One Hotel, Many Different Career Paths

The restaurants, bars and beach club of the Hamilton Princess Hotel have a long history of providing young Bermudians with coveted summer jobs, but these opportunities go far beyond traditional serving roles.

There is a vibrant marketing department, shops that rival most high-end boutiques, and award-winning chefs who were once young students with big dreams. All this is at risk, however, if the machinery that runs the building doesn’t run smoothly.

23-year-old Noah Maharaj was finishing his HVAC college diploma in Canada when he heard about a summer student vacancy in the engineering department at the hotel’s career fair. He had never considered working for the hospitality industry before but he has enjoyed the variety of work involved:

“It’s something new every day and you get to interact with guests and co-workers,” he says, adding that guests are always pleased to see him, especially when it’s hot because the majority of Noah’s work is related to maintaining the air-conditioning systems.

He’s also learning valuable new skills such as plumbing and electrics, which his co-workers are helping him to develop.

Nicole Smith, 23, also has a varied role as a sales and marketing intern, which includes public relations, graphic design and social media. She was even put in charge of developing a brief for the Fairmont Gold lounge festive theme, a project she then had to present to the executive team:

“I was nervous,” she admits, “but I felt confident because I have a lot of support from the marketing team here, so I knew I was going in with people behind me who support my vision.”

The presentation went well, and, she continues, “it’s made me more aware of what it takes to put on an event at the hotel.”

Nicole is going into her second year of a Creative Direction and Curation for Fashion degree at Nottingham Trent university in the UK and her summer work has inspired her to pursue a career in experiential marketing:.

“It’s like event production,” she explains. “Providing an actual space for a brand to connect with their consumers. Before it was digital, but now, a lot of brands are creating real life campaigns. I feel like there’s a shift happening because of AI. So, creating that human on human connection.”

Jada Tannock, 17, is working in the Shops at Hamilton Princess, which, she shares, has been a learning curve she has enjoyed negotiating. The high school student isn’t just working during the summer break, she has also been helping out at weekends during term time:

“I’m learning a lot about the different brands we have here,” she explains. “Also, I’ve been able to build my communication skills and become more confident when talking to new people.”

In addition to helping customers, Jada keeps the shops clean and tidy, prepares the merchandise for display, and handles sales. She quickly got the hang of it and has picked up more than she was expecting:

“I’ve learned about different fabrics and different patterns. I can look at a dress or shirt and based off the cut or the sizing of it, I can tell what country it’s from, what type of brand it may be. That’s been really cool.”

Sous Chef, Anthony DaPonte Sousa has gone full circle. Now 28, he arrived at the Hamilton Princess from Bermuda College eight years ago after winning a competition. The prize? A job working for Marcus Samuelson at his former Hamilton Princess restaurant, Marcus, now Intrepid.

That hasn’t been his only accolade. In 2023, he was named Bermuda’s Young Chef of the Year.

During his time at the hotel, Chef Anthony has quickly risen through the culinary ranks and he credits the encouragement of his fellow chefs for this success:

“I’m happy with the support that I get from the chefs around me, it just keeps me fuelled up to keep going,” he says. “I knew I could go to them and ask the uncomfortable questions of what do I need to do to improve? What can I do better at?”

Something he has mastered to perfection are the summer barbeques: “I love the southern barbeque because I like to do smoked meats,” he shares, his favourite being the brisket: “It’s a 12-hour process, it’s amazing and makes you want to keep going back for more.”

Now he is the more senior chef, he makes a point of helping the summer students. His advice? Patience, respect, ask questions and accept feedback:

“I kept cooking because I love cooking. It’s not for everybody. It might be too much pressure. I tell them to experience it, take it all in, but don’t be afraid to talk to people and ask questions. Find what you’re happy with.”

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