I went to Dubai, where I was so rich, to work as a housekeeper in a seven-star hotel, and I was thrown a wad of money by customers
The guest from England yelled at me angrily, claiming to complain to me and asking me if I looked down on him. Then he rudely threw a stack of bills in front of me. I was so frightened that I couldn't stop crying. Fortunately, my colleagues came over to offer me their condolences and support, and my superiors quickly stepped in to deal with the complaint.
It all happened when I first stepped into the Burj Al Arab in Dubai as a front-line butler. This was a very aggrieved and embarrassing encounter.
Today, I have been promoted to Assistant Director and take on the day-to-day responsibilities).
I am Jia Yu, born in the 90s, a girl in Huaihua, Hunan. My father was a railway mechanic engineer and my mother worked in a company before opening a children's clothing store. As an only child, I received endless love at home. When I was a kid, I always wore all kinds of beautiful children's clothes and became a model in the store.
The relationship with my parents has always been very good. Their relationship is also very strong, from first love to marriage. They have never quarreled in front of me since I can remember, and the family atmosphere has always been warm and harmonious.
Even though I didn't do well academically, my parents never compared me to other children and never complimented others in front of me. They only encouraged me to do well in my next exam and sometimes motivated me with small gifts.
They have always adhered to the democratic principles of my education, and will hardly interfere with my course selection and subject choice, and they will fully support me no matter what decision I make.
Adler once said: "Happy people use childhood ** for a lifetime, and unfortunate people use a lifetime of ** childhood." "In this happy family, I have cultivated a sunny and laughing personality.
In the year of the college entrance examination, my grades were not satisfactory, and I originally planned to repeat my studies, but I was a little hesitant. After a thorough analysis of my personality and strengths, my mother suggested that I enroll in a major in hotel management.
I thought this suggestion was very good, so I chose to enter the best hotel management school in China at that time, Chengdu Ginkgo Hotel Management School, a private university.
In college, I met an important friend in my life, Rita, who became my nobleman, and my destiny began to change.
Before enrolling, I got to know her through the Internet, and we got along very well and soon became close friends. Rita majored in English and I chose Hospitality Management.
Her English department often has some opportunities involving international projects. In the fall of 2012, the department had a hotel exchange program in Phuket, Thailand, a well-known Swiss brand that only admits one student.
Rita invited me to join me, but I felt that my English was poor and I was hesitant. Eventually, at her insistence, I reluctantly agreed.
For this opportunity, I made full preparations and memorized my self-introduction in English repeatedly.
There were more than 20 participants in the interview, and I remember trying to introduce myself in English by heart, and I couldn't understand most of the questions asked by the interviewer, so I could only barely guess the answers.
Although I may not be able to lose, I at least asked myself not to lose in form, so I kept a standard smile throughout the whole process.
The results of the interview were announced, and Rita was accepted. And I was impressed by the smile during the interview and was successfully admitted to another five-star hotel. This just confirms the saying "girls who love to laugh are not too lucky".
I chose Thailand for my first internship abroad, which was a new experience for me, and I didn't even dare to imagine that I would be able to set foot on international soil one day.
As soon as I got off the plane, I was picked up by the hotel car, and I was treated like a luxury in a luxury suite. It's a stressful and exciting time, and it's amazing to be in the sun, beach, pool and food of a five-star hotel in Thailand, just after eating in the school cafeteria. While excited, there is also some anxiety about the work that is about to begin.
Due to my limited level of English, there were some barriers to communication with my colleagues at first. But what touched me was that they were very patient and helped me a lot. Slowly, I got used to the working environment and became more comfortable with it. After my internship in Thailand, I returned to my home country to continue my classes.
When I graduated from my senior year, many hotels came to recruit from the school, and I had already passed an interview with a hotel in Shenzhen. At this time, my friend Rita told me that she wanted to work in Dubai, and she invited me to come with me that day when the recruitment team from Burj Al Arab Dubai came to our school.
In 2014, I took a photo in front of the Burj Al Arab).
This time, I was more fluent in spoken English than before, and with the experience of an internship in Thailand, the whole interview process felt very smooth. Eventually, I managed to become a member of the Burj Al Arab Butler Department.
During the interview, I kept a relaxed attitude and didn't have too many expectations, thinking that if it didn't work, I would go to Shenzhen to report, it didn't matter. Unexpectedly, I was actually accepted!It makes me very happy. Wow, do I have another chance to go abroad?And this time it's a trip to Dubai, which is said to be "rich and oily"!
When my dream came true, I was pleasantly surprised that Lady Luck had once again favored me.
I had only seen Burj Al Arab on TV and the Internet before, but I didn't expect to be deeply shocked when I arrived at the scene. As the world's first seven-star hotel, Burj Al Arab lives up to its name!The total cost of $1.5 billion, about $10 million per floor, has 28 floors (looks like 56 floors) and a helipad at the top.
There are a total of 202 guest rooms, all of which are two-storey duplex suites, with a minimum size of 170 square meters, and floor-to-ceiling windows on all sides, with sweeping views of the Arabian Sea. The most basic suite** also costs more than 8,000 yuan, and the **suite is as high as 20,000 yuan.
All the utensils in the rooms are gilded, including disposable toiletries. From the hall, atrium, bedroom to bathroom, everywhere is resplendent, and even small details such as doorknobs, faucets, ashtrays, and coat hooks are plated with **.
Guests who come to Burj Al Arab are either extremely wealthy or in a prominent position, including the richest people in some countries, **former**, rich people, etc. Therefore, their requirements for service are also extremely high.
At the beginning of my career, due to my lack of experience due to the fact that I had just graduated from school, I was assigned to be in charge of connecting with VIP customers. That's when some embarrassing hiccups happened.
On one occasion, a British guest and his friends booked a buffet dinner at a group hotel for about AED 1,000 per person. During the meal, they drank alcohol and mistakenly believed that this part of the cost was included in the 1,000 dirhams. However, the hotel attendant told them that there was an additional charge for drinks.
With colleagues at Burj Al Arab).
The guest was very angry about this and accused me of not making it clear. The British guest felt embarrassed to be chased by the waiter for a few hundred dollars, so he angrily yelled at me that he wanted to complain about me, and threw a wad of money in front of me.
I felt very aggrieved at the time because I had already mentioned it before they ate and it was a well-known fact that all buffets in Dubai do not include the cost of drinks.
This is the first time I've encountered this situation, and I was directly scared to cry. Fortunately, all my colleagues came to comfort me, and eventually, my superiors helped me deal with the complaint.
This experience has allowed me to grow a lot, I have learned how to deal better with high-end customers, and it has also made me more thoughtful in terms of details.
Also, when it comes to tips, not every guest will give them generously. Generous guests will give more, for example, I am more amiable, just help the guest open an elevator door, they will usually give me a tip of 100 to 200 US dollars.
I still remember the highest tip I received on that occasion, which was two or three thousand dirhams (equivalent to 5,000 RMB). It was a week when I was serving a guest on vacation in Africa, I took care of all his trips and bookings, put in the effort, and the guest was very satisfied with my service.
Typically, Chinese guests tip relatively rarely. But at one point, I felt like I was just doing some work, but in a foreign country, I felt the warmth of my compatriots. This guest generously gave me $600.
At that time, my friends around me said, "I really envy you, you tip so much." "I would tell them not to just see how much we are tipped, but that if we are not careful at work and are complained about because of a word or an event, we can lose a lot more money than we tipped out.
Another point is that many people will wonder if the salary is particularly high when working in a seven-star hotel like Dubai
Me and my African guests).
For example, as a housekeeper, including ordinary employees of restaurants and front desks, the basic salary is 2,000 dirhams, plus other language subsidies and service subsidies, and the basic salary reaches 5,000 RMB. Add to that a tip, and if you're lucky, you might be able to get it for a month.
Seven or eight thousand RMB, but if you don't pay attention to the wrong account, you will be deducted (mainly because the customer's consumption is too high).
Employees are covered with food, accommodation and transportation, and can enjoy discounts at all hotels and restaurants under the group, as well as 30 days of paid annual leave per year.
If you are promoted to a senior management position, in addition to the salary increase, there are also benefits such as independent apartments and children's education allowances, which are quite generous on the whole. However, it is not as rumored in China that the salary here is higher than in China.
Five, six times. Despite the relatively high wages, our industry is not easy, requiring night shifts and a three-shift system. A lot of people may only do it for a few months and then can't stick to it. Of the more than 20 people who came at the same time, only 2 or 3 people stayed in the end.
My lovely colleagues).
At work, I have always been strict with myself, 100% serious and responsible, and treat every guest with heart.
Among the guests of the hotel, there are all kinds of wealthy people, some drive Rolls-Royce, some with bodyguards and nannies, and some choose to book *** service, you can fly directly to the top of the hotel to usher in a more distinguished experience.
These wealthy people are quite self-disciplined when staying in hotels, not only eating and drinking, but also going to the gym, swimming, spa, etc., or taking classes or doing maintenance, paying great attention to their own image management, showing the temperament of successful people.
I used to think that working at the Burj Al Arab was already a big surprise in my life, but I didn't expect that an even bigger surprise was waiting for me ahead.
I am very happy working at Burj Al Arab. The original plan was to work in the hotel industry, from the front-line housekeeper to the reservation department, and then work your way up. However, one day I hosted a veteran flight attendant with Qatar Airways.
The experienced flight attendant thanked me for my service as I left the hotel and praised me for being lovely and very much in line with their company's requirements. He told me that their company had an audition in Dubai, thought I would definitely pass it, and encouraged me to try it. Finally, he sent his blessings: "Bless you, lovely Chinese girl. ”
I immediately added his *** and found that his circle of friends was full of beautiful photos of traveling around the world. At that time, I was full of envy and my heart was full of questions: Oh my God, can I really live such a life?You can travel the world with a salary?Considering I'm only 163cm tall, I honestly never thought I'd consider being a flight attendant at the time.
The month coincided with the audition for Qatar Airways and the expiration of my two-year contract at Burj Al Arab, so I didn't hesitate to attend the interview. With my background in Burj Al Arab and my fluency in English, I successfully passed the interview.
When I told my family that I was going to join Qatar Airways, all my relatives and friends were against it because they thought the profession was very dangerous.
My parents chose to side with me, they said that as long as I was happy and brave enough to pursue my dreams, I believed that I had always been a lucky person and did not need to worry about safety.
Qatar Airways colleagues, not the same beauty).
Standing at the crossroads of career choice, I have also repeatedly asked myself that if I choose to work in the hotel industry, I will definitely have a better and more stable development. But once I decided to join Qatar Airways, it was like starting over, and the flight attendant career could be a bottleneck ...... a few years later
After thinking about it, I made plans to sign a three-year contract with Qatar Airways. I want to take advantage of my youth now to go out and see the world more, and if I don't fly now, I may not have so many opportunities in the future. After three years, I can get back into the hotel industry.
With the support of my parents, I made up my mind to leave Burj Al Arab and embark on a career at Qatar Airways.
However, being a flight attendant is not as simple as I thought at first, and the challenges are quite numerous.
I still remember the first time I flew it. I was checking the bathroom that day, and as soon as I opened the door, I saw an old foreign lady fainting on the floor. I was startled and very scared and immediately called in the crew to help.
In the face of the emergency situation of the old lady suddenly fainting, we immediately carried her out of the bathroom and laid her on the floor, and took steps to give her oxygen, water or drinks, seek medical assistance, and contact her family to understand her physical condition. At that time, we also need to notify the captain as soon as possible, so that in case of emergency, we will consider emergency landing and other measures. Later, I learned that the old lady had a heart attack, coupled with a long flight at high altitude, and fainted due to lack of oxygen. Thankfully, the old lady finally made it through the whole flight safely.
In my work, I have also experienced some touching stories.
Once, an old American grandfather always smiled and thanked me as I passed by. What struck me as strange was that every time I talked to him, he needed me to repeat it a few times to hear it clearly, and he kept saying "I'm sorry" all the time. Later, I learned that he had undergone a serious traffic accident and had undergone a brain surgery some time ago, so he would have been slower to react. He also showed me a major surgical scar on his head.
Posing in the desert).
This grandfather was a former "Medical Volunteers Without Borders" who continued to work in 17 countries after being injured. After listening to his story, I was so moved that I almost cried. I immediately reported the situation of the old man to the superiors, and then our crew sent a love cake and left a group photo with him to commemorate it. The old man was very happy, saying that this was the first time he had received such a warm surprise on a plane for decades.
As with the Burj Al Arab, I have had a very fulfilling time at Qatar Airways, with a record of zero leave in three years.
Once, I felt a fever before the flight and was planning to take a leave of absence. But I was flying to Cape Town, South Africa, that night, and it was a flight I had been requesting for a long time, so I was a little reluctant to take time off. I took some medicine, rested early, and adjusted my condition to fly normally the next day.
Hahaha, happy moment)
As flight attendants, many people only see our glamorous side, such as global travel, high-end hotel stays, and various benefits. But behind the scenes, we also faced a lot of challenges, such as jet lag, turbulent air, responding to unexpected situations, and dealing with complaints from discerning guests. In fact, every industry has its own difficulties and requires full dedication.
During my three years of flying experience, I have visited more than 40 countries and seen the prosperity of the world, such as Times Square in New York, as well as poor African slums and Sri Lanka. I was amazed at the diversity and richness of the world.
I would like to thank Qatar Airways for these wonderful experiences.
With the end of my three-year contract with Qatar Airways, I officially left my post in November 2018. After quitting my job, I traveled around Dubai and visited friends.
Once, Rita invited me to dinner at a very famous Chinese restaurant in Dubai. The owner of this restaurant happens to be her friend, and the restaurant is looking for a restaurant manager.
She half-jokingly said, "Didn't you quit?"Would you like to give it a try?Get back to where you are. "I was impressed, this restaurant is very prestigious and I will definitely be able to learn a lot here.
So, in January 2019, I officially became the restaurant manager of this restaurant. I started learning management, conducting training, developing markets, planning events, leading teams, ......Every day is very busy, and the mobile phone cannot be turned off 24 hours a day......
After working in a Chinese restaurant for almost a year, I gradually felt that I had lost the joy of my work. While the pay is high, it can also be stressful. I began to calm down and think, what kind of life do I really want to live?I also shared my true thoughts with my parents.
Perhaps it was fate, just when I felt lost, I was reunited with my "old love" from college. This time, I decided to quit my job and return to China to be brave for love.
We are reunited, perhaps providential)
Our story goes back to 2011, when a friend and I were going out to dinner after work, and my friend invited some people, and he was one of them.
It was our first meeting, and I was wearing a lot of heavy makeup. At first, he thought I was a cold royal sister type, but when I spoke, it was a full Lolita voice, and this contrast aroused his interest. We went to the game hall to catch dolls together, strolled the streets together, and tasted roadside snacks ...... togetherHe knew I loved to snack and often came all the way from his school with a big bag of snacks on his back, and we had a carefree, youthful and sweet time.
It wasn't until 2014 that I graduated from university and went to work in Dubai. Because of the time difference and our busy schedules, we drifted apart. He reached out to me a few times, but I was busy with work and had few responses. Later, he mistakenly thought that I had become materialistic and decided not to contact me anymore.
My friends and girlfriends have come to Dubai for work)
In 2019, he led a study tour to the UK and passed through Dubai, where one of the students lost his passport and needed to stay in Dubai for two days. A mutual friend of ours suggested that we have a dinner together at the restaurant where I work.
I didn't think much about it at the time, I just went with the mentality of seeing old friends. On the day of the meeting, everyone had dinner together and had a very happy chat. When we met again six years later, he found that I was still the same as six years ago, maintaining my simple and lovely nature, unchanged by material things.
So, fate made us meet again.
After we reconnected, we had endless words to talk about every day, and we remembered the memories of six years ago, and we didn't forget the heartbeat of our school days.
I resigned from my position as a Chinese restaurant manager and returned to China for a vacation, but it happened to be the epidemic. My parents persuaded me that since I had returned, I should feel at ease to develop in China and not go abroad at will.
Sensing an opportunity, he took action in the same way he pursued me as a student, ordering me songs and writing love letters every day, caring for me to ......I was deeply touched that I did not expect that when I was about to enter my 30s, I would be able to experience the same innocent and beautiful feelings as when I was a student. Since we still had a place for each other in our hearts, we decided to get back together.
The epidemic has been raging for three years, and our relationship has warmed up rapidly, but we have also faced many tests.
I have been unemployed for more than half a year, and a large number of job applications have not been answered, and I feel anxious every dayMy boyfriend, who works in a foreign trade and tourism-related role, has also been greatly impacted, and can only rely on subsistence allowances to make ends meet in the most difficult times.
In the most difficult times, we did not abandon each other, and we accompanied and encouraged each other. Later, after the rain finally cleared, I passed the interview of a flight attendant teacher in a group company, and I also found a part-time job as an online teacher of Chinese as a foreign languageMy boyfriend's career is also gradually improving. The two of us gradually stabilized our work in China.
We got our license in Dubai).
After the epidemic ended, the owner of the group to which the Chinese restaurant belonged contacted me several times, hoping that I could come over to help. I couldn't help it, and my boyfriend was eager to find new opportunities in Dubai, so in November 2022, we went back to work in Dubai.
I'm currently working as Assistant to the Chairman and Director of Executive People in Dubai, and there's a lot to learn about this job, but my previous work experience came in handy.
Nowadays, I am more mature and stable, I know exactly what I want, and I will do my best to achieve my goals when I set them.
Also, I would like to say that many people say that the Middle East is relatively dangerous, but in fact it is not that scary, and my girlfriends and friends have come to work with me because of me, and everything is fine, as long as I am careful.
In November 2023, my love also had a happy ending, and I entered the palace of marriage with my boyfriend. Nowadays, both careers and relationships are thriving.
Our wedding photos taken in Dubai).
Looking back on the road I have traveled, I am a graduate of a double non-private university, who walked out of Hunan and came to Dubai, and gradually promoted from an ordinary front-line housekeeper to the current assistant to the chairman of the group.
I feel like I'm ordinary, with an ordinary appearance, an ordinary family, and an ordinary education, but every step is taken steadily.
Standing at 30+ today, I also summed up myself, I wondered if my luck was too good, there are noble people everywhere to help. Then I thought about it carefully, and more often than not, it was inseparable from my stubborn spirit and courage to rush forward. As the saying goes, "Every little thing you work on will make a difference every day in the future." Also, I am especially grateful to my parents for their unconditional support and pampering of me, so that I have no worries all the time.
In fact, everyone's potential is infinite, as long as you are brave, the world will show in front of you. Hopefully, my story will give you some strength.