An innternship
at the Alexander Hamilton House lasts one week.
During that time, prospective innkeeper gets hands-on experience
running an eight guest room Victorian B&B, an hour north of
New York City, in Croton-on-Hudson, gateway to the historic Hudson
River Valley.
By way of introduction,
allow me to tell you something about our inn. It is a 7,000 square
foot Victorian, circa 1889, decorated to provide a romantic, comfortable
setting. All of our rooms have private baths, telephones with
answering machines and color, cable televisions. Five of the rooms
have fireplaces and two of these have two-person whirlpool tubs.
Guests have access to several large public rooms and usually eat
in our breakfast area, part of a large glass-enclosed sun-porch.
In summer, they also enjoy our in-ground pool. Breakfast is the
only meal served. We also hold English Cream Afternoon Teas for
charity regularly.
Many historic
homes, open to the public, are located within a twenty minute
radius of our inn, as well as, West Point, parks and mountains
for outdoor activities and a major discount shopper's outlet about
35 minutes from us. These attractions bring tourists from around
the world as well as weary weekenders escaping New York City,
under an hour's drive from our door. During the week, we host
many business travelers with interests in the local area.
Having a car here
will make it possible for the intern to fully enjoy the attractions
as well as getting a true picture of the area. Car rental is available
from a local agency.
Dress is variable.
During the working day, it is necessary to look presentable but
be comfortable enough to work. Nice jeans and a comfortable sweater
are O.K. It is important to make a good first impression, so a
change into something a little more formal is appropriate in the
afternoon, before guests start to check in. Wool or cotton slacks
or skirt with a nice blouse or sweater fit the bill. Restaurants
in the area range from casual to dressy. One nice outfit will
ensure comfort when out sampling local fare.
My innkeeper,
Cyd, and I share the bulk of innkeeping responsibilities. We have
a gardener, a handyman who gives us a day or two every quarter,
and two housekeepers who endeavor to keep our place clean and
ready for visitors.
We accept only
one intern or couple at a time. The week begins Sunday evening,
ending the following Sunday after breakfast. The intern is expected
to reserve a room at the weekly rate (seventh night free). In
addition, a charge of $250 for one or $350 for a couple is charge
for the internship. This includes breakfast and lunch each day
and plus one evening meal, usually the first Sunday.
During the course
of the week, the intern will have first hand experience in all
aspects of running the inn. This includes guest relations, sales
and marketing, food and beverage management, purchasing, inventory
control, personnel management, record keeping, bookkeeping and
payroll, housekeeping and maintenance, as well as, community relations
and strategic planning. Yes, this includes the fun stuff as well
as making sure the toilet bowel is clean. There are times when
staff members are ill, late or on vacation and the innkeeper must
know how to do it all. There will be some free time each day or
evening to relax and get to enjoy the area.
Cyd and I are
happy to discuss innkeeping, in general, with interns. However,
specific consulting related to other inns costs $75 an hour done
here, $400 a day plus expenses to make a site visit.
Innternships are
not moneymakers for us. They are a way of giving back to the industry
and helping others. Because having an intern consumes considerable
time, we limit the number of innternships to six per year. Those
serious about doing an innternship at the Alexander Hamilton House
need to fill out an application including the time periods desired.
If accepted, the intern must remit payment for the room and the
innternship within ten days of acceptance. This is not refundable.
If the innternship needs to be rescheduled, the payment will be
credited to that week proving we have seven days notice and are
able to re-book the room. Should the change happen at last minute
and we are not able to rebook the room, the innternship cost would
be credited to the new dates, the lodging cost would be payable
again.
| SAMPLE
WEEK |
| SUNDAY EVENING |
Arrive. Receive
materials about the Alexander Hamilton House and its environs.
Have dinner and spend the evening reading about the inn and
the area so that you are prepared to answer questions posed
by prospective guests when you practice phone sales. |
| MONDAY |
Morning - Observe
and enjoy breakfast preparation and service. Get acquainted
with room layout, housekeeping, and inventory control. Look
at forms used here. See an overview of our reservation system
and recording weekend's financials.
Afternoon - Practice telephone skills and check-in procedures.
Free time to explore area and get acquainted with area attractions.
Evening - Observe check-ins and telephone reservations. Look
at samples of marketing and advertising. Run referral reports
and evaluate marketing plan. |
| TUESDAY |
Morning - Participate
in preparation and serving of breakfast. Check rooms, practice
supervision of housekeeping staff and laundry.
Afternoon- Practice telephone skills. Look at website and
rack card. Evaluate them. Discuss how rates are set and different
ways to adjust pricing and increase sales. There should be
some free time to explore.
Evening- Participate in preparation for next day's breakfast,
plan menu for subsequent week and preparing shopping list. |
| WEDNESDAY |
Morning - Participate
in the early morning raid on Sam's and the supermarket. Discuss
what can be bought retail/ wholesale/ catalog.
Afternoon - Continued training is telephone sales. Begin to
look at strategic planing including capitol improvements,
expansion, staffing needs, marketing changes, etc.
Evening - Free. |
| THURSDAY |
Morning - Begin
answering the phone and dealing with guests directly. We will
discuss guest relations including issues of dealing with groups,
special guests, troublesome guests, etc. Focus on use of the
computer to record reservations, financial records and pay
bills on the computer. Check e-mail.
Afternoon - Prepare chart of arrivals for the weekend. Make
sure any special arrangements are taken care of. Discuss how
bookkeeping and payroll are done and what record keeping is
necessary for tax purposes.
Evening - 5-7 P.M. Check-ins. Rest of evening free. |
| FRIDAY |
Morning - Prepare
and serve breakfast. Observe check out procedures. Check rooms
for arriving guests. Do some preparation for Saturday breakfast.
Update weekend arrivals.
Afternoon and evening - Check-in weekend guests. Discuss community
relations. If during the course of the week, we are participating
in a community meeting with local or regional tourism, B&B
or chamber group, the intern will accompany us.
Afternoons are a good time to evaluate the week so far and
bring any issues that have been missed. |
| SATURDAY |
Morning - Prepare
and serve breakfast, supervise housekeeping and laundry. Do
some preparation for Sunday breakfast. Afternoon free. |
| SUNDAY |
- Preparation
and service of breakfast. Guest check out. Departure. |
Click here for
the innternship Application
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