(lively music)
- [Narrator] There are paths everywhere.
Some lead to greatness.
Others put us on the road less traveled.
All of the paths share one thing in common: people.
What fuels your passion is unique to you.
So let’s talk about you.
(lively music) (sheet rustling)
- For me, I actually pursued the route
of playing professional sports for a little bit.
Injuries derailed that, and so I, you know,
was looking deep within myself to figure out exactly
what else I was good at doing.
And I realized that, you know, people
and just being connected
and just everyday connections with people,
whether it was on and off the field.
And so I actually ended up going back to school,
in which I now obtained a degree in culinary and operations.
And then eventually, that kind of all came together for me
to realize that hospitality is exactly
where I felt the most comfortable
to continue to pursue my career.
(lively music)
- I found that I really enjoy just helping people
and making people’s day.
Working front desk at a hotel,
we have the opportunity
to build longer-lasting relationships with guests.
We’re really able to get to know people
and know what they like, what they don’t like.
I do see myself utilizing a lot
of the soft skills that I’ve learned in hospitality.
Empathy and being able to understand
what people are going through
and what they might need really impacted me.
But when you see how happy you can make people,
it really makes it worthwhile.
(lively music)
- Being inside of a hotel as the porter, you greet people,
and you have to share a level of connection.
And being in this hotel, bringing that hospitality
to other people is what we strive for.
(lively music)
- I think you have to be really good
at being sincere, first of all,
that you actually like what you do.
It’s like any profession, you know.
If you choose to be in construction,
you do it because you love it, because you’re good at it.
And the same thing here.
We need to know about food.
We need to know about wine.
Now we need to be able to be good photographers,
because everybody wants to have a picture now.
(lively music)
(Angela speaking in Spanish)
(lively music)
- I love coming to work.
Like, I do not wake up in the morning and say,
“Ugh, I have to go to work today.”
I never do that.
I wake up; I’m excited to come to work.
Everyone speaks to everyone.
We communicate a lot with each other
because housekeeping I feel like is kind of like the heart
of the hotel.
Like if you don’t have anyone cleaning,
we can’t check anyone in.
(lively music)
The best part of my job is, to me, the people.
I get to experience things I’ve never experienced before
in my life,
learn about different cultures.
And definitely being in housekeeping, I’m definitely working
with people with different backgrounds,
and it helps me understand why people are the way
that they are.
(lively music)
- When I started bartending,
I really looked up to the manager at the time,
and he kind of took me under his wing
to very quickly teach me not only the making
of the drinks and serving of the guests
but the behind-the-scenes,
the administrative aspects that go into bartending.
I really looked up to him.
And so since then, I was a year into my relationship,
and over the past eight years, we have—
this is where I get emotional—
we have had a baby, and we have gotten married,
and the friends that I have made here have been there
through all of it.
Even in the wedding.
(Elvia speaking in Spanish)
- Some of the coolest, most friendly,
most interesting people I’ve met are co-workers.
Sometimes I’ll run into old guests at the grocery store.
They’ll say, “Oh, Awesome Austin from South Boston.”
Sometimes I’ll say, “Oh my gosh, wow.”
And whoever I’m with will say, “Who’s that?”
And I’ll say, “I have no idea.
I see a lot of faces.”
It’s very valuable to know
that I’ve affected so many people’s lives in that way.
(lively music)
- [Narrator] It doesn’t matter who you are
or where you come from—
there’s a path waiting for you.
North Carolina’s hotels and restaurants want you.
Find the path that fits you at ServingCareers.com.
(lively music) (water spraying)