Independence With a Smile

Today, we Hotelies spent our day in the Statler building for about twelve hours. I don’t really have any complaints about it because we have the day off tomorrow. Also, the weather has been getting warmer, so I really like staying in the air conditioned building. In addition to staying cool, we got to have lunch in the building. We usually have to walk a few blocks to buy our food in another building. It was nice not having to walk in the heat for food.

We learned about great service in the last portion of class. In the video we watched, we learned that people like it when their name is called. For example, if an employee calls a customer by his or her first name, the customer is in a better mood. I can relate because I feel special when someone calls me by my name instead of just saying, “Hey you.”

Great service doesn’t just apply to hotels. It applies to everywhere else, like when you invite guests into your home. You greet them, make sure their needs are met, thank them, and then suggest them to come again. Everything has to be done with a smile. I realize that I don’t smile very often. I remember people would say that I looked unapproachable because I always looked angry. In order to be helpful to others, I need to look approachable. This weekend, I will work on smiling more.

During office hours lately, Mark has constantly told us to ask the TAs questions if necessary. However, many people have been abusing the TAs’ help. Students have been asking TAs to pre-grade their work. Mark told us that we have to be independent because in the real world, no one is there to pre-grade our work. For myself, I always feel uncertain about my work, so I ask for others’ opinions and really value it. I should think for myself and not rely on others. It seems that as I get older, more and more people emphasize (directly and indirectly) on how necessary it is for me to be independent. I’m sure that I’ve been becoming more independent every day here. From doing my own laundry to deciding whether or not my work is acceptable, I make sure I don’t rely on others.