Hazel Gutierrez

During my year-long placement I held the position of Front Desk Manager, Housekeeping Manager as well as Rooms Controller with responsibility for Rooms and Reservations tasks as well as working closely with both Sales and Revenue Managers for a five star hotel that counts with 172 rooms in the centre of the nation's capital. These positions included managerial tasks related to Housekeeping luxury level standards, supervisory level at the Front Office and Reservations and Revenue related tasks in the Rooms Controller position. My position included reviewing and making adjustments on schedules and staffing in order to ensure smooth operations and productivity; as well as administrative tasks, reporting and providing training to others joining the team. Other tasks also included cashiering, holding a bank float, credit policies, rooms assignment, learning and identifying rate codes, reading thoroughly each arrival booking and work accordingly; Loyalty guest recognition and benefits was a crucial part of the job, as well as resolving guests concerns and communicating with the team. In-depth training on reservations computer system and procedures was also performed throughout the year, processing future reservations, direct communication with guests and travel agents through mailing and over the phone, travel agent bookings procedures, rooms allocation and sold-out strategies, house balance, monitoring arrivals and departures, updating V.I.P. guests profiles and identifying their preferences as well as keeping internal communication between the Sales, Catering, Food and Beverage, and Housekeeping departments.

A 1 year placement performed at the Middle East in a five star hotel of a big scale, counting 682 luxury level rooms and a high variety of other services. More detailed information can be found in the enclosed resume, but personally this experience was a challenge in terms of culture, guest services, upselling and cross-selling techniques and goals that were required to be achieved on a daily basis. Other achievements included performing several months working with the Night Duty Manager as well as handling guest processes on various programs such as Opera, HotSos, Vicas amongst others.

A 6-month internship during my university studies where I mainly overlooked Food & Beverage Training for incoming students that included Breakfast Service, Brunch and Fine Dining Service. This training also included the organisation of charity events, banquets and Open-House events held by the school staff.

First experience in the hotel industry as a Front Desk Clerk with no previous experience in the business. Performed all the entry tasks to ensure guest satisfaction at a big scale hotel that counts with 444 luxury rooms. This experience was my starting point in this industry and what motivated me to pursue a higher education in hotel management in Switzerland. More detailed information can be found in the enclosed resume.