Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 28, 1995 TAG: 9502280084
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BREEA WILLINGHAM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Denise Abrams remembers the old Hotel Roanoke as the hip place to go to have a good time.
``When I was a teen-ager, the hotel always had bands perform there, and we'd try to get into the hotel just to see the bands,'' Abrams said Monday.
Now, more than 10 years later, Abrams is hoping to get a job as a housekeeper when the hotel reopens in April as Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center. She would be following in the footsteps of her mother and sisters, who worked at the hotel for three years before it closed in 1989.
Abrams is one of the thousands who attended Monday's interview sessions at Roanoke's National Guard Armory on Reserve Avenue. Thousands more were expected to apply today and Wednesday. Interviews are being held from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
``We're very, very pleased with the turnout,'' said the hotel's general manager, Gary D. Walton. ``As of noon, we had about 1,000 people. There were some who even came at 7:30 a.m., but we didn't open doors until 9.''
The hotel is looking for people to fill several types of jobs, including housekeepers, cooks and desk clerks. Walton said he expects to hire 300 employees for the hotel's new staff.
``We're looking for someone who is dependable, flexible, has a desire to practice hospitality skills and likes serving people,'' Walton said.
Those planning to attend the interviews can expect to go through a long process which includes filling out an application, standing in line, then sitting in a holding area until your name is called. Applicants are grouped and called according to their desired position, rather than alphabetically.
Rashaad Johnson, who was applying to become a bellman, said he'd been waiting for three hours to be interviewed.
``The waiting doesn't bother me, I'm just being patient,'' he said.
Johnson works for United Parcel Service but hopes to land a job at the hotel because he likes the hotel business better.
``I'd rather meet people than load trucks. Plus, I've worked in hotels before, so I figured I was good for this job,'' Johnson said.
The hotel is expected to open April 3, and most new employees will report March 20 for two weeks of training. Wages will depend on positions. Some employees, such as waitresses, will make most of their money from tips; others, such as desk clerks, will be paid $8 an hour, Walton said. All employees will receive health insurance and vacations.
by CNB