Pintsized Interns at Tokyo Hotel

Posted by:

Giles Ritten
01 October 2007.
Project: Blog .

For a few weeks in July and August, the Rihga Royal Hotel in Tokyo ran a program for guests aged 3–12, employing them for a day.

Children picked one of five different types of work: housekeeping, doorman, front desk, floor service and kitchen, with different tasks to tackle. At the end of the day, the young staffers were allowed to choose their preferred form of remuneration: a gift certificate for books, or a passport for free ice cream every year. Rihga Royal’s informal work experience program was open to children, who had to be accompanied by a parent/guardian staying at the hotel.

Parents had the option of hiring a professional photographer to snap shots of their industrious offspring greeting guests or making an omelette. With dual aims of keeping children entertained and encouraging them to consider a future career in hospitality, this seems like a fun program for hotels.