YoungHotelier.com interviews Matthew (Matt) Griffis, who is the Front Office Manager at the new Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina in Dubai. Matt gives a valuable insight into the world of hospitality through the eyes of a Front Office professional, what it took to get here and what competencies would be most valuable in someone looking to fill the shoes of a front of the house role. The video is split into 3 parts, the first part can be seen above.

Video 1: Matt Griffis shares his 12 year hotel journey that commenced as a Banqueting waiter in a Marriott Hotel on the Gold Coast, Australia and the steps up through the chain of command to arrive to his current designation as the Front Office Hotel Manager of the flagship Westin hotel in the Middle East.

While Matt’s mother held unvoiced concern’s that her charming and innocent son had been distracted en route home from his first hotel shift and lured into a bar given his tardiness… truth to be told, on Matt’s first hotel shift he clocked up a twenty and a half hour day! His new shoes were definitely broken in after that day in the office and left tell-tale blisters as proof! According to Matt when he “fell” into hospitality 12 years ago, formal education in hospitality was not a requirement, but nowadays it is a must! The enjoyment for Matt in his role comes from the interaction with guests especially in a resort hotel where he has the opportunity to build strong relations with his guest. This Front Office guru offers his advice to young hoteliers on the importance in gaining experience in an array of hotels from corporate to resort and also hotel brands and adds that these have offered him a diverse and well grounded hospitality base enabling him to advance in his career. Matt voices that some of the best lessons learnt in his career to date are the cultural lessons and the significance of the simplest of things from the choice and use of certain vocabulary, to the approach required in situations where cultural differences play a role.”Just because I am a Front Office Manager does not mean I have stopped learning…” Learn more from Matt…

Video 2: Matt offers a valuable insight into the world of hospitality through the eyes of a Front Office Manager! He feels starting fresh as a telephone operator or bell man assists your personal long term development and affords you to hold that appreciation for the individual job roles within the team. In accordance with that Matt feels that studying hospitality is as important nowadays as the operational experience and those qualifications is something our future employers are looking for! We shall expect our future employer to invest in us in due course hence it is crucial that likewise we invest in ourselves from the onset with the necessary hospitality schooling. Graduating from a hotel school does not essentially equip you with all of the skills in becoming a successful manager, namely the most significant one…the people skills! The Front Office Operation is not just a manufacturing line. Enjoying the company of others, being organized and somewhat analytical, personality skills and understanding people are key ingredients for you to be a success in a guest relations role! Matt’s three most inspiring mentors to date all held the same admirable personality traits whereby they earned great respect from their team. This was due to their constant coaching and nurturing of each individual team member, ensuring they were continuously acquiring the necessary skills to step into the next role and climb the ladder within the team. Matt endeavors to mirror this skill in his role and ensure he helps each of his team members to reach their full potential even if that means transferring to another department within the hotel or removed from the hotel environment entirely! …. Learn more….

Video 3: Matt shares an insight into what tasks make up his day in his role of the Front Office Manager, the first thing on the agenda is learning the antics that went on in the late hours of the night in the hotel! Matt refreshes us with a very simple but insightful and significant point…”holidays are very valuable”, we work hard for them and hence part of our role within the hospitality industry is ensuring that the guests experience proves the most enjoyable and memorable one possible! One of the most rewarding feats in Matt’s role is turning a guest’s stay from the point of tears into that incredible and memorable experience! We ask our Front Office Manager what advice he can offer to our Young Hoteliers today? Start from the bottom and don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty! This affords you to hold an appreciation for every department in the hotel and eliminates you from placing unreasonable requests on those departments. Irrelevant as to what studying or schooling you have undergone this experience shall prove invaluable! Experience it! Experience more… read on….and make sure to take the time to look into the university and studying options if you are considering the industry as acquiring the financial background is becoming as important nowadays as the operational experience!

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http://younghotelier.com/lounge/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=15