Saying Goodbye to The Peninsula

I started working at The Peninsula Hotel when I was just twenty-one years old. I had just moved in with a (now ex) boyfriend, was going out quite frequently and knew nothing about the hospitality industry that I hadn’t learned in my one hospitality class I took in college. I was young and naïve and thought I already knew everything. But within the first few months of working at the hotel, I saw that I really did not know much. I’ve gained so much experience working in the three departments I was a part of during my time at the hotel.

Working at a five star, luxury property was so far removed from a life that I was used to, and it opened my eyes to a whole new level of wealth and living I hadn’t ever experienced. Staying at the properties here in Chicago and in New York has, I’m sure, spoiled me for life as far as travel accommodations are concerned. Not having a TV in the bathtub is now a deal-breaker (just kidding… kind of).

I was afforded many opportunities to learn at the hotel, my favorite being the trip to Shanghai to cross-train at our hotel there. I loved every minute of that trip, and came back with so many great ideas of how to improve not only my work but also myself (a gift that travel always gives). Learning not only how to work in a hotel, but how a hotel runs has been an amazing asset for my career and for booking my own travel and writing about it for this blog.
Personally, during my time at the hotel I made friends, lost friends, dated co-workers and then broke up with coworkers. I loved my job and hated my job, and had hit some of my highest and lowest points while I worked there. It really was a crazy ride. I hope I will take the good away with me and leave the bad.

Over the past five and a half years at the Peninsula I have been through so much and learned so much, and did a lot of growing up. When I first started there, I didn’t know what I wanted out of life or what possibilities there could be for me. I didn’t ever think of my future further than my next days off, and now it’s all I think about. I am so thankful for my time at this hotel overall, but I am also so ready to move forward. Taking this new opportunity was not an easy decision, but I’m very excited for the things to come. It’s the start of a new chapter, a fresh start, and I couldn’t be happier.