March 28, 2011
Located in the heart of Times Square, the New York City Marriott
Marquis epitomizes the hustle and bustle of Manhattan. As part of
the Alumni Insider’s View… Program, 25 of our Hospitality
Management students had the opportunity to take a tour of this
world-famous hotel and speak with Marriott executives.
Photo gallery
Marriott tour guides showed the students the front and
back ends of the hotel, from the site’s most popular tourist
attractions to its housekeeping offices and employee
cafeteria.
The tour began on the 50th floor – the top of the building – at The
View Restaurant. It is Manhattan’s only rotating restaurant and has
become one of the Marriott’s most iconic and popular
attractions.
“This is one of the hotel’s most interesting areas,” said Brandon
Martinez-Shelton, Assistant Front Office Manager. “It provides a
perfect view of all of Manhattan. Our guests, and even non guests,
love coming here to unwind after a long day.”
Students also had the opportunity to see one of the hotel’s
executive suites and regular guest rooms.
“Our 49 floors have 1,892 rooms and 57 suites,” Martinez-Shelton
explained. “And to make it all extremely convenient, this hotel is
designed in such a way that its upper floors do not sway. Other
hotels in Manhattan are tall and thin, so they tilt with the wind,
but not ours. That’s something our guests really appreciate.”
Next up on the tour was the hotel’s eighth-floor lobby, complete
with a mini mall and an elegant lounge, a popular destination for
those who want to watch the ball drop on New Year’s Eve.
“Our
celebration on New Year’s is a black-tie affair,” Martinez-Shelton
noted. “A table that night can cost up to $10,000, but it’ll give
you a perfect view of all the Times Square
festivities.”
Students then toured the hotel’s main kitchen and met Arnis
Robeznieks, a Marriott pastry chef with 22 years of professional
experience.
“Working here is a very big undertaking,” Robeznieks said. “We
recently had an event where we made enough ice cream for about
2,200 people, so you have to be well organized to do something like
that. On a typical day we could use over 100 pounds of chocolate
and 200 pounds of sugar. That gives you a good sense of how big an
operation this is.”
Once the tour had concluded, the students participated in a panel
discussion with five high-level Marriott executives, discussing
what it takes to succeed in the hospitality industry.
Mike Stengel, Area Vice President of Marriott Hotels for New York,
emphasized the importance of gaining diverse experience in the
field.
“We
like to move people all around here at Marriott,” Stengel said.
“You might start out in housekeeping, then move to front desk, then
switch over to the restaurant. If you ever hope to become a manager
of a hotel, you need to know all the little parts that go into this
huge operation so you can oversee it properly.”
The students found the tour and panel discussion fascinating,
providing them with important insight into how to succeed in their
chosen careers.
“The most important advice I learned was how to move up in the
business,” said Alejandre Martinez ’11CPS. “Hearing them describe
how they got to where they are was a wake-up call for us. Getting
an education doesn’t mean you’ll automatically start at the top –
we have to try our hand at many things in this industry and work
our way up.”
Tara O’Connor ’11CPS noted that she is now more confident in her
decision to major in Hospitality Management.
“This experience has strengthened my views on the industry,” she
said. “Obviously it’s important to get more exposure on how a hotel
is run, but seeing other employees enjoying themselves as they work
and seeing managers so willing to come over and help made me feel
very good about this profession.”
Dr. Heidi Sung, Associate Professor of Hospitality Management, felt
that her students learned a great deal.
“Students were amazed at the facilities, but they were so impressed
by just about everyone they were able to interact with,” she said.
“The spirit of hospitality here was the best thing on display. You
can learn about it in the classroom, but seeing it in the field is
truly amazing.”