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 statement. This review is about 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. Basically, although the total shift is nine hours, with eight scheduled working hours and a one-hour break in between, almost no one actually leaves their workstation or computer screen during that hour. Most people eat takeout while working.

The company has an enormous 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 kept popping up, even after work and during days off, and there were often a lot of tags. New employees were frequently tagged by veterans about various problems or questions regarding guests, and occasionally clueless newcomers would tag veterans too.

The reservations department’s office is all on the same floor. Basically, apart from a refrigerator, microwave, and water dispenser, there are no other welfare facilities. I personally found the office space cramped. At one point, there weren’t even enough chairs, so people had to borrow them from one another. One summer, the air conditioning in the large area broke down and 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 the reservations department rotated between day and night shifts once every two months, but I was assigned to the night shift before I had even been there for two months. You finish work at 1 a.m., so consider whether you can accept that.

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

After joining, I found that people often resigned. Some even left after just one day. Several new employees joined every week. I won’t comment on the reason for such a high turnover rate either.

Others have already explained the training, so please go read those reviews.

As for the job duties, the system is basically divided into several layers. Personally, I found it very cumbersome and inconsistent with the company name, “Intelligent.” In addition, there are simply too many epidemic-prevention hotels—both purchased and leased properties—and a huge amount of information to memorize. On top of that, the government updated epidemic-prevention measures constantly, yet supervisors and HR still expected you to get up to speed quickly after joining; otherwise, you were on your own.

Reservations staff are evaluated on performance, but there aren’t many rules governing it. As a result, many veterans would open a complicated customer message and simply ignore it, leaving the message system in complete chaos and generating a pile of complaints. Also, if you really plan to work here, it’s better to be slow than to make mistakes. No one praises you for handling many cases quickly, but the moment you make a mistake, you’ll 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 almost no rooms available for sale toward the end of peak season, they still showed no consideration.

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

Finally, as a personal cautionary opinion: with the COVID-19 pandemic nearing its end and many countries moving toward coexistence, there are no longer many quarantine mechanisms. I believe this business opportunity will continue to decline, and in a few months there will be no need for so many employees. If you’re looking for a stable, long-term job, you may want to consider the future prospects.