Kevin Siegrist’s Post

Over the summer, I completed a three-month-long internship with Columbia Hospitality as a Sales and Events Intern at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center. This was my first in-person internship experience and I couldn't have had a better time. I got the opportunity to work across various departments at Bell Harbor, and I'm leaving with three vital takeaways. 1. "You should always be turning water into wine." I spent some time with Kevin Siegrist during my internship, and one thing I'll never forget is how much he spoke about turning water into wine. In Hospitality, an industry with such fine margins, sales professionals must ALWAYS be looking for ways to separate themselves from the competition. Having spent time with Kevin, and watching how he conducts himself over Sales Calls and Site Tours, it's clear that this is one of his guiding principles, and I hope to make it into one of my own. 2. Systems, Systems, Systems. Prior to beginning my internship, I wasn't sure what to expect. I certainly didn't expect to be asked to assist our set-up team with room preparation, but I am so thankful that I was. This granted me time with Mr. Evan Burton. Evan is without a doubt, the most efficient man I have ever gotten the chance to spend time with. Every single room I entered had a specific way to be set-up, and a specific way to be torn down for it to take the least amount of time and labor. This efficiency is what EVERY workplace strives for across all departments. Evan understands everything that is happening at the conference center in a particular month, as well as the gaps that he and his team have to flip and set-up rooms. 3. The importance of a SERVICE culture. In an industry that's as competitive as Hospitality, you need to separate yourself from the competition by any means possible. At Columbia Hospitality, it starts with the powerful SERVICE culture that's prevalent throughout the entire company. Starting at the very top level with Founder John Oppenheimer and CEO Brian Flaherty. A powerful culture sets the correct tone, establishes values, and ultimately guides company decisions. This commitment to service applies to all three key stakeholders. Not just the customer, but also team members and external investors. Overall, my time at Bell Harbor is one that I will never forget. Special thanks to Kelly DiNapoli and Camila Ormachea for being amazing first points of contact throughout the entire experience. Massive shoutout to my fellow interns Jacob Uradnik and Alex Harrison who were a privilege to work alongside. Thank you for an awesome summer! #internship #hospitality #bellharbor #columbiahospitality #akpsi

What does #diversity mean to you? Many people think of race or gender/sexual orientation but it's more than that. It includes people with different skills sets and abilities and is one of the elements that make working in hospitality always interesting. #TheAnaheimHotel #OCGoodwill #DevelopmentalAbilities #OvercomeBarriers #Employment. https://lnkd.in/gsTmsG-d

Summertime and the livin’ is easy … but our interns sure worked hard! These emerging young professionals are part of The Johnson Group's 2024 cohort of 25 interns from nine colleges and universities, and they spent the past three months immersed in meaningful responsibilities while turning classroom theories into real-world practice. Just before everyone headed back to school — or, in some cases, moved into full-time jobs with us — we gathered ‘round for a quick Q&A. The full chat is on our news blog https://lnkd.in/e_viG9fH and here are a few of our favorite takeaways: The structured programs ensured that 𝒘𝒆 𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒆𝒅𝒈𝒆 and valuable experience. ~ Jacob Collins 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒍𝒐𝒕𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚, which not only enhanced my learning and experience but also made my work truly impactful. ~ Jackson Crump The opportunity to work in such a supportive atmosphere 𝒈𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒇𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝑰 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒆𝒅 to get my work done and not be afraid to ask questions. ~ Diana Fajardo 𝑰𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒇𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒅 displayed on the properties’ websites, social media, and even in the hotels themselves. ~ Taylor Gravley 𝑰 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑮𝒖𝒊𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝑰 𝒈𝒐. They have had such a great impact on how I think, act, and interact with other people. ~ Carson Kneisley I was able to be part of a variety of projects, 𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆 𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒆𝒕𝒔, and understand the depth of each role within marketing. ~ Charlotte Lassiter I had the opportunity to travel to various markets across the country, which 𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒂 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒂 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒆. ~ Elizabeth Marshall 𝑰 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒆 and the inner workings of a business than I have in any class. ~ Finn Reid 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒂 𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒅𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒍 𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒕𝒔, learning first-hand how OTO’s hotels are run and financed. ~ Caleb Sampson This internship has 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒚 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒆𝒍𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒆. ~ Ford Webb #ExcellentHotelsExceptionalPeople #OTODevelopment #TheJohnsonGroup #DevelopingNewTalent #Internships #HospitalityWorks #CareersAtOTO

I Quit My First Internship Within 3 Days – And It Was the Best Decision Ever! As they say, failures are the biggest teachers of your life. There is something good always hidden in the face of adversaries. During my graduation, there was a mandatory 2 months of internship as part of the curriculum. As it was my very first experience of corporate life, I was very nervous for the same. However, when one of the biggest hotel chains called me for an internship offer, I was thrilled with the prospect of learning about the hotel industry from the experts. My first day went by smoothly in orientation and the document formalities. After that, I was allotted the bakery section to work in. The bakery of that hotel was situated in the underground where my phone caught no network and not to mention the never-ending working hours. The interns were treated no less than grade 4 workers. I could not tolerate any more and left the internship in between and got to learn the 2 biggest lessons of my life! - KNOW YOUR WORTH - Recognize your value and don’t settle for less. TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS: If something feels wrong, it probably is. Trust your gut and have the courage to walk away. Shortly after, I secured another internship where I thrived, learned immensely, and felt valued. Tell me if you have gone through something like that in the comments and like if you connected with the story. #internship #hotel_industry #academic_life #failures #LifeLessons #BoldDecisions #SelfDiscovery

Happy National Intern Day to our incredible intern, Janjay G., who would like to share some tips for future interns, drawn from her personal experience over her past month at Rosewood! 💡🌟   Please stay tuned for more insightful content from Janjay!   #Rosewood #RosewoodFamilyOfCompanies #Family #Intern #Internship #Tips #Growth #Experience #Reel #Reels #View #Watch

Our national accounts marketing intern, Emma Julian, is here to share some insights about her journey to becoming a Zurich North America intern! Watch this video to learn about why she chose Zurich, interview tips, lessons learned this summer and more. #intern #internship #summerinternship #corporateinternship #marketingintership #officelife

Our national accounts marketing intern, Emma Julian, is here to share some insights about her journey to becoming a Zurich North America intern! Watch this video to learn about why she chose Zurich, interview tips, lessons learned this summer and more. #intern #internship #summerinternship #corporateinternship #marketingintership #officelife

🏖️ Life lessons from (working at) the beach 🌊 I love this WSJ article. I’ve been shocked at how many students are doing internships, even before freshman year — and every summer of college. I learned a lot (and had fun) being a line cook and waiting tables at the beach, doing maintenance work in a state park, and being a camp counselor. Whenever I meet ambitious interns, whom I DO applaud, I encourage them to spend the “other half” of their summer doing a job similar to the ones mentioned in this article - or a whole summer. I DID do an internship, but it was between my junior and senior years. Two Quotes: 1️⃣ "Working in a restaurant or store is a master class in human interaction. You learn how to respond to irrationality, to prickliness, to demanding or fickle desires, to unruly or unfair criticisms, which are highly useful skills to master when you are young. You are exposed to a variety of colorful strangers. You figure out how to manage all kinds of situations. And, of course, learning to navigate people is something you need in every profession, in every walk of life." 2️⃣ "As someone who reads applications for graduate school, I view experience waiting tables or working in a store as a huge plus. It telegraphs something about work ethic or life experience that jobs conspicuously obtained through fancy connections or elite positioning don’t. I never find myself thinking, why hasn’t this person interned at the Museum of Modern Art? I don’t want to play down the wildly unfair advantages accruing to the well-connected, but they are not always the strongest candidates, or the ones who will thrive."

💫Elevating My Internship: The Power of Presentation (Aesthetic Labour) 💫 During my internship at Pempamsie Hotel I learned that in the hospitality industry, presentation is everything. Here's how I took matters into my own hands to raise the bar: • Uniform Upgrade ✔️ - The existing standard wasn’t quite professional. - I decided to create my own uniform, which included: - Tailored apron - Name tag - Tie - All the essential details to elevate my appearance • Looking the Part ✔️ - I wanted my look to reflect the high-quality service I provided. - This upgrade made me feel more confident and helped enhance my guest interactions. • Impact on Guest Experience✔️ - In hospitality, the way you present yourself impacts guest satisfaction just as much as your service. - The small changes I made had a big impact on how guests perceived my professionalism. •Lesson Learned ✔️ - Sometimes you have to create the standardyou want to see. - Taking ownership of your role, no matter how small, can make a big difference in how you’re perceived and how you perfor #Hospitality #Professionalism #InternshipExperience #FoodandBeverage #CustomerService #HospitalityManagement #PersonalGrowth #AestheticLabour #PempamsieHotel #LookingGoodandSoundingRight #HospitalityInternship #Digitalcreation #Personalblogging #Capcut #CapcutCreation

Where in the world will your Les Roches internships take you?🌎 While learning theory is important, putting it into practice is what makes the difference in hospitality. Immersing yourself in new countries and cultures while gaining valuable work experience takes this to the next level. That’s why we make professional internships an integral part of our Bachelor’s programs. So what can you look forward to in these jet-setting internship experiences? Dive into our latest article to explore this exciting global experience! 🌟 🔗 https://brnw.ch/21wKgUo #Hotels #Travel #HospitalityManagement #DigitalTransformation #Hospitality #GeneralManager