Welcome to my reflective journal of my sandwich year of full time employment in the Majestic Hotel & Spa Barcelona.
Over the next 10 months I will be using this blog as a place to log my personal and professional development through the experiences I have as an intern in one of the most exclusive and famed 5 star hotels in the centre of Barcelona.
By creating action plans to aim for over the following year and beyond, I will enable myself to actively keep track of my progress, both personal and professional.
Friday, 11 May 2018
Tuesday, 8 May 2018
Action Plans
This year I have linked my action plans with more professional goals rather than personal looking at what I named my goals as in Applied Professional Practice. This is because I am spending the whole year here so I want to know more about the running of the company as opposed to just being in the treatment rooms and to do that I need to focus my goals on front of house and administration.
This is the most important as I have to learn the protocols of how to greet a guest and make a booking in both English and Spanish.
I would like to not only improve my retail skills, but to learn new techniques from experienced therapists giving me different ways to approach a sale.
As I will be very much involved with the administrative side of the spa in terms of orders and annual objectives, I feel this is a great opportunity to try as many tasks as I can to try which methods and ideas work best for me.
This goal is not just about understanding the tasks and why we do them, but also to really gain an understanding of what reception does and how they really carry the spa.
Friday, 4 May 2018
Transferrable Skills
These are just some examples of transferrable skills that I use in my job every day.
Since working as a full time receptionist, I have had problems to overcome every day. This could range from a client complaint to lack of stock. By encountering these situations, I feel a lot more able to deal with them swiftly and in a way that will likely benefit everyone involved.
Organising
Organisation is very important when working on reception especially when it is a full day of treatments. It is receptions responsibility to assign treatment rooms to therapists based on the treatments they have and where would be the most comfortable for them. As well as this, reception must be able to tell therapists who's client is who's and what treatments they have next and whether anything has changed. being able to keep everyone in the team up to date on changes to the day is extremely important to avoid confusions and miscommunication.
Management and Leadership
Although I work on reception, I find myself possessing management and leadership qualities. However, I make a conscious effort to not use them as I am an intern and I do not feel as though it is my place to be assertive with my colleagues.
Although I work on reception, I find myself possessing management and leadership qualities. However, I make a conscious effort to not use them as I am an intern and I do not feel as though it is my place to be assertive with my colleagues.
Negotiating
A form of negotiation within my daily role is when upselling treatments or products to a client. Making the recommendations as appealing as possible so that they will choose them almost without having to think about it.
A form of negotiation within my daily role is when upselling treatments or products to a client. Making the recommendations as appealing as possible so that they will choose them almost without having to think about it.
Good Communication Skills
Good communication skills are vital to my role on reception. Not only do I have to be able to communicate clearly and effectively with the team, but also clearly with clients who may not speak very good english or Spanish, and it's down to me to try and find an alternative or simplified way of getting the information across. As well as this, interpersonal communication is important because reception is where all of the information arrives first. If it is misunderstood or misinterpreted this could cause problems further down the line.
Friday, 17 November 2017
August '17 - May'18
The first month working at the hotel, for me, was the most crucial. This was the time in which I was able to show the team, of both the spa and the hotel, how well I would be able to adapt to a new working environment and how quickly I can learn new skills.
During my first week at the Hotel, it was mostly a case of shadowing the receptionists and trying, where I could, to lend a hand in order to actively learn. I find that carrying out newly learned skills allows me to improve more quickly than if I was just watching.
This was not only an important month on a professional level, but also on a personal level. Starting a new job can be a difficult process. But also having to adapt to a new way of living in a foreign country with very few familiar people around. I found this to be the most difficult part due to some personal things slightly affecting the way I was working because of how it was impacting me. However, I found a gym a used this as a distraction from the other events at the time.
August was spent learning everything I could of the job before being left to work on my own starting from September. The main skills to learn, included a whole new booking system, learning the protocols of the hotel as well as Leading Quality Assurance Standards, which are extremely important in the Leading Hotels of the World (LHW). Being a part of LHW means that you have to pass or exceed in all mystery guest visits. At the end of the year, the hotel must have at least an 85% average for it to even be considered for staying in LHW.
Between September and November, there was a noticeable drop in hotel occupancy as well as in the spa during September and October when the protests and riots were starting for the Catalonia referendum. This meant that the spa had to find ways to try and gain more business from within the hotel. We used a massage chair in the lobby for any large group of people checking. for anyone waiting, we would offer the complimentary service and once we were finishing, we would give them the details of the spa and just let them know that we were there. This method, in my opinion was not the most 5-star service we could have provided for a few reasons.
first of all, the chair was in a corner of the lobby with chunky wooden screens around it, blocking out any natural light. Also, we would have to approach clients instead of clients seeing what we were doing and approaching us. I, personally, find this method slightly pushy and unprofessional if you know that clients have just come from long flights and most likely want nothing more than to check in and go to their room. However, with that being said, we did manage to provide the experience for a few willing clients.
Then came November-January. This season is when we are mostly selling gifts and vouchers for people to give at christmas and for Día de los Reyes Magos (King’s Day). These months in terms of spa treatments can prove to be quieter than the rest of the year other than people coming to prepare for christmas events and dinners that may be taking place. This is then the perfect time of year to start thinking about the new years promotions.
During this time in 2017, Cataloniand took to the streets of Barcelona on a number of occasions between September and November.
This meant that many clients of the hotel would stay inside and use either the food and beverage facilities such as the Terrace bar, La Dolce Vitae, or they would come to the spa to escape the madness outside.
In terms of work, I started to gain a lot more confidence when left on my own which I would really worry about before due to my nerves when speaking with Spanish clients. However, once I knew that there was always going to be someone to help me, even if it was over the phone, I started to grow more confident. The rest would come with practice.
After January is when i really felt confident with many of the clients, both hotel and regular. As I had been there a few months, I became a familiar face for clients who visit the spa often, which for me was a rewarding feeling.
As the start of summer approaches we are seeing a steady increase in the number of bookings being made in the spa after a fairly quiet winter/spring period. This is the greatest opportunity for product sales because people love to try new products to make their skin summer ready and it is likely that they will listen to a professional opinion, allowing me to work on my retailing skills.
Effects of the experience:
This experience has shown me that it is possible to learn something new as well as enjoying yourself.
I have learned a great deal of skills and have grown as a therapist and receptionist. I feel confident that when I return to university, I have experiences that will truly help me in my future career both at university and beyond.
To move to a different country without my parents was a scary and new experience for me. However, in my opinion, that often builds you that confidence to grow and gain the experience without anything keeping you back.
During my first week at the Hotel, it was mostly a case of shadowing the receptionists and trying, where I could, to lend a hand in order to actively learn. I find that carrying out newly learned skills allows me to improve more quickly than if I was just watching.
This was not only an important month on a professional level, but also on a personal level. Starting a new job can be a difficult process. But also having to adapt to a new way of living in a foreign country with very few familiar people around. I found this to be the most difficult part due to some personal things slightly affecting the way I was working because of how it was impacting me. However, I found a gym a used this as a distraction from the other events at the time.
August was spent learning everything I could of the job before being left to work on my own starting from September. The main skills to learn, included a whole new booking system, learning the protocols of the hotel as well as Leading Quality Assurance Standards, which are extremely important in the Leading Hotels of the World (LHW). Being a part of LHW means that you have to pass or exceed in all mystery guest visits. At the end of the year, the hotel must have at least an 85% average for it to even be considered for staying in LHW.
Between September and November, there was a noticeable drop in hotel occupancy as well as in the spa during September and October when the protests and riots were starting for the Catalonia referendum. This meant that the spa had to find ways to try and gain more business from within the hotel. We used a massage chair in the lobby for any large group of people checking. for anyone waiting, we would offer the complimentary service and once we were finishing, we would give them the details of the spa and just let them know that we were there. This method, in my opinion was not the most 5-star service we could have provided for a few reasons.
first of all, the chair was in a corner of the lobby with chunky wooden screens around it, blocking out any natural light. Also, we would have to approach clients instead of clients seeing what we were doing and approaching us. I, personally, find this method slightly pushy and unprofessional if you know that clients have just come from long flights and most likely want nothing more than to check in and go to their room. However, with that being said, we did manage to provide the experience for a few willing clients.
Then came November-January. This season is when we are mostly selling gifts and vouchers for people to give at christmas and for Día de los Reyes Magos (King’s Day). These months in terms of spa treatments can prove to be quieter than the rest of the year other than people coming to prepare for christmas events and dinners that may be taking place. This is then the perfect time of year to start thinking about the new years promotions.
During this time in 2017, Cataloniand took to the streets of Barcelona on a number of occasions between September and November.
This meant that many clients of the hotel would stay inside and use either the food and beverage facilities such as the Terrace bar, La Dolce Vitae, or they would come to the spa to escape the madness outside.
In terms of work, I started to gain a lot more confidence when left on my own which I would really worry about before due to my nerves when speaking with Spanish clients. However, once I knew that there was always going to be someone to help me, even if it was over the phone, I started to grow more confident. The rest would come with practice.
After January is when i really felt confident with many of the clients, both hotel and regular. As I had been there a few months, I became a familiar face for clients who visit the spa often, which for me was a rewarding feeling.
As the start of summer approaches we are seeing a steady increase in the number of bookings being made in the spa after a fairly quiet winter/spring period. This is the greatest opportunity for product sales because people love to try new products to make their skin summer ready and it is likely that they will listen to a professional opinion, allowing me to work on my retailing skills.
Effects of the experience:
This experience has shown me that it is possible to learn something new as well as enjoying yourself.
I have learned a great deal of skills and have grown as a therapist and receptionist. I feel confident that when I return to university, I have experiences that will truly help me in my future career both at university and beyond.
To move to a different country without my parents was a scary and new experience for me. However, in my opinion, that often builds you that confidence to grow and gain the experience without anything keeping you back.
Thursday, 9 November 2017
SWOT Analysis
This SWOT analysis is based on the end of my placement looking at it from the perspective of going back to university for my final year with thoughts towards graduating.
Thursday, 6 April 2017
Introduction
Welcome to my Personal Professional Development Portfolio for year 2!
In the following blog posts, I will be reflecting on the progress that I hope to achieve throughout my second year on the International Spa Management degree.
To do this I will be creating an action plan to create a clear idea of what I want to achieve and when I would like to have done it by. I will also be reviewing my CV in order to compare my experiences from first year and look at how these will help me to progress in my career.
I will also be looking at how I compare to my graduate attributes and transferable skills from last year and which ones I can continue to work on. I can use my SWOT analysis to help with this by identifying my strengths and weaknesses.
In terms of practical and real world learning, I will be reflecting on my progress in the spa and in my practical sessions during and after the transition from Elemis to Comfort Zone and Caudalie products.
I will also be looking at how I compare to my graduate attributes and transferable skills from last year and which ones I can continue to work on. I can use my SWOT analysis to help with this by identifying my strengths and weaknesses.
In terms of practical and real world learning, I will be reflecting on my progress in the spa and in my practical sessions during and after the transition from Elemis to Comfort Zone and Caudalie products.
Wednesday, 5 April 2017
Graduate Attributes
Graduate attributes are skills and attitudes that a student develops in their time at an institution such as university. In this section, I will be discussing the attributes feel that I have improved, and which I feel I could develop further.
Assertiveness: When studying a management degree, it is important to know importance of managing people effectively in order to get the highest levels of productivity. I believe I am a fairly assertive person, however, I sometimes need to learn to manage this and know how and when to use it. To do this, I applied for a supervisor position in the Devonshire Spa so that I could improve this as well as an array of other skills, such as problem solving and leadership. After being successful in my application, I found myself using tips that I had picked up from colleagues, as well as using my own knowledge on how to work with and lead a team.
Networking: Networking has always been a struggle for me. This year I made a conscious effort to involve myself more in the Buxton Spa and Wellness Conference, in order to build my confidence. To do this I made sure that I spoke to some of the visiting professionals, such as employees from Caudalie.
Industry networking day was not as successful as I had hoped. This was due to the fact that there were not many companies there that I was too interested in as I was looking for more international opportunities. When reflecting on this, I feel as though I could have gone to speak to more of the representatives in practice for the future. However, I did speak to the representative from Nielson holidays, who I had also spoken to at the conference. I found this to be very helpful in learning how to approach people in a professional manner.
Commercial Awareness: This is a skill that I feel I have improved a lot in the past few years. I am always curious as to how a business works and how it can be improved in order to get the most out of its product or service. This year I have been working in the Devonshire spa, and I have also been working as a bartender in a local bar. Having the two jobs has allowed me to see how two completely different businesses work and what steps each need to do in order to continue improving.
By being in a supervisor role, I have given myself the opportunity to work more closely with guests and hear their suggestions after their visits, as well as be in a position to act on them.
Professional Development: This year I feel much more confident in my professional development. For example, as talked about previously, I made sure to get more involved in the Spa and Wellness Conference. I also put myself forward to be a university representative at Professional Beauty in London. Unfortunately I was not successful in my application, but the initial application was a confidence booster for me, as last year I would not have thought I had enough experience or knowledge to be involved.
Problem Solving: My problem solving skills have improved this year due to my new role in the spa. I have had to deal with situations such as staff sickness, lateness and guests arriving when they were not on the booking system. All of these events require quick thinking and initiative so that other problems do not arise in the process. This includes calling in therapists to cover, moving around columns as best I can so that treatments do not have to be cancelled or moved and finding space for guests not previously booked in and offering discount or goody bags for the inconvenience.
Team Working: All previous jobs I have been in have involved working in a team, whether its a restaurant team or a retail team. When working in a team, it is important to not just stick to your own jobs, but to make people aware that you are there to help them too if they need it. However, this is not to say that people should delegate their own jobs to other people. It is extremely important to pull your own weight in order to get all jobs done efficiently. As a supervisor I have been able to delegate tasks effectively to my team as well as get involved myself with jobs around the spa, and then focussing on other tasks such as cashing up and making sure the administration jobs are completed by the end of the shift. Team working is essential in every level of a business in order for it to run smoothly throughout, this includes communication through every level.
Leadership: Leadership is a skill that i find comes quite naturally to me. However, along with assertiveness, I am constantly learning how to hone it and use it to my advantage at all times. I am constantly using my leadership skills when down in spa, either as a therapist or a supervisor, this could be either through helping first years or new weekend team to get to grips with certain products or treatments, or helping to expand their knowledge on ow reception works e.g. making bookings, taking payments etc.
Confidence Building: My confidence is something that I have always had to work on. I have never been someone who believes in themselves, therefore missing out on certain opportunities, such as not applying for a supervisory position earlier in the year when I know now that I probably would have thrived in the position. This year however, I have definitely found that I have been able to build my confidence in different ways, including getting more involved in lectures, and pushing myself in both of my work environments.
Assertiveness: When studying a management degree, it is important to know importance of managing people effectively in order to get the highest levels of productivity. I believe I am a fairly assertive person, however, I sometimes need to learn to manage this and know how and when to use it. To do this, I applied for a supervisor position in the Devonshire Spa so that I could improve this as well as an array of other skills, such as problem solving and leadership. After being successful in my application, I found myself using tips that I had picked up from colleagues, as well as using my own knowledge on how to work with and lead a team.
Networking: Networking has always been a struggle for me. This year I made a conscious effort to involve myself more in the Buxton Spa and Wellness Conference, in order to build my confidence. To do this I made sure that I spoke to some of the visiting professionals, such as employees from Caudalie.
Industry networking day was not as successful as I had hoped. This was due to the fact that there were not many companies there that I was too interested in as I was looking for more international opportunities. When reflecting on this, I feel as though I could have gone to speak to more of the representatives in practice for the future. However, I did speak to the representative from Nielson holidays, who I had also spoken to at the conference. I found this to be very helpful in learning how to approach people in a professional manner.
Commercial Awareness: This is a skill that I feel I have improved a lot in the past few years. I am always curious as to how a business works and how it can be improved in order to get the most out of its product or service. This year I have been working in the Devonshire spa, and I have also been working as a bartender in a local bar. Having the two jobs has allowed me to see how two completely different businesses work and what steps each need to do in order to continue improving.
By being in a supervisor role, I have given myself the opportunity to work more closely with guests and hear their suggestions after their visits, as well as be in a position to act on them.
Professional Development: This year I feel much more confident in my professional development. For example, as talked about previously, I made sure to get more involved in the Spa and Wellness Conference. I also put myself forward to be a university representative at Professional Beauty in London. Unfortunately I was not successful in my application, but the initial application was a confidence booster for me, as last year I would not have thought I had enough experience or knowledge to be involved.
Problem Solving: My problem solving skills have improved this year due to my new role in the spa. I have had to deal with situations such as staff sickness, lateness and guests arriving when they were not on the booking system. All of these events require quick thinking and initiative so that other problems do not arise in the process. This includes calling in therapists to cover, moving around columns as best I can so that treatments do not have to be cancelled or moved and finding space for guests not previously booked in and offering discount or goody bags for the inconvenience.
Team Working: All previous jobs I have been in have involved working in a team, whether its a restaurant team or a retail team. When working in a team, it is important to not just stick to your own jobs, but to make people aware that you are there to help them too if they need it. However, this is not to say that people should delegate their own jobs to other people. It is extremely important to pull your own weight in order to get all jobs done efficiently. As a supervisor I have been able to delegate tasks effectively to my team as well as get involved myself with jobs around the spa, and then focussing on other tasks such as cashing up and making sure the administration jobs are completed by the end of the shift. Team working is essential in every level of a business in order for it to run smoothly throughout, this includes communication through every level.
Leadership: Leadership is a skill that i find comes quite naturally to me. However, along with assertiveness, I am constantly learning how to hone it and use it to my advantage at all times. I am constantly using my leadership skills when down in spa, either as a therapist or a supervisor, this could be either through helping first years or new weekend team to get to grips with certain products or treatments, or helping to expand their knowledge on ow reception works e.g. making bookings, taking payments etc.
Confidence Building: My confidence is something that I have always had to work on. I have never been someone who believes in themselves, therefore missing out on certain opportunities, such as not applying for a supervisory position earlier in the year when I know now that I probably would have thrived in the position. This year however, I have definitely found that I have been able to build my confidence in different ways, including getting more involved in lectures, and pushing myself in both of my work environments.
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