If you’ve visited French Lick Resort before and wished you could’ve stayed a little longer, here’s something to consider.
Come work with
us.
Think about all there is to do at French Lick Resort — spa,
golf, dining, shopping, gaming, group meetings — and that equates to a wide
range of jobs and careers. Whether you’re just entering the workforce, looking
for a fresh start or in the market for a career change, there could be a perfect
position and excellent benefits waiting for you in our current job
postings.
Why work at French Lick Resort? We’ll have three of our
associates tell you in their own words why it’s right for them.
Sara, housekeeping manager
When it came time for a complete reboot in life, the serenity of a resort was precisely what Sara was seeking.
She had just gone through a divorce. Her old job with an airline was a good one, but it came weighted with stress. She had established roots in Texas, but felt the time was right to make a move from where she had lived for the last 30 years.
“I needed a fresh start — just a total fresh start,” Sara says.
“I needed something that wasn’t hustle-bustle. I needed calmness.”
The path led Sara about 1,000 miles to southern Indiana. She had lived here with her grandparents for a few months when she was younger, so she had fond memories of the area. She returned to find something new: West Baden Springs Hotel, which was just renovated and re-opened around the time of Sara’s move after being closed to guests for the previous 75 years.
After being hired on as a guestroom attendant and working her way up to a housekeeping supervisor after a few months, she holds the same position 11 years later. She’s always impressed by how people of different backgrounds, ages and cultures merge to work together in the housekeeping department, and for a self-described people person, Sara also likes how her position allows her some interaction with guests.
The regular visitors she’s gotten to know over the years include a family of three who suffered a loss of one of the family members. Telling the story gets Sara choked up, since those bonds with guests strengthen over time.
“It’s touching to me. It’s not like fast food where the customer is in and out. You get to know them and their families.”
Ian, server at
Ballard’s in the Atrium
The beauty of being young is you’ve got a world of options
in front of you, and 20-year-old Ian is considering all of his.
For starters, there’s a bunch of possible directions to take
in the resort’s food and beverage department where Ian started just a few
months ago. Granted, Ian could get used to coming to work every day under the
dome at West Baden Springs Hotel, where he’s a server at Ballard’s in the
Atrium. (“The first day of work when I came in, I didn’t know I was going to be
working in the atrium,” he said. “Seeing that the first day, it’s breathtaking.”)
With more than a dozen food and beverage venues across the
resort, though, there’s space to branch out.
“I really like how you’re not just set on one thing here.
There’s opportunity for going from Sinclair’s to Ballard’s to 1875: The
Steakhouse to the casino. There’s endless opportunities, and it just depends on
what you want to do. If you’re ready for that and ready for the next step, then
take it,” Ian says. “They want you to better yourself here, they want you to
further your career, they want you to be a better person all around, and I
think the resort sets you up well career-wise, depending on how hard you want
to work and what you want to do.”
Ian had experience working at other restaurants, and when a
family member who works at the resort asked if he’d want to relocate here to
work here, he liked what he heard in terms of the benefits available to resort
associates — which range from matching 401K to profit sharing to free fitness
center access.
“One thing he told me that really got me excited was the education
assistance program. You know, school’s expensive. Very expensive. And they
pay you a certain amount of money to go toward classes. It’s honestly like free
money, which is pretty incredible. I plan on using that, because it’s a huge
opportunity.”
Ian’s thinking about using the education assistance to take
classes in construction management. He’s also taken business administration
courses in the past. Now, he’s also toying with the idea of studying
hospitality and tourism, “and that’d be a huge advantage, since you’ve already
got the gist of everything working at a grand resort like this. You might as
well start from the best and learn how everything works.”
Heather, transportaton manager
Heather, transportaton manager
It started small. Heather came aboard as a variable-level
shuttle bus driver for a few reasons. One, her son was just entering college
and she wanted to help with that. And secondly, she heard the resort was looking for
drivers with CDL licenses, already had the qualifications from her time driving
a school bus, and thought a gig at the resort sounded interesting.
Five years later, the work has expanded into more than she
initially envisioned.
“I worked as best as I could and kind of hoped that one day
I would work my way up, but I had never really worked for a company where they
strive to promote from within,” said Heather, who advanced to a transportation
manager earlier this year. “To be someone who started off in the trenches and
worked to this position is a great source of pride that I have.”
You’ll still see Heather behind the wheel occasionally driving
the shuttle. That’s where she’s in her element, especially since it involves mingling
with guests and sharing some of the stories behind French Lick Resort’s
restoration and the transformation that’s occurred here over the last dozen
years.
“Another great source of pride. You have people that are
visiting this resort from all over the state, all over the country, all over
the world,” she says. “I’ve often told people when they ride our shuttles that
we as a group of associates welcome each and every one of you to our home. This
is our home as associates, and I feel like everyone from valet to housekeeping
is excited to have our guests visit our home. And we’re proud of that.”