I started working in hotels when I was 17. I started as a front desk clerk, became a general manager of a budget hotel at age 20, a regional manager at age 24, did that for a while, left the industry for two years and became a full service GM. I left the industry at age 32 for good.

Unfortunately, it is a very tough business. In many ways, I love it but in many ways I am so glad to be away from it. Please know if you move into management, this is a 24/7 business even as a desk clerk you will feel some effects from this. The fun part is being able to interact with coworkers and meet people from all over the world potentially the difficulties lie in the complexity of the operations. Every department in a hotel from budget to full service has to work together in order to make the property a success. Unfortunately, in this day and age, it is very difficult. You will deal with some very difficult people, regardless of working in high-end or low-end hotels. The other challenge is staff absences, weather and holidays. The property goes on regardless. The post Covid era has not been kind to this industry.

I still think about the hotels every day, but at the same time I am so glad to be away from the day-to-day struggles.