Heads in Beds

Heads in Beds is a generally entertaining read about how Tomsky got stuck in the hospitality industry (how many of us unintentionally end up pigeon holed in industries they never intentionally picked?) and how tipping makes the world go round in the hospitality industry. It also made a good point about the importance and value of unions. I wasn't super keen on the part where the author spent an entirely uncalled for amount of words speculating about a beloved customer being a sex worker which I found rather childish but otherwise it was a good palate cleanser type of read.

No star rating because I don't rate memoirs.

I shouldn't have liked this book as much as I did. Heads in Beds is an amusing and honest account of a man who's worked in many facets of the hospitality industry including high-luxury and low-end hotels. Though I was expecting ground breaking, behind-the-scenes, never-mentioned-until-now kind of hotel secrets, the most you get are tips on how to over-tip or bribe staff into getting upgrades. We all know money talks, so there was no surprise there. However, I appreciated the author's honest and comic account of his own personal experiences starting from the bottom of the totem pole and climbing to managerial heights. Tomsky shares his experiences working in a New Orleans, high luxury hotel in which the higher-ups treat the staff with respect and expect them to work to the highest standard. Staff were even encouraged to go the extra mile for their guests and offered daily classes on service and “anticipating a guest's unmentioned needs.” For example, if the guest's car is dirty, the valet was encouraged to wash it - even buy a CD the guest might enjoy listening to on his way back home. Staff was encouraged and paid to provide guests with these comforts. 

Being a product of a military  family, Tomsky moved from place to place frequently and it is in his nature to want to pick up and go every so often. He leaves New Orleans and ends up working at a NYC Midtown hotel whose standards are no way close to those of the New Orleans hotel. Staff wasn't motivated to go the extra mile and once they unionized, making it hard for them to get fired, things really go south. 

Both experiences come with their fair share of pros and cons for working in the industry, but what I enjoyed most about Tomsky's account is that you don't necessarily need to work in the industry to relate to him. We've all worked for people that make us want to do our very best because we're supported and believe in the organization's mission. And we've worked in environments that are so constricted and negative that it's all you can do to wake up and punch in. If you don't necessarily care about the hospitality industry but need a light read and an anonymous friend that can relate to what you're going through at your crappy job, this is the book for you – and Tomsky is that friend.