After several weeks of non-stop tomfoolery and general annoyances from various members of staff, I can finally put to rest this blog. I think the answer is fairly obvious, if you're sitting there thinking, "What does he mean?", then I suggest you go and read through all the posts on this blog first. Certainly, they have been watered down to an extent, but you can still grasp the general goings-on in the hotels.
Done that? Good.
I handed in my resignation before Christmas and worked my weeks notice, made up of holidays and days in lieu.
I no longer have to put up with drunken members of staff being abusive and racist. No longer will I have to cover the backs of the lazy-arsed restaurant staff who cannot do their jobs properly.
I am, and quite happily too, a free man. So? What now? Well, once the season starts up again, I'll be going back to the campsite to work. But for the next few weeks, I'm simply going to relax and catch up with a lot of work which I haven't had the time to do.
I'm already feeling less stressed and, generally, more happier as a person.
I know this message may come slightly late, but I hope you all had a great Christmas and I wish every single one of my readers my very best wishes for next year.
Friday 28 December 2007
Tuesday 18 December 2007
Advantages
Working at Hotel A and Hotel B does have it's advantages. Despite the fact that the two hotels are only a few miles apart, both owned by the same company and whenever a serious maintenance issue happens at Hotel A, the maintenance man from Hotel B always comes to fix it.
Despite all of this, there is very little communication between both establishments. I know this to be true, because on several occasions I have been on the roster to work at both hotels on the same nights. Now that they've proved that they don't know how to run a hotel, I always leave it until the last minute to point out their mistakes.
Before the other Night Manager at Hotel A left, he told me why both hotels had been involved in a staff swapping party. It started off with Hotel B receiving a member of the restaurant team from Hotel A. Everyone assumed that this was because Hotel B was "short-staffed." Since that initial switch, Hotels A and B have been swapping staff like nobodies business. I am the only person who works at both hotels in general.
Anyway, before the other Night Manager left (a wise move, if ever I saw one), he told me that real reason as to why one member of staff had been shunted to Hotel B was that she had been sleeping with the chef from Hotel A's husband for a year and they had recently been found out. This had led to the chef kicking her husband out and trying to hold down a full-time job and looking after her family, right before Christmas.
Now the chef in question used to come in every morning, give me (or whoever was on) a cheerful "Hello" and ask how the night was. Since this incident, when she comes in now, all I get is a very tired, "Hello" and she always tells me that she didn't sleep very well that night and how tired she is. She was on the verge of telling me, this morning, that in the past year several members of her close family had passed away and how Christmas was going to be a sad time for them all. She was about to tell me all the details, when the Restaurant Supervisor walked in (the one from Hotel A, and he does have a modicum of sense) and she cut her story short.
So, out with the old and in with the new. As I mentioned previously, we have a new Night Manager at Hotel A. Yes, he is a migrant worker and after ten days in the job, he seems to think that it's acceptable to do very little work and spend most of the time surfing websites of his homeland (they're not currently blocked, unlike YouTube and MySpace), drinking endless amounts of coffee and listening to music on his personal CD player. I suppose I can be grateful that I only have to put up with him for one shift every week, but it's going to be a long shift.
At the moment, we have a group in who are renovating a nearby school. They come down every weekday morning at 6.30am for a continental breakfast. I knew they were due, so I went through to the Reception after half of them had walked past me on their way to the table. The chef was standing there talking to the new Night Manager and I asked him if everything was ready as they were in the restaurant waiting. Let's just say he knows the English swear words, but very little else. I swear, every time he went out of the kitchen, he kicked the door so hard, I thought he was going to put his foot through it.
At least he is off now for two days, which means my two shifts will be very peaceful indeed and I can do things my way.
Despite all of this, there is very little communication between both establishments. I know this to be true, because on several occasions I have been on the roster to work at both hotels on the same nights. Now that they've proved that they don't know how to run a hotel, I always leave it until the last minute to point out their mistakes.
Before the other Night Manager at Hotel A left, he told me why both hotels had been involved in a staff swapping party. It started off with Hotel B receiving a member of the restaurant team from Hotel A. Everyone assumed that this was because Hotel B was "short-staffed." Since that initial switch, Hotels A and B have been swapping staff like nobodies business. I am the only person who works at both hotels in general.
Anyway, before the other Night Manager left (a wise move, if ever I saw one), he told me that real reason as to why one member of staff had been shunted to Hotel B was that she had been sleeping with the chef from Hotel A's husband for a year and they had recently been found out. This had led to the chef kicking her husband out and trying to hold down a full-time job and looking after her family, right before Christmas.
Now the chef in question used to come in every morning, give me (or whoever was on) a cheerful "Hello" and ask how the night was. Since this incident, when she comes in now, all I get is a very tired, "Hello" and she always tells me that she didn't sleep very well that night and how tired she is. She was on the verge of telling me, this morning, that in the past year several members of her close family had passed away and how Christmas was going to be a sad time for them all. She was about to tell me all the details, when the Restaurant Supervisor walked in (the one from Hotel A, and he does have a modicum of sense) and she cut her story short.
So, out with the old and in with the new. As I mentioned previously, we have a new Night Manager at Hotel A. Yes, he is a migrant worker and after ten days in the job, he seems to think that it's acceptable to do very little work and spend most of the time surfing websites of his homeland (they're not currently blocked, unlike YouTube and MySpace), drinking endless amounts of coffee and listening to music on his personal CD player. I suppose I can be grateful that I only have to put up with him for one shift every week, but it's going to be a long shift.
At the moment, we have a group in who are renovating a nearby school. They come down every weekday morning at 6.30am for a continental breakfast. I knew they were due, so I went through to the Reception after half of them had walked past me on their way to the table. The chef was standing there talking to the new Night Manager and I asked him if everything was ready as they were in the restaurant waiting. Let's just say he knows the English swear words, but very little else. I swear, every time he went out of the kitchen, he kicked the door so hard, I thought he was going to put his foot through it.
At least he is off now for two days, which means my two shifts will be very peaceful indeed and I can do things my way.
Friday 14 December 2007
You couldn't make this up.
My original plan was to post two incidents over the weekend, but I somehow forgot about them. So I'll cover one just now and maybe the other incident later.
At Hotel B, the place which haunts the company directors dreams, there was an incident involving a receptionist and a relief F&B Manager. One night, after they had finished their shift and left everything to their capable night manager's hands, they went to the local pub.
At around midnight, I received a call from the F&B Manager asking if I could call them a taxi, so I told them to call back in ten minutes and I'd have an answer. I called both the taxi numbers, and they both were switched off. I waited for the F&B Manager to call back, which she did. An hour and a half later. Before I could tell her that I had tried to obtain a taxi for them, she asked me to call her a taxi and she'd call back in ten minutes. I was sensing Deja Vu here, so I stopped her and told her that I had already tried to call a taxi, with no success. She hung up and I thought no more of it.
At around 2am, the phone rang. It was the Relief General Manager, from one of the sister hotels, who had been here a few weeks previously and started implementing procedures. He informed me that he had just received a call from a rather upset and scared receptionist. Apparently, the F&B Manager had gone off with an unknown male and left the receptionist to make her own way back to the hotel. Alone, drunk, in the dark and with no idea which direction she was heading in. She was lost and frightened. He asked if there was anyone there who could take the staff car out to try and find her. I told him that the only people who were insured to drive it weren't in the hotel. I thought for a moment, and then told him that I'd call the Police. The station is down the road from the hotel, so when they are driving up, they would be able to notice her and take her back.
I searched the entire reception area for the local Police Station's telephone number, but it wasn't written down anywhere. So I called the next town over to ask for the number, which they wouldn't give to me, but they did take my details and informed me that the missing receptionist was on the other line to them.
There was nothing more I could do, except wait. About an hour later, and several phone calls from the other Manager, I decided to do my security checks.
When I went around the back of the building, I noticed the motion-activated light at the Kitchen was on. I thought this was strange, but there are a few causes (cats mainly) which can trigger the detector. I completed the external checks and went back inside and up to the first floor. I had just got to one of the fire exits, when I noticed two persons walking around outside the rear of the building. I made my way back downstairs to the front door and opened it. The two people I had seen wandering suspiciously around the rear of the hotel, were staff. One of whom, was carrying a portable television. He informed me that the Police were outside looking for me.
I walked outside and noticed the Police car parked up opposite the hotel with it's spotlight pointed at the entrance of the hotel. I walked over and had a few words with the officer, who told me that he was returning my receptionist safe and well.
With that news, I went back inside and called the RGM and he was happy that she was back and asked me to tell her to call him as soon as possible. I said I'd pass on the message, when the Police and the receptionist walked in.
One person did stop and offer her a lift, but she declined his offer and he turned the car around and drove back in the direction he had just come from. Makes you wonder sometimes.
There was another incident which happened that weekend, but I'll save that for another time.
At Hotel B, the place which haunts the company directors dreams, there was an incident involving a receptionist and a relief F&B Manager. One night, after they had finished their shift and left everything to their capable night manager's hands, they went to the local pub.
At around midnight, I received a call from the F&B Manager asking if I could call them a taxi, so I told them to call back in ten minutes and I'd have an answer. I called both the taxi numbers, and they both were switched off. I waited for the F&B Manager to call back, which she did. An hour and a half later. Before I could tell her that I had tried to obtain a taxi for them, she asked me to call her a taxi and she'd call back in ten minutes. I was sensing Deja Vu here, so I stopped her and told her that I had already tried to call a taxi, with no success. She hung up and I thought no more of it.
At around 2am, the phone rang. It was the Relief General Manager, from one of the sister hotels, who had been here a few weeks previously and started implementing procedures. He informed me that he had just received a call from a rather upset and scared receptionist. Apparently, the F&B Manager had gone off with an unknown male and left the receptionist to make her own way back to the hotel. Alone, drunk, in the dark and with no idea which direction she was heading in. She was lost and frightened. He asked if there was anyone there who could take the staff car out to try and find her. I told him that the only people who were insured to drive it weren't in the hotel. I thought for a moment, and then told him that I'd call the Police. The station is down the road from the hotel, so when they are driving up, they would be able to notice her and take her back.
I searched the entire reception area for the local Police Station's telephone number, but it wasn't written down anywhere. So I called the next town over to ask for the number, which they wouldn't give to me, but they did take my details and informed me that the missing receptionist was on the other line to them.
There was nothing more I could do, except wait. About an hour later, and several phone calls from the other Manager, I decided to do my security checks.
When I went around the back of the building, I noticed the motion-activated light at the Kitchen was on. I thought this was strange, but there are a few causes (cats mainly) which can trigger the detector. I completed the external checks and went back inside and up to the first floor. I had just got to one of the fire exits, when I noticed two persons walking around outside the rear of the building. I made my way back downstairs to the front door and opened it. The two people I had seen wandering suspiciously around the rear of the hotel, were staff. One of whom, was carrying a portable television. He informed me that the Police were outside looking for me.
I walked outside and noticed the Police car parked up opposite the hotel with it's spotlight pointed at the entrance of the hotel. I walked over and had a few words with the officer, who told me that he was returning my receptionist safe and well.
With that news, I went back inside and called the RGM and he was happy that she was back and asked me to tell her to call him as soon as possible. I said I'd pass on the message, when the Police and the receptionist walked in.
One person did stop and offer her a lift, but she declined his offer and he turned the car around and drove back in the direction he had just come from. Makes you wonder sometimes.
There was another incident which happened that weekend, but I'll save that for another time.
Saturday 8 December 2007
The Apology
Here it is, in all it's grammatically-incorrect and misspelt glory. Please note that the letter appears as I received it, with no further editing done. Enjoy!
"I write to you this few words in intent to apologize considering the events that occurred on the night of Friday December 30 2007.
What I said was inconsiderate and foolish. I was not allowed to go to you and tell you these words while you were on duty.
I hope you will forgive me for having such a boiling temper.
With all my respect, "
Expect a big blog explosion this weekend, I have a number of stories to tell, one of which involves my old friends from my previous employment, the Police.
Oh, and the reason why he wasn't disciplined/sacked? He leaves the company next week.
"I write to you this few words in intent to apologize considering the events that occurred on the night of Friday December 30 2007.
What I said was inconsiderate and foolish. I was not allowed to go to you and tell you these words while you were on duty.
I hope you will forgive me for having such a boiling temper.
With all my respect, "
Expect a big blog explosion this weekend, I have a number of stories to tell, one of which involves my old friends from my previous employment, the Police.
Oh, and the reason why he wasn't disciplined/sacked? He leaves the company next week.
Thursday 6 December 2007
UPDATE!
Remind me never to ask for time off, because I can always be assured that I won't get it. I asked for two days extra off this week, nobody called to confirm that it was OK and I could have them, instead I had to work.
Anyway, the main reason for this post is regarding the last entry in this blog. If you remember, I was subjected to a verbal torrent of racism and was assaulted (it was minor, but is still classed as an assault.) I e-mailed the HR Manager to question what had happened regarding the incident and whether I needed to submit any further reports and this is the reply I received:
"I have received and acted upon your report regarding *name deleted* – he has left a letter of apology for your attention in your pigeonhole."
Although I was very much expecting this kind of response, i.e. he has apologised and nothing more will be done, I am still surprised that the company can run an establishment in this manner.
As I have mentioned previously, I am looking for another job and I hope to find one soon. Very soon indeed.
Anyway, the main reason for this post is regarding the last entry in this blog. If you remember, I was subjected to a verbal torrent of racism and was assaulted (it was minor, but is still classed as an assault.) I e-mailed the HR Manager to question what had happened regarding the incident and whether I needed to submit any further reports and this is the reply I received:
"I have received and acted upon your report regarding *name deleted* – he has left a letter of apology for your attention in your pigeonhole."
Although I was very much expecting this kind of response, i.e. he has apologised and nothing more will be done, I am still surprised that the company can run an establishment in this manner.
As I have mentioned previously, I am looking for another job and I hope to find one soon. Very soon indeed.
Sunday 2 December 2007
A Very Thin Line
OK, I'm sure you're all dying to know what results were achieved after I submitted the reports? Well, I can only tell you what I have been told and that is, "One of them has been dealt with and we're dealing with the other." That was the exact phrase I received from the HR Manager when I asked. I don't know which was resolved and which issue remains open.
I did, briefly, meet the new manager at Hotel B the other morning, and I have to say that he looks very professional and seems to know what he's doing. We also have someone from head office covering the recently vacated F&B Manager position. I'm pretty sure it was a massive shock for them coming from head office to our hotel. Everyone has been told to be on their best behaviour while they are here. There has also been a large increase in the amount of paperwork and the rules which we now have to follow.
But I'm pretty certain you don't want to know about all the boring parts, you want to read about the interesting things that happen. Well, at Hotel B, there is always something happening.
On Friday morning, I was carrying out one of the tasks detailed in the new "Night Manager's Checklist" when I heard a noise at the front door. So I downed tools and went to investigate. I didn't manage to get to the door, as I noticed the Barman standing at the window, I gestured for him to go to the door and I would open it for him. As I was doing so, he promptly opened the window from the outside and climbed in. The conversation which followed, annoyed me.
"Why is the back door locked?"
"Because all external doors to the hotel are locked at night."
"That door needs to stay open at night so any f**kin' one can get in."
"Well, I was asked to ensure that door was locked by the Head Chef several weeks ago."
"Don't listen to *name deleted*, he's a f**king Nazi."
"If you need to gain access to the hotel, the front door is always open."
"That back door shouldn't be locked, man. Don't listen to the f**kin' Nazi's, man."
I was taken aback at these comments, but decided to leave it be. I don't tolerate racism, directly or indirectly, in the workplace, so I made a note of all the times and what was said in order to pass on the details to the manager in the morning. But I forgot to inform the manager.
The next night, the majority of the staff finished their shift and disappeared off to the pub. I asked one of them when they'd be back and they told me that the pub closed at one, so they would be back a short while after that.
At around ten past one, I was sitting in the lounge awaiting their return, when I heard loud footsteps coming down the corridor. I walked out of the lounge and noticed the Barman coming towards me, not looking too happy.
"You didn't f**kin' listen, did you?"
"Sorry?"
"I told you last night that the back door stays OPEN so any f**king one can come in."
"Well, the Manager hasn't told me any different..."
"I spoke to everyone today, the Manager, HR, f**kin' everyone and they all said that the back door should stay open."
"Well they haven't told me that this is the case."
He then used the back of his hand and struck it aggressively off my right shoulder.
"You need to learn to f**kin' listen, man."
Up until that point, I was quite happy for the racial slurs to go unnoticed, but not now. Now I had a report (and a blog entry) to write. The report, detailing both incidents, was typed up and left for the Manager and the HR Manager. But, as with most 'disciplinary' proceedings within this hotel/company, he'll say sorry and say that he was drunk and nothing more will be said.
Again, you'll have to wait a week for any updates on this.
I did, briefly, meet the new manager at Hotel B the other morning, and I have to say that he looks very professional and seems to know what he's doing. We also have someone from head office covering the recently vacated F&B Manager position. I'm pretty sure it was a massive shock for them coming from head office to our hotel. Everyone has been told to be on their best behaviour while they are here. There has also been a large increase in the amount of paperwork and the rules which we now have to follow.
But I'm pretty certain you don't want to know about all the boring parts, you want to read about the interesting things that happen. Well, at Hotel B, there is always something happening.
On Friday morning, I was carrying out one of the tasks detailed in the new "Night Manager's Checklist" when I heard a noise at the front door. So I downed tools and went to investigate. I didn't manage to get to the door, as I noticed the Barman standing at the window, I gestured for him to go to the door and I would open it for him. As I was doing so, he promptly opened the window from the outside and climbed in. The conversation which followed, annoyed me.
"Why is the back door locked?"
"Because all external doors to the hotel are locked at night."
"That door needs to stay open at night so any f**kin' one can get in."
"Well, I was asked to ensure that door was locked by the Head Chef several weeks ago."
"Don't listen to *name deleted*, he's a f**king Nazi."
"If you need to gain access to the hotel, the front door is always open."
"That back door shouldn't be locked, man. Don't listen to the f**kin' Nazi's, man."
I was taken aback at these comments, but decided to leave it be. I don't tolerate racism, directly or indirectly, in the workplace, so I made a note of all the times and what was said in order to pass on the details to the manager in the morning. But I forgot to inform the manager.
The next night, the majority of the staff finished their shift and disappeared off to the pub. I asked one of them when they'd be back and they told me that the pub closed at one, so they would be back a short while after that.
At around ten past one, I was sitting in the lounge awaiting their return, when I heard loud footsteps coming down the corridor. I walked out of the lounge and noticed the Barman coming towards me, not looking too happy.
"You didn't f**kin' listen, did you?"
"Sorry?"
"I told you last night that the back door stays OPEN so any f**king one can come in."
"Well, the Manager hasn't told me any different..."
"I spoke to everyone today, the Manager, HR, f**kin' everyone and they all said that the back door should stay open."
"Well they haven't told me that this is the case."
He then used the back of his hand and struck it aggressively off my right shoulder.
"You need to learn to f**kin' listen, man."
Up until that point, I was quite happy for the racial slurs to go unnoticed, but not now. Now I had a report (and a blog entry) to write. The report, detailing both incidents, was typed up and left for the Manager and the HR Manager. But, as with most 'disciplinary' proceedings within this hotel/company, he'll say sorry and say that he was drunk and nothing more will be said.
Again, you'll have to wait a week for any updates on this.
Saturday 24 November 2007
Results... almost
It was a rather busy weekend last week, we had a function on on Saturday, so you can guess that the bar was fairly hectic.
As I pushed my way through the masses who had decided that the bar was the best place to stay for the night. It was around quarter to eleven, there were two other people serving behind the bar. The arrangement of the three of us serving behind the smallest bar lasted pretty well. OK, it lasted half an hour before they decided to leave, just as the bar got extremely busy. There was around 20 - 25 people waiting to be served. I must stress that I was on my own at this point and could not leave the bar unattended.
The Restaurant Supervisor came in, served two or three people and promptly left the bar. I foolishly presumed he had gone to the Kitchen to collect the washed glasses, as we were running dangerously low. He wasn't seen again for forty-five minutes.
I had guests complaining in one ear about the prices of alcohol and guests trying to order another round of drinks in the other ear. I tried to work through the backlog of customers as quickly and efficiently as possible, but when using a computerised till system I have had little to no training on, it can become very irritating to the guests and myself.
At one stage, one of the customers started playing around with the touch-screen monitor. He was asked to stop, otherwise he wouldn't be served. As I started serving another customer, I noticed the same male, lifting the monitor off the bar. He was told to put the monitor down immediately, before I went back to completing the customer I was dealing withs order. As this male was next in line to be served, I skipped him and went onto the next punter. Part of this round included a drink for the male who was playing with the monitor. I told the punter, that due to his unacceptable behaviour, he would not be served any more alcohol that evening.
A short period later, the Receptionist came through to let me know that she was finished and heading home. She did ask if I was coping OK or needed a hand. I asked her to send the Restaurant Supervisor in straight away. When he did, eventually, show face some fifteen minutes later, the first thing he said to me was , and I quote,"Do you have a couple of cigarettes I could borrow?" I replied, "Sorry, no." With that, I walked out of the bar and left him to it.
After the music stopped, I checked the Restaurant over and ensured that no one was still there. I then made my way to Reception, when I noticed a large group of ten people standing outside Reception. I knew that they were part of the function. I opened the door to Reception and noticed a female standing behind the desk. I asked her to leave, to which she replied, "But someone let me in here." I asked her again to leave, pointed above my head to the security camera and enforced my line with something along the lines of "the Police may be contacting you in due course for a charge of breaking and entering." When she realised (due to her intoxicated levels) that I was being 'serious', she quickly left the area.
The following morning, I was heading into the Kitchen when one of the waitresses was coming out, she said to me, "Why haven't you set anything up?" I told her that I didn't have time to and, as a night manager, I had more important duties to attend to in what little time remained after the last guest had gone to bed. Although I do think that the waiting staff was secretly hoping that I'd brushed, mopped and vacuumed the restaurant, set all the tables up for breakfast and set up the two buffet tables.
The thing that baffles me most, is that if their shift starts at 7am (or whenever they manage to drag their hungover selves out of bed) before breakfast is served at 7.30am. That's a full half an hour to set the place up, there are generally three waiting staff on in the morning, and as the old saying goes; "Many hands, make light work." According to the previous night manager, there was a 'gentleman's agreement' set up, whereby if the night manager set up the Restaurant for breakfast, then it would "get him out of cleaning and vacuuming the rest of the hotel."
Sunday was a welcome break from the previous evening's fun and games. The Relief General Manager was in the Bar, as it was his last night in the hotel, and we had a long discussion about certain members of staff and the way in which the hotel is run. He told me that if he was the GM here, he'd "pick up the hotel and shake it until all the staff fell out and the only ones that remained are the grafters." He then told me to write down all of the previous nights faults and also one which happened on Sunday.
I did this quite happily, and left it with the only decent Receptionist the hotel has (she's not from this hotel, but the same one as the Relief General Manager.) and she assured me that she'd pass it on to him.
When I went into work that night, I had a word with the Relief General Manager, who told me that he had read my reports and was pretty disgusted at the way things were being run. This was due to no fault on my part, but the faults of others. He then told me that he had passed on my reports to the Human Resources department.
So? What now? Well, you'll have to wait until later in the week to find out. I haven't been back there. But as soon as I know anything, I'll be sure to keep you updated.
As I pushed my way through the masses who had decided that the bar was the best place to stay for the night. It was around quarter to eleven, there were two other people serving behind the bar. The arrangement of the three of us serving behind the smallest bar lasted pretty well. OK, it lasted half an hour before they decided to leave, just as the bar got extremely busy. There was around 20 - 25 people waiting to be served. I must stress that I was on my own at this point and could not leave the bar unattended.
The Restaurant Supervisor came in, served two or three people and promptly left the bar. I foolishly presumed he had gone to the Kitchen to collect the washed glasses, as we were running dangerously low. He wasn't seen again for forty-five minutes.
I had guests complaining in one ear about the prices of alcohol and guests trying to order another round of drinks in the other ear. I tried to work through the backlog of customers as quickly and efficiently as possible, but when using a computerised till system I have had little to no training on, it can become very irritating to the guests and myself.
At one stage, one of the customers started playing around with the touch-screen monitor. He was asked to stop, otherwise he wouldn't be served. As I started serving another customer, I noticed the same male, lifting the monitor off the bar. He was told to put the monitor down immediately, before I went back to completing the customer I was dealing withs order. As this male was next in line to be served, I skipped him and went onto the next punter. Part of this round included a drink for the male who was playing with the monitor. I told the punter, that due to his unacceptable behaviour, he would not be served any more alcohol that evening.
A short period later, the Receptionist came through to let me know that she was finished and heading home. She did ask if I was coping OK or needed a hand. I asked her to send the Restaurant Supervisor in straight away. When he did, eventually, show face some fifteen minutes later, the first thing he said to me was , and I quote,"Do you have a couple of cigarettes I could borrow?" I replied, "Sorry, no." With that, I walked out of the bar and left him to it.
After the music stopped, I checked the Restaurant over and ensured that no one was still there. I then made my way to Reception, when I noticed a large group of ten people standing outside Reception. I knew that they were part of the function. I opened the door to Reception and noticed a female standing behind the desk. I asked her to leave, to which she replied, "But someone let me in here." I asked her again to leave, pointed above my head to the security camera and enforced my line with something along the lines of "the Police may be contacting you in due course for a charge of breaking and entering." When she realised (due to her intoxicated levels) that I was being 'serious', she quickly left the area.
The following morning, I was heading into the Kitchen when one of the waitresses was coming out, she said to me, "Why haven't you set anything up?" I told her that I didn't have time to and, as a night manager, I had more important duties to attend to in what little time remained after the last guest had gone to bed. Although I do think that the waiting staff was secretly hoping that I'd brushed, mopped and vacuumed the restaurant, set all the tables up for breakfast and set up the two buffet tables.
The thing that baffles me most, is that if their shift starts at 7am (or whenever they manage to drag their hungover selves out of bed) before breakfast is served at 7.30am. That's a full half an hour to set the place up, there are generally three waiting staff on in the morning, and as the old saying goes; "Many hands, make light work." According to the previous night manager, there was a 'gentleman's agreement' set up, whereby if the night manager set up the Restaurant for breakfast, then it would "get him out of cleaning and vacuuming the rest of the hotel."
Sunday was a welcome break from the previous evening's fun and games. The Relief General Manager was in the Bar, as it was his last night in the hotel, and we had a long discussion about certain members of staff and the way in which the hotel is run. He told me that if he was the GM here, he'd "pick up the hotel and shake it until all the staff fell out and the only ones that remained are the grafters." He then told me to write down all of the previous nights faults and also one which happened on Sunday.
I did this quite happily, and left it with the only decent Receptionist the hotel has (she's not from this hotel, but the same one as the Relief General Manager.) and she assured me that she'd pass it on to him.
When I went into work that night, I had a word with the Relief General Manager, who told me that he had read my reports and was pretty disgusted at the way things were being run. This was due to no fault on my part, but the faults of others. He then told me that he had passed on my reports to the Human Resources department.
So? What now? Well, you'll have to wait until later in the week to find out. I haven't been back there. But as soon as I know anything, I'll be sure to keep you updated.
Saturday 17 November 2007
I'm going insane...
Last night, I really couldn't be bothered going in to work. So I called the hotel several times within a half an hour period. All of these calls went unanswered. So I begrudgingly went to work.
The hotel is very quiet, except for the creaking floorboards, so they wouldn't have even noticed if I hadn't shown up. So, as there was a severe lack of anything motivational to do. The bar staff "clean" their own bar in this hotel. The longer you spend behind the bar here, the more chance you have of gaining the title of 'Bar Person'. That's not because over a period of time you become more skilled at pulling pints, it's because you, literally, stick to the floor. The floor behind the bar has a thin film of spilled alcoholic and soft drinks from years gone by. Well, since this company took the place over.
There is virtually no security in this hotel until I come on shift. It is each department's responsibility to ensure that their workplace is secure before clocking off for the night. So, I'd like to know why, last night, the following places were left unsecured:
There are some changes afoot in the staff. The General Manager, who went off on sick leave is apparently leaving/has been sacked (I'm not sure which), so at Hotel B, there will soon be a new manager. The Food & Beverage Manager has been demoted to "Breakfast Supervisor," despite the fact that a few weeks ago, she vowed never to work mornings, as they were impossible to get up for. The "Smoking Supervisor," sorry. . . I mean "Restaurant Supervisor" has been demoted to a wait-on position. There are also a few positions vacant, although I'm not sure how the company can justify taking on all these new people when we are currently under-staffed due to budget cuts on the payroll.
Some good news though, I can confirm that the maintenance man at Hotel B has fitted two locks to the staffroom window to stop them climbing in and out of that at night as a means of access to the hotel. I shall no longer be worried about going into the kitchen to find someone standing there when I know all the doors are locked.
That's all for this post, I'm off now to post my application off for another job. Wish me luck!
The hotel is very quiet, except for the creaking floorboards, so they wouldn't have even noticed if I hadn't shown up. So, as there was a severe lack of anything motivational to do. The bar staff "clean" their own bar in this hotel. The longer you spend behind the bar here, the more chance you have of gaining the title of 'Bar Person'. That's not because over a period of time you become more skilled at pulling pints, it's because you, literally, stick to the floor. The floor behind the bar has a thin film of spilled alcoholic and soft drinks from years gone by. Well, since this company took the place over.
There is virtually no security in this hotel until I come on shift. It is each department's responsibility to ensure that their workplace is secure before clocking off for the night. So, I'd like to know why, last night, the following places were left unsecured:
- The Main Cellar. All the alcohol, kegs, spirits, etc. are stored in here. Mind you, if you're taller than 4'2", then you haven't a chance of being able to stand up straight (to imagine the maximum head clearance in here, you know those kegs which are delivered to pubs and clubs? Well, stack two of them, one atop the other and this is pretty much the maximum height, give or take a few inches.)
- The Wine Cellar. Essentially a cupboard where all the wines are stored. Including the champagnes and some spirits for the optics.
- The Manager's Office. Seriously, the door to this place is directly opposite the door to the reception. You'd have to be blind not to see that it was wide open when you left. Why didn't you close it?
- The Kitchen's Dry Storage Room. OK, this was chef's fault of course. But with the recent antics of the staff that I've seen. I'm surprised it wasn't stripped bare by the time I clocked it.
There are some changes afoot in the staff. The General Manager, who went off on sick leave is apparently leaving/has been sacked (I'm not sure which), so at Hotel B, there will soon be a new manager. The Food & Beverage Manager has been demoted to "Breakfast Supervisor," despite the fact that a few weeks ago, she vowed never to work mornings, as they were impossible to get up for. The "Smoking Supervisor," sorry. . . I mean "Restaurant Supervisor" has been demoted to a wait-on position. There are also a few positions vacant, although I'm not sure how the company can justify taking on all these new people when we are currently under-staffed due to budget cuts on the payroll.
Some good news though, I can confirm that the maintenance man at Hotel B has fitted two locks to the staffroom window to stop them climbing in and out of that at night as a means of access to the hotel. I shall no longer be worried about going into the kitchen to find someone standing there when I know all the doors are locked.
That's all for this post, I'm off now to post my application off for another job. Wish me luck!
Thursday 15 November 2007
The Leisure Centre
This is the hotel's way of giving something back to the local community. When they bought the hotel, the pool was one of the best for miles around (mainly due to the fact the nearest pool is a 30 mile round trip). Now it's merely a pool. There are a few regulars who come in at 6.59am, hang around reception until dead on 7am, before going in for a dip. OK, as I've said the next pool is a 30 mile round trip away, but this pool is hardly the best.
I mentioned previously that, when I started at this hotel, the boiler died and left the pool in a rather cold state. A quick call to the engineering department* soon sorted that out. Once the boiler was fixed and the system was switched back on again, the machine which regulates the amount of chlorine to be pumped into the water decided, at that point, to take an overdose. Overnight, it pumped one thousand litres of chlorine into the pool. The "Leisure Staff" (I think, personally, they take that term too loosely at times) forgot to check the pH levels of the water during the day. When the other night manager checked it, some twenty-four hours after the boilers had been switched back on, the pH levels were off the scale. Nobody had bothered to check the chlorine box to see if it was; a) switched on or b) distributing the correct ratio of chlorine:water. The top dogs were called, at considerable expense for the company, to sort out the problem. A short while later, everything was back to normal.
Until this morning.
The main generator, which supplies the power for the pool and regulates the temperature of the water and air in the leisure centre is a little bit off. Normally the water temperature sits at around the 30 mark, when I checked it last night, it was double this at bang-on 60.0
"That sounds lovely and warm," thinks I. So I walk over to the edge of the pool and plunge my hand into the water. Wrong, the water is barely tepid. If that's 60 degrees, then the UK must be constantly suffering a heatwave. Last night, the pool was constantly pumping in the chlorine again, but the results on the tests this morning showed no change.
Off tonight, but back to the madness on Friday. I can't see this job lasting much longer, to be honest. Not with so many other tempting positions out there.
* - A retired gent with a hammer and scary fascination of lightbulbs, especially energy-saving ones.
I mentioned previously that, when I started at this hotel, the boiler died and left the pool in a rather cold state. A quick call to the engineering department* soon sorted that out. Once the boiler was fixed and the system was switched back on again, the machine which regulates the amount of chlorine to be pumped into the water decided, at that point, to take an overdose. Overnight, it pumped one thousand litres of chlorine into the pool. The "Leisure Staff" (I think, personally, they take that term too loosely at times) forgot to check the pH levels of the water during the day. When the other night manager checked it, some twenty-four hours after the boilers had been switched back on, the pH levels were off the scale. Nobody had bothered to check the chlorine box to see if it was; a) switched on or b) distributing the correct ratio of chlorine:water. The top dogs were called, at considerable expense for the company, to sort out the problem. A short while later, everything was back to normal.
Until this morning.
The main generator, which supplies the power for the pool and regulates the temperature of the water and air in the leisure centre is a little bit off. Normally the water temperature sits at around the 30 mark, when I checked it last night, it was double this at bang-on 60.0
"That sounds lovely and warm," thinks I. So I walk over to the edge of the pool and plunge my hand into the water. Wrong, the water is barely tepid. If that's 60 degrees, then the UK must be constantly suffering a heatwave. Last night, the pool was constantly pumping in the chlorine again, but the results on the tests this morning showed no change.
Off tonight, but back to the madness on Friday. I can't see this job lasting much longer, to be honest. Not with so many other tempting positions out there.
* - A retired gent with a hammer and scary fascination of lightbulbs, especially energy-saving ones.
Wednesday 14 November 2007
The Bar
Last night, there were two patrons and a dog in the bar when I started my shift. They had one drink and then went to bed. According to the "restaurant supervisor" the bar was "dead from about nine-ish." So can someone please explain to me why the bar was left in such a state? I'm glad I had my cameraphone with me, because I doubt that anyone would believe me if I told them, so I thought I'd take some pictures to illustrate my points.
Evidence A:
This is the state of the Guinness drip tray. I cleaned it, and the others, last week. Judging by the smell, I'd say that no one has done it since. The skin on top of the liquid was quite thick and there was hardened Guinness along the sides of the tray.
Evidence B:
This is the drip tray from the lager tap. You can clearly see the oily skin on this one. Again, it was cleaned by myself last week and hasn't been cleaned since.
The annoying fact is, and you'll laugh at this one, that if the bar isn't clean in the morning I'M the one who is held responsible. Even if there is no one in the bar when I come in. For example; if the last guest leaves the bar at, say, 9.30pm and I don't get in until 11.00pm, that's an hour and a half the bar staff has to clean the bar, empty the drip trays and clean all the used glasses, etc. But not in this hotel. They just stand around until 'knocking-off' time and then leave the bar in a complete mess. Then it's the night shift's responsibility to clean it up. Should the night shift go on strike and not do it, they are the ones who are hauled over the coals about not doing their job. Is it just me, or does that seem a bit unreasonable?
Recently the hotel went through it's yearly cycle of getting all the switches, electrical points, etc. tested. (for those of you obsessed with official terminology, it's the annual 'PAT testing') The amount of these things:
around the hotel is unbelieveable. They all seem to have failed. I first noticed them a few weeks ago, just after the testing had been done, and they haven't been replaced. Can anyone enlighten me if this is a legal issue? Can I feign an electric shock and sue the company? It's times like these, I wish the campsite was open all year round. I'd happily go back there and work.
Evidence A:
This is the state of the Guinness drip tray. I cleaned it, and the others, last week. Judging by the smell, I'd say that no one has done it since. The skin on top of the liquid was quite thick and there was hardened Guinness along the sides of the tray.Evidence B:
This is the drip tray from the lager tap. You can clearly see the oily skin on this one. Again, it was cleaned by myself last week and hasn't been cleaned since.The annoying fact is, and you'll laugh at this one, that if the bar isn't clean in the morning I'M the one who is held responsible. Even if there is no one in the bar when I come in. For example; if the last guest leaves the bar at, say, 9.30pm and I don't get in until 11.00pm, that's an hour and a half the bar staff has to clean the bar, empty the drip trays and clean all the used glasses, etc. But not in this hotel. They just stand around until 'knocking-off' time and then leave the bar in a complete mess. Then it's the night shift's responsibility to clean it up. Should the night shift go on strike and not do it, they are the ones who are hauled over the coals about not doing their job. Is it just me, or does that seem a bit unreasonable?
Recently the hotel went through it's yearly cycle of getting all the switches, electrical points, etc. tested. (for those of you obsessed with official terminology, it's the annual 'PAT testing') The amount of these things:
around the hotel is unbelieveable. They all seem to have failed. I first noticed them a few weeks ago, just after the testing had been done, and they haven't been replaced. Can anyone enlighten me if this is a legal issue? Can I feign an electric shock and sue the company? It's times like these, I wish the campsite was open all year round. I'd happily go back there and work.
Tuesday 13 November 2007
Bribery, Smoking and Break-ins
While it seems that I've forgotten about this blog lately, I haven't. I've just been so busy smashing my head off a brick wall at the sheer amount of stupidity which working for this company entails. Two aspirins and a slightly bruised forehead later, I returned to the hotel wondering what horrors lay in wait.
Here are three scenarios which have happened whilst I have been on duty and their respective outcomes.
Scenario One:
After he had finished his shift, the barman decided to have a drink and go to his room. That was fine, until I later realised that he had charged his drink to a guest's account. To my knowledge, the guest hadn't authorised this with the duty manager, me, so I took great pleasure in taking that drink off their bill and leaving a note for the relief general manager to ensure that the barman paid for his drink in the morning.
The outcome: The relief general manager doesn't know about this, as the receptionist "conveniently" disposed of the note. The barman didn't pay for his pint of lager and no further action was taken against him.
Scenario Two:
One of the restaurant supervisors came into the hotel with the kitchen porter at around three in the morning. I watched him on the security cameras in the office, when I noticed that he was smoking in the hotel. I immediately went to the bar, where they were pouring drinks for themselves, and asked him to put the cigarette out and return to his accommodation. He then told me that it was "OK" and that he "smoked in the hotel all the time." After he left, I left a note for the Food and Beverage Manager (his superior).
The outcome: No action taken. All the supervisor did was apologise.
Scenario Three:
There are four external doors to the hotel, each of which are closed and locked during the night. So, knowing that all doors were locked, I was quite surprised to see the restaurant supervisor wandering around the kitchen, drunk, looking for something to eat. He was subsequently told where to go and I then ensured that all doors were locked.
The outcome: Relief General Manager informed, but I don't know of any actions taken yet.
Is it any wonder that the last owners of these hotels managed to gain a four star status, but almost immediately upon selling them, they've been regraded and are now three stars?
The "bribery" part in the post title, refers to the day when the hotel called me, on my day off, and asked if I could work that night. When I said no, they then told me that they "had been told to offer me £25 on top of my pay, if I covered the shift."
Yes, I am looking for another job. This one is possibly the worst job I have had in a long while.
Here are three scenarios which have happened whilst I have been on duty and their respective outcomes.
Scenario One:
After he had finished his shift, the barman decided to have a drink and go to his room. That was fine, until I later realised that he had charged his drink to a guest's account. To my knowledge, the guest hadn't authorised this with the duty manager, me, so I took great pleasure in taking that drink off their bill and leaving a note for the relief general manager to ensure that the barman paid for his drink in the morning.
The outcome: The relief general manager doesn't know about this, as the receptionist "conveniently" disposed of the note. The barman didn't pay for his pint of lager and no further action was taken against him.
Scenario Two:
One of the restaurant supervisors came into the hotel with the kitchen porter at around three in the morning. I watched him on the security cameras in the office, when I noticed that he was smoking in the hotel. I immediately went to the bar, where they were pouring drinks for themselves, and asked him to put the cigarette out and return to his accommodation. He then told me that it was "OK" and that he "smoked in the hotel all the time." After he left, I left a note for the Food and Beverage Manager (his superior).
The outcome: No action taken. All the supervisor did was apologise.
Scenario Three:
There are four external doors to the hotel, each of which are closed and locked during the night. So, knowing that all doors were locked, I was quite surprised to see the restaurant supervisor wandering around the kitchen, drunk, looking for something to eat. He was subsequently told where to go and I then ensured that all doors were locked.
The outcome: Relief General Manager informed, but I don't know of any actions taken yet.
Is it any wonder that the last owners of these hotels managed to gain a four star status, but almost immediately upon selling them, they've been regraded and are now three stars?
The "bribery" part in the post title, refers to the day when the hotel called me, on my day off, and asked if I could work that night. When I said no, they then told me that they "had been told to offer me £25 on top of my pay, if I covered the shift."
Yes, I am looking for another job. This one is possibly the worst job I have had in a long while.
Thursday 1 November 2007
Welcome!
Just to bring you all up to speed with what's happening at the hotels within the past fortnight:
- The boiler blew up in the pool, which left us with a rather cold pool.
- The machine which regulates how much chlorine is pumped into the water, mysteriously switched itself off. . .
- . . .the machine overdosed and pumped 1000l (one thousand litres) of chlorine into the pool.
- The Restaurant Supervisor at Hotel B was caught smoking inside the building and was too drunk to care.
- Two "high profile" guests stayed at Hotel B the other night, which was interesting.
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