Tuesday, May 11, 2010

New Women and Families Campus PLUS

Hotel Louisville is home to our Women and Families Campus, but that is not all that goes on at 2nd and Broadway. It is also a fully operating 12 story hotel, with nightly guests. We are like any other hotel with departments such as Front Desk and Guest Services, Housekeeping, Maintenance, and Security. We also have a restaurant “The Way Cool Café” that is open everyday for lunch, and will soon be adding room service to our list of services we provide our guests.

Most operations at Hotel Louisville are being run through our Work Therapy program at Wayside Christian Mission and providing job training opportunities to our clients. A large portion of the clients that live at Hotel Louisville have a job in one of the departments there. According to Security Captain and Front Desk Manager Linda Stith, “the hotel is a win- win situation for both our clients and Wayside.” While enabling Wayside to run the property as a hotel we are providing our clients with job skills that they can take with them out into public to secure stable employment.

In talking with our clients that are being trained in these positions they feel that they are gaining skills that will adequately equip them with the experience needed to secure employment and a better future. For most clients this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to live in the hotel and have meals provided to them at no charge, while they receive on the job training. It also gives each client a sense of pride in knowing that they are a vital part of keeping the hotel operational, which helps build self-esteem and teaches each one responsibility.

Since opening, business at the hotel has been steady, but we had our first busy time the week of the Kentucky Derby and things were great! The hotel was near capacity, and each member of the team at Hotel Louisville came through and made the week a very successful one. We are so proud of the efforts our clients are putting forth to make the hotel a great place for our clients to live and for our guests to stop in for a comfortable place to stay in their travels.