Informational Interview

My informational interview was with Valarie Zuffanti, the Senior Sales Manager at the Ritz Carlton Corporations in Boston, Massachusetts. Her hectic day starts at 8:30 am, which is when the staff meets to discuss their goals for the day, any important guests that are arriving (since the hotel is a high-end one), etc. This meeting will last approximately 30 minutes, until nine am, when the group breaks off, and starts accomplishing their goals. Currently Valarie is figuring out the price of beds in the hotel- meaning at The Ritz Carlton- for the next year, 2011. During the day, Valarie will also talk with clients in the companies target audience, such as workers at Goldman Sacks, to make sure they are aware of the great deals at The Ritz Carlton. Prior to the stock market crash, the primary consumer of The Ritz Carlton's services were Wall Street workers, but since the crash in 2008, there has been a complete shift. This shift has come from financial workers no longer bringing in income for The Ritz Carlton employees, since they cannot shell out the expensive room rates. Hence one reason the hospitality industry has been declining, even for the upperclass workers, who have not been as taken aback by the financial crisis of 2008. Despite the 80 percent of Ritz Carlton clients that were in administration, and the financial sector; the hotel industry is beginning to buzz again. Although, this is not in full swing, there is an increase in the number of jobs, due to a somewhat stable footing in the stock market, and more jobs- such as security, bell hops, and front desk receptionists; have been desired from this increase.