Christine Collins

Maryann Conrad

Internship Reflection Paper

16 December 2020

The hospitality industry has taken a devasting hit during COVID. Every sector of the

industry has been affected, especially hotels. Many people are wary of cleanliness and sanitation

practices on a regular basis, never mind in the middle of a pandemic. For some employees, they

rely on getting scheduled as many hours as they can so they can afford to pay their bills and feed

their families. 85% of employees in the hospitality industry are paid on an hourly basis (Ross,

2020). Decreased business means less help needed which leads to furloughs, cuts to hours, and

layoffs. On top of that, hotels on the whole are struggling to stay in business. It is difficult to

measure trends in the hospitality industry as we have entered into unforeseen circumstances.

Next year, we will have plenty of data to analyze and learn from so we can be better prepared for

conditions similar to these in the future.

The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) mentions that 71% of hotels that

are currently in businesses will not be able to afford to stay open through COVID without more

relief from the government. The President and CEO of AHLA, Chip Rogers, states that “Every

hour Congress doesn’t act hotels lose 400 jobs. As devastated industries like ours desperately

wait for Congress to come together to pass another round of COVD-19 relief legislation, hotels

continue to face record devastation. Without action from Congress, half of U.S. hotels could

close with massive layoffs in the next six months” (AHLA, 2020). This is an eye-opening

statement. With much less people traveling/able to afford traveling in the current climate,
revenue is at a record low. These massive layoffs mean that unfortunately a General Manager

might lose a strong, loyal employee because they just cannot afford to keep all of their staff.

The Publick House is such a unique property. Before starting my internship, I had never

visited the property. I had heard nothing but great things about it, so my curiosity was peaked.

One of my biggest challenges was learning the layout of the property so I could help give

directions to guests and explain where they would be staying. I am not the best with direction to

begin with. One slow night, Carol, the Front Desk Supervisor, had me take a walking tour of the

property with a map so I could familiarize myself with the layout. It is funny to think back to

when I started and had no idea where I was going. Now, especially after having to search

through the housekeeping closets to bring things to guest rooms, I know more than most people

about the property.

Tucked away in downtown Sturbridge, the Publick House is in a fantastic location. It is a

short drive off of the Mass Pike and close to Worcester. There are excellent local places like The

Duck in walking distance that make staying at the Publick House even more appealing. Guests

tend to love or hate the rooms in the main inn and the Country Motor Lodge because they are

older and somewhat outdated. However, there are plenty of guests who request these rooms

because they want to experience the historical charm. The Tillyer house, the newest building on

the property, is home to a fitness room and spa on the lower level. I would have to say that my

favorite building is the Chamberlain House, which I learned was renovated as it used to be an old

farmhouse. I fell in love with its charm and modern amenities.

While looking up information about the Publick House, I came across an article that

mentioned one of the chefs from the Publick House. The Executive Chef, Kenneth (Ken)
O’Keefe, served as a guest judge for the Chopped!Worcester competition held in October of last

year. (Houle, 2019). This further demonstrates that the Publick House is a staple of the

Sturbridge Community.

Because of its location, the Publick House has some direct competition. For example,

there is a Comfort Inn & Suites right down the road. If a guest is looking to book a room for a

night or two, they may be more likely to book at the Comfort Inn because the rates are usually a

bit cheaper. The front desk keeps tabs on the rates of hotels in the surrounding areas. This can be

done by a simple Google search. I got to help change some of the rates in the system. I mostly

lowered rates during the winter months of January-March when business tends to be slower, the

weather being a major determining factor of whether or not guests can physically travel.

Weekends have a higher rate than weekdays and when there are events booked, rates also

increase. Guests may be attracted to the Publick House for its grandeur, but money is the bottom

line for some.

The main goal of my internship was to learn about working at the front desk of a hotel. I

spent the majority of my time behind the desk helping serve guests and learning about the

behind-the-scenes that goes into daily operations at a hotel. I was never responsible for my own

shift; I was always shadowing someone. It gave me a chance to observe everything a little more

closely because my job was to watch and learn. Even if I made a mistake, there was always

someone there to correct me. I like to learn how to do things the right way, so I always

appreciate feedback, both positive and negative.

I learned a lot about managing revenue, which is not something that I had prior

experience with. I was shown how to complete weekly and monthly sales forecasts. This is
important because we can analyze how business is fluctuating. When it comes to money, it is

essential that accurate and chronological records are kept, especially when dealing with cash.

The drawer is counted every night and needs to reflect the right amount. Accountability and

honesty are absolutely necessary, even more than ever during a time when many guests and

companies are strapped for cash. Accidents happen, but the sooner an issue comes to light the

sooner it can be resolved.

One of the strengths of the Publick House is the dedication to quality service. After

shadowing all of the departments on property, I can confidently say that the employees of the

Publick House treat their fellow co-workers and guests with respect. In addition, friendliness can

be seen throughout every department. Since I am also an HR major, Michelle printed out a copy

of the “New Hire” packet for me to keep. In it was the Mission Statement of the Publick House.

After taking some business courses I know all about mission statements, but I never payed

attention to them in the real world. I was interested to see what the Publick House holds near and

dear to them. Their Mission Statement is: “From our Publick House family to your Family; It is

our mission to welcome you, our guests, and home to the true experience of Yankee Hospitality,

providing you with comfort, kindness and warmth. We pride ourselves in delivering exceptional

guest service and superior quality fare. We will continue in the Publick House tradition of being

a welcome respite on the road from Boston to Albany for weary travelers and local visitors. It is

our pleasure to assist you by exercising our time honored tradition of Home, Hearth and Family,

building and sharing memories for generations to come.” Even after interning for a brief period

of time, I have witnessed the goals outlined in the Mission Statement being met.
 A weakness of the Publick House that I observed is that there can be a lack of

communication between the different departments, specifically between dining and lodging. It is

courteous when the person from dining arrives at the beginning of their shift to notify the person

at the front desk of their arrival. This way, if people call the front desk to make a dining

reservation, we can anticipate that there will be someone at the hostess station available to take

the call. Every call that comes through the front desk needs to be answered, and people are

frequently looking for hours of operation and/or to make a reservation. When the host/hostess for

the evening does not let the front desk know of their whereabouts, this can result in lost business

and frustration between the employees and guests. Frustration is often a result of

miscommunication; I have been exposed to this through working at Starbucks. The priority is to

figure out what the guest wants and then we can act accordingly and as efficiently as possible.

When everyone is accounted for, this can be achieved.

A question I am often asked as a young college student is, “what do you want to do with

your life after school?” In all honesty, I am still not entirely sure. Before coming to college, I

was pretty set on going to work at a standard 9-5 job. I like structure when it comes to classes

and work, so I figured going to a business school would provide me with the routine I was

looking for. Once I finished my Freshman and Spring Semester of my Sophomore year, I

realized that I wanted, and needed, more than that. I realized that I was capable of so much more

than I was giving myself credit for. This is the reason that I am so involved on campus; I need to

be kept busy. It is so hard for me to “slow down” and take a break, I need to know that I am

making a difference. While I was interning at the Publick House this semester, I feel like I made

a difference. Of course, there were a few hiccups along the way, some of them out of anyone’s

control like an internal plumbing issue. Meeting guests from near and far, young and old, is what
made the experience worth it for me. It was certainly nice to gain the technical experience from

using roomMaster, and learning how hotels collect and organize guest information, but I gained

so much knowledge from having conversations. Overall, this experience has taught me how to

stay calm and organized when handling situations and how to create a positive guest experience.

A front desk position provides structure with some flexibility, so I will be keeping it in mind as a

possible career. I am excited to see what opportunities present themselves to me going forward.
 References

AHLA. (2020). Survey: 71% of hotels won’t survive another six months without further

government COVID relief. American Hotel & Lodging Association |

AHLA. https://www.ahla.com/press-release/survey-71-hotels-wont-survive-another-six-

months-without-further-government-covid

Houle, B. M. (2019, August 30). Chopped!Worcester returns in October. telegram.com. 

https://www.telegram.com/news/20190830/choppedworcester-returns-in-october

Ross/Chief Officer of Hotel Effectiveness, D. (2020, April 13). The economic impact of

COVID-19 on the hotel industry. Hospitality

Technology. https://hospitalitytech.com/economic-impact-covid-19-hotel-industry