hotel - berksiu.org...this five day internship program allows educators to work as an intern where...
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Crowne Plaza Hotel
Inside Business Berks
Lauren MatthewsSchool CounselorSchuylkill Valley Elementary
Description of the IBb Program This five day internship program allows educators to work as an intern where they can better grasp
business expectations, and skills. Upon acquiring the the knowledge, educators can help students
develop the hard and soft skills, students will need upon entering the workforce.
Summary of My ExperienceThe Crowne Plaza of Reading is under the umbrella of the InterContinental Hotels Group. IHG oversees
the overall operations, sales, continuing education requirements, and orientation of all of its employees.
Other IHG hotels include: Holiday Inns, Marriott, Hyatt
and Hiltons.
Summary of My ExperienceDuring the five day internship at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Reading, I was able to shadow and interact
with the following departments:
● Sales Team
● The Front Desk
● Food and Beverage
● Maintenance
● Housekeeping
Together, these different departments
must all interact to make the hotel run
smoothly.
Sales Team
The sales team actually consists of a Sale Director
and each one of these ladies oversees a
different aspect of sales:
● Individual Events (weddings, class reunions)
● Group/Business Events (happen yearly)
● Hotel Group Room
Front DeskThe Front Desk is responsible for all of guests as soon as they
come to the hotel.
● Room reservations (350 rooms available)
● Upgrades based on membership
● What to do if they are experiencing an unsatisfied
customer
● Knowledgeable of surrounding restaurants and events
Food and BeverageResponsible for all the food and beverages
needed for the hotel.
● Restaurants
● Special Events
● Works directly with the kitchen staff
Maintenance and Housekeeping
Maintenance
● Taking care of the daily and yearly maintenance
of the hotel
Housekeeping
● Following IGH room guidelines
● Thoroughly cleaning checked out rooms
● Maintaining rooms for stay-overs
● Reporting any maintenance concerns
● Laundry Room
Educational Skills
At the Crowne Plaza there are a variety of jobs that consist of different educational requirements.
Areas such as housekeeping, front desk, dishwashing, and laundry room, may not require a high school
diplomas. These applicants are interviewed by their different department managers and must pass a
drug test.
Managers that oversee departments within the hotel, need a college education (if not more), computer
skills, understanding of sales for the hotel, and excellent interpersonal skills. Prior hotel experience is a
plus for someone in the management positions. Management positions start around $40,000.
Education Continued...
Regardless of the position level, the hotel staff must continue their hotel education. Front Desk
Receptionists are required to take tutorials on hotel policies, how to interact with irate customers, how to
make the customer’s stay more enjoyable, and computer software training.
Managers will need to watch and at times interact with online tutorials about new hotel initiatives, ways
to approach new clients, and how the hotel can have a competitive edge within the community
(marketing of rooms, weddings, meetings, etc.).
Banquet Request Form
Each event that is hosted at the hotel
requires a Banquet Request Form (BRF). This
is the document that outlines the whole
event. Hotel staff from all departments must
understand and be able to successful carry
out their portion of the event in adequate
time.
Technology at the Hotel
● Computer software for hotel reservations (single reservations, blocks of rooms, checking in and
out guests, special rates)
● Computer software for looking at local hotel competition as well as sales for the hotel at different
points of the year.
● AV equipment for presentations
● Ballroom and Dance Floor Lights
● Standard Room upkeep
Greatest ChallengeIn several of the departments the turnover rate of
employees. Managers express this as a real frustration
because they continually can not keep the manpower the
hotel needs to run efficiently.
Spanish only speaking employees can also be a challenge.
Both the Food and Beverage, and Housekeeping Director
are bilingual.
One of the ways the hotel is trying to connect more with
their employees is by recognizing them on their birthday,
their anniversary date, and just recently they implemented
a Celebrate Service Week.
Greatest Asset
In working with the various departments, my opinion of the
company’s greatest asset are the dedicated people who help that
hotel run. Several of the jobs that require the hotel to run
successfully are not 9:00am-5:00pm Monday-Friday jobs. Several of
positions require long hours to accomodate special events and at
times, multiple events throughout the day. The hotel needs to be
operational 365 days a year, 24 hours a day.
Employees and departments must abide by the guidelines that are
set forth to them from IHG.
Skills for Hotel Success
● Flexibility
● Reading hotel orders
● Communication Skills● Leadership Skills● Teamwork● Problem Solving Skills● Work Ethic● Flexibility/Adaptability● Interpersonal Skills● Computer Skills (reservations software, spreadsheets)
Questions and/or Comments.
Project Requirement
Abstract 1
Name: Lauren Matthews, Elementary School Counselor
Unit Title: Identifying Career Clusters
Subject Area: Guidance Lesson Grade Level: 3rd
PA Academic Standards Addressed: 1.1 Career Awareness and Preparation
● 13.1.3. D - Identify the range of jobs available in the community
Content ASCA Standards Addressed:
● PS:A1.9 Demonstrate cooperative behavior in groups ● C:B1.4 Know the various ways in which occupations can be classified ● C:B1.7 Describe traditional and nontraditional career choices and how they relate to
career choice
Activity: 1. Group students randomly (either through technology or classroom accessories)
a. Students will be assigned to four different groups to cover the different realms of the Hospitality and Career Cluster.
2. Continue the students understanding that careers are based in career clusters with today’s cluster focusing on the Hospitality and Tourism Career Cluster.
a. Define the cluster: The hospitality and tourism industry provides accommodations, meals, and personal services for both the traveling
public and permanent residents. The range of employment opportunities in the industry is vast.
3. Share the following website with the students to get a better overall view all of the different career opportunities in the realms of: http://sbo.nn.k12.va.us/careerpathways/pathway_hospitality.html
B. Lodging C. Food/Beverage Management D. Travel and Tourism E. Recreation, Attractions, and Amusements
4. Each group will be assigned a cluster and together within their group, the students will use the O Net Website as their source of information. https://www.onetonline.org/find/career?c=9 Together, they will need to complete the following information on the worksheet provided. Together they put together the information in a way to present it to the class for up to a five-minute duration.
A. Powerpoint B. Poster.
5. At the end of the class period, students will present their presentations.
Names: ___________________________________________________________ Career Cluster: Career Realm:
Occupation:
Job Description:
Education Requirements:
Daily Tasks:
Technology Needed:
Wages:
Each person in your group must identify a skill/ ability that you have that would help you be successful in this job. Once the skill is identified, please give a specific example of the skill.
On a scale of 1-10 (being the lowest and 10 being the highest) rate your level of interest in this career cluster.
Project Requirement
Abstract :2
Name: Lauren Matthews, Elementary School Counselor
Unit Title: Entrepreneurship
Subject Area: Guidance Lesson Grade Level: 3rd
PA Academic Standards Addressed: 13.4 Entrepreneurship
● 13.4.3.A -Define Entrepreneurship ● 13.4.3.B - Describe the character traits of successful entrepreneurs, such as, but not
limited to: ○ Adapability ○ Creative Thinking ○ Leadership
● 13.4.3.C - Describe age-appropriate entrepreneurial opportunities, such as but not limited to:
○ Bake Sale ○ Crafts ○ Lemonade Stand ○ Pet Care
Content ASCA Standards Addressed:
● C:A1.2 – Learn about a variety of traditional and non-traditional occupations ● C:C1.2 Explain how work can help to achieve personal success and satisfaction
Activity: Milton Hershey
Questions to be answered by the end:
· What is an entrepreneur?
· Who was Milton S. Hershey?
· What was one of Milton S. Hershey’s many careers/jobs?
Procedure:
· Explain to the class that we are going to be discussing a particular kind of career today called Entrepreneurship. Define the word:
● An entrepreneur is an individual who creates a new business, bearing most of the risks and enjoying most of the rewards. The entrepreneur is commonly seen as an innovator, a source of new ideas, goods, services, and business/or procedures. (Investopedia.com)
· Make a web of businesses student may know that fall into this cateogory.
· Today we are going to focus on someone very special to our local area. We are going to talk about his famous career with chocolate and all of the other things he did to help others. Discuss how your interests can correlate to a career choice.
· Who am I talking about? (Give the class time to respond) - Milton Hershey
· Have the students watch the two videos:
o On Milton S. Hershey’s Life
§ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxYRhgRF_lo
o Milton S. Hershey’s School
§ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Fm5U0h1mg8
· After each video summarize what you saw.
o Buinessnes? (Chocolate facotry, etc.)
● Characteristics they noticed about Milton Hershey that helped him be successful:
○ Leadership ○ Positive Attitude (even though he failed, he tried again) ○ Risk - Taking - trying new products - expanding ○ Creative Thinking
● Explain to the class, they too even at this age, can become an entrepreneur. Have them come up with examples of “business” they can develop, own, and operate event at the age of eight.
○ Bake Sale ○ Garage Sale ○ Friendship Bracelet Sales
Have students make a copy of the following Google Form. Have them answer the questions pertaining ot the lesson, and save it to their Career Portfolio. This will serve as a piece of evidence.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfOuS3L8CFUkxbtn9E0YJgIS0rcr1egjz_6h11fsYLS9fK7HA/viewform?usp=sf_link
Challenge Question: Which of the career clusters that have been discussed does Hershey fall into? Answer: Hospitality and Tourism