Pros
I enjoy the relaxed culture that extended stay properties have. Because we host long-term guests, I have the opportunity to develop meaningful relationships with our guests. Because of our small size, I have the chance to impact the lives of every staff member, every day. I have the opportunity to learn about every role in the hotel- front desk, housekeeping, laundry, maintenance, accounting, payroll, revenue management, purchasing, food & beverage, reservations, and human resources. It's a great place to learn the ropes of hotel management. Our CEO, Jim Donald is great. He sends all his managers daily, voicemail blasts that pep us up and keep us in the loop. The communication between top and middle management is the best I have ever seen.
Cons
Even with incentives, the pay is low. To be fair, we were recently told that the pay structure would be revisited. Checklists: Wow. There is not much room for creativity in the workplace. Although the shared mission states that innovation and new ideas are welcome, the culture does not encourage straying far from the corporate-approved specs.