Today we are celebrating World Tourism Day and to mark the occasion, we want to highlight one of the stars working tirelessly behind the scenes to make sure you experience the very best of our One Happy Island. Meet Mario Tromp, a Front Desk Senior at Playa Linda.
“I’ve been a Front Desk Senior for quite a while. I made my way around the hotel, I started out working as a towel hut agent, worked my way through housekeeping, in the office, I worked in the maintenance floors. I had an opportunity at the Front Desk and I took it!” Mario told us. “I worked at the Front Desk for a while, then I got a promotion and became a Front Desk Senior.”
Mario is absolutely a people person, which makes him the perfect person to greet guests at Playa Linda. “I love working with people. I adore it, I really feel like it’s my calling”, he says. “I love talking to my guests, I’ve been here forever. My guests feel like part of my family. It’s just a connection.”
The Playa Linda slogan, “Your Home Away From Home”, was truly alive when we visited to meet Mario. Guests who come year after year become close to the hotel staff, and Mario is living proof of the strong bonds that are formed. “It truly feels like your home away from home”, he says. “As we are a time-share, the guests keep coming every year, and because we know each other for such a long time, we have a special connection with each other.”
Front Desk is famously a very unpredictable position, requiring quick thinking on your feet, and an ability to find creative solutions. Working in the Front Desk, Mario can recall some interesting stories. “One that really stands out to me was when there was a guest at the desk who had a wedding. On his wedding day he was missing a belt. He was going crazy looking for a belt, and I asked him, what size are you? I took off my belt and it fit him perfectly! It matched the suit! And he went out for his wedding, was wedded, and he came back and gave me a million thanks!” Talk about being at the right place at the right time!
Oftentimes, the staff at the Front Desk is the primary point of information for the guests, and when things go wrong, they are the ones who have to keep things together. “From time to time we do have challenges. One that really stands out is, a few years ago, the boilers blew out [at the electricity plant] and the whole island shut off. It felt like The Purge on the island. The guests were a bit anxious. It was really… not a challenge, but we had to keep them calm and peaceful while it was happening.”
Mario loves working at Playa Linda. What he loves most? “Honestly everything. It feels like my family. I come in, I greet everybody. My guests, as soon as they see me they get very excited and I get just as excited as them. It’s a great connection.”
To be successful at the Front Desk at Playa Linda, it is imperative to have “a wonderful personality, great energy and smiles. Smiles are contagious, and just keep a positive energy throughout the day.”
As for what the guests expect when they walk through the door and Mario is the first person they meet?
“Sunshine!” And Mario is exactly that: sunshine personified.
To watch a video of our interview with Mario Tromp, please visit our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/arubatoday.
