Tag Archives: site inspections

Catering Sales Manager & Opera Training

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Where do I begin?  I trained for Opera all morning.  Site inspection with lunch at noon.   Finally free at 2pm to find that nothing has been done with my bus tour that arrives at 5.  The desk is shorthanded and slammed.  The weather with the hurricane has sold out hotel out for tonight with crews and distress….we are an airport property. 

I made the key packets and a hunch told me to double check their rooming list.  The updated list  that I had given to the Reservation Manager was not updated.  She denied that she even seen it.  I couldn’t believe it.  We were all there when I handed her the list so why she plain out lied I will never know.  She updated the list while I checked my messages and emails.  The desk was so busy……it’s after 4pm and still no keys.  I’m biting my nails off. 

Thank God I did not have many messages so I was able to help out at the desk.  I just answered the phone.  That’s about all I know how to do with the new Opera System.

The area is panicking about the cancellations at the airport and delays.  We are a big distress hotel.  Our property boasts over 14 shuttle vans because we also own a secured parking lot on the same property. 

Distress Passengers are not the most friendly folks to come in contact with.  They have either just been bumped or they just sat on the tar mat in the plane for hours and hours.  Needless to say, they do not want to be at our hotel.  I can’t say that I don’t blame them.

There are so many airlines.  It is an accounting nightmare beyond hell.  Coding, posting, vouchers, payment, direct billing, pay on own…..can you imagine? 

The check-in line was out the door.  Enough was enough for me. It’s late and I had helped as much as I could.  I had to get out of there. 

The Catering Manager has been struggling with the new Opera System.  If you recall I mentioned that she does not even know the keys on a keyboard.  She’s a mature woman and has not used any computers nor has an interest in learning.  She’s a great Sales Person and people love her.  Not to mention that she had made it over 10 years now. 

All week I have watched her struggle to get through this training.  Today she was missing and so was my DOS.  I knew something was up.  Then the Food & Beverage Director asked to speak with her.  I finally nailed her down to let me know what is going on.  I am concerned. 

She told the Manager’s that she refuses to use the computer and that she will continue to write out her paperwork for the Administrator to enter.  They, knowing that she is an asset, have offered her another position as a Supervisor in the F & B Department.  This position is many hours and working until the early morning.  She is not interested in working until 2am working a million hours a week.  I’m not sure what is going to happen.

During all of this commotion the F & B Director give me a number of a women to call to make arrangement for to join her in a trade show this Sunday.  WHAT?  I’m thinking…..this is my last weekend off for 3 weeks with other trade shows and my MOD Shift?  I couldn’t believe that either!  What am I going to do?  Say no, I’m in Sales but I rather be home to do my laundry and my nails.  How can I not support the efforts?  So I have agreed to do it ~ 12 – 6pm. 

Well, enjoy your day and I hope the best for those properties who maybe hit with Ike.  Good Luck.

Pure Energy

Freddy the Spider in the Sales Office……

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Boy I have so much to say about today that I don’t know where to start. 

First, the smell of the paint, stain and glue made me nauseous in the office.  I found it almost impossible and after taking two aspirin for my headache, I finally left the office and accomplished nothing.  Then the paint and all dried so the smell subsided a bit and I could tolerate it. 

But then you had to dodge the screws, bolts, and “things” that were falling out of the ceiling as they were installing our central air conditioner.  Had I mentioned that we haven’t had air?  I think we saw mouse poop falling down too, yes we did. Oh and I almost forgot about Freddy.  Freddy is the spider that picked me to come down from the ceiling on his web in front of my face to say hello.  He landed perfectly on the rime of my reading glasses.  After a  2 year old scream, need I say he’s dead.  What a joke.

The military convention asked me to get prices for them this morning to rent a bus for their baseball game tonight…all 36 of them.  Because I didn’t have that information handy, (even though it’s in my action plan) I spent an hour and a half calling local bus companies to get pricing and find out who could do it.  One half of them was out on a tour.  The man with the credit card was out on the tour.  Thus at 4:00pm when the tour group returned, it was too late for them to book the bus.  It was out of my hands. 

We had invited a tour operator to come for a hotel tour and dinner and they confirmed yesterday that they were going to try and make it today.  I was informed that since it was my market that I was to meet with them and do the tour.   Fine and I’m cool with that, it’s business.  I’m waiting all day to find out what’s up with the client since they did not respond back to my email or my DOS about our inspection today.  At 3pm I received an email asking how late I worked and how late the Restaurant was open.  Ok.  So they made it by 7:10 and I finally signed out at 9:30pm.  Another long day but at least they did verbally agree to book with us in 2009.  What could I do…say no to a site inspection and possible booking for a few extra hours? 

I had two convention bids that had to go out today and one very detailed proposal that I knew would take some time.  It took me all day to get done the bids and I half finished the proposal.   I was bothered so much and the reservation calls don’t stop.  I AM NOT A RESERVATIONIST.  At 7pm I emailed both clients their proposals.  Now I will have to waste precious sales time on Monday to finish the proposal that I couldn’t get accomplished today.  Yes, I could go in tomorrow or Sunday and finish it….but, I’m already working tomorrow night at the Banquet for the military convention.  They asked me to be there and I promised I would. 

In the meantime, I have laundry, cleaning, cooking and tanning to do this weekend ~ only have a day and a half with no late sleeping in time.  But I will probably grab the information for the proposal off my desk tomorrow night when I am at the hotel to work on it on Sunday at home.  It will bother me until I complete my task.

Well, I did get to see the new lights “lite” and they looked beautiful.  And the military group is enjoying themselves.  I’m grateful.

Have a nice day off!

Pure Energy

Finally Some Sales Satisfaction!

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Today was a great day.  Finally I booked some groups that I was working on.  And a couple new clients that I solicited over the phone actually called me back.  I managed to lure a couple nice size groups to rebook after they have had terrible experiences in the past few years for 2009. 

It was a fast paced day, one site tour in the morning then I banged out as many soliciting telemarketing calls that I could. 

The tour group didn’t arrive last night until 11:15 pm.  I’m so glad that I didn’t wait around all night.  I have learned to get the group leaders cell phone number so I can check up on them.  I don’t mind staying and I enjoy getting on the bus to welcome them.  But I sure don’t like waiting around all night wondering, it’s just plain annoying.

I’m trying to line up some qualified appointments for next week but I’m having trouble.  A couple site inspections canceled and they said they will reschedule the tour.  I’m finding that almost every phone call that I’m making that I’m hitting their voicemail.  Don’t you love and hate voicemail?  Also that some folks are on vacation.  Tomorrow that will be my primary focus…to get outside appointments and site inspections.

I mailed out a Birthday Card to one of my favorite clients.  He called me today and he was so happy to get that silly card.  He doesn’t produce much about 30 transient room nights with some athletic referrals totaling about 50 so under a 100 room nights annually.  It’s was great to hear his thank you and once in a while you need a positive booster.  I was happy that I knew that I made him smile.

The Front Desk is having a lot of technical and attitude issues as they are going through a Management change.  They make so many mistakes on the processing of payment and direct billing to the airlines especially.  Everyday, all the time.  They (we) just can’t get it right.  And if you want to make a reservation, good luck.  I took so many reservations today that I simply had to since the guest was already transferred all around the hotel.  Central reservations, please I won’t even go there.  

About the desk one problem that I see is that the vouchers that the airlines provide are confusing the agents and along with the pay on own distressed passengers guests and who the heck gets meals?  They all say they do!  Accounting spends hours correcting their mistakes.

Needless to say, in between all the challenges that I faced throughout the day, I got about $6,000 in verbal commitments that I will be sending out contracts in the morning and $19,000 in returned signed contracts!  Ya Hoo!

Good luck selling!  It’s payday tomorrow for me too!

Pure Energy