This week, ICE’s first ever Hospitality Management class went on a unique field trip to the Hotel Wolcott.
As these students prepare for new careers in the tourism industry, they have to learn all the ins and outs of running a hotel, including cleaning guest rooms and managing staff.
The students from the inaugural Hospitality Management class visited the Hotel Wolcott last Tuesday and again yesterday. They met with Housekeeping Manager Eveline Chen and she guided students through the operation. After being welcomed in the main lobby, the students were guided to her office and briefed on the hotel occupancy status and various policies and practices. For example, the housekeeping attendants use a system of doorknobs signs to alert each other to what floor they are on and what rooms they have cleaned.
Then the students were assigned to nine different room attendants and went to their assigned rooms to observe how the rooms are cleaned. They were able to get hands-on experience and ask questions about providing this service to hotel guests. The attendants and these students worked together and the room attendants were happy to help the students with their hands-on training and answer all their questions.
After a short break for coffee and muffins, the students were given a tour of the 107-year-old hotel. The hotel is constantly undergoing renovations to bring modern services to their guests. The students were able to get an insider’s perspectives on the different types of rooms and the renovations the Hotel Wolcott has undertaken. Eveline guided them through the hotel, pointing out which rooms had new furniture and which had yet to be updated.
The students asked lots of questions about handicap accessible rooms and what different room rates the hotel had. It was an amazing opportunity to learn about the tourism industry from the team behind a long-standing and successful hotel.
