Workplace reviews and discussion: 敦謙國際旅店管理顧問有限公司

There’s a 7-Eleven downstairs, I guess.

A cautionary review, specifically regarding the Reservations Department. I won’t comment on the other departments since I don’t know enough about them.

Don’t simply assume that a starting monthly salary of NT$30,000 sounds like a lot. Once you join, you’ll understand why they dare to offer this kind of salary. Although the total hours are basically nine hours—eight scheduled working hours plus a one-hour break—almost nobody leaves their workstation or computer screen during that break. Most people eat takeout while working.

The company has a huge number of LINE groups: team groups, Reservations Department groups, head-office groups, and groups for each hotel. Altogether, there were more than 10 when I was there. Work messages keep popping up even after work and during days off, with lots of tags. New employees are often tagged by senior staff about problems, particular guests, and so on. Occasionally, inexperienced employees also thoughtlessly tag senior staff.

The Reservations Department’s office is all on the same floor. Basically, aside from a refrigerator, microwave, and water dispenser, there are no other employee amenities. Personally, I found the office space cramped. There were even times when there weren’t enough chairs and people had to borrow them from one another. Previously, in the summer, the air conditioning in the large area broke down, but it was never repaired, making the whole place unbearably hot. I don’t know whether it has been dealt with now.

During the interview, they said that the Reservations Department’s day and night shifts rotated every two months, but I was assigned to the night shift before I had even been there for two months. The shift ended at 1 a.m., so consider whether you can accept that.

Parking nearby is extremely difficult. It’s hard to find spaces not only for cars but even for scooters, and if you don’t leave early to look for a parking spot, you may well be late.

After joining, I found that people were leaving all the time; some even quit after just one day. Several new employees joined every week. As for the reason behind such a high turnover rate, I won’t comment.

Other people have already explained the training, so please refer to those reviews.

As for the work itself, the system is basically divided into several layers. Personally, I found it very cumbersome and incompatible with the company name, “Intelligent.” There are also far too many quarantine hotels under both the purchase and lease arrangements, so there is a great deal to memorize. On top of that, the government was updating the epidemic-prevention measures constantly, yet the supervisors and HR expected you to get up to speed quickly after joining; otherwise, you were responsible for the consequences.

Reservations staff were evaluated based on performance, but there were hardly any rules governing it. As a result, many senior employees would open a guest’s message, see that it was complicated, and simply ignore it, leaving the messages in complete disarray and generating many complaints. Also, if you really plan to work here, it’s better to work slowly than make mistakes. Nobody praises you when you process many cases quickly, but if you make one mistake, you will be tagged.

Previously, there was a daily requirement to achieve at least 10 bookings. Even when the company’s room rates skyrocketed or there were hardly any rooms available toward the end of peak season, they still showed no consideration.

I’ve basically explained a great deal already. I won’t mention some details that are more personal because I have no evidence or witnesses. Naturally, I only dare to mention things that other former employees can jointly testify to, so I’m not afraid.

Finally, my personal cautionary opinion: As the COVID-19 pandemic is nearing its end and many countries are moving toward coexistence, there are no longer many quarantine mechanisms. I believe this business opportunity will continue to decline, and in a few months they won’t need so many employees. If you are looking for a stable, long-term job, you should consider its future prospects.