Towers

After two weeks in Reservations, I moved up to Towers reception. The Maurya is split into three blocks of rooms. First is the main block which contains the standard category of rooms as well as the most expensive rooms in the hotel like the presidential suites. The next block is Towers which is the block of rooms above the standard blcck and is described as a "Hotel within a Hotel". The third block is ITC One which is the premier category of rooms.
I've worked at Towers reception for the past two weeks and have two weeks left. Yulya, my roommate and colleague from Russia, is working in ITC One reception. We work different shifts each week so that at the end of four weeks we will have seen the reception desk at all 24 hours of the day. The first week we worked 12-9 pm. Last week we worked 3pm-12am. This week we are working overnight from 9:30pm to 7:30am. The last week we will work 7:30am to 4:30pm.
I am nervous about working overnight this week because, to me, there is no worse feeling than being tired and not being able to go to sleep. Normally I could just go to a vending machine and get a soda but they don't have vending machines in the hotel and the employee cafeteria closes at 2:15am. It will be a long week, but I think it will be interesting to work overnight for the first time. Since the hotel has many international guests, and the international flights come in at night India time, the busiest time for check-ins is late evening and night. The morning is busy with check-outs and preparing for the day's work. But I am told late night/early morning is generally very quiet.
Its often interesting for me to work in Towers because this block is where many guests of the US Embassy stay. Also, we have several flight crews who stay with us, one of which is the American Airlines flight crew from Chicago to Delhi. People are often very surprised to see me and hear my American accent. The other night I met a pilot from American Airlines whose daughters both go to UWEC, so he gave me his youngest daughter's contact info since she will be looking for roommates in December when I come home. Its been a great medium for me to tell people about AIESEC since many guests are curious about how I came to work in a hotel in India.
While many things are still hard, like where to buy black stockings for work or get chocolate syrup so I can take my malaria medication, other things are so much easier, like getting around the city without a car (just jump in an autorickshaw and go 5 kilometers for $1 US) or going shopping for clothes (I can buy 4 outfits for about $30 US, clothes that would cost that much for just one piece in the States). While Delhi is a city of 15 million people, Pizza Hut still closes at 11:30 and most markets close at 9 pm, but at the same time the market nearby will deliver food to my door and even McDonalds delivers! So many things are so completely different, it makes me question why everything is the way it is. But I am getting used to this city of contrasts and constant surprises!

Pictures!

I've posted some pictures of Delhi, where I am living, and sites from my recent trip to Amritsar. The site is www.flickr.com/photos/travelmonger Link is also available through my profile. Under "Contributors", click on "Megan Humphreys", then "My Web Page".

Namaste. Room Reservations. My name is Megan. How may I assist you?

My first department is Reservations. Since the Maurya is such a large hotel, reservations and front office are two separate departments. There is a staff of about 10 people whose job it is just to answer the phones and make reservations. There is also one person who all she does is check the email!
It is interesting for me as a native english speaker to hear how people interact on the phones. For instance, there is a script we have to follow and in the script there are such phrases as "How may I assist you?" and "I am delighted to inform you...". It is so formal! When I start answering phones, I will feel really strange speaking like that. But ITC (the parent company of the hotel) is a large corporation that oversees many hotels, so for them it is necessary to have those standards to keep things uniform throughout the chain.
Something else I have to adjust to is that I have to wear a uniform! Everyone, from the kitchen staff on up to supervisors have uniforms! Only when you hit upper management are you allowed to wear your own business wear (or sarees for the ladies who so choose) or if you work in a behind the scenes department like Human Resources. My uniform is a pant suit but the jacket is button up to the neck (no lapels), and then there is bow tie-like piece of cloth that snaps around the neck and tucks into the top of the jacket to give the illusion of a shirt underneath, with a matching piece of cloth to tuck into the breast pocket. I also have to wear my hair pulled back into a bun with a little hair net over the bun. Woah! With the uniform and the cafeteria food (with requisite metal lunch trays) I really feel like I'm back in school! Apparently I will be allowed to wear my own business dress once I move into marketing as I won't have daily contact with guests anymore.
And while Europeans might think Americans work too hard, I say Indians work too hard! The normal work week in India is 6 days, Mon-Sat. And its 9-hr days instead of 8. So if I arrive at 10 in the morning (which is the schedule I'm on right now) I stay until 7 at night. But luckily for me, the head of HR realizes this is also a cultural experience for me, not just a job, so he's very graciously allowed me to work only a 5-day week. That way I can go on weekend trips with the other AIESECers. Phew!
FYI: Namaste is the traditional Indian greeting. You greet someone by putting your hands palms together in front of your chest and bow your head slightly (as if in prayer) and say "Namaste".

Introducing...ITC Maurya

I've gotten settled into my apartment and just completed my third day of work at the hotel. It's just as impressive as I thought it would be. With seven restaurants (one of which was recently named the Best Asian restaurant in the world), an assortment of stores ranging from bookshops to high end clothing, and a beauty salon right on the premises, the Maurya is everything I could have hoped for in a luxury hotel. With 442 rooms and over a thousand employees, there is a lot left I need to see!
Being situated right in the Diplomatic Enclave in New Delhi near all the embassies, the Maurya is frequently home to visiting heads of state including President Bill Clinton and President George W. Bush (who stayed in the Grand Presidential Suite which is 3500 square feet!).
As I am waiting for another intern from Russia to arrive, I've spent my days familiarizing myself with the history of ITC (which is the parent company that owns the Maurya and many other hotels in India) and the amenities of the Maurya in particular. I'm told that I will be going through their induction program, working for two weeks in the reservation department, then moving to the front desk for a month, and most likely spend the rest of my internship in the marketing department.
I'm looking forward to getting down to work next week.

Arrival in India

Let me start off by explaining who I am and why I am writing this blog. My name is Megan Humphreys and I am studying management at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. I recently joined AIESEC, an international student organization on campus, (http://www.uwec.edu/aiesec/index.html) and through that I was able to obtain an internship at the ITC Maurya hotel in New Delhi. The College of Business at UWEC has asked me to keep this blog reporting on my experiences here. In addition, I am able to receive college credit for the internship and maintain my full-time student status.
I arrived in India only about 2 hours ago. Representatives from the hotel met me at the airport and helped me get to fellow AIESECers who will show me around the city and where I will be living.
As I was riding through the city, I couldn't help but stare and smile at everything. I have never been to India before and was struck by all the things that here are completely normal. From the indiscriminate honking of horns from every vehicle on the road to the dozens of cows and bulls wandering along side of the streets and even laying in the medians to the sheer number of people I saw walking on the dirt shoulders that serve as sidewalks, everything was unfamiliar and exciting.
I was expecting to feel some trepidation and homesickeness upon my arrival in India, but at this point, I am nothing but excited and anxious to get started!