At the Cayuga Collection, we’re lucky enough to work exclusively with extraordinary people. They’re 100% dedicated hospitality professionals and their passions shine through. While many have had no formal education in the industry, with us, they often discover an ambition to grow through the ranks and experience every side of hotel life – we’ll always give them a helping hand.
Meet Allan Gamboa.
If you’ve stayed at Arenas del Mar Resort or Aguas Claras, you may already have had the good fortune of meeting him – he’s been with the Arenas del Mar team for some 8 successful years and has mastered just about every department in the process.
Allan’s story begins in the small village of El Bambú de Parrita, about 20 minutes from Arenas del Mar. He attended school there together with around 20 other students from Grades 1-6, all of whom studied simultaneously in the same classroom. At a young age with no work experience or knowledge of English, Allan started working as a hotel gardener. He also married and had two children.
Fast forward to 2010, just two days before Christmas, Allan joined Arenas del Mar and the larger Cayuga Collection family. He debuted as a Receptionist, then became Night Auditor and also did some cross training as a naturalist guide. But Allan knew that he wanted to grow into a management position and would have to leave his comfort zone. So starting in a completely new area, he became a waiter to learn all about Food & Beverages.
Another opportunity came up a year later. Allan was offered the chance to become a Reservations Agent and due to his great work, he soon became the leader of the reservations team. He lead a team of five agents and was in charge of the hotel’s revenue management strategies. What’s more, Allan is far from done… He’s hungry to keep learning and to eventually become an even higher manager. And as a quick learner, a respected leader and someone 100% dedicated to customer service, he’s well on his way.
In the next 10 years, Allan aspires to become the General Manager of a hotel – hopefully a Cayuga Collection Hotel, Resort or Lodge. He aims to finish his studies, provide economic stability to his family, and dreams of traveling abroad. He’s very appreciative of all that the Cayuga Collection, Arenas del Mar Management and Aguas Claras Teams have done to help him grow so much as a professional.
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Did you know that the Cayuga Collection were winners of the People Award in the 2018 World Travel & Tourism Council’s Tourism for Tomorrow Awards? To celebrate, we’d love to hear from you – share your stories and experiences of our staff below!
