How To Get Hired and Grow in Hospitality — Advice From Bellman-Turned-GM Andres Goeta

Andres Goeta: Within Hilton, I’ve been in several positions. I started about 16 and 17 years ago from being Bellman.

Then, I went all the way through the Front Desk and Back of House PBX. I did Concierge as well at some point. Supervisor, Manager, the list goes on and on and on.

Andres Goeta: I started in hospitality through my father, who was a long-tenure hotelier. When I was a kid, I remember clearly when my father had to be the Hotel Manager on duty.

We all had to stay in the hotel, and he was there during weekends. The experience struck me. The hospitality industry has become a little bit interesting since then.

It’s not just about coming in and saying, “Here you go. Here’s your room.” So many people have to come and work together in order for someone to be given a room. That was the part that I really enjoyed.

Other than that, it was the hospitality part, the service part and how you connect with people. And those little things got my first foot in the door of hospitality. So, I owe it to my father.

Andres Goeta: I think it’s definitely one of the top three most important things to have in hospitality. Having a mentor will definitely guide you through your career.

In my case, as I said, my first one was my father. Because I knew him from that. But I’ve never worked directly with him. When you’re at a property, there are certain Managers, there are certain leaders, there are certain people who would come your way.

This will always happen. It’s happened to me throughout my entire career where you connect with leaders, and leaders connect with you, and you make that connection.

And once you have that, all of a sudden, that person becomes your mentor. A person who you can go to and ask, “Hey, I’m not too sure how to deal with this. Any advice?”

In my case, I’ve had great mentors. I can definitely say that. And they are people who always had me thinking. When I came up with an issue or an idea, they made me work for the answer. And that’s the same thing I do with the people who I mentor now.

Most of the time, we know the answer. We just need that backup and say, “Hey, here you go. You can do it.” Or, that person who says, “Okay, perfect. I like the way that you think. Let’s try it this way.”

Having that person there with you and saying, “Whatever happens, I’m right here next to you.” I think that’s huge. And I’ve had, throughout my career, great mentors to help me grow in this sense.

Andres Goeta: First, your team. In any situation, you could be a GM, Manager or  Supervisor. The people who are next to you will always be important.

You all have to be able to work in synergy along the same path, right? So, if there are people who are working day-to-day with you, and you’re not on the same page, unfortunately, whatever your goals are, you’re not going to meet them.

Let’s just go one by one. Also, I’m really not sure if I can put them in a specific order. All these three are very important. So, first, I would say communication.

Communication is top. I always say to my team, “There’s no such thing as too little communication.”

I’d rather have people tell me or everybody to be on the same page on things that I’m like, “Okay, I might not have needed that information, but at least I have it,” than people who don’t, saying, “Should I tell this to Andres? Should he know about this?”

So, communication, team and mentorship. Those things are my top three.

Andres Goeta: Let’s say this. I had at least four or five people whom I had to interview. And even though the others had great hospitality experience, I ended up going for the person with zero hospitality [experience]. And this was [for] an entry-level, Front Desk Agent position.

And I knew it was going to be “tough” to teach her all the Hilton ways, as well as the operating systems, systems and whatnot.

There was definitely something that caught my attention when interviewing her. It’s the way that she portrayed herself to me. And I’m really glad to say that I was not wrong in the decision that I made.

This person is currently a Supervisor, and she has come to love hospitality, even though she didn’t come from it. She also gets good reviews all the time.

I actually currently don’t work with her. She’s in another property, but we’re still in touch. You know, she calls me and asks me about what to do every now and then.

That’s what it’s all about. Never hiring the paper, but hiring the person. And always attitude over aptitude. That’s my advice.

Andres Goeta: First, presentation is key. So, you have to be well put together and well dressed. That’s the first one because, in my opinion, everything comes right here through the eyes.

Another big no is to have no idea what you’re getting yourself into.

I’ve had people tell me, unfortunately, many times, “Oh, I didn’t know this was how it goes,” or “I didn’t know this type of work. At least learn a little about where you’re going and applying.

That shows me that you did some homework on the hotel or the establishment you wish to work for. So, just do a little research into that.

Also, as decision-makers, we’ve seen resumes all day long. We’ve seen resumes for many years. So, we know when a resume is too much.

When you try to make your resume too pretty, and it doesn’t match what we see during the interview, we spot it immediately.

So be as truthful as you can be because, at the end of the day, yes, that will get you a foot in the door. But the decisions are made when talking to the person, not when reading the resume.

A better approach would be to be as truthful as possible on paper and then make the connection during the interview.

Andres Goeta: First, applications come through any of the platforms. It could come through Hilton or other job sites. When the hotel receives it, it is seen first by a Hiring Manager or a person from HR. They will do the first screening.

Although I said, “Attitude over aptitude,” if we’re looking for a very specific department, for example, a Director of Finance, I would definitely hope that they have some sort of finance background.

After the screening, it goes to the direct Manager, for example. This differs depending on the relevant department, whether it’s a front office, housekeeping, F&B, etc.

Once we have those two in agreement, then it comes to me. I’ll make the final check. I normally like to have my leaders make the decision. If they tell me, “It’s a go for me,” it will be the last step that I will oversee.

And if I don’t see something too crazy, I would normally go with it. I like to give my leaders the say. I only give it that last look.

I might give feedback or discuss some red flags I spotted, but that’s it. That’s how we all make the decision.

Andres Goeta: I guess that’s what I said just now. Poor presentation, first. Second, not making your resume as truthful as you can. Third, poor responses to the questions that we’re asking.

Often, when we, as leaders or as hiring personnel, ask questions about the candidate’s experience and they sidetrack entirely and go through something else, our attention is lost.

So, sometimes, we have to ask the same question again because it’s not the information we’re trying to get.

With this, my three red flags are poor presentation skills, dishonesty and a lack of communication or listening comprehension skills.

Andres Goeta: That is such a great question because it never looks the same. I just know the time that I get in. From that point in time, I’m not sure how my day is going to go.

I would like to be very involved in the hotel’s operations. Obviously, I look at my emails and review reports from F&B, finance and sales. That’s my day-to-day.

But my day-to-day is also so much more than that. Sometimes, I can’t get to those things until 1:00, 2:00 or 3:00 p.m. because we have other priorities.

I read a book once by a great hospitality person, Will Guidara, called “Unreasonable Hospitality,” and I absolutely loved it. It said, “Take your job seriously without taking yourself too seriously.”

What this means is I’m taking my job seriously, but just because I’m the GM, whatever name you want to call it (Director of Finance, Director of Sales or Director of Front Office), it doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t be on the floor with my team.

I’ve learned so much from what our guests need just by being on the floor, not by receiving my reports from my team or answering emails.

So, I look at all these big fancy things, but I also like talking to guests and clients. I bus tables, help check in guests and do whatever is needed. That’s how my day as a Hotel General Manager looks. It just completely varies from one day to the other.

Andres Goeta: Look, mistakes are always going to happen. I’m not perfect. Nobody is. In hospitality, many things can happen, from a wrong check-in to all that. These are the types of things that are very systematic.

But more than thinking about the mistake that you’ve made is knowing why you did or whatever the mistake was, and then moving forward and saying, “Okay, this is a clean slate. Let me start over.” And not going back to it.

A smart person learns from their mistakes; a wise person learns from other people’s mistakes.

Now, one mistake that no hotelier should make, and people who are in the hospitality business still make, is “one size fits all.”

This goes back again to that Will Guidara book. It just was such a resounding thing to me when I read it because it has happened to me.

We can’t assume that what you like is the same as what I or another guest will like.

So, if we standardize our hospitality, we’re not going to go far. We have to make sure that we make that connection with that specific guest. Listen to your guest and have that understanding. To go back to that, never assume that one size fits all.

Andres Goeta: During the peak season. Granted, it could also happen at any point because of limitations, somebody getting a better job or whatever the case.

But the peak season is definitely when we’re like, “Okay, we need a lot more hands on deck.” We also hire more before peak season, just in case.

For example, here in Florida, the peak season is during our winter season. Now, for the North, since I also worked in the Northeast, it’s the other way around. Summertime is the peak season.

So, it depends on where you’re at. Right before the peak season starts, maybe a couple of weeks, three weeks before or maybe a month before, we start heavily investing ourselves into hiring.

For the jobs in demand, it depends on the hotel. Because there are hotels that focus more on one thing than others. Obviously, your typical Front Desk Agent, Housekeeper and similar positions are going to be open more.

Don’t get too caught up when you’re looking for a job. If you’re looking for a front desk position or a Front Desk Supervisor position and you see that there’s a “lower-level role,” go for it.

And once you’re in and you have that foot in, trust me. We like to promote from within. And a lot can happen in three, four, five or six months. I promise you that. At least, that’s how I’ve done it. And I know many of my leaders who have done it.

In the hospitality industry, if, let’s say, you apply for a place and say, “Hey, look, I’m not really looking to be a Supervisor. I really want to be a Manager.” But that’s what you have right at the time. Go in and showcase what you can really do.

And I promise you, the good leaders in the property who see that drive will do anything in their power to get you to that point.

I understand that you might have some financial considerations, but I’m talking to the people who really want to be in the hospitality business and can take a little “pay cut” but want to be in a specific property or in a specific brand or anything like that.

Just grab the opportunity and make it known to your leaders. Say, “Hey, I made this decision, but my goal is to get there.” We, as leaders, love that because we know that we have people there who we can trust.

After that, we’ll move you to that position. As a GM, I know a lot of other GMs, not only in the vicinity and not only in the Aventura region. We know a lot of people. I’m the type of leader who, if I see that there’s something good for you, even though it’s not with me, will put you into the hands of another great leader as well.

Andres Goeta: I, personally, do without it. It’s just the way that I’ve always done it. I have never really seen a lot of pictures on a leader-type resume. I don’t mind it, but that’s not going to make or break it.

A picture is not going to make any difference to me. I will see the person in person, and then I will make my decision because it’s not about how you look, is it?

I mean, it comes in all different shapes, sizes, colors and forms. And I’m not really sure if you’re going to have any Vice President of HR or Director of HR who will make a decision based on a picture on a resume. I don’t even have one on my resume.

Andres Goeta: So, let’s say you’re a Supervisor. Start thinking or start getting knowledge from your Manager. Ask about what you can do to start thinking like a Manager. Once you’re a Manager, start thinking like a Director. That’s going to make it so much easier.

Again, this is where leadership comes in handy, and this is when mentorship comes in handy. Having good mentors is always a huge plus because when you tell your mentor what you want to do, they’ll give you specific tasks that will get you there.

As I was growing in my career, I always asked the person above me — my Manager, my Supervisor, “Hey, what else can I do? What else can I learn to get into such a position?” Because it made it so much easier for me.

In my personal experience as a Supervisor, I learned things about being a Manager because I already knew what the Manager was doing. As a Manager, I started learning things about being a Director. So, I’d already know what to do when I reached that point.

Or, even in this case, this is my first time being a GM. I mean, I’ve been here for two years, but this is my first time as a GM. However, for many years before these past two years, I had one-on-one meetings with other GMS.

And so, when I got to this position, I had a very strong idea of how to do this job.

Every time you are on a certain level, start thinking about the next one and get as much knowledge as you can so that when you’re there, you already know how to perform.

Andres Goeta: Yes. It’s not my favorite question, but it’s a question that I always ask, and probably everybody does. However, I pay very close attention to it. It’s when I ask that last question, “Do you have any questions for me?”

If your first question is, “Yeah, how much do you pay?” So, are you really interested in being hospitable? Are you really interested in the job or the place, or do you just want to get a paycheck and be out?

Some people would also ask a question they can easily answer for themselves with just some research. If you ask me very simple or vague questions, like what the hotel is all about, you should have done your own research. Everything is public.

I like to listen to their responses to that question. Actually, a lot of really good conversations come out of that, too.

Andres Goeta: Again, it sometimes depends on the position. But a really good answer to that would be:

Look, I understand that you have this position available, but what do you really need from me? Is there anything else that I can help you out with? Are there any specific skills you need from me to do this?

And that just tells me that you’re not only here just for your 9 to 5. When we have you here on the property, we have your 100%.

Because everybody who’s here, obviously, we’re humans, but we’re here giving our 100%.

Another good response is, “Look, I know I’m here to be a Finance Clerk, but should you need me for anything else, I’ll be more than happy to help.”