It is the height of summer and the Hamilton Princess isn’t just heaving with happy guests. Our staff numbers are at their peak, boosted by our latest cohort of summer students.
Some of them are at university, some are still in high school. For some, this is the first rung on the ladder of a promising hospitality career. For others, it’s simply an opportunity to work and earn during their summer break. But, for all of them, summer job experience at the hotel offers invaluable life lessons in time management, rewarding work, communication skills and teamwork.
““My favourite part is my colleagues – building new friendships and being part of the team,” says Yasmyne Smith, 22, a server at the hotel’s Crown & Anchor restaurant.
“Even though I’m only here for the summer, they don’t leave me out. They push me to do more and if I don’t understand anything, I can always ask any of them, even though we’re all so busy, they’re very helpful.”
Yasmyne is about to start her third year at Manchester Metropolitan University in the UK, where she is studying international hospitality and tourism business management. After completing her degree, she plans to pursue a career in hospitality, first travelling and working abroad, before coming back to Bermuda so the island can benefit from her international experience.
Her enjoyment of meeting and connecting with people is behind her career choice and this is the second season she has worked at the Crown & Anchor:
“It definitely keeps me on my toes. There’s never a dull moment where I’m just standing there not doing anything,” she laughs.
Meeting and speaking to guests has also been the most enjoyable part of Yasir Boukhloufi’s summer internship. The 17-year-old high school graduate is about to embark on a business degree at the Bermuda College and is currently working as a Fairmont Gold Lounge Attendant.
This job was a family affair for Yasir, whose grandfather also works for Hamilton Princess.
“I was quite shy while growing up, so I wanted to improve my communication skills,” he says of why he wanted to work at the hotel.
He has particularly enjoyed meeting people from all over the world, including the U.S., Canada and France, and many of the conversations so far have revolved around various sporting events happening at this time.
His day-to-day role involves washing dishes and setting up the food for the Fairmont Gold lounge. When not doing that, he helps to fold towels. His hours are 8am until 4:30pm, five days a week, which often includes weekends, when the hotel is usually at its busiest.
While Yasir doesn’t think he wants to work in hospitality in the longer term, he would still recommend working at the hotel as a summer job, particularly as it has made him step out of his comfort zone:
“My comfort zone would be working in an office, which I have done before, but it’s nice to expand on what you can do and I’m grateful I took the job. Here is more active. You have to talk to co-workers and guests. It makes you more alert.”
Yasmyne is also pleased she can add Hamilton Princess to her resumé:
“Knowing that occupancy is always so high, it will show my strengths that I can work hard under pressure in a fast-paced environment.”
“Being Bermudian and working at Bermuda’s best hotel, it’s definitely a privilege, so I think that on my CV is a tick.”
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