Tiffany loved the idea of working in the Tourism & Hospitality industry, a fast growing sector with HUGE opportunities. Her determination has seen her thrive with her employer, working her way through the ranks from Reception, to Front Office Duty Manager and now to Reservations Manager. The fact that QRC offered internship and shift placement opportunities meant she could hit the ground running once she graduated. She’s currently working at the Commodore Hotel which is being used as a MIQ facility during the pandemic. Find out more below!
“Don’t worry about what everyone else is doing, focus on your road”.
On the couch with Tiffany Boa:
Why did you choose to follow a career in tourism/hospitality? I didn’t know what I wanted to do once I finished school and it seemed like a stable & fast growing industry, with a huge opportunities.
Why did you choose QRC? The small class sizes, location & internship opportunities – I have always preferred to do practical based learning.
What was the biggest “take away” from your internship experience? Foresight, look ahead to see how you can set up your colleagues for success.
Tell me about your journey since leaving QRC. I was lucky to already have a job as a Receptionist back at the Commodore – where I did my internship. Our Front office manager decided to trail duty manager training – so I became the full time night receptionist for 6 months, then moved into reservations for 6 months before becoming a full time Front Office Duty Manager. This was a challenging and varied role, with no day the same. I continued in this role for a couple of years, in between also doing fulltime night management for a few months. I then broke my Achilles at netball one weekend – I was fortunate to be able to help out in reservations during my recovery. During this time our Front Office Manager was preparing to go on Maternity leave – so I applied for the Maternity leave cover position – I was very excited when I was given the opportunity in this role. Shortly after I began this role our long serving Reservations Manager left, so I applied and got the job – which is now my current role!
What are your main responsibilities? Day to day reservation activities (updating, phone calls + emails etc), Group Booking Management, BAR rate management of 3 Properties (Commodore Hotel, Queenstown Park & Hotel Montreal), Channel Management, Rate setting / Contracting, assisting Front Desk with various roles, Training new employees, Wholesale Account Management, OTA Management.
How did your time at QRC help prepare you for your current job? Shifts at the hotels (Copthorne Lakefront & St Moritz) helped me get an understanding of day to day working life in a hotel, as well as internship – all the papers were relevant, and included current trends, I was able to hit the ground running.
What do you enjoy the most about your current position? Working with such a great team & getting to help out in a small way during the Pandemic (Current MIQ situation), mostly interacting with so many different stakeholders.
What are your plans for the future? To Buy the Holme Station homestead, our family friends used to own it, I spent a lot of time here when I was younger, they would have functions and weddings, I would hide out the back & try sneak in to see what has happening! I would love to return it to a function centre/boutique Lodge.
What’s the best advice you were ever given? Who was it from? “None of us really know what we want to do – the key is to find something that you like doing and do it well!” – Our Family Friend, Julian Blackler.
