From the very start, I feel I have been confident about where I want to go in my hospitality career. I came into this course excited to hear of many lodging possibilities and have been pleased to study them. But it really reaffirms my desire to work in the bed and breakfast area of the lodging industry. I did learn a lot in these last two weeks about this area, but also how I see things.
Reading about all the technology used in this sector sort of annoyed me. I know AI and applications are useful for owners, but all this technology, in my mind, removes a lot of the guest interaction possibilities. People going to a B&B want to escape in a quiet area. Part of that escape should be from technology. If a 6-room hotel is requiring their guests to enter their food choices in an app, there's no escape. Reading this has strengthened my resolve that technology should be used very judicially. It should never take the place of guest interaction. Apps could support guest experience, but it should never replace me asking a guest what they would like for breakfast. Guest service and providing the best experience is the core of who I am so this technology craze seems not part of how I would run things. I concede I need tech to secure bookings but that's about it. Guests can knock on my door if they need extra towels. Or, I suppose they can use the app but I would prefer they knock on my door.
Each case study, at least in the rubric, has asked us to think about the KPIs. I really was resistant to worrying about those for a small B&B that I'd like to run. And I think there's something there. But I do need to consider some sort of numbers for my business. Maybe Guest Satisfaction and occupancy. But really, in my ideal world, the profits I get from running my business would be calm and consistent. I would work my butt off to keep occupancy high and guest satisfaction in the green, but I don't see myself worrying too much about RevPAR. Maybe I need to rethink that.
I am strong in guest service and service recovery; I get to practice that each shift at Disney. I am good at working alone or in a small team. I think I need to strengthen my skills in the accounting / business side of it. Though I wish for a simple life running a B&B I realize that running a B&B also includes the non-fun stuff of management.