Thank you for calling...

Alright, here's the low down on what I do.

My job, when I'm not at school, is working as a front desk receptionist at a Towne Place Suites. I think it's pretty much an ideal occupation for someone with my age, interests, and disposition, but that being said, it's not always that rewarding. You'd be surprised (or maybe not so much) at how much drama and gossip fester within a staff of only twelve. Also by how many lonely business men invite pretty, young receptionists to their room each night, or out to lunch, or for their phone number. All in all, though, this is definitely the kind of work I want to be doing, I mean, hell, it's a Sunday morning, and I'm getting paid to sit around and blog.

At the front desk, there are three shifts a day. The first starts at 7am and goes to 3pm. That's the shift I'm on now. The second, from 3pm to 11pm. And lastly, the Night Audit shift, from 11pm to 7am the following morning. On the first shift, you deal mostly with check-outs, take reservations, call other hotels, and deal with the housekeeping staff. The second, you check guests in, deliver extra towels or blankets to whomever needs them, and recommend good restaurants and the nearest grocery stores and movie theatres. The night shift, you backup all the property files, doing general organizing tasks, and print out daily audit reports.

My preferred shift, of the three, is the second shift. Because we are a long stay hotel, we attract mainly business men on week long trips, people who are relocating to the area, and contractors who are here for many months working on certain projects. This allows us to get to know some guests quite well; we see them five days a weeks, a couple times a days, for a few months. Or, in some cases, one or two days a week, every week, for years. When you check people in, you are their first impression of the hotel, and the way it is run. If you are nice, you are likely to have made a friend in the process. We get people from all over the world, from Mozambique to Malaysia, Germany to Japan, Colombia to Connecticut. And most of them are always willing and happy to talk about where they come from, what brings them, how they like it here. And I'm always willing and happy to listen. I love hearing about these people's lives, their homes, their cultures, and what they think of the cold and dry.

The shift I'm on now, is hands down the most boring. Even on the night shift, I can bring a book and sit and read for hours upon end. But now, I have to always be up at the front desk, at attention, ready for anything that comes my way. These hours pass so slowly, no one to talk to and nothing to do. But still, it beats waitressing. I wouldn't change this job for the world, and I would totally recommend it to any student.