Field Trip Report

December 3, 2010

Sofitel: Philadelphia, PA

Christine McGeorge

 

    We were greeted by two women from the Human Resources team, I can't remember the name of the lead hostess however I do recall that her associate's first name was Christine, probably because her name was shared by me. The first stop on our tour was the Junior Suite on the fifth floor which was equipped with all the usual amenities like a bed (Queen Size), television (Flat Screen), and a bathroom (that was fit for royalty). It was adorned with wood furniture and panels, an office desk, and "French" doors that separate the bedroom from the living room. Then, we visited the Standard King; I think it was on the same floor which consisted of the same amenities I mentioned about the Junior Suite except that it didn't have an office feel. Also, like the Junior Suite, the Standard King suite had all wood pieces in the room, fresh flowers in the bathroom, and goose-down pillows; all of which are a staple of every room. Then, it was off to the Fitness Center on the fourth floor where each treadmill has its own personal television attached, fresh apples, and although I didn't see one I suspect a personal trainer.

Finally, we were lead to the third floor which is where we began our tour of the back-of-house. First, we had to take the employee elevator to the eighth floor where the Banquet/Pastry Kitchen was in the process of making French pastry like Croissants. Next, we walked on by the employee locker rooms to the laundry room where the bedding and towels were laundered and ironed with a flat iron, and was told in response to the question of where the uniforms are cleaned were told that the hotel prefers to use a dry cleaners for the uniforms and guests clothing. Then, we visited the employee restaurant/dining hall which smelled distinctively like hotdogs. Finally, we wrapped up the tour of the offices for the Housekeeping Department where we learned that approximately 3500 to 5000 pounds of laundry were laundered in a day. Plus, each of the Housemen and Cleaning Ladies spend about thirty to thirty-five minutes cleaning each individual room, the linens are changed at the time of checkout, if a guest left any towels on the floor of the room it would immediately be changed, and that crayons, coloring books, and games are provided for any children of the guests.

Employment opportunities are updated on a weekly basis for hotels of the same brand all over the world. The Sofitel Hotel and its affiliates are very much into hiring from within the company so if an employee felt cooped up and needed to get they could just apply for a transfer to one of the affiliate hotels. All in all, I think it would be an excellent place to work and I could take the train in every day. Possible disadvantages that could arise for me, at least, are the dangers of possibly leaving work at night to take another train back home and the allure of all those French pastries might be too much for me to resist and I end up getting fatter than I currently am now.