Reception Team Member Review

As a reception team member, my day to day role mostly involves checking guests in to the hotel, dealing with guest enquiries and requests, and generally making sure that everyone is happy during their stay. Sometimes this involves dealing with customer complaints so it's important to be sensitive and understanding. Other aspects of the role involve staying on top of admin work and cleaning.

My apprenticeship has helped me gain a deeper understanding of the hospitality industry as a whole whilst allowing me to build on my current experience. In particular, the focus on brand standards, customer profiling and business operations I have found to be particularly interesting as I feel this is what I know least about.

Some aspects are more fun than others that's for sure. After all, who really enjoys doing homework?? While I understand that the content of the course is necessary in order to make sure that learners are getting the deepest understanding of the course, maybe it could benefit from being more of a classroom experience.

I would have to say that it is extremely well organised and structured. The lifetime training website is easy to navigate with all aspects of the course laid out in an easy to use interface. The trainer's I have met all seem very knowledgeable and are extremely helpful in guiding conversations when meetings occur.

To be honest, I haven't really needed much in the way of direct support from my employer. I understand that if I did need anything though, I know that I could call and express my thoughts and feelings without fear. Whitbread as an entity though are very encouraging and enthusiastic about people getting on the apprenticeship program.

Again, lifetime training has been absolutely fantastic when it comes to offering support. I haven't always been the easiest of learners to work with as I do suffer from depression which can affect my motivation sometimes.. but my trainer [This section of the comment has been removed by a member of the RateMyApprenticeship Team because it did not meet our site terms and conditions] has been incredibly understanding and helpful in regards to this matter.

As mentioned earlier, this apprenticeship definitely has given me a deeper understanding of the industry and I suppose this definitely makes me feel more engaged at work. There are little things that I find myself thinking about or doing when engaging with customers that are a direct consequence of what I have learned from the course.

There isn't a whole lot of extra curricular activities to get involved with in the traditional sense (such as sports teams) but on the whole, Whitbread definitely encourages social engagement right across the organisation, primarily through the use of social media. It has a very active Facebook group for example where people share their day to day experiences etc

Yes

The company as a whole have been absolutely fantastic in pretty much every way that a company can be. It is by far the best employer I've ever worked for and it is no surprise that they consistently win the top employer award every year. While I do wish that pay was better, every other aspect outweighs that issue.. so yes, of course I'd recommend Whitbread to a friend.

The best advice I would give is to just be yourself. Whitbread values individuality more than any other organisation I've ever come across and everyone is welcome in the Whitbread family. They understand that diversity adds to the richness that makes up the fabric of our teams and is part of what makes Whitbread a great place to work!