What a long day.  Two tour buses checking in this evening after 9pm.  Sporting teams checking in all day long…..making reservation changes, additions, oh my.  Kids roaming about with nothing to do…parents missing?  

I felt like a reservationist all day.  I fiddled around in Opera to make and change their reservations. I’m so slow since I am not comfortable with the program yet.  With the stress and fighting going on with the Front Desk Personnel, they complained to their coach, thus the coach referred me and they called.  At least I know they were satisfied when we hung up.

I thought I would reorganize, review some of my traces and get some emails out wishing a happy holiday.  Got to be in their face as much as possible.  But no luck.  I’ll have to send my happy holiday message out tomorrow from home.  I was just too busy.

Another death for our hotel staff to swallow.  One of our owners died today.  It was sad for everyone.  I really liked him.  He hoped for the success of his hotel.  He believed in his Management Team.  He would stop in the Sales Office as he was always curious of our action plans.  I wanted him to be proud of his hotel.  But guess what.  He will never have the chance now to see his hotel in action now.  I’m sad about that and sad for his family.  He was a good man.  May he rest in peace.

We are rolling out a new Restaurant Menu in the next two weeks.  Next week we will take 3 days to blitz the market with our new lunch buffet menu.  Like most older hotels, we used to produce in the Restaurant and kick butt in revenue.  But as we let the Restaurant get run down, and not to mention the crappy food and ugly decor, people stopped coming. I am wondering how this is going to work out.  Our Food & Beverage Team are going to charge $14.95 and that does not include a beverage or tip.  What do we think….we have hired Gordon Ramsay?

Yes, it is a competitive price to the established and fine restaurants in our market but…….we have a terrible reputation and really, come on here.  Who is going to pay $20 bucks for lunch?   The service still is not mastered and not impressive and the food, well, unless there is some magic going on, I just don’t see it happening. 

My dinner with my clients last Friday was horrible and I barely ate anything.  My client sat quietly hoping I didn’t notice her reaching to her mouth to pick out the fish bones from her flounder…”the special”.  No she didn’t eat.  Her husband ate his chicken but it looked like rubber to me with every cut he made. Let’s be real here. I will cooperate, be positive and work hard for the blitz to help support the Restaurant.  We need the revenue.

My sister called and needed accommodations for one night in a couple of weeks.  She wasn’t looking for a discount.  She simply wanted a decent and competitive rate.  I can’t help to think how I really don’t want her to stay at my hotel.  She’s a polished professional.  I’m a SMERFE Sales Manager – we are different.  I am forgiving, she is a female professional.  I’ll be cringing every day now until she checks out.  I am afraid of my staff’s service, facility and certainly my god, I hope she doesn’t eat in the Restaurant. 

I feel bad saying that as I strive each and every breathe I take to increase sales.  I’m not as worried about my tour buses, family reunions or military groups….but I am worried about my sister.  Well I worry about all of my groups, don’t get me wrong.  My relationships with my clients are very special to me and I certainly don’t want to let anyone down.  But I must realize that some things are out of my control.  My property is still putting the team together, trying to get people trained and trying…..trying to make a difference. I must be patient.

I do believe, I must believe that we will get out act together and get our service levels up and facility appearance better.  Otherwise how can I sell?  Am I just a dreamer or should I find another hotel to work at?  I really want to be part of the team that turns this property around.  In a way it’s fun and challenging but in another ways it’s beyond frustrating. 

I’m off tomorrow and I’m excited about that.  Have a nice day tomorrow.

Pure Energy

I was very busy today.  I’m not sure though how much time I actually spent selling.  Let’s see…….I turned on my computer to find a green screen.  What the heck happened?  Still usable so I overlook it.  Then the wallpapering and painting started. 

By noon, my desk was moved and I had no phone……searching for a phone to use but with no luck, I plugged it back into the phone line and left it in the office on the floor.  When it rang, I jumped up from my now tiny location to try and grab the phone.  After sitting on the floor to complete calls, I realized I was getting bit….yes, I think rug mites.  Fun.  The day finally raps up and when I get home I strip in front of the washing machine to get off my itchy clothing and run upstairs to shower. 

By 4pm the Administrator leaves for the day.  Good thing cause as they were tinkering around with the central air unit that they are installing, part of the ceiling crashes down onto the administrators desk.  Let me mention, brand new beautiful desk now with paint, glue, foot prints, scratches, dents and mouse poop on it.  I used her swifer to try and clean up what I could.

Called all my upcoming groups to let them know that their cut off date were coming….for the ones I couldn’t call, I emailed and faxed.  Although crazy, business as usual.

Mostly got emails out to potential and existing clients.  I’m finding that I am much faster with an email then voicemail.  And I get a higher return in replies.

Trying to get rooming lists and follow up from sports teams are incredible.  They just don’t get it.  Some are excellent, others drive me crazy.  They are demanding, wanting but grateful when it all comes together.

The front desk still having issues with posting but some of the problem is from our lack of knowledge with Opera.  A couple of my military guests tried to check out yesterday and today and we were unable to find their deposit.  Thank goodness I had the people mail their advance checks to me in my name so I had all of the copies we needed for research.  The Opera system did transfer their reservation, but I found them in for a month later?  That’s where I found these people’s advance deposit.  No one can explain it, no one knows how to transfer the deposit to a check out room or simply how to transfer it.  A couple people had to pay again with their credit cards.  Nuts!  Needless to say, they were not happy.

I have a sales project that I am going to work on tomorrow…and I can do without the phone.  Well, I keep an eye on it across the way….but I won’t go near my office until they spray for dust mites.  I have months of sales leads from the competition reader boards.  My goal is to email every one of them that I have emails on, make a trace and start working them.  Piece of cake.

Good luck selling tomorrow!  Get them before someone else does!

Pure Energy