LIFE OF A DAY IN THE
JANA ZAKOUŘILOVÁ HEAD RECEPTIONIST, ST BRELADE’S BAY HOTEL
Like everyone who works on shifts, I have the luxury of having two types of working day. If I am on an early shift I will wake up around 6:30 a.m., and because I am lucky enough to have an east facing window I usually start my day slowly waking up through meditating in the morning light. Morning tea and a light breakfast are essential because without them I feel like I am starting a day with a debt to my body.
Once I get to the reception desk, the day starts by making sure I know what is going on during the day. How many guests are leaving, who is going to arrive and is everything ready for them? Is there a meeting, a wedding or maybe a big family celebration lunch? Once I am ready for the day's events, I get on with the routine shift procedure every reception faces and I wait for the first guests to wake up and come to the desk. I should probably say there are usually guests milling around even before I get to reception at 7:30 a.m. The number of people who are able to get up so early and with such ease even when they are on holiday never fails to amaze me.
Being a receptionist means being on your toes for the whole day. You always have to be focused and ready to assist with whatever the guests might need. St Brelade's Bay Hotel is a wonderful place and has great traditions. Things are well organized and nothing ever seems to be chaotic, plus I work with people who are very good at what they do and I can trust them with everything. On busy days this is extremely important as you do not have time to check if the thing you asked for has actually been done. You ask and you trust, and as this runs well it creates a great working environment. I have been employed at places where there was little trust and no matter how hard you try to ignore it, there was always a stressful atmosphere.
When I get home in the afternoon, I usually go for a walk with my fiancée or I might pick up our gardening tools and get on with our little allotment which is in the hotel garden. I find that no matter how small the allotment, there is always so much work to be done. It is wonderfully rewarding work: there is nothing better than a salad made with your own carrots and onions. We often read in the evenings or watch movies. I am currently trying to introduce my Jersey born partner into the Czech culture so he is forced to watch a lot of movies with subtitles at the moment.
If I work the late shift I seem to fit in more in my day. I actually wake up even earlier than when I am working at the hotel as I join my fiancée at his job. I started volunteering at the Jersey Zoo Organic Farm two years ago and still love
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