Villa Santa Hotel

Placement organization

Name of organization: Villa Santa Hotel
Town/city: Cesis
Country: Letland
Website: https://villasanta.lv/

Student

Name of student: Eliza Anca
Specialist area: Tourism Management (EN)
Placement period: 2020-2021

Information about placement organization

Type of organization: Hotel
Organization’s activities: rooms, F&B, SPA, events
Target group of the organization: upper class recreational lovers from the capital city, who are looking for an escape from the city without compensating on the quality.
Company culture: Since there are only 15-20 people working at this design hotel, the team is very tight, therefore anyone who will separate themselves form the team, will not be welcomed well. Here the division of tasks are strict only when there is not large customer flows. Once the hotel is doing better, everyone helps each other without a fail. The team is like a second family to each other.
Speaking of hierarchy, the owners gives tasks to the manager, who distributes the tasks to the restaurant manager, chef, housekeeping, technical department and guest service.
Number of employees: 15
Dress code: casual
Did the organization meet the agreements you made beforehand? Yes

Information about your placement

In which department(s) are you working? Management

Brief description of your daily activities: • preparing customer information,
• communicating with suppliers,
• updating social media channels,
• participating in event management
• contributing to organizational strategies.
Brief description of your company assignment: Deliver a research of the platform-to-business relationship between Villa Santa Hotel and e-commerce companies booking.com and expedia.com. A research of regulations, company’s rights will have to be delivered, as well as a guide for an easy navigation and understanding of the key principles to avoid hotel’s management exploitation.
Comment briefly on your supervision by the organization: I have been given all the support I have needed. The tasks have been challenging, yet explained in an understandable way. My needs have been listened to and discussed. I feel nothing more than gratitude for the experience I have had.

Requirements for students on placement

What kind of personal skills are required for this placement? Work ethic, logical thinking, resistance to stress, independence, feel of responsibility,
Additional company requirements for this placement? MS Office, writing skills
English: Intermediate
Spanish:
French:
German:
Italian:
Other languages: Russian, Latvian is preferable

The trip

Mode of transport to reach your destination: airplane, bus, train, car

Accommodation

How did you arrange your accommodation? Myself, but the company also offered possibilities
How did you go to work every day? By foot, bicycle, car, public transport

Visa / work permit / vaccinations

Do you need a visa? No
Do you need a work permit? No
How did you arrange the necessary documents:
How much time did it take to arrange the necessary documents?
Did you need certain vaccinations? Yes
How long in advance?

Language course

Did you take a language course before you started your placement? Yes
Would you recommend to have a language course prior to this placement? Depends on the language level. Should be kept in mind, that possibility to communicate is crucial

The costs in euros

Travelling expenses (e.g. return ticket): € 0
Accommodation (monthly): € 300
Local transport (monthly): € 20
General costs of living (monthly): € 400
Costs of visa: €
Costs of work permit: €
What did the company pay for/to you? Accommodation,
Transportation expanses,
Staff meals and coffee were for a reduced price

Culture

How did you prepare for the country’s culture?
This is my home country, therefore no particular preparation was needed. However, for foreigners, I would suggest to expect that people of the Baltics are reserved and not particularly outgoing. It is not rudeness, it is just the way we are.
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: 183029@buas.nl

Other information

Recommendations on what to do and what not to do: Try to travel around as much as possible. The country is so beautiful, with many historical and nature reserves. The transportation is fairly cheap and gets you everywhere.
Leisure possibilities in the city/surroundings of where the placement took place: Cesis is a small historical town. The must see places are the castle ruins, the parks surrounding the castle, the old town, the many different pubs and cafes. And of course, the nature sites nearby. Cesis is located in one of the largest nature reserves in the country, therefore it is surrounded by many monuments.

Media

Youtube link Youtube placement video link