RITZ CARLTON HOTEL
Samantha M. Carter

An undergraduate student from Florida State University in Tallahassee, Samantha Carter also attended Gulf Coast Community College in Panama City, Florida, where she received an Associates of Arts degree, and the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Samantha worked in a family-owned restaurant, which sparked her interest in the hospitality field. Samantha was employed as a receptionist in a dental office, tennis instructor, cashier, hostess, and gift-shop attendant; she was a campaign volunteer for the State Attorney and a mentor for special-needs children; in addition, she studied foreign languages. Vice president of the Platinum Honor Society, Samantha won a two-year Leadership Scholarship from the Gulf Coast Community College Foundation. She was a three-year letterman in women’s tennis and both a District Champion and state participant. Samantha won a Bay District School Silver Medal for public service, and she traveled to all fifty states plus Mexico, the Bahamas, and the Virgin Islands, which was good preparation for an internship in the hotel industry. At FSU, Samantha was a leader among recreation professionals. She applied to the Washington Internship Program in late February and requested a summer internship in leisure management and event-planning, specifically at the Ritz Hotel where WIP placed her on May 10. Five days later, Samantha started her internship at the Ritz Carlton in Pentagon City, which is located in Arlington, Virginia.

Samantha worked full-time at the Ritz Carleton from May through August as one of four unpaid interns and four managers in training (MITs). She concentrated in the steward and banquet divisions but also worked in other departments in this five-star hotel. Samantha participated in a productivity study of the facility, in which capacity she first observed stewards, cashiers, servers, captains, managers, supervisors, and various utilities in search of problems or areas for possible improvement. After two or three weeks, the second phase began in which necessary changes were identified – whether they involved replacing silverware and equipment or altering schedules and procedures. After solutions were found, an implementation phase began – followed by a presentation at the corporate headquarters, which Samantha attended, and – in front of all the executives – she delivered an oral report on the implementation of new standards. Samantha worked on the computer to prepare portions of this study, and she also spent time in food and beverages, special events, and guest services. Samantha worked on weddings, conferences, meetings, receptions, breakfasts, dinners, and a wide range of public, political, and social functions. In the Ritz’s extremely selective internship program, the food and beverage director remarked that “Samantha made an exceptional contribution to the corporate study, and her experience with a family restaurant in Florida gave her personal insight into all facets of customer service at world-class facilities.” Internationally, the word “Ritz” has become synonymous with high fashion and luxurious accommodations. (Allegedly, the Ritz is the D.C.-area residence of basketball superstar Michael Jordan.) The experience Samantha gained at the Ritz will help her in the future – whether in pursuit of a Master’s degree or employment in high-end hospitality.           

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