Stay U-nique

Placement organization

Name of organization: Stay U-nique
Town/city: Barcelona
Country: Spanje
Website: http://www.stay-u-nique.com/

Student

Name of student: Joanne Staal

Specialist area: MT
Placement period: 2015-2016

Information about placement organization

Type of organization: Accommodation
Organization’s activities: They are a small company in Barcelona offering their customers the best service in the accommodation sector. They are committed to maximizing the customer’s enjoyment, giving them the opportunity to have a pleasant and comfortable stay. They have lots of different apartments available at the best locations.

Their reward is the satisfaction of knowing that everyone who travels with Stay U-nique will come back again. The loyalty that their hard work inspires is the result of the excellent service they offer all travellers who place their trust in them and introduce them to new, future customers who do not hesitate to contact us when they next come to stay in Barcelona. That is the best advertising we could have!

The main office is located in Barcelona. In the company are working interns with various nationalities. This is a good service to the customer, because most of the customers can speak their own language when they have contact with Stay U-nique.

Target group of the organization: Tourists and Business people
Company culture: Informal company where you are able to show a lot of initiative, where you are having a lot of responsibilities and a lot of fun!
Number of employees: 15
Dress code: casual
Did the organization meet the agreements you made beforehand? Yes, so much more!

Information about your placement

In which department(s) are you working? Customer service, check-ins and check-outs of apartments and hotel, administration, marketing, managing inquiries etc.
Brief description of your daily activities: Doing check-ins and check-outs, answering emails, calling customers, processing new bookings, making plannings for the week, managing inquiries, customer contact.
Brief description of your company assignment: The company also manages a small hotel for a year now. An assignment on how the management can be improved to be able to manage more hotels in the future. Comparing the management of our hotel with others in Barcelona. See what we can improve but also pointing out our strong points.
Comment briefly on your supervision by the organization: The best supervision. The supervisor is always able to meet you and give feedback or help you with anything.

Requirements for students on placement

What kind of personal skills are required for this placement? Friendly, very flexible, independent, sociable, team player
Additional company requirements for this placement? English writing skills, Microsoft Office
English: Advanced
Spanish: Basic
French: Basic
German: Basic
Italian: Basic
Other languages:

The trip

Mode of transport to reach your destination: Metro

Accommodation

How did you arrange your accommodation? Internet
How did you go to work every day? By public transport

Visa / work permit / vaccinations

Do you need a visa? No
Do you need a work permit? Yes, NIE number
How did you arrange the necessary documents: A Spanish speaking colleague will help you
How much time did it take to arrange the necessary documents? 3 hours
Did you need certain vaccinations? No
How long in advance?

Language course

Did you take a language course before you started your placement? No
Would you recommend to have a language course prior to this placement? No, English is the language which is spoken in the office

The costs in euros

Travelling expenses (e.g. return ticket): € 100
Accommodation (monthly): € 400
Local transport (monthly): € 45
General costs of living (monthly): € 200
Costs of visa: € –
Costs of work permit: € 10,30
What did the company pay for/to you? The company gives 150 euros per month for public transport and financial compensation

Culture

How did you prepare for the country’s culture?
Spain is not very different from Holland. They may take a little more time for everything but there’s nothing to prepare for really.
Did the culture of the country influence your performance during the placement in any way? No

Future students on placement

Future students are free to contact me for further information: Yes
My e-mail address: joannestaal@hotmail.com

Other information

Recommendations on what to do and what not to do: The accommodation costs are pretty high in Barcelona so don’t search for anything near the main attractions.
Leisure possibilities in the city/surroundings of where the placement took place: Barcelona has so much to offer! The city is amazing. The highlights, views, nightlife etc. You will have an amazing time here!

Media

Youtube link Youtube placement video link