In the article “New Hotel Checkout Time: Anytime You Want” written by Charu Sur, in the New York Times Travel section mentions a new beginning of the very few hotels in different cities that are turning over a new leaf on the checkout policies. Hotels such as the Yotel, are now introducing late-checkout pricing plans and a new app that allows guests to choose any of the late-checkout plans offered at the hotel. Other hotels such as the Patina Hotel & Resorts, The Absalon, Peninsula Hotels, and the Capella offer a 24-hour stay, where guest can stay and go whenever they want. I believe that this new change will benefit those who travel frequently and book hotels to stay at during their travels. Having the option to checkout when you can without being forced and/or scheduled to can really make a guest feel more at home as oppose to being told when you have to leave. A guest should always feel comfortable wherever it is that they are staying at, and if hotels are making changes like these, then I believe they are looking out for the guest best interest during their stay. Giving guest the power to checkout when they want, can possibly turn them into returning guest, satisfied guest who will help hotel ratings increase, and that’s what many people review before selecting the hotel they wish to stay at. Changing the checkout policies within the hotel industry in my opinion is a very smart move and I think that it will allow many hotel businesses to progress and become better. Hopefully this new policy can reach all hotels soon, I’m sure there would be a lot more business if it does. I know that I would definitely start staying at hotels if this new policy is introduced to them all.

Hello to all my City-Tech classmates, I am proud to say that I’m finally back at school and here to stay! Unfortunately I was unable to attend school for a whole year preparing for the arrival of my beautiful little girl, who made her special appearance last September! Now that I am back, I am ready to focus and see through my goals that I have set for myself in the next years to come at City-Tech as an undergraduate in the Hospitality Management department. I am on a journey to gain many academic experiences in college due to the fact that I have very little of it. So far in my academic career I have graduated early from The James Baldwin High School in January 2013, and took a year off from school. January of 2014 I began to attend City-Techs spring semester for my freshman year and although I did not complete my very first semester because of my pregnancy, I did enjoy myself during the time I had attended school. Having had been away for a whole year I had time to thoroughly think about the goals that I would like to accomplish when I returned to school, here’s a few:
1. COMPLETE your very first semester!
2. Arrive on time (if any attendance issues pop up, ALWAYS communicate them to the professor)
3. Do NOT be afraid to ask for help
4. Be open-minded and try new things
5. Rest up, so that I can remain focused in class
6. Study!
7. Network with my peers
8. Say YES to any given opportunities
Okay, so maybe that was more than a few, but you see the point. I am determined to check off each and every one of these goals this semester and I will continue to have these goals and many others added on to the list as I work my way to earning my bachelors degree. Overall, these are the few academic experiences and goals that I have.
I’ve been working since I was fourteen years old, so I definitely have a few different career experiences under my belt; none of which had anything to do with the hospitality industry up until this summer. I’ve been a youth worker at a children’s day care assisting teachers with two-three year old kids. I’ve also worked mostly in customer service and retail, having positions at AMC Lowes, Journey’s, and Zara; as well as many receptionist jobs. I’ve looked for a job within the hospitality industry for a very long time and I was fortunate enough to finally get a job this summer hosting at a restaurant. Reflecting on these many experiences, I must say that I honestly do enjoy everything but retail. My career goal is undecided at the moment, though I have a few ideas of what I may like to do in the future I have not officially made a decision, and that’s okay. I want to be able to take in everything that I learn these next few years in the hospitality department and then, when it is all over, decide what I want to do most. Or what I want to do FIRST! The most important career goal that I have is to make sure that I am completely happy with whatever it is that I end up doing in the future.
There are many things about myself that will help me achieve these academic and career goals. My personal strengths are, my determination, organization, leadership, communication skills, professional demeanor, and my sociable skills. These strengths that I have, I make sure to always present them in any and everything that I do. My personal strengths have always benefited me in life and I don’t see why they will fail me now.
With my personal strengths come my personal interests, because my strengths easily are shown when I am doing something that interests me most. It’s immediate; I put my all into the things that I enjoy. Such as singing, I’ve been singing since I was seven years old. I also enjoy cooking, and special events, and meeting new people. I enjoy reading books, doing yoga, being a mother is what I love most and I really like to learn new things. Every now and then when something random pops up and I have some curiosity about it, I almost always go for it and try it out. My personal strengths and my personal interests will definitely shape my career in the future and this journey that I am on right now will only guide me to what that may be.