Groundhog Not Only One to Shadow

Story by Myra Saturen with photos by Adam Atkinson
February 02, 2012

Amid rings of a phone, luggage swinging through doors and vacuum cleaners buzzing, students from NCC's hotel and restaurant management program got to see hotels behind the scenes, from the employees' point of view, on February 2, for the American Hotel and Lodging Association's National Groundhog Shadow Day.

Seven hotel and restaurant management majors participated in the day, shadowing general managers, front desk managers and/or sales managers at four local hotels.

At the Marriott on Emrick Boulevard, three students split up to follow three employees as they staffed the front desk, inspected the hotel for safety and cleanliness, and attended a business meeting.

During the housekeeping inspection, NCC student Ty Wissinger tugged bed sheets, helping Keith O'Brien, the manager, who was showing him how rooms are "torn apart," to assess their cleanliness. What else goes into inspecting a room?  All lights turned on; layers of bedding peeled off and each one scrutinized for stains; desks, picture frames, lamps and inside drawers swept with the palm of a hand-top to bottom-for dust; closets opened for the presence of a dry iron and four hangers with clips; the carpets examined with a damp towel for soil.  The bathroom gets checked for sanitation.  Locks, windows and picture frames are tested for security.

Then, Wissinger and Carrie Senior listened in on a sales revenue conference call, learning that  forecasts refer not only to rain and snow, but also to business projections.  Holidays, cultural events, sporting matches-all of these figure into anticipated occupancy.  Nevertheless, expectations can rise and fall, literally, with the barometer.  Local hoteliers perk up their ears at forecasts for snowstorms.  As long as travel isn't hindered, guests and their ski gear will fill the rooms at these times.  Rates and discounts are determined by such variables.

NCC student Carrie Senior shadowed front desk manager Jessica Heckler Knopp, an NCC hotel/restaurant management graduate and alumna of East Stroudsburg University.  "Being able to multitask is key," she said.  Knopp checks guests in and out, manages reservations, makes sports teams of 35 or so comfortable, and answers numerous questions about local restaurants, entertainment attractions, transportation, and directions.  As she talked with students, several calls came in, including one about a Pepsi order.  "One day is never like another," she said.   Desk managers also help with selling, tracking repeat customers for future business.

Knopp offered some job-hunting advice: take special care with your cover letter and make one follow-up call after your interview.  It is also invaluable to know the local area or to be willing to learn about it.

Meanwhile, Mutia Harawati attended an off-site marketing meeting, where she learned about sales strategies and marketing.  "It helped me understand the industry," she said.

"The experience was helpful and beneficial," Wissinger said.  "I appreciate the time that was spent with us."

"I found out that the hotel business is more complex than I thought," said first-year student Carrie Senior.  "I learned so much," Herawati said.

The Groundhog may not have seen his shadow today, but NCC students did see future possibilities in a fast-paced, dynamic career.