Reception Team Member Review

As a reception team member, I am responsible for the smooth running of every guests stay. I am the first point of contact with guests and I need to ensure that their stay exceeds their expectations every time. Along with looking after the guests, I must ensure I operate within the company guidelines in regards to finance and health and safety.

I am cross trained in all aspects of the hotel. Over the past year, I have become a fully trained housekeeping team member, meaning I am able to support both reception and housekeeping. When required, I will offer to work extra hours if we are short of housekeepers. I also occasionally work twilight shifts.

I have gained a lot of information since I began this programme. I am able to understand the more complex definitions of running a hotel. I have learnt a great deal about finance and how a business sees themselves. And what they need to ensure to reach their full potential.

The programme is very well structured. There is a great deal of information and support on MyLife and bskbLIVE. I am being supported in my English and Maths functional skills, and my assessor Lauren is incredibly supportive. She is highly knowledgeable and accessible when I need to contact her for any questions I have.

The hotel manager is also doing an apprenticeship with life time. He has offered to help me whenever needed, and I have agreed to offer my support to him, as he has not yet used the MyLife platform. I am currently participating in one of him modules as an example of a succession plan.

My trainer Lauren has offered a great deal of support and has suggested many routes that will be a benefit to me. She has been booking me on to virtual classrooms for both topics relating to my apprenticeship, or as support towards my English and maths functional skills. If I have any questions she answers them clearly, or if I am concerned about anything she offers a solution.

It allows me to see the bigger picture and what It takes to make a business successful. All aspects are covered in this programme and there is not one thing I learn that couldn’t be applied to my current role. I have already noticed I am more conscious about my role and how it impacts the success of the company.

Currently (Due to covid) there isn’t any activities outside the workplace. However, there are many support networks such as Yammer and the purple people page. These are online forums where we can talk about our experiences and share our successes between every employee across the company. With around 30,000 plus people employed by Premier Inn, it’s always easy to find someone like minded and supportive.

Yes

I began working at Premier Inn in 2017. Since then, I have progressed from night porter, to reception. Then to assistant hotel manager and then to head housekeeper. Sadly, due to Covid-19 and structural changes, I was at risk of redundancy and decided to take a step back and return to the reception team member role.

Research the company and find out what their KPI’s are. Discover what their ultimate goal is, which is to be the most loved budget hotel brand in the world. Show enthusiasm for learning everything Premier Inn has to offer, as if you want to progress they will support you with this.