Starwood Hotels & Resorts Reviews

Pros

I enjoyed being a part-time employee as they were always considerate to my needs and offered flexibility where necessary. It was a nice environment to work in and my colleagues were like family

Cons

The hours were sometimes long and unpredictable. Shifts varied on the business and getting consistent work in off-peak months was sometimes difficult.

Advice to Senior Management

I asked on numerous occasions to cross-train elsewhere in the company and was never given sufficient support from my department or others to allow this to happen. In future, management should support staff that want to learn.

Pros

Decent benefits and good horizontal mobility.

Cons

I had a bad experience where I was not allowed to move on to a higher management roll because my GM would not let me.

Advice to Senior Management

allow good employees to move up and promote from within.

Pros

You receive excellent discounts for rooms all over the world. With the Westin-Seattle they are part of the union, so this can be beneficial and frustrating all at the same time.

Cons

Very strict guidelines and rules on how you are allowed to behave while on the job. It's all about seniority and not who performs the best.

Advice to Senior Management

Work hard to keep your hardworking employees happy. Don't allow for lazy "senior" workers to get away with never working and bossing others around.

Pros

Schedule flexibility, good people, strong company financials, solid brands and properties with significant property forecast.

Cons

Unrealisitc expectations on work/life balance, unmanageable level of work

Advice to Senior Management

Invest in additional resources to provide a more manageable workload and promote a healthier work/life balance

Pros

The bonuses and how quickly one can move up. The sales conversion is always less than 40% for new agents.

Cons

On Sundays it's difficult for new agents so it can prove to be a bit difficult. I would suggest getting with your supervisor for extra training Mon - Satuday.

Advice to Senior Management

Management is pretty good for the most part, you will always have some managers that hide and others that are the face of the floor.

Pros

1. great growth opportunities.
2. equal opportunities employer
3. the company allows you to grow across different skill levels and is helpful in recognising associates strengths.

Cons

1. work times can be a times difficult but manageable.
2. inflexible as far as movement across properties in uae but can be worked out

Advice to Senior Management

we are very proud the way starwood is growing and are really happy with the current leadership and the team .Thank you for your vision.

Pros

Expensive menu= large tips per table
Excellent discount when staying at other Starwood hotels

Cons

Manager promoted despite zero experience
No dialogue between dissatisfied employees and management
Next to impossible to receive benefits
Manager largely absent during dinner service
Attempting to be "fine dining" despite feedback from customers that they would largely prefer a simpler, more inviting restaurant

Advice to Senior Management

Listen to employees and customers
Have clear expectations
Be present

Pros

discounts on fabulous hotels and abilty to transfer. Making bonuses. Lots of different departments and career choices once you get your fot in the door.

Cons

Operations does not do a good job of balancing enough people to cover incoming calls. Unrealistic expectations of what can be done in day. High stress and favoritism.

Advice to Senior Management

Take everything you are doing and do the opposite. Listen to your employees and show more compassion. Understand that we are not robots.

Pros

company encourages you to cross train across different depts. to gain experience

Cons

conflict tends to be avoided rather than dealt with

Pros

Early on when I started Starwood had a stellar reputation as an innovator from when Barry Sternlicht ran the company. It was truly an exciting place to work.

Barry left in 2005, and slowly all the smart and talented left as well, either voluntarily for a better job or by getting backstabbed by a senior manager who felt threatened. The mediocre folks stayed as they could never find a better job anywhere else.

Mediocre folks continued to backstab their way up to the top and hired mediocre direct reports so as not to feel threatened by good people below them who could take their jobs.

This cycle has been repeated for 6 or 7 years so that Starwood is now as mediocre as any of its rivals.

Cons

In 2009 or 2010 they added into their company values & mantra that they are "innovators". As if you write it in your corporate charter such will make it so. Duh, you innovated in the past because you hired the best and the brightest who were innovative. And paid them to want to be there and innovate. You get rid of all them and replace them with mediocre people, and that wont make you innovative even if you paste the word innovate onto your forehead

Advice to Senior Management

Keep cutting pay so that you can drive up the stock price and cash out on your stock options