A Letter to Myself: 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, to be in new places, to 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 gonna lie to you. 

You’re going to see so many different faces that is going to be hard to remember everyone’s name. But don’t worry, they’re all going to become your family soon enough. 

Your schedule is going to flip your routine upside down. You’re going to 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 need to 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’re going to make mistakes. So many of them. But don’t worry, because that’s how you learn. 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 how to check-in a guest. 

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

Call people by their names. Coworkers, guests, and customers. 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 important to take care of yourself before taking care of others.

After the first couple of weeks and months pass by, you’re going to be so proud of yourself.

Why? 

Because hospitality is a tough industry. It makes you get outside of your comfort zone every single day. It makes you grow, and it makes you learn things that you probably never would’ve thought. 

But the feeling that you’re going to get right before going to bed every night is so 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 turned into your friends. 

You’ll see the faces of the guests light up and smile when you brought their 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 get to be behind the scenes of the most important moments in people’s lives. 

The smallest act of kindness can turn around any situation and become extraordinary. 

All it takes is enthusiasm and one step. Just one random act of kindness a day will go even further than you think. 

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

You’ll go eat at restaurants on your days off and you’ll smile and talk to the kitchen staff on your way in, and you’ll 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, new friendships, new family members, new work opportunities, and a new you.

After a whole year, you’ll be Maria 2.0. 

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 french fries in between. 

You’ll see what I mean. 

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!