in and out of an hotel. Being the first person any guest meets is an important role, greeting like you're welcoming someone into your home and giving enough information so the guest can comfortably navigate their stay. I will make sure as the guests come through reception they are happy with their room and the facilities available. Book guests tables in our restaurant and help with any enquiry a guest may have. On check out a quick chat to make sure the gust had a great stay, a cheerful farewell is always a must.

During my apprenticeship I did learn new skills because I became hungry for knowledge. I was taught about linen stocks and the weekly linen count. I wanted to know more about housekeeping so I could help out where and when I could. I also learnt about the health and safety checks such as emergency lighting, electrical equipment checks, fire alarm tests and window restritors checks. The biggest skill I developed was getting to know my guests, their expectations and how I can help make a guests experience go from good to great.

I loved doing my program, it made me so much more confident doing my job. Month by month my language on the job changed. The feedback from my management was better than I ever expected it to be. In 12 months I went from someone who couldn't understand why someone would leave me alone in charge of a hotel for 8 hours to a confident woman who runs the hotel for 8 hours. I have not just the tools but a mountain of knowledge to back me all of the way.

The structure of the program was brilliant! I would have a new set of work mapped out for me every month. As the months went on the work became progressively more indepth. At the end of the month I would have a virtual meeting with my training coach. We would talk about how I had found the course that month and then we had a recorded discussion about topics in the monthly work.

I received all the support in the world from my hotel and deputy hotel manager. They both asked how I was getting on and always made a point of telling me they were there if I needed them. I did however want to try and find as much information as I could before going to them. When I needed a topic for my end point assessment they were full of ideas, unfortunately I had not asked for their help before this time. That was about me nothing to do with my boss. During the building of my end point assessment we had many chats with lots of opinions which was exactly what I needed .

Oh wow, my training provider paired me with a lovely lady who met a terrified woman who hadn't taken on any kind of learning in years . She kept me calm, walked me through my first few modules helping with my confidence. She supported me all the way through my 12 months making sure I was making time and good progress . If I emailed she responded every time. Without this lady I'm not sure I would have carried on past month 3.

My qualification has made me more aware of the type of guest who come to the hotel. The needs of the guests are far more important than I realised and try to do everything I can to help the guest achieve those needs. More than anything I have become far more confident and knowledgeable in my role, I'm now not worried about giving guests the wrong information so always happy to help.

At my place of work we have no extra curricular activities to participate in. We all work very hard and want to spend our down time with our families and friends. However, we all work really hard towards our designated charity GOSH. As a company we participate in Hill walks, the occasional zumba class and fancy dress walks. We all try to participate in as many activities as we can as a team so we can make it sociable as well as a great way to raise money for the charity

Yes

I would and have recommended friends to work with our company. There are not many companies who care about their staff the way whitbread do. We have some of the best online training in the country, developed for us as times change to not only give us the knowledge to look after our guests but also the tooand knowledge to be able to keep ourselves safe in such uncertain times.

Anyone applying to this company I would say do so as long as you are patient and caring. Be aware you have the room to be yourself and to work with a diverse community of people who actually care about others. You can honestly change someone's day by being genuine and kind, or even just giving a big smile.