Tenille Perry is a seasoned Hospitality consultant and trainer with an extensive background spanning over 24 years in hotels and service management. With a particular emphasis on the evolution of customer service, Tenille is renowned for delivering customized packages that cater to the specific needs of each client. As part of her team, she excels in addressing service-related concerns and inspiring the team to provide exceptional service.
Q: What does it mean to you to work in the hospitality industry?
A: Being a black woman in this industry is similar to, I guess, all the other corporate industries where you could be as knowledgeable and you can be as experienced, but still witness being passed over and over again. And it takes a while for you to be recognized. So I find that my rise in the industry came from support from people that were saw something in me and helped me. I never made it to the next level without doing it for a significant amount of time, before I was ever given the title of the position. Unfortunately, we inherited the way the world is and while it’s not fair, there’s only so much you can do. I tried my best to always stay positive and just say, ‘this isn’t my reality‘. So I always just put my best foot forward and I am proud of myself! I always said that when I made it higher, I would always do my best to mentor and help others to come up as well. And that’s how I ended up in the hospitality consulting business.
Q: What is one misconception about working in hospitality that you’ve discovered?
A: That we’re just people too. People just assume that because you’re in the hospitality industry, that you have to be a robot, and that they could just talk to you any way that they want to; treat you any kind of way and you have to just take it…and you do. But it doesn’t mean that you should do that. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. And one example that someone gave me, you have to understand that people come in from the airport and traveling is already stressful. So by the time they get to you at the desk, and you now tell them the room is not ready, the person just loses their mind on you. You have to understand that it’s not just you, it’s their entire day. So trying to be sympathetic and trying to understand where people are coming from is important. But it’s to teach that to your staff when they feel like ‘it’s not my fault’.
Q: How do you stay balanced in dealing with so many personalities on a daily basis?
A: One way I try to stay balanced is looking at [your job] in a positive way. Another reason work life balance is so important. It’s not as prevalent in the hospitality industry. I had done the hospitality hours for so long, that I wanted to move into a different industry that was related is sort of parallel to the hospitality industry. So every morning, I do my meditations. I try to eat well when I can, but I don’t deprive myself of certain foods that I like, and I don’t over indulge either. Because when your body doesn’t feel healthy, it throws everything else off. I try to get a good night’s sleep. And also spending time with family when I do have my free time. I focus on the important things. And that keeps me it keeps my love tank full and keeps me sort of balanced to go into work the next day.
Q: What keeps you inspired and motivated?
A: Well, the results! Because I already really do enjoy what I do. So for me, it just flows easy. It’s something that I know, and something that I feel very comfortable and confident about. At times, it can be very redundant. I see the progress that some companies have made after we’ve gone through the training, or the helplessness that they felt a manager, or how an owner of a small company felt before we started the training, and then afterwards, feeling like, ‘yeah, I got this’, ‘we can do this’. We also spend some time focusing on our internal customer, as well as our external customer. That’s your team members and your employees. So, in turn, that helps with the corporate culture. It trickles down to the end result, which is the customer, and then your money and your growth. Money and the growth of the business is right there on the other end of everything being in line.
Q: What is your biggest dream or aspiration?
A: This might sound hokey, but I feel like I’m living my dream.
To stay connected with Tenille Perry:
Instagram: @its_tenille_perry
