Pros
Very concerned with great customer service. You feel as if the rest of your team is offering great service, thus decreasing the likelihood that you will encounter an irate or upset guest. Hourly employees are treated well. Most departments will honor requests off and attempt to accommodate scheduling requests as best as possible. Hyatt offers employees great offers on complimentary nights, employee rates, etc. Hourly line employees are exposed to several areas of the hospitality industry that you might not find working for other corporations or hotels. Great learning experience for a line employee. Free meals on property. Performance feedback is offered with tools to strengthen areas where employees aren't as strong. Fair opportunities for advancement: Merit based promotions. Ability to transfer to other properties overseas or stateside.
Cons
Long hours. Salaried management employees are treated in a way that would stun outsiders. This process begins early with CMT recruits from college (Corporate Management Trainees). 12-14 hour shifts are the norm, not the exception. Lunch is a luxury during busier shifts; lunch typically only lasts 20-30 minutes, is on property (you don't have time to leave property) and is frequently interrupted by operational demands. Managers are glorified line employees. Managers at my property are utilized as front line staff employees in order to reduce costs of paying an hourly employee. Managers rarely have an opportunity to actually manage. Administrative functions consistently suffer due to the heavy amount of front line work. This contributes to the long hours mentioned above... the only way to complete administrative tasks is to extend shift for hours on end. Micro-management. General Manager at my property micro-manages every aspect of the operation. He also demands a similar management style from his Management Committee, particularly his Food & Beverage Director and Rooms Director. Getting bogged down in minutiae is not uncommon. The micro-managing paralyzes employees to make decisions for themselves and creates an atmosphere of intimidation and uncertainty: employees feel the need to run any and all decisions through management instead of being empowered to correct or assist immediately. Slave to corporate scoring system. Hyatt Maritz scores rule supreme at my property. Work and life balance, employee time off requests, emotional and physical health of employees: all of these suffer and finish a distant second to the success of the property's ranking and scores. Failure to buy in to this method results in career consequences. Lifers unable to grow or adapt. 15-20 year veterans on property stifle creativity and retain a grip on the status quo. Several are unhappy with their job and/or their salary or compensation. Allowing these employees to stay in important positions (Human Resources Director) creates a stale atmosphere. Particularly if they are incompetent or unethical.
