While I am newer to the HVS team than some, I have had some great mentors who have helped me iron out a schedule that works for me and keeps my days balanced and productive. Something is always going on at HVS, and I receive calls and emails throughout the day, so having an organized plan is helpful to meet deadlines. Things get shuffled around, and flexibility is key, but aside from travel, most of my days follow a similar schedule. I love that my job offers many opportunities for independence through my ever-evolving work week.

Here’s what a typical week at HVS looks like for me:

Monday

Start with getting all my ducks in a row for the day and for the rest of the week by completing some administrative tasks (I try to do many of these every day), such as the following:

  • Check emails and respond to urgent items, review my daily and weekly task list, and organize my outlook to flag additional items to complete or file emails that don’t need my attention.
  • Organize my work log to track what steps I am working on for my project(s).
  • Check upcoming travel schedule/make travel plans for new project(s).
  • Make follow-up calls and/or send emails on any outstanding, unreturned contact from previous weekday.

Work on the next steps for any ongoing project(s), which can include a variety of items (depending on what steps I completed the day before):

  • Conduct market research, analyze data, and enter it into our system while tracking contacts and recording my research.
  • Schedule meetings for project reviews.
  • Contact city/county representatives and schedule interviews.
  • Contact competitor hotels and research new hotels and schedule interviews.
  • Order STR trend report and request data from hotel contacts for new project(s).
  • Start on the written portion of report for which I have recently traveled (assuming fieldwork has been completed).
  • Submit project expenses for travel.

End the day with some more administrative tasks including checking emails, making a task list for the next day, and checking off any items that I completed from my task list throughout the day.

Tuesday–Thursday

Start by getting organized, completing administrative tasks, and following up on any outstanding items from the previous day.

  • Catch up on regional news and/or events in the hospitality industry, primarily via article subscriptions, newsletters, and Google alerts.
  • Use the majority of my workday on the next steps needed to complete my ongoing project(s) to make sure I meet my deadlines.
  • Complete analysis of the data gathered and start on or continue writing the report.
  • Compile report of completed project.

Once I have completed the different parts of a project, I send it to my supervising senior associate and/or our editing team, and then after approval, I send the completed report to the client.

End the day with some more administrative tasks.

Friday

  • Start with typical administrative tasks, as mentioned previously.
  • Review things that did and did not get accomplished during the week.
  • If anything remains to be done, I make sure it has priority for the day or for the first thing Monday morning.
  • Work on an article assignment or any other project on deck.
  • Check to see if there are any upcoming local networking events.
  • Work on the next steps for ongoing project(s).
  • Spend a little extra time at the end of the day on administrative tasks to prepare for the next week.

Travel Day Schedule

AM Travel

  • For more distant markets, I fly out in the morning and pick up my rental car as early as possible to spend plenty of time on fieldwork.
  • For local travel, I make sure to pick up my rental car as early as possible, so I don’t feel rushed arriving at my destination and first appointment.

Check Out the Neighborhood

Drive around to get a sense of the local market, noting nearby businesses and local construction projects to confirm with the planning department.

Hotel Inspection

  • Conduct an interview with the property contact to learn more about the hotel, the hotel’s performance, local market insight, and competitor hotels.
  • Tour the property, take pictures, and ask any additional questions.

Competitor Hotel Tours

  • I try to set up interviews at several hotels in the market to get a better understanding of local travel and hotel performance from the respective hotel’s manager.
  • Take pictures of each competitive property.

Market Interviews

Visit important market-related/economic offices, which can include the tax assessor’s office, the economic development and/or planning offices, and the CV&B or tourism agency (I always try to schedule these ahead of time if possible).

The first and last thing I do every day is set myself up for daily success, and, on Fridays, I also plan for the week ahead. I make sure to schedule time on my calendar for my administrative tasks at the beginning and end of every day (with a little extra on Fridays). HVS provides a great environment with lots of support to make sure I have the tools I need to do my job to the best of my ability while also providing a wide array of learning opportunities. My job is certainly never boring and has helped me develop the skills to think on my feet and go with the flow.