A town built almost entirely on the hospitality industry, Las Vegas offers endless opportunities for exciting and fulfilling careers. In this episode of Career Conversations, I sit down with Karen Molina, Hotel Operations Manager, and Gary Austin, Director of Hotel Operations, at the beautiful Paris Hotel and Casino, located right in the middle of the Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. Tune in to hear us talk about hospitality and the career possibilities that are available in one of the most famous destination cities in the world.
The Paris Hotel, built in 1997, boasts nearly 3000 rooms and a wide variety of restaurants, shopping and casinos. Karen and Gary oversee a large group of employees who take care of guests who stay in the hotel. This task is to the tune of a little over 1000 check-ins, and 1000 check-outs every single day.
Both Karen and Gary arrived at their current positions by moving up within the company. Karen started out as a guest registration clerk and Gary attended UNLV for a hotel management degree. Both moved through various positions to arrive at the top level of management within a 15-year time frame. Both love the energy and spirit of Vegas, and couldn’t imagine doing anything else as their chosen career.
Las Vegas currently has 150,487 hotel rooms available for travelers and vacationers. Shows run every single night, and food and beverage service is available 24/7. Current O*Net searches indicate nearly 6000 jobs are available right now in hospitality in Vegas. Karen and Gary discuss with me the day to day experience with running a world-famous hotel at the highest level of customer service, and the perks and excitement that come along with the career. Bottom line, if you want a fast-paced and exciting career in hospitality (with ample opportunities for advancement), Las Vegas may just be the destination for you.
