Around 1999, in my 7th grade gifted-talented class, we had to do a project related to business/industry. I had always enjoyed visiting the grand hotels of Downtown San Antonio, Texas, mostly so I could ride in their cool elevators. (Pretty sure I’m a high-functioning autist, but that’s beside the point.) So, anyway, at the time, I found myself researching the 21-story Hilton Palacio del Rio Hotel. Built by H.B. Zachry of modular, pre-fabricated sections – almost like Lego blocks – it has a very interesting architectural history, tangential to Hemisfair ‘68. When I visited the property, a charismatic manager gave me a copy of Conrad Hilton’s memoir, “Be My Guest.” I may or may not have read the whole thing.
Fast forward to the Summer of 2005…when I was hired as a PBX Operator at the Hilton Austin, my first hotel job, ever! I remember walking into the soaring lobby, astounded by the front desk agents putting on a performance for guests they had never met before! Over the next twenty years, I would serve at various hotels in a number of roles, fine-tuning my hospitality skills along the way.
Except, after the pandemic, I often wondered whether I had died and gone to hell!? (I no longer have these thoughts, as hell would be WAY worse than this.) I should also note: none of the Hilton properties/subsidiaries I’ve worked at have ever treated me unfairly.
That being said, starting in 2022, I came to realize that the hotel industry is suffering from the effects of greed & unreasonable financial goals. Part of this is caused by online booking agencies, such as Expedia/Hotwire…these companies provide NO real service to hotel guests. They don’t feed them, they don’t make their beds, they don’t welcome them upon arrival. Nevertheless, they take a huge cut off the top of the initial room rates, because computers.
Management, faced with meeting these unattainable goals, therefore must push staff to work harder & faster, doing more with less. I call it, “death by a thousand [budget] cuts.” And it’s legal. Except when it ain’t. (e.g. Union Busting, Hostile Work Environments, and Harboring Aliens.)