Amanda Maytrott '03

General Manager,
Capistrano Surfside Inn

q: What do you do?

a: Manage a 37-unit timeshare property across the street from the Pacific Ocean, centrally located between San Diego and Los Angeles. When you step into a smaller property you'd think it would be easy, but I'm a one-person show. I do the payroll, hiring, firing and even front desk shifts as needed. Thankfully Vacation Resorts International (VRI) is a very good management company.

q: What's your favorite part of the job?

a: There's an ocean view from the front desk! The guests are always in a really good mood. They want to be here. I enjoy dealing with the customers who are on vacation. Many of the guests are charter owners from when the resort was built in 1985. About 90% of the "regulars" live within a two hour radius and stay here in June, July and August. During the rest of the year, I meet new people who are exchanging their timeshares from other locations.

q: What's the greatest challenge?

a: Employee relations. Dealing with guests is easy. The employees don't have to like each other, but need to be professional and show respect for one another.

q: Outside work...you're most likely to be seen?

a: At the beach. After work, I watch the sunset. A new jogging trail was recently built along the ocean where I live in San Clemente. It's about six miles round trip; I like to run when the weather's warmer.

q: Your biggest accomplishment since graduating, outside your career?

a: Getting out of Florida. I was born and raised in Merritt Island. Friends and family keep asking if I'm going to move back, and I always say "no" - I like it here in California.

q: How did UCF prepare you for what you do?

a: It gave me a well-rounded education in hospitality. I started off at USF as a Studio Photography major and knew that wasn't what I wanted. At my UCF orientation, I heard a pitch for the new hospitality program. I had worked in restaurants and thought it was a great fit, and it was everything it promised.

q: Your favorite class?

a: Not Accounting! I had a lot of fun in Dr. Breiter's courses in convention and trade show management, even though I didn't end up in meeting planning as a career. Dr. Upchurch's timeshare course benefited me the most. When I first went to work at Vacation Resorts International, my boss handed me a timeshare resort operations book and said to read it. I told him that not only did I already read it as a textbook for class, but that it was written by my professor! 

q: How could the hospitality program have been better?

a: It needs to include more detailed training on employee conflict resolution. Guest Services Management and many of the other courses and internships focus on customer service for the guest, but as managers we need to know how to deal with staff.

q: A UCF memory?

a: Football! I came back to Florida last month to see UCF play in the St. Pete Bowl.

q: Favorite meal in Orlando?

a: Bahama Breeze. I wish we had them in California.

q: On your iPod?

a: The Beatles, The Pixies, Led Zeppelin, Beck, Sublime, Cream, Bob Marley, Rolling Stones, Less than Jake, Outkast, Norah Jones, Nirvana, Atmosphere and The Kinks.

q: Little known fact about you?

a: I'm a vegetarian. I wasn't able to eat a lot of what we made in Quantity Food Prep class. I remember Bob Ashley talking on and on about veal, and me rolling my eyes at him.