Awfully traditional - Marketing The Peninsula Hotels Employee Review

One of the best entry-level jobs you could ask for in this industry. The company does a great job of taking care of its staff. One of my favorite perks is the meals provided daily to employees via a full-fledged buffet-style breakroom featuring hot items, a salad bar, a cereal bar, an ice cream machine, and coffee and tea. It's a warm family vibe for the back-of-the-house employees, and it's something I miss and am glad to have been a part of.

It's a fast-paced environment, which is the nature of the business, but sometimes staffing gets overlooked, and you have to pick up the slack. Turnover is high for management, which isn't ideal for staff who have been there a long time, as they have to adjust to new personalities frequently.

I learned a lot, and most of my coworkers and upper management was amazing. Of course there are always rotten apples that try to spoil the bunch but they marginalized themselves in a dynamic workplace. It’s a stunning property, one that brings great pride to be a humble custodian of.

I was originally hired as a front desk intern that came with a hourly rate of $15. Within 3 months I proved my value enough to be relocated to the spa to help with the holiday gift card rush— so they said. I never ended up even learning how to issue a gift card since that is a union protected task for the lovely receptionists. I came to find out that one of the managers was about to start her pregnancy leave and they were going to cajole me into slotting into her spot at $15 an hour. I hoped that if I kept my head down and continued to prove my value that when I did ask for a raise to match my new responsibility that it wouldn’t get met with resistance. I had been the closing manager for 5 months at $15/hr. and over lunch with a male part time intern it is revealed to me that he is paid $20/hr when he decides to come in between school. I felt rightfully shafted and my morale was in the gutter. I did not use that information to leverage a better wage, I stood by my worth and when I spoke to leadership they blamed budgetary restraints, told me they would have to lay off someone to cover my increase, and 3 weeks later I got a pay increase of $20/hour. I quit a few months later because I couldn’t live with the resentment. I knew other assistant managers got benefits, a 6 figure salary, privileges, a seat at the table. I was used. I no longer work in hospitality since this experience.