Fall 2013
Page 20
What They Never Taught Me in Hotel School As the programs in the SHSRM mesh theory with real-world application, we would like to highlight some real life stories that come from experience within the industry. This can be a story from your industry experience that is both funny and educational. In future editions we would like to include your story. So if you are an experienced practitioner, graduate of the HM or SRM program, or parent of one our students, please share your story (600 words or less) by emailing it to Miguel Baltazar (baltazmb@jmu.edu). We will select one story for each issue. Thank you!
The fastest check-out ever by Miguel Baltazar At the Cornell Hotel School I learned how to sell and organize all hospitality ingredients so that guests enjoy experiences during their stay, thus making them satisfied customers who want to return. From making sure they have clean beds and set rooms to appealing gastronomic meals; to selling meetings and events to managing rooms. I was told that all of this is done so that guests have fun and their stay exceeds expectations whenever possible. However, school never prepared me for the time when our highly respected guest, Mr. Rodriguez, gave up on all of us. To set the scene, it was summer and we were in a small SPA resort that catered to repeat senior guests. It all started when my housekeeper tried to clean Mr. Rodriguez’s room, but didn’t get any response when she knocked on the door. The housekeeper called me, but not until after several knocks, which were later amplified into bangs on his door, and numerous phone calls to the room. Mr. Rodriguez was a highly loyal senior Photo by Miguel Baltazar customer, of short stature and light weight, who would typically wakeup early so that he would be the first waiting in line for the restaurant. He would pick up his breakfast each morning and head for his local SPA treatments. This was not the case this morning. It was not until later at 3:00 p.m., accompanied by a security agent and housekeeper, that I entered his room only to find the lifeless body of Mr. Rodriguez. Many guests want to stay in the same hotel or suite as a political or musical celebrity. But who wants to stay in the hotel, or worse, the room where a guest once passed away? The first key decision I had to make was how to keep this incident confidential. The incident was manageable for us internally, but what if we had to involve the police? I knew the answer would have to come from this experienced security agent, a retired police officer with more than 40 years of service in the local police. He pulled out his phone and made a couple of phone calls. Two undercover police officers arrived just a few minutes later and they investigated the room of the deceased. The investigation was prompt and conclusive as Mr. Rodriguez had apparently suffered a massive stroke during the night. Next, they removed Mr. Rodriguez from the room over the course of the night. The fact that Mr. Rodriguez was alone also helped in removing the body without anyone noticing. The deceased body was removed at 3:00 a.m. and it still remains as the fastest, creepiest, and most secretive check-out to ever occur at this hotel property. It took less than five minutes to put the body on a stretcher, proceed through the corridor, enter the service elevator, and exit from the ground level deck ramp into the ambulance. After a quick night’s rest, I awoke with a painful migraine only hoping it was all a bad dream. However, I knew it was no dream when I saw the large pile of paper work on my desk that needed to be completed along with some condolence letters. Needless to say, this was an experience I will never forget. No schooling has ever prepared me for what I experienced this night.