MEMPHIS, Tenn. — According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics report from January, there are 64,700 hospitality workers who serve the Memphis area, making up about 10.4% of the city’s total workforce.
Hospitality workers across the world recognized National Hospitality Worker Appreciation day Wednesday, February 23. The hospitality industry is diverse, covering a wide-range of job roles that include, but not limited to, restaurant workers and chefs, tour guides, event planners, and hotel workers.
Workers who fill these jobs play an intricate role in making life easy for everyone else. Despite how challenging serving others can be, Trackeshia Love, the Assistant General Manager at Hampton Inn, and her staff love every bit of it.
Love, 43, has worked in hospitality for seven years. She started her career as a laundry assistant, and now she manages several staff members. Her work has had a positive impact on her life, allowing her to experience continuous growth.
“The industry has helped build my character and confidence in dealing with different people all across the globe,” Love said. “I have encountered so many people who have impacted my life, as well as I have impacted theirs.”
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Love said that in addition to her work allowing her to give guest a “lift in spirit,” the support that she receives from her staff makes her job even more satisfying.
“You never know who you will come in contact with, so working alongside great employees who are willing to allow a great leader such as me to lead them, not questioning my ability but trusting and believing that the mission will be carried out with excellence and great professionalism, is so rewarding,” Love said.
Hospitality workers like the staff at Hampton Inn dedicate their everyday lives to serving others, and they enjoy doing it.
One of Love’s staff employees, Damon Nesbitt, 36, said that his smile is part of his uniform.
Devantia Marshall, a 33-year-old staff member who has worked in hospitality for the last 10 years, said that knowing that her good service makes guest want to keep coming back and even just stop by makes her feel accomplished.
Another staff member, 26-year-old Amber Webber, said that she likes knowing that her service makes people “feel at home.”
Showing gratitude for hospitality workers can range from offering them a simple smile, to adding a little extra on their tip, and even to gifting them lunch or gift cards.
It’s not too late to add a little happy and a lot of appreciation to a hospitality worker’s day.
