Are you being served? Yes.

The other back-breaking work scheduled for them, when working on morning shifts from 7 am to 4 pm, or evening shifts, from 2 pm to 11 pm, is to take care of the paperwork, write out check-ins and check-outs, update the client’s stay and travel plans, sort out various bills. Moreover, they help out at conferences and seminars, which take place periodically at leading hotels.

“The most difficult part is to first and foremost get ready in a jiffy and look fresh, pleasant and attentive throughout the day. Initially, I took 20 minutes to get ready, now I just take about five minutes,” discloses Swapna. To look fresh,Swapna’s secret is no late nights, and a healthy diet. Small wonder then that she looks cool even after a gruelling shift.“Actually, the job is very challenging, and I love every minute of it,” says Amitabh Khanna, the young Delhite, who has been with Holiday Inn, Pune, for the last two years. The soft-spoken 22-year-old asserts, “The one difference between the hospitality industry and other industries is that we are like one big family here. Without teamwork, such a large network would not survive.”

Amitabh spends most of the day in his “second home.” Like Swapna, he reiterates that the behind-the-scenes hard work is responsible for the outer glamorous look. In hotels, there’s room for everything else but disputes. “There’s no room for excuses and explanations. If there are oil stains on the bedsheet, you simply change the sheet,” he shrugs.

Amitabh remembers the time when a top foreign official of a company wanted a suite for the price of a deluxe room, and could not be easily accommodated. “Hescolded us for 45 minutes and we had to listen politely. But after two days, he realised his mistake and took us out for dinner at Zamu’s. Then he was friendliness personified! He stayed with his wife at the hotel for two months without complaints thereafter.”

Tantrums by top officials, film stars or celebrities prone to throw their weight around, are occupational hazards of the worst kind. In the case of lady receptionists, there is an additional peril. Sometimes they are prone to being “looked at from the wrong angle”. Their friendliness could be misinterpreted by over-friendly guests or visitors at the restaurants. This is probably why women are exempted from night shifts and dropped home in the late evenings.

On the other hand, there is also compensation for the hard work. Grateful guests who have had a good stay generously bestow compliments and gifts on the receptionists and sometimes become good friends. This notwithstanding, meeting people, interacting with them, is a valuable experience.“Yes, our work does change you as a person. My short stint has already made me more patient, and I feel better equipped to understand the other person’s problems,” feels Swapna.

Nidhi Luthra, the pretty and smiling 22-year-old at Hotel Aurora Towers, who did a short-term hotel management course at the National Institute of Hotel Management, Clover Centre, feels the job satisfaction is tremendous, and after some initial teething problems, has gained confidence in meeting and dealing with people. “I like to meet and converse with people, which is what my job entails! I don’t have to sit cooped up in a room from nine-to-five with computers all day long,” she grins.

Though off-days come few and far between, Amitabh, who shares a flat with two colleagues, likes to eat out at Zamu’s or Nandu’s or play cricket in his spare time. Swapna lazes around or watches TV. Nidhi goes shopping or to the movies. Then its back to business as usual. Tommorow is another day! And there are other interesting people to meet!