Thursday, July 12, 2007

making the grade




yesterday was one of those super important days in the life of a hampton inn general manager. it was QA day (quality assurance day). that's right... a whole day of an auditor poring over paperwork, checking sheet threadcounts, sniffing approved air freshener, counting donuts, etc. for my brand, this happens twice a year, and they are unannounced. all g.ms. start getting a little frazzled in the weeks when we know we are "due."

the inspections are absolutely important to the integrity of the brand. sort of a necessary evil. this time around, i was really wigging out. i feel like, with everything else that's going on this summer, my coping mechanisms are mis-firing. throughout the day, i developed an uncontrolable case of bouncing knee (you know, the one where you can. not. sit. still.) and the sense of hyperventalating was almost overpowering!! i even joked that i was going to have to pull out a paper bag and start deep breathing exercises. (at least i was still able to joke!)

and in the end, i am totally relieved and proud to announce that we scored an OUTSTANDING! our seventh outstanding in a row!! i am so grateful to my entire team, who just continue to shine (no pun intended!)

i am also happy to report that i am currently enjoying breathing again.

13 comments:

Emmanuelle said...

What a stressful day ! Glad for you that everything has been like you wanted.

Amy said...

What a stressful surprise! But I'm glad you're now on this end of it, with OUTSTANDING already written, and breathing back to normal.

Price Cream Parlor said...

PHEW! I am sure that it is one of those "hold you breath" moments. Now, you can breathe calmly and deeply! YEAH for you and your team! That's fantastic to get that OUTSTANDING!
Hope you are able to relax a bit this summer with all that you have going on!

stefanie said...

Evaluations are always so hard. I get very wigged out by them as well. I am thrilled that your inn was rated outstanding. You should be very proud!

Marie said...

I'm glad it went so well for you. One summer job while I was in university was housekeeping at the Ramada. It was fine, on the whole. I remember when we had our inspection the housekeeping manager was stressed to the max. She was doing random checks on everything. Stripping beds after we made them just to make sure we made them right. We were all glad after the inspection was over.

Enjoy your breathing room.

Denise said...

What a relief! I hate that wired-so-tight-I'm-gonna-pop feeling. I'm glad it had a happy ending. The hotel customers of the world thank you for your commitment to quality service and accomodations!

Amanda :-) said...

I'm glad stay-at-home mums don't have these kind of evaluation inspections to endure! Eeek!

We'll all knew you were outstanding already, Lelly - but well done!

*pop-fizzzzzzzzzzzzz*
That's me cracking open a bottle of bubbly for you!

Lucy said...

I want to stay at your Hampton Inn! I love outstanding places!

Good job on your managing and effort. It's nice to be recognized for good work.

Kelly said...

Wow, fragrance sniffing! Congratulations! As a hotel snob, I thank you for your commitment to outstanding.

You do have a full plate these days. Just keep breathing, just keep breathing!

michelle said...

I'm very glad to hear that you are breathing again! And how did I not know what your job was?? Congratulations!

Missy said...

yay you!
missy

Liz Snowden said...

Wow, I didn't know you managed a Hampton Inn! We just stayed at the one in Fredericksburg, VA. It was fabulous! My hotel of choice for sure. Congrats on your score!

Kelly said...

Well Lelly, my dear. I am a convert. I used to be loyal to a certain chain that begins with an M and ends with a rriot. But on our recent road trip, Hampton Inn looked like our best choice. I assured my husband we couldn't go wrong because they have QA days and even test your air freshener, plus they employ the most awesome of people!

Lelly, if lodging is good even in a Louisiana Bayou, (and it wasn't just good it was GREAT!) then I am a new loyal customer. Thanks for the heads up!