I Hotel and Conference Center——Make everybody happy

——By Hanyue Zhao
The Benefit
Hotel and Tourism institutions play an important role in leisure life. We choose travelling to release pressure, get close to nature, and have a precious memory with family and friends. Hotel offers us a warm “home” during our leisure experience, and creates a 24-hour leisure enjoyment, even when we are asleep!
Background of I hotel

I went to I hotel and conference center which is located in U of I research park, near assembly hall. I met Ms. Megan Dino, director of sales & marketing. Megan introduced that I hotel and conference center was opened just one year ago, but already became the only four-diamond level hotel in Urbana Champaign area.
Megan herself also is an alumna of U of I. She graduated from college of business in management and entrepreneurship, now she mainly in charges of the rent rates and special request of I hotel.
Employment in I hotel
I hotel and Conference center mainly consists of three parts: I hotel, Houlihan’s Restaurant +Bar café, and conference center. General Manager oversees all the staffs of the hotel and conference center. In the conference parts, director manages all the details of meeting held here, also, there is an AV technician who is always there to offer helps in audio request. Megan especially mentioned the front desk—which she called the “first face” of I hotel. Staffs of Front desk do not only represent themselves, but also represent the hotel. Front desk needs to provide all the information which guests want immediately and correctly. So it highly requires maturity, willingness and sense of responsibility. Sometimes, depends on the situation, I hotel will provide some internship programs to students. Front desk is the best start line for a fresher. Fresher can get familiar with every parts and daily operation of the hotel widely and deeply; have a no-distance contact with guests, learn how to deal with different kinds of guests and situation; have a better understanding of the principle of hospitality industry: Guest First, Service first.
Leisure in I hotel
I conference center has a joint relationship with U of I, so the majority of guests is for business and academic activities. One definition of leisure is non-work activities, so it is a challenge to involve leisure into business trip. I Hotel, as a sweet “Home”, set an example to make business trip more “leisured”. Want to relax after a long, exhausted meeting? Come to I hotel SPA, have an enjoyable massage! Worried about sitting and keep working too long? Fitness room is ready for you, open 24/7, keep fit is so simple here. Feel boring to stay in hotel and conference the whole day? Free shuttle sends guests tour around U of I,lying on the quad, swimming in ARC, or watching a football match “Fighting Illini”. I hotel perfectly arranges the occasional time in busy day for all guests.
Also, when parents come here, visit their children, and have a leisure weekend in this beautiful college town, I hotel offers special welcome and activities. Especially in dad’s week, also is the football week, dads can sit with their sons in the bar, wearing orange t-shirts, have some drinks, and cheer for Illini football team. What a relaxed weekend!
Synopsis:
I hotel offers a home-like experience, sets a warm harbor for people to relax and run away from pressure in career and business. Professionals in I hotel have operation and sales meeting everyday, seeking for ways to provide better services; Managers pay attention to special request, do their best to satisfy everything which guests want; Staffs always give guests an unforgettable first impression: A huge bright smile. Usually, with the beginning of the new academic year, September is a busy conference season, conference center and other facilities are ready for business guests from all over the world. Although July and August are in summer vacation, they are also a peak season——for weddings! Wedding is a lifetime event and a special time to gather family and friends, dancing, singing, even crying is because of happiness. December to February is not so busy, but there are still a lot of works need to be done, like employee training and getting ready for spring semester meeting peak and parent’s visits.
Megan also talked about current trends and issues in this field. Financial crises does not affect I hotel much. Moreover, because of the high-quality service, affordable price, and characteristic leisure in business, I hotel attracts many guests who actually have conference in Chicago or St. Louis. On future expectations, Megan thought it is necessary to add laundry service. As a newly-opened hotel, I hotel still needs to consummate its service to meet any tiny request guest raises. Our dear alumna also told me her own expectation: to be a hotel general manager one day! She has already been an outstanding professional manager, but she still has a higher self-request. She plans to study and gets familiar with repair arrangement in hotel operation. “Home, Sweet Home” ——make everyone happy——that is the philosophy of I hotel, also, it is the purpose of leisure in tourism and hospitality industry.