“The work and travel experience exceeded our expectations. We are so seasonal and being in Iowa it is difficult finding reliable summer help in a hotel. We have suffered from unreliable employees in the past which make a busy summer season only that much harder. The students we employed this summer were on time to work and enthusiastic about their jobs. They were willing to work extra hours when needed and were a big part of such a successful summer 2017 season.
The participants taught our hotel many things. First would be patience. We employ foreign refugees currently however we hire them one at a time rather than 50 at a time so training a number of foreign students was a challenge but one I believe we worked well with. The next thing I believe the students taught our hotel is that there is still hard work ethic in our younger generation. We employ many Americans who live a different lifestyle than the students and the students brought a breath of fresh air with their work ethic. It was nice to see our younger generation working so hard for the summer and spending time and effort away from their families and every day lives to learn a new culture and strengthen their skills.
The W&T program helped our hotel tremendously. During summer 2016 I hired 3-4 people a day and they would be gone within the same week. It was tough keeping individuals and our hotel was busy with work at the time. This summer I hired at a slower rate but was able to concentrate on hiring individuals who were qualified for the job because I didn’t have the same necessity I had the previous summer. It gave me time to look for people and their qualifications rather than just hiring because I needed two hands for a day. It was refreshing not having the persistent under staffing we typically have during our season. One of the things I miss most about the students was seeing them on their way to work. I live close to where the students found apartments so seeing them every morning and waving or when I was walking my dog was a simple highlight I do miss. Our team grew to love each and every student and everyone was very sad to see the students return home. We are a family owned company and treat our employees and coworkers just like our own family. We are already excited about the upcoming 2018 season. “
