Crowne Plaza

This week our class went to the Crowne Plaza in down town Albany. This is a very large business hotel with 384 guest rooms, and 2 room suits. When we first got their we went into the Capital room. In the room they provided water, cookies, and soda. After every one got their snack we talked to the General Manager Todd. He told us that the hotel first opended as a Hilton and changed over time. After Todd talked to us about the hotel Trudy started talking about her job. She is in charge of security. Once we heard every one talk we went on a tour of the hotel. the class split into two groups one with Todd one with Trudy. My group was with Trudy and she first showed us the lobby. The she showed us the bid restaurant. After the restaurant we went into the kitchen. She explained to us that there are certain elevators just for staff, and the elevators in the lobby are just for customers. She also showed us the pool and the work out room. We didn't have time to see a guest room. Over all going to the Crowne Plaza was a a good experience.

homewood suits

This week the class went to the Homewood suits. This hotel is specificaly for poeple who have a long stay. We talked to Erin and Chip who work at the hotel. Erin talked about the rooms that they have. then we got a tour. The rooms have a full kitchen, a living room, and one or two bedrooms, and a bathroom. after she showed us all the different types of rooms they have she showed us the pool area, and the fitness center. I really enjoyed seeing this hotel.

Albany Visitors center

This week the class went to the Albany Visitors center. When the class got there we all signed in the guest book. We waited in the lobby for someone to direct us where to go. When she got there we went into the auditoruim, and she talked about what her job is. Her job is to get as many "heads in beds" in the albany capital region. she explained us to us that there are many job oppertunities in this industry. The next lady that came in showed us a video of the history of albany, then she showed us the star planitaruim which was really interesting. The next lady that came in was from the Albany aqua ducks. She told us that her job is really fun and interesting. She sometimes helps plan weddings, and parties, or large events. Going on the aqua ducks is something i would really like to do sometime.

Mansion Hill Inn

This week instead of going to the Albany Marriott, we went to Mansion Hill Inn. Mansion Hill Inn is owned and operated by my teacher of the Lodging program Mr.S. When we first got there we went into the dinning room and split into groups. One group was asked to clean up the tables that has dishes left from the group the went there earlier. The other group went into the kitchen and started making pasta with Alfredo sauce, and garlic bread. I was in the group that was to clear the tables. Once we cleared the tables we reset them for when it was time to eat. After most of the food was made the whole class went for a for of the Inn. Mr.s showed us most of the rooms and the office. I had fun going some where besides the Albany Marriott, it was a good change and we got to eat.

Empire State plaza

This week instead of going to the Albany Marriott for our internship, we we went to the Empire State Plaza. The reason we went there was for the Tourism Showcase, and even they only have once a year. We got to meet Trish who is the person who planned the whole event. When we got there, their wasn't very many people there because it didn't start until 2 o'clock so after we talked to Trish, we took a class picture and left.

AYS

This week at the Albany Marriott the class was introduced to a new department. The new department we are in is the front desk which included front desk, at your service, concierge, and bell men. When we first got there the class stayed together and Micheal the front desk manager expained to us what each job does. The front desk checks in and checks out all of the guest. At your service answers any telephone calls that come to the hotel. They answer any questions or transfer the phone calls to another department. Concierge is for any members or the hotel. and the bell men carry your bags to you room, drive you anywhere you need to go, or get you anything you need. After Micheal explained what everyone did at the different jobs we split up into groups. My group went to AYS ( at your service) in that room was Ryan and Stephanie. Their job is to answer any phone calls that come to the hotel. Most calls have to be transferred to another department, or it could be a guest calling to complain or ask question. Their job is pretty much to do what ever will make the guest happy. If they cant help the guest directly, they will contact the right person that can help the guest. Even though all they do is answer phones their job can be hard because they get alot of screaming guest yelling at them for something they have no control over at all. But their job is to do what they can to help the guest.

Market server

This week at the Marriott I worked as a market server. I worked with Dan the restaurant manager, Ginny, and Mary-Anne. This week was very busy for the market, not only was it open to the public but there was a reservation for a party of 12, and a reservation for a party of 9. When I first got there they had some tables moved around so the parties could sit together. They had me make sure that tables settings were right. The party of 12 was coming first, so the next thing they had me do was fill all of their water glasses up with water. Then Mary-Anne showed me that there are two different types of glasses for different types of beverages. One glass was for soda only, and the glass was for iced tea and lemonade. For iced tea, lemonade, and diet soda you put a lemon on the side of the glass. When that party of 12 came in things got very busy and it got harder for me to help the employees because they had to move as quickly as possible. When ever I would see one of the servers come back with dishes I would offer to take them to the dish washer to help things go faster. once more customers came to eat I watched how quickly and efficiently they had to move to make sure that all the customers were happy. When ever I saw that a glass was empty I would ask them if they wanted more to drink then go get it for them. I would say this is one of the best experiences that I had at the Marriott because I got to see everyone hard at work, and I helped as much as I could.

Kitchen

This week at the Albany Marriott I worked in the kitchen with Matt. When we first got there he was putting chocolate chip cookies on plates for a banquet. He asked me and Sam to put oatmeal and sugar cookies on the other side of the plate. When we finished with the cookies the next thing we did I did was put suasage on a pan, and sam put bacon on a different pan, we were doing this to prepare for breakfast the next day. After we finished with the meat he asked us to cut peppers while he cut onions. Once we were done with the peppers and onoin Sam made home fries for the next day and I put them on a pan. After that we just cleaned up our mess and talked about work becuase he was done for the day.

Starbucks

This week at the Albany Marriott I worked in Starbucks. Ginny was using her vacation time, and the hotel restaurant was closed so Melissa (the restaurant supervisor) was working in Starbucks. Our chapter this week in class is about inventory so that was our focus when we went to the hotel. In Starbucks there are no recyclable items. The non recyclable items are things like cups, lids, coffee, tea, pastry's, and milk. The reason they do inventory is so they know how many products they will need to order for next month. Ginny is responsible for doing the inventory each month. For this department there is no budget, they just buy as needed. Even though it was a slow day at the Marriott, and there were no customers I learned a lot about the inventory.

Market Server

This week at the Marriott I was a market host with Melissa. Melissa is not normally the Market host, she is the Market supervisor. The women who is normally the host had the day off. Melissa said that all you have to do as a market host is stand outside the restaurant and greet the guest with a smile, show them to their table and give them their menus. When the restaurant gets really busy they are allowed to help the market servers get theirs meals or drinks on the tables. Because of the huge winter storm we got Thursday there were thousands of homes with out power. Many workers from out of state came here to help fix the power lines, and filled up the whole hotel. Melissa said that for breakfast they were very busy because all of the workers wanted to eat before they went to work for the day. But for lunch they were very slow because people were working through the whole day, but she expected that they would be busy again for dinner. Melissa showed me the menu for breakfast and explained to me that it would be less expensive to get the buffet than to get your whole breakfast off the menu. Once again it was a slow week at the Marriott, but I still learned what you have to do as a market server.

Market Server

This week at the Albany Marriott, I was again a Market Server. I worked with Ginny, and Mary-Anne. The Hotel was completely full, which meant the restaurant was very busy. When we first got there Ginny showed us the correct way to fold napkins, and gave us a big pile to fold. After Zylia and I finished folding napkins they asked me to fill the ice machine. When the restaurant got very busy Ginny and Mary-Anne were moving very fast and couldn't really teach us, so we should just watch for right now. When I was watching i noticed that you have to know how to move very fast. They would run back and forth from the dinning room to the kitchen to get there orders or to put there order on the register. After the restaurant slowed down they told us that we could go from table to table and pick up some dirty dishes that were left. After we cleared the tables they asked us to put silver wear on the table. Even though the restaurant was very busy I still learned what you have to do as a market server.

Market Host

This week at the Marriott i was was a Market Host. I worked with Dan the restaurant manager and Ginny the Market Host. When I first got there the restaurant was very slow and didn't have any guest so she asked me to put sugar packets on the tables and make sure the the silver wear and cups were on the tables perfectly. Once i was done with that we looked at the menu and Ginny explained to me that it was less expensive to eat the buffet than to order from the menu, because most of the meals are around $10 - $13 and didn't include drinks, the buffet cost $15 and was all you could eat and drink. Once some customers arrived i watched Ginny take orders and helped her get all the drinks. There was one group of people that wanted to be done eating in 18 minutes so the kitchen was crazy trying to get there meals out to them as quick as possible. Once the restaurant started filling up i stood on the side and watched because everyone was moving fast and i didn't want to get in the way, every now and then i would take someones dirty dishes to the dish washer. I learned that there are different cups for soda, diet soda, and iced tea. I had a good time and learned a lot working with the Market Host.

Starbucks

This week at the Albany Marriott I worked at Starbucks with Ginny. Because it was 2 days before thanksgiving the hotel was very slow, and I didn't get to do much. Ginny also didn't have much work to do so she just explained what she did. She told me that in the morning the first thing she does is start brewing the coffee, while she waits for that she gets her money and starts counting to make sure there is $250 in the register. After she counts her register she goes to the kitchen and gets all of the pastries, and buts them on display. She explained to me that this was not like a normal Starbucks, they only had coffee, tea, and lattes they don't make any frozen drinks. The Marriott was so slow that we didn't have one single customer. At around 1 o'clock she started getting ready to leave all she has to do is count her money and fill out the sheet that goes into detail about how much money is in her register, the other thing she has to do is put away the toaster. Even though there were no customers it was a good experience to work with Ginny and see what she does.

Gary Miltner Guest Speaker

Today in class Gary Miltner from Robison ans Smith Textile Services came to talk to us about his job. He is the sales manager of the company. This company washes and delivers any garnets that you need like table clothes, napkins, linens, cheif clothes, uniforms. Their number one goal is to give there customers exactly what they want, so if there linen is stained, or ripped they will fix the problem for free. There are two different locations one in Johnstown, and Gloversville.This is company is very important because it wouls take alot of time and money for a hotel, or a restuarant, wash all of there linens, and if they did they would have to pay everytime one was ripped or stained to replace it. If you have a service that takes care of your garnets all of your problems are fixed for free. Gary Miltner gave us many examples why you should have a service take care of your garnets instead of doing it yourself.

Marriott week 4

This week at the Marriott I worked with Joan in the Concierge department. When Joan first saw Emily and I she told us how much she loved her job, she said that she really liked helping all of her guest. Joan is pretty much in the concierge lounge all day long. The concierge lounge is only welcome platinum, gold and silver guest. A platinum guest is someone who stays at the Marriott 75 or more times, a silver guest is someone who stay50 to 74 times, and a silver guest is someone who stays 10 to 49 times. In the lounge there is a TV, a lot of chairs and tables, and couches, drinks, and some snacks. Every morning they have breakfast. Some nights they will have a movie night. You do not have to pay to use the concierge lounge. Joan does a lot of extra things to make sure that all her guest are satisfied when staying at the Marriott. If she knows its someones birthday she will give them a balloon, or if someone isn't feeling good she will give them soup, for this rainy season she bought a few umbrellas and was giving them to anyone who needed one, Joan really goes out of her way to make sure that everyone is happy.

The Century House and The Holiday Inn

On Monday my class went on a field trip to the Century House and then to the holiday which are both ran By Samuel perkins. Samuel is the general Manager of both of those hotels and gave the class a tour. He told us a lot of information about him self, he told us he was 30 years old and has worked in 28 hotel, in 48 states. He explained to us that how hard it is to run a hotel and you have to be very willing to work all the time... nights, weekends, and holidays.The Century House was a very nice hotel, the beds were very comfortable and all of the rooms had scent sticks hiding behind the tv, so every room had a unique scent. The Holiday was also very nice. After we went to the holiday inn we went back to the century house to sit in on a seminar and eat lunch. The seminar was mostly about hiring people and sexual harassment rules. Over all the field trip was fun and i learned a lot about both hotels.

Banquet week 2

This week at the Albany Marriott I worked in the Banquet department. At first we were with Kristie and she showed us how the banquet room was set up for a buffet. She also explained and showed us how to hold 5 glasses of water at once to set up the tables faster. Then Kristie introduced us to her staff that was going to be working with the banquet that was going on that day. I was paired to work with Mark. After he finished setting up the tables, he had to wait for the food to be done. When the food was done he and his co-workers worked together to get the food out on between the two tables. Once the food was out we were just waiting for the people to arrive and start eating. When the people came in, we watched to see when the food would start to run out, when it was getting close we would go back to the kitchen get more food and refill the trays. After about 15 minutes most people were done getting there food and people were starting to finish there meals. We walked around the tables picking up the plates and dirty silver wear. Mark explained to us that on a tray you should have one plate the is the "garbage" and the rest of the plates should be stacked up. Then all the forks should be put on one side and the knifes were put on the other side to keep things organized. I got to pick up a few plates before it was time to go. I wish that we could have stayed longer because after the people were done eating the staff only had 20 minutes to break down the room and turn it into something completely different, and I think it would have been a good experience to see that.

When I went to the Albany Marriott I was in the Banquet department, and my mentor for the day was Debbie. She explained to us some of the responsibilties she has such as setting up the room for an event, getting anything extra the guest may want like a projector or a microphone, getting food and silverwear ready for when the guest come, over all her job is to satisfy the guest and give them exactly what they want. she also told us the housekeeping doesnt do the cleaning, the other staff members that work in the banquet department are responsible for vacuming, cleaning the windows, and taking out the garbage. Debbie also gave us a tour of the salons, and city rooms that they have. When she took us to the back of the house for a tour she put us to work. Some of us were folding green napkins, and others were wiping down silver wear.

Orientation

When the class arrived to the Albany Marriott, we walked through the associate entrance and walked through the back of house to lead our way to Salon D, where the orientation was being held. When we got into the room, on the tables there was water, pens, paper, and candy set out for us. After our name tags were handed out the general manager Thomas Olsen, and Jennifer began the orientation. They explained to us that orientation was normally 8 hours long but, we had to cut it down to about an hour and a half. At the beginning of the orientation they had us play a game called orientation bingo so that we could get to know each other. Then they should us a video about how to act when we are working at the hotel. After the video all of the managers that work in the hotel came and introduced themselves and explained what their specific job is. After we met the managers we watched another quick video that hit some key points about working at the Marriott, and they also gave us a snack and a beverage to eat while we watched the video. The last part of the orientation was a tour of the hotel given by the general manager. He walked us through the lobby, which was recently renovated, then we went through an area where people can get food, sit on couches, use there computers, and watch T.V., then he showed us the new health center. The reason we went to the orientation was so that we could know what to expect when working at the Marriott, and so that we could get to know the associates that we will be working with. From this experience I now know what to expect when I go to work at the Marriott.

Intro

My name is Samantha Sweeeney. I go to Guilderland high school and I take the Lodging Management program at the Capital Region Career and Technical school. I am keeping this blog as an assignment to reflect what i experience when interning at the Albany Marriott.