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Your testimonial, the quote version
A memorable international internship at Le Meridien Ra Beach Hotel & Spa.
Your testimonial, the full version
My name is João Pedro Coelho Cortes, I was born in 2002 in Lisbon and live in the same city. I hold a double degree in tourism and hotel management from Universidade Europeia. Since September 2024, I have been pursuing a Master's degree in communication, marketing and advertising at the Faculty of Human Sciences, Catholic University of Portugal, Lisbon.
In terms of professional experience in the tourism sector, I had the opportunity to intern at the travel agency Tryp.com as Tourism and Content Manager. Regarding the hotel industry, in 2022, I interned in the front office department at the Hotel Real Palácio in Lisbon, part of the Real Hotels Group, and in 2023 at the Cascade Wellness Resort in Lagos. Before finishing my degree, I decided to have an Erasmus experience, and from February until the end of August 2024, I completed an international internship as part of the Erasmus+ programme, in the front office and guest relations departments at the Le Meridien Ra Beach Hotel & Spa, in El Vendrell (Spain), belonging to the Marriott hotel chain. An excellent experience that will remain in my memory forever. All the necessary documentation for the internship, as well as for the Erasmus scholarship I applied for, was handled through the employability department of the Universidade Europeia.
I know that by living and having a professional experience in a country different from our own, we have the opportunity to better understand it's culture, traditions, customs and history. I believe that this will change our way of thinking, of seeing life and will help us to have a different perspective on the world. Thus, based on this, I strongly recommend that all students undertake an international internship.
Personally, I didn't have an easy start to my internship. I arrived during the low season, with most businesses closed and few people on the streets. I had the opportunity to see a hotel with groups, empty and full. There are therefore several decisions to be made, whether in terms of staff to recruit, maintenance and the different associated costs.
In my eagerness to meet people and feel integrated, through the youth department of the Calafell City Council, I discovered Globers, a cultural association based in Roda de Berà (Spain), and met several young people who, like me, were having an experience within the Erasmus+ programme in Spain. With them, I also had the opportunity to collaborate by giving some free English classes to the local population at the Saint Vincent de Calders library.
In the Catalonia region, I had the opportunity to attend the largest and most emblematic parade in the region on Carnival day in Sitges.
From May 20th to 24th, 2024, Associate Appreciation Week took place, a week of gratitude with different activities and workshops for Marriott hotel employees to thank them for their work throughout the season. I had the opportunity and honour to organise this initiative together with some colleagues.
At this hotel, I found an international team from various parts of the world, who welcomed me very well. In terms of languages, already having some knowledge of Spanish helped me a lot in integrating with my colleagues and interacting with guests. As a hotel in an international chain, English was something that all employees should be able to speak. Knowledge of more languages can open up new opportunities, both personal and professional.
Catalan is the official language of the Catalonia region, and some guests only spoke this language. At first, I didn't understand anything and had to ask a colleague for help, but after a while there, I started to understand what they were saying and was able to collaborate more. This was quite challenging. In fact, few lived in Catalonia and spoke both languages (Spanish and Catalan).
In terms of professional experience in the tourism sector, I had the opportunity to intern at the travel agency Tryp.com as Tourism and Content Manager. Regarding the hotel industry, in 2022, I interned in the front office department at the Hotel Real Palácio in Lisbon, part of the Real Hotels Group, and in 2023 at the Cascade Wellness Resort in Lagos. Before finishing my degree, I decided to have an Erasmus experience, and from February until the end of August 2024, I completed an international internship as part of the Erasmus+ programme, in the front office and guest relations departments at the Le Meridien Ra Beach Hotel & Spa, in El Vendrell (Spain), belonging to the Marriott hotel chain. An excellent experience that will remain in my memory forever. All the necessary documentation for the internship, as well as for the Erasmus scholarship I applied for, was handled through the employability department of the Universidade Europeia.
I know that by living and having a professional experience in a country different from our own, we have the opportunity to better understand it's culture, traditions, customs and history. I believe that this will change our way of thinking, of seeing life and will help us to have a different perspective on the world. Thus, based on this, I strongly recommend that all students undertake an international internship.
Personally, I didn't have an easy start to my internship. I arrived during the low season, with most businesses closed and few people on the streets. I had the opportunity to see a hotel with groups, empty and full. There are therefore several decisions to be made, whether in terms of staff to recruit, maintenance and the different associated costs.
In my eagerness to meet people and feel integrated, through the youth department of the Calafell City Council, I discovered Globers, a cultural association based in Roda de Berà (Spain), and met several young people who, like me, were having an experience within the Erasmus+ programme in Spain. With them, I also had the opportunity to collaborate by giving some free English classes to the local population at the Saint Vincent de Calders library.
In the Catalonia region, I had the opportunity to attend the largest and most emblematic parade in the region on Carnival day in Sitges.
From May 20th to 24th, 2024, Associate Appreciation Week took place, a week of gratitude with different activities and workshops for Marriott hotel employees to thank them for their work throughout the season. I had the opportunity and honour to organise this initiative together with some colleagues.
At this hotel, I found an international team from various parts of the world, who welcomed me very well. In terms of languages, already having some knowledge of Spanish helped me a lot in integrating with my colleagues and interacting with guests. As a hotel in an international chain, English was something that all employees should be able to speak. Knowledge of more languages can open up new opportunities, both personal and professional.
Catalan is the official language of the Catalonia region, and some guests only spoke this language. At first, I didn't understand anything and had to ask a colleague for help, but after a while there, I started to understand what they were saying and was able to collaborate more. This was quite challenging. In fact, few lived in Catalonia and spoke both languages (Spanish and Catalan).