On Friday, January 5th, 2024, Mrs. Lenihan and her Hospitality and Tourism classes visited the Hyatt House in Jersey City as part of a class field trip. The trip included access to the hotel’s rooftop bar and lounge, as long as a buffet on the general admission restaurant one level below.

Two classes were split into four groups of 10 students with a teacher chaperone, and that group was taking by one of the department managers to explore parts of the hotel and what that specific department does for the business.

The departments included food and beverage, sales, front office, and housekeeping.

During Mrs. Lenihan’s Hospitality and Tourism classes, sophomores through seniors learn about how to manage hotels, different career paths, and operational areas. As part of a recent unit, the students had been learning about hotel operations and departments, including how to make staff schedules and complete night audits. She wanted students to see what truly happens behind the scenes of a hotel.

Mrs. Lenihan stated, “This trip was inspired by the Hospitality students and the need that students can go and experience real life.” General Manager of the Hyatt House, Michelle Giovanni, also commented about why this trip can be important to students, “It’s important for students to learn about hospitality so you can establish if it’s something you want to get into. It’s not the easiest of fields, so it’s something you have to have a passion for.”

The General Manager of the hotel has to overlook all of the departments. Giovanni explained, “In this hotel, a good bit of my job is doing reporting for ownerships. So, the reporting that the department has to give me, I wrap that up and give that to ownership. The most important part of my job is being with the team members and the guests. The first thing I do everyday is I walk the hotel and say hi to everyone.”

Mrs. Lenihan stated, “Students are going to break up into groups of ten and each department manager is going to take the groups and show them around and what their workplaces look like. Each department is going to get about 25 minutes with each group. The students are going to be served a buffet lunch that the restaurant has prepared for us.” She was spot on.

Students arrived at the Hyatt House at around 10 a.m. on that Friday morning. Each department gave the groups tours of the different parts of the hotel. One of the more intriguing scenes was the basement of hotel. The sales department gave a tour of an old vault that is from, the Civil War-era. It was stated that the hotel used to be home to a national bank during that time, but no money remains from that time.

The rooftop lounge and bar located on the top floor of The Hyatt House in Jersey City, New Jersey
To end the day, the students were treated to their promised buffet.

The buffet consisted of chickens, pasta, vegetables, soups, and the best part: desserts. They were also given access to the rooftop lounge, although the frigid air above Jersey City and the Hudson River would hold most back.

All in all, Mrs. Lenihan aimed to accomplish one goal, “to experience and watch how a hotel runs on a daily basis” and that goal was completed.