MBA ‘24 student, Jaeung Yoon, shared with the GCMC his experience as a front desk agent at Park South Hotel.
With over 1,200 departures and 1,200 flight arrivals just to JFK daily, hospitality is one of the busiest industries in New York. And I was able to feel it working as a front desk agent at the Park South Hotel JdV by Hyatt. Average Daily Rates are higher than in any other city with no slow seasons.
One of the most important things I have learned working in this fast-paced environment, with new guests coming in every day, is how to engage and develop relationships with the guests. Although they stayed for a short time at the hotel, making small talk while they checked in and remembering those conversations helped me to develop relationships with the guests. I am sure that this skill I have learned naturally over the internship will be helpful and applicable to any other work environment that requires interactions. For example, before the internship, I used to be afraid to go up to recruiters at conferences, worried about what I should talk about or how I should start a conversation. But with this internship experience, I now know how to start a conversation and make small talk.
I have also learned about the programs Hyatt Hotels uses. The program Opera is the main PMS hospitality used by Hyatt. It is surprising how much a program can do: generate reports and store customer profiles, and it can be customed to each property. As a front desk agent, it is essential to know and learn the functions of Opera.
As a front desk agent, one of the main tasks is to provide exceptional customer service to international clientele. The Park South Hotel has 131 rooms with an average of about 50 check-in and check-outs. There are bellmen, house people, and engineers to assist with guests, but as the front desk agent, I oversee the whole lobby area. The first person a guest comes to for inquiries is the front desk, along with all the phone calls inbound to the hotel. Therefore, it is crucial to know and understand how the hotel operates and which department oversees what, so that I can distribute each task requested by the guest to each department. Also, as the front desk agent, I follow up on guest inquiries. So, working as a front desk agent, I can learn about the whole operation of the hotel, problem-solving skills, and communication skills.
For those who want to start a career in the hospitality industry, a tip is to get your feet in the industry first and learn about the operations and programs used at a hotel. If you want to develop your career in the field, most hotels require a minimum understanding of the industry and knowledge about hospitality programs, especially if you want to work your way up to luxury hotels. Opera is the most widely used PMS program in the industry, so it’s best if the property you choose to work for uses Opera. If you do not have any experience, it may be frustrating at first, but keep applying to entry-level positions. Once you get your feet in and experience in the industry, there will be more chances for you to meet other industry professionals as there are different networking events. Your resume will also be more appealing and competitive to the recruiters who see that you know how hospitality operations work. Hotel properties or groups have a lot of internal hiring and in-house employees do get priority.
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