No work life balance - SPA Therapist W Hotels Employee Review

Fun job you get access to the entire hotel so its not boring.

you clean up after people

Opportunity to meet people from around the world and interact with a diverse clientele.

My experience at W Fort Lauderdale was disappointing. I understand that no workplace is perfect, but I believe a workplace should be built on teamwork, accountability, communication, and mutual respect because we spend so much of our lives there. The biggest issue was leadership. There was a consistent lack of leadership, accountability, communication, and critical thinking. Nearly every problem was pushed onto the front desk, regardless of whether it fell within our responsibilities. It often felt like the front desk was expected to clean up the consequences of poor planning and poor decision-making by management. Management seemed more focused on appearing fully staffed than hiring competent employees. Too many inept employees were hired while experienced, hardworking team members were overlooked, ignored, misunderstood, and expected to carry the workload. It eventually felt like being competent was a disadvantage because the more capable employees were constantly given more responsibilities without recognition or support. Scheduling was another major issue. During peak occupancy and busy periods, staffing was consistently inadequate, leaving one or two employees to handle check-ins, elite members, guest complaints, phone calls, and operational issues all at once. It felt like working at a busy Dollar Tree with only one cashier trying to manage an entire store. There was also little respect for employees' personal time or work-life balance. It became common to be contacted on days off and asked to come into work, sometimes on a weekly basis. Instead of respecting employees' time away from work, there seemed to be an expectation that you should always be available, making it difficult to maintain any real work-life balance. Communication from leadership was almost nonexistent. I found out that one of our outlets, El Vez, was closing through an advertisement instead of from management. Employees should never have to learn major operational updates from the public before hearing them internally. Housekeeping also faced ongoing operational challenges that affected both employees and guests. There were times when housekeeping did not have the basic supplies needed to do their jobs efficiently. Rooms were frequently not ready by the advertised 4:00 p.m. check-in time, and some rooms were not cleaned properly before guests arrived. As a result, the front desk was left to manage guest complaints and frustration for problems we had no control over. The property's ongoing maintenance issues made an already stressful job even harder. Guests regularly complained about having no hot water or no water at all, recurring leaks throughout the hotel, and continued pool closures. What made the situation even more frustrating was the lack of communication from leadership. Employees were expected to answer guests' questions about when the pools would reopen, yet management rarely provided updates or a clear plan. Instead, the front desk was left to absorb guest frustration for issues completely outside of our control. The General Manager rarely interacted with employees. Most of the time he walked through the property without speaking, yet employees were expected to greet him first or risk complaints that the front desk failed to acknowledge him. Leadership should lead by example, and that starts with basic communication and respect. Overall, the workplace culture felt toxic. Departments often operated without collaboration, communication was poor, accountability was lacking, and employees were frequently left feeling unsupported and blamed for issues outside of their control. W Fort Lauderdale is a beautiful property with incredible potential, but until leadership is held accountable, hires competent employees instead of inept ones, improves communication, addresses the ongoing maintenance issues, respects employees' personal time, and invests in the people who keep the hotel running every day, I believe turnover, low morale, and operational issues will continue to be major problems.