How Small/Medium Size Hotels Use J-1 Interns To Improve Services & Save Money By A. H. Lostocco

www.internship4america.com

Not long ago I wrote an article entitled "Advantages of Using J-1 Visa Or F-1 OPT Interns in Small/Medium Size Hotels" in an effort to assist owners in understanding how the effective use of an internship program can improve the performance of their hotel properties.

What we have found is that most owners do not realize that although the J-1 Visa is designed to be a training visa for internationals, used effectively the hotel owner can also benefit from the program. As soon as we say the word "Intern" the first thought that comes into a hotel owners mind is that the individual lacks experience and will be a burden on the organization, when in reality just the opposite is the truth. This was brought home to me recently by the follow email that I received from a hotel owner.

Dear Mr. Lostocco

I recently read your article on using interns in small to medium size hotels and thought that you would appreciate what my experience has been. I own a franchise hotel in North Carolina just outside of Winston Salem N.C. I started using interns to augment my operation about 2 1/2-years ago. At the time the labor market was tight and my turnover rate was high. For some positions I had to refill the position monthly. Each time I refilled the position I would have to train the individual on the company´s systems and how I wanted them to treat customers and what I expect. It got old.

A friend of mine suggested I employ an international trainee thru the J-1 visa program. At first I was skeptical about doing it and was concerned about the individual´s language skills and cultural differences. But I decided I would try it because I was desperate and tired of the turnover.

So I hired an intern through one of the agencies like yours. I decided to provide on-site housing to reduce my out of pocket costs. What I did not realize were the other benefits that I would receive. To start with my candidate was eager to learn and to do a good job; so I eagerly taught him. He came with a hospitality college degree; something unheard of for a small hotel like mine. Because of his education in hospitality he understood what I was looking for and knew how to treat a guest. He actually taught me a few new things. Since he was living on-site when one of my evening staff had an emergency or could not work my intern was on-site and could easily fill in by simply walking down the hall. As for turnover that was totally eliminated.

Two weeks before the end of his internship his replacement started. He trained her and we did not miss a beat. There were some cultural issues at the beginning, which were quickly overcome, and of course he did not understand some of the idioms we use but that too was solved with time.

Now that the economy is bad and business is slow I am increasing my staff to two interns to fill another position that turns over frequently. In doing so I can further improve my operation and reduce my employment costs further. Actually the payback for providing training is great.

I would like you to call me to discuss…

J.B. Patel

This is not the only email I received along these lines but this one really hit home on the benefits of a program using international interns.

If you have any additional questions feel free to contact me directly at lostocco1@internship4america.com .

If you would like to review some of my other articles on instituting an internship program you´ll find them listed at www.internship4america.com. If you have had a similar experience I would like to hear about it.

Alexander H. Lostocco