I just returned from the Hilton Deerfield after meeting with the General Manager, Director of Revenue Management, and Director of Human Resources. I will be starting on Monday interning with the Director of Revenue Management, Mr. Fernando Montilla. I am really looking forward to this chance to work directly with the management team of Hilton. I believe that I will get a great experience and learn a lot about the business.

Since I left the Resort in Singer Island I have been looking for an internship in Revenue Management. It is part of the industry that interests me and there are tons of job opportunities available, and not enough individuals to fill them. I was going to work at the Ritz Carlton and then they were unable to host me. I was looking into the Boca Raton Resort and Club and my schedule didn’t work. I finally was able to set something up with the Atlantic. When I was hired I was going to be working for one person then I received a call a week later saying they were no longer employed. Nevertheless, my internship is going really well.

I worked 9am-5pm on Wednesday and Thursday. On Wednesday I was able to sit in on the weekly departmental meeting with the General Manager. Iworked with Accounts Receivable on verifying refunds that the resort provided. If the Atlantic offered a refund, I needed to go into Galaxy (POS system) and confirm that they actually paid for something originally. Later on in the day two guests called disputing charges on their credit cards so I had to go into the Night Audit reports to find the actual receipts that show that the guest signed.

On Thursday I worked on a mail merge for the unit owners and continued to do more refund verifying. However, towards the middle of the day I worked with the revenue manager on room blocking and putting in a rooming list into the system. I was able to view the star report which tells the Atlantic how they are doing compared to last year in the area of RevPar, ADR, and Occupancy. I concluded the day working on a database that included rooms sold, ADR, and total revenue across all rate schedules in 2007. Using that data I would create a graph to show how it has changed over time.

So far it is pretty neat and I am learning a lot of new things…

After that I tried something at the Boca Resort and Club, but with my intense schedule at the end of the semester it was a challenge to get something started. This semester I finally got one lined up. I just received the paperwork from the hotel and I am really looking forward to it. I will be working at the Atlantic Resort and Spa in Fort Lauderdale.

After recently working with Dr. Downey on created the Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals Club (HFTP) on campus, engaging in an internship in revenue management is perfect. I will be the first individual in the Hospitality Management College to take part in an internship in the field of accounting.

As soon as I approached the front door at the Ritz I was welcomed by valet personnel that gave me a warm and friendly welcoming to the resort. I waited in the lobby until I was escorted to the Human Resource Department. At this time I was interviewed by the training director with the typical question interview. I believe it went really well. After working in the hospitality industry for 8 years, each question I had an example from my experience to explain. The interview really told me how perfect I am for the industry.

After the interview I met with Oliver and the Director of Reservations. It was very casual and completed in the lobby of the hotel. It was really a great opportunity for them to explain to me what they expected of me and where they would be utilizing my skills. It was also a time for them to find out what I expected to learn out of the internship. Both individuals were very welcoming, informative, friendly, and knowledgeable about their job and position at the Ritz. After the interview, I was given a tour of the property. The Ritz was built in 1991 and they are currently undergoing construction. The property was beautiful.