Then at the end of the day I was allowed to check suite 2501, the royal suite.
The royal suite is huge, 780sqm to be exact. It has 4 bedrooms, a sitting room, kitchen and bar, elevator and 2 stairwells. All the suites in the hotel come with complimentary Hermes amenities but the royal suite has 4 sets, 2 men’s sets and 2 women’s. Each set costs 1400 Dhs so I can see why the prices of the rooms are so high! The rooms are decorated in lots of colour and my eyes never got bored of the colours of the rainbow being present in the curtains, carpets and bathrooms. My job was to find any items the previous guest had left. I had to look high and low for any faults in the room. Yet again the high standard of cleaning had been done and there was no problems. Just as I was leaving an awkward customer stopped me. He mocked me in front of his friends because I was new. I politely said ‘‘I’m very sorry sir’’ and left. It made me think what the staff must go through sometimes. I left at 6 30 pm and got a taxi home.
Day 3
On day 3 the day got off to a slow start. Our first job was to work in Suite Reservations. Here we only observed the ladies picking up the phones because we had not been trained. We did learn that if you smile when you speak, it sounds better to customers. We were also taught how to use Fidelio, the reservation system. Everyone who has stayed at the Burj Al Arab has an account on the Fidelio system. It shows the amount they have spent, their preferences, dislikes, personal information and contact details. This all helps in making the service given to the guest very personal and dedicated. At 11 am we left the suite reservations and met Alok again for our next job. We were assigned to assisting guests in any questions they had. We were positioned by the concierge desk At first we were both a bit nervous but after a while it became natural to go up to a guest and say ‘‘Good morning sir, may I assist you?’’ We also stood with the fresh towels and dates, which the guests receive upon arrival. At 1 pm we left for our lunch. While we were in the canteen we met a staff member who worked in the aquarium who said we could go up and see the aquarium the next day.
When we finished lunch we went back to the concierge desk and did exactly the same thing as before. I really enjoyed it. I think the reason I enjoyed it was because I got to help people and be in the public eye. When Shane and I weren’t helping guests we would talk to the other staff. We found out that most of them had been working at the Burj Al Arab since it’s opening in 1999. If they had worked since the opening they had been given a golden Burj Al Arab pin. All the staff said they really enjoyed working at the hotel because they had team leaders that they could communicate with. The team leaders are really nice people and will try their best to make everyone happy. When I asked the staff what was the biggest tip somebody had received from a guest they replied 20 000 Dhs!
I was amazed and so was Shane so we immediately got back to work so we could increase our chances of getting a 20 000 Dhs tip.
Day 4
The fourth day was going to be our hardest working day. We started in the Transport Department. We met our supervisor Olivier who told one of the chauffeurs to drive us in the Rolls Royce Silver Seraph and Phantom. Sane and I were so excited and could not wait to get into the cars. When we got to level B2 an even greater surprise lay on the tarmac. One Maybach, one Ferrari and one Mercedes were getting cleaned. They were owned by one of the guests who had been staying in the hotel for 8 months. When we looked inside the Ferrari the interior was red crocodile skin! The chauffer then took us for a drive in the Rolls Royce’s. The interior was perfectly polished and the car smelt brand new. This was because it was brand new. That day the Burj Al Arab had ordered 2 new Phantoms and we were the first guests. We felt so privileged just to be sitting in one, never mind one that just rolled of the production line. After our drive we went back up to Olivier and thanked him for giving us the opportunity. He then told us what our new job would be after lunch, Bell Attendant.
Shane and I came back from lunch and turned left into the Bell Attendants corridor to see a group of 15 men running around with suitcases. We met our supervisor George who told us all about the procedures. When a bag checks in it is first checked by a security man with an x-ray machine and then rushed up to the room by express elevator that can only be used by the Bell Attendants. The bags must reach the room eight minutes after the guest checks in. We thought it was easy enough but when it was our turn to try it we found out the opposite. We were running backwards and forwards trying to get peoples luggage to them as fast as possible. We were sweating by the end of the hour and couldn’t understand how the Bell Attendants withstood a 10 hour shift. When our shift ended at 6 we went down to the canteen for a long rest. Our feet were flat, shirts were wet with sweat and our bodies were aching all over! When I got home I had a nice bath and went to sleep at 8 30 pm.
Day 5
The final day had approached so fast and now I was getting ready to do everything for the last time. Last time to polish my shoes, last time to shave every morning, last time to get a taxi to work. When I arrived at work I met Shane and we went to our last department on our list, Butler Service. When we arrived we met our last supervisor Mr. Mahjoub. Shane and I were split up onto different floors. I was working the 23rd floor and Shane was working the 19th. I was paired up with a lady butler called Mary. She came from Sri Lanka and had worked in the Burj Al Arab since its opening. The butlers were trained by a butler academy in London. The role of the butler is to deliver highly personal assistance to guests and fulfil their wants and needs. We sat in the butlers pantry and waited for a guest to call and request something. We waited and waited and then finally 2301 needed and ironing board and Iron. Mary dashed to get the ironing board I got the iron. We placed everything on her trolley and she went and gave the guest the requested items. That was my last job in the Burj Al Arab. At 6pm I left after saying good-bye to everyone I had met. I walked through the revolving doors for the last time as a staff member.
My work experience has shown me what it is like to work a 10-hour day for a 5-day week. I have found out how tiring and demanding working for the hospitality business is. Work experience has given me the chance to get on the work scene and work with adults. I was given the same level of respect as everyone else. I did not only make new friends within the staff but I know now more about Shane than I did before the work experience week. The work experience was fun but very demanding. I have never worked so hard for so long. Yet saying that I have to say I would do it again any day. I now know what my parents feel like after a hard day at work. I will now help them around the house when they ask me and not be a spoilt teenager. The work experience week has helped me open my eyes and not be so selfish. I have learnt that if you work in a happy environment you will work better and that is what the Burj Al Arab provided me for the week.
