A Holiday Maker's Paradise

Greetings fellow colleagues and industry professionals, my name is Majella and on Tuesday 16th February, I was very privileged to participate in the Mantra 'Manager for a Day Program' at Mantra Sun City Resort. On arrival I was greeted by the Front Office Manager, Warren and amazed by the resort's unique Aztec themeing of a holiday maker's paradise.

First on the agenda for the day I was treated to a grand tour of the property and by the resort's inviting pool area, featuring an incredible waterslide. Following this, Warren explained to me the hotel's pricing strategy and what life is like in the day of a hotel manager, in addition to kindly answering my revenue management questions.

For the second half of the day, my fellow "Managers of the Day" and I were given the opportunity to meet and speak with Mantra industry professionals from each of the departments that comprise the Mantra Group, including: Human Resources; Marketing; Sales; Revenue Management; Finance and Asset Elevation and gain an insight into their roles and responsibilities.

The professionals also willingly answered our many questions for which we were all so grateful. My favourite part of the day was definitely learning about Mantra's unique corporate culture and its beneficial impact on hotel performance. The Mantra 'Manager for a Day' is an invaluable work experience opportunity that helped me extend my knowledge and practical application of a hotel's daily operations. I strongly advise those students contemplating applying for the 'Manager for a Day' Program to apply without hesitation, as it is an incredible and highly beneficial opportunity.

Achieving Great Things...

On the 23rd of February, 2010, I was fortunate enough to attend a Manager for the Day program with Mantra Group, spending half the day at the Mantra Circle on Cavil and the other half at Mantra HQ in Surfers Paradise. I met Colin Stevenson, the Executive Assistant Manager, at 9:00am. We spent about half an hour looking at several reports from the day before which included comparing the number of rooms sold to the predicted forecast and incidents from the day before. We then spent another half hour touring most of the property (both front and back of house).

From 10:00am to about 11:45am I watched Colin, the General Manager and the Front Office Manager work on budgets and forecasting occupancy levels for next financial year. This was a rather repetitive, yet very important, process as occupancy levels were being predicted for not only the next years 12 months, but occupancy levels for different types of guests as well including FIT’s, MICE’s and government to name a few.

From 1:00pm to 5:30pm a group of us met with high level managers from the following departments at the Mantra Group HQ: Human Resources, Marketing, Sales, Finance, Revenue Management and Asset Evaluation. We spent 45 minutes with some of the highest ranking people within the Mantra Group organisation. It was an absolute privilege to talk to these six people and hear their own individual stories on where they began and the path they took to get to where they are now. They all offered great advice that you can only learn from experience.

I would suggest that anyone who is doing a Bachelor of International Hotel and Resort Management at Bond University participate in a Manager for the Day Program. These people have shown me that no matter where you start if you are willing to learn and work hard then you can achieve great things. This is probably the best experience I have had in my four semesters at Bond University and it is something that I will remember for a long time.

Go for it!

This is my first semester as an undergraduate at Bond University.

After recently completing high school the year before, I am very eager to learn and experience as much as I can. Hearing about the Manager for a Day program got me quite excited. I am still contemplating what specific area I would like to specialize in so this for me was a great opportunity to gain an understanding of what truly makes up a hotel and the roles in which managers play.

The Manager for a day program at Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort & Spa was a lot of fun and definitely opened my eyes.

Arriving at 8.20am, I met up with my ‘guide’, Andrew Nadin (Director of Food and Beverage). Everyday there are morning meetings that must be attended, so after getting to know each other a little bit, off we went. I discovered that these meetings are quite important; it allows a chance for managers from various areas of the hotel to come together and share relevant news and/or updates.

Afterwards, Andrew gave me a tour of the Marriott. Starting with the Lobby Lounge Bar (which is to the right when you first enter). Unfortunately from all the rain that had been pouring down during that week, it had caused a leak in the ceiling. Although it was rather small, it held high priority on his to do list. Even though a large pot plant was placed underneath to catch the leaking water, it was interesting to see that while guests who entered the bar only saw a lovely plant feature, to Andrew it looked out of place and ridiculous.

Later on we payed a visit to Benihana Japanese Steak House, which is Australia’s largest specialist teppanyaki restaurant. It has such a great reputation that it is booked out every Friday and Saturday night. As Andrew talked about the restaurant, I discovered that all but one chef came from the Philippines. However during work, all of the chefs must speak English. This was to create an even playing field, in order not to exclude anyone from anything.

Being shown around the Presidential Suite was a highlight for me. Not only was it incredibly beautiful but also held a great view from the two balconies. Nevertheless it was to be renovated in the next couple of weeks.

Not many people (including myself) ever really think about the housekeeping side of managing a hotel. It surprised me that there are so many different aspects to housekeeping. Cleaning and preparing a room is just the beginning, there’s the washing and drying of bed sheets, pillowcases, towels, etc., mending of employees work attire, daily stocktaking of stored products (everything from shampoo and conditioner to tea and coffee sachets).

For the students that are interested in participating in the Manager for a day program, I would like to say GO FOR IT!!

It is a great opportunity, to not only learn more about the industry and gain some hands-on experience but to also network. The more people you met and establish a good impression, the better. You never know, you may even get a job out of it!

SPOTTED: HRTM 1st Birthday Celebration Photos

The Class of 2010!