After a good night’s sleep, we started the day very early with a complimentary breakfast at the hotel. The breakfast was excellent, offering a great selection of fresh food and drinks. Afterward, Petr met us in the lobby, and we were ready to take the tram for the first time. As some of you may know, we don’t have trams in Miami, so this was a unique experience for me. Having lived in both Venezuela and Miami my entire life, I had never used public transportation before. Although Petr mentioned that this was the most efficient way to travel around the city, I initially didn’t understand how the tram could be so effective.
However, with just one stop and within 20 minutes, we reached our first destination: the Marriott in Augustine. As someone who already works for Marriott, I was excited to visit this property, which, like my current workplace, is a corporate property. Professor Dodge informed the staff that I was already a Marriott employee, which allowed me to connect with them easily. This particular Marriott is part of the Luxury Collection within the Marriott brand.
We were welcomed with a fantastic presentation from their esteemed staff and front desk team. During the visit, I answered a couple of their questions about the Marriott loyalty program. This was an area where I had an advantage, as my role at the front desk requires me to know all of our brand standards. I was particularly interested in learning how this Marriott property in Prague operates.
One highlight of the visit was meeting an Assistant Front Office Manager who had participated in the Voyager program—the same program I will be joining on February 1st at The Westin in downtown Washington, DC. I had the opportunity to speak with him afterward and get some valuable tips for my journey.
We also learned a lot about the history of the property itself. One of the rooms we visited was housed in a space that was 500 years old! It was incredible to see how Marriott had preserved and transformed such a historic site into a modern, luxurious room. As an employee, I couldn’t help but check to ensure everything was up to Marriott’s standards—and, of course, it was.
After our visit to the Marriott, we had some free time to have lunch and explore the city on our own. A few classmates and I went out for sandwiches, and it was a great opportunity to bond with them and have meaningful conversations while getting to know Prague.
Later, we returned to the hotel for some relaxation before heading out again to explore the city at night. Petr reassured us that Prague is one of the safest cities in the world and that we didn’t need to worry about our safety. Nevertheless, we decided to stick together as a group when we went out that evening.