To You, On Your First Day Working in Hospitality

Well, today’s the day. 

It’s so exciting, isn’t it? To start something new. 

To meet new people, be in new places, and learn new things. You’ve been dreaming about doing something that involves all these things. You’ve been looking for a way to make people happy by doing what you love. 

And let me just tell you, you got that part right.

The first couple of months will be tough. I’m not going to lie to you. 

You’ll see so many different faces that it will be hard to remember everyone’s name. But don’t worry—they’ll all become your family soon enough. 

Your schedule is going to flip your routine upside down. You’ll get used to getting up when it’s dark and getting home when it’s still dark. You’ll lose track of time because you must see what the world is like at different times. What it’s like to work in a hotel early in the morning when no one’s awake, and what it’s like to serve in a restaurant during a busy Saturday night. You’ll appreciate working as a team and learning to trust yourself enough to be a leader when you have to.

You’re going to make mistakes—so many of them. But don’t worry, because that’s how you learn. Every mistake is just an opportunity with the right attitude. Nobody is born knowing how to take orders from a 12-top. And no one is born knowing how to make the perfect cappuccino or check-in a guest. 

Ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask and learn. Some people have been exactly in the same shoes you’re wearing, and they’re paving the way for you. 

Call people by their names. Coworkers, guests, and customers. Acknowledge them and make them feel seen. It makes all the difference, I promise.

Oh! An important one. Drink water. Take a break whenever you can. Time flies by and you won’t remember when was the last time you ate something. So go ahead! It’s essential to take care of yourself before taking care of others.

And as days pass, you’ll realize how the smallest act of kindness can turn around any situation and become extraordinary. All it takes is enthusiasm and one step. One random act of kindness a day will go even further than you think. 

After the first couple of weeks and months pass by, you will be so proud of yourself.

Why? Because hospitality is a tough industry, it requires you to get outside of your comfort zone every single day. It also allows you to grow and learn things you probably never would’ve considered. 

But the feeling you’ll get right before bed every night is worth it. You’ll have a flashback of the family that said you were the highlight of their trip. You’ll see the couple who stayed for the weekend and became your lifelong friends. You’ll see the faces of the guests light up and smile every time you bring food to their table.

You’ll see people be happy. Because when you work in hospitality, you get to make magic with the little things. You’ll realize how hospitality brings people together. 

If you think about it, when you work in this industry, you get to be behind the scenes of the most important moments in people’s lives—someone’s wedding day, birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and so on.

And when you least expect it, you’ll notice how the world starts to look different.

You’ll eat at restaurants on your days off, smile and talk to the kitchen staff on your way in, and thank them for the food on your way out. 

You’ll be so much more grateful next time you stay at a hotel because you know the amount of effort behind every single detail. 

You’ll become a much more appreciative person towards the world. You’ll look for kindness more often than you do for anything else. 

Because, at the end of the day, working in hospitality opens doors for you in every way. 

It opens the door to new perspectives, friendships, family members, work opportunities, and a new you. After a whole year, you’ll be an updated version of yourself, ready to take on new challenges because of what you learned by working in hospitality. 

So don’t be afraid to start this journey. It’ll be filled with ups and downs and a few bumps along the way, but hey, that’s what life is all about! 

Open your heart and let people see who you are. That’s the key to getting into their hearts and reaching hospitality’s goal: to make people feel at home. 

You’ve got this. Now, go and clock in!