From playing pretend hotels, to real life Hotels!

Meet Lacey Rayoni! She is currently completing her second Industry Placement as part of her three year Degree in Napier.

As a child I always had access to the hospitality environment with my aunty who managed a local restaurant in Hawera and then a reputable catering organisation. I have always had a hospitable personality as a six-year-old going around and asking to clear away plates for customers and playing hotels with my sisters. We had a little front office desk in the dining room and papers designed as forms of information they would have to provide while I checked them into rooms that were just our bedrooms. I did not know it then, but further down the line I was going to pursue my passion within the industry.  

It was a beautician who influenced my decision to choose PIHMS, I liked the idea of PIHMS and what PIHMS stands for. I learnt about PIHMS because my high school, Hawera High School, came to visit PIHMS one day. PIHMS offered an opportunity that would provide me with the qualifications and experience that will further my knowledge and make me into someone that can be truly successful and go further in the future. After deciding PIHMS was for me I attended another Career Week to be sure and I loved every second of it. While I was on Career Week, I was meeting new people and gaining knowledge of what the school has done for other students.  

I started my PIHMS journey in 2021 and have now completed both my paid industry placements.  

During my first industry placement, I was placed at Sofitel Wellington as a team leader for their food and beverage department, and for my second industry placement, I have been placed at Craggy Range Winery in a mixed role as team leader for their housekeeping department and concierge for their accommodation facilities. I was fortunate enough during both my internships to be considered and promoted to leadership roles which have helped me grow as a leader, team player and a person immensely. Relating to both my internships and not only that but the amount of time I have dedicated myself to hospitality since I was a child, the part I love so much is the chaos it is. I mean I have those days off where I am not feeling it whatsoever, but what keeps me going are the other days where it is rewarding to provide customers and guests with an experience that they appreciate and remember.  

 Anyone who understands hospitality should be able to understand the craziness in all it gives, especially peak season, the weekends, school holidays, happy hours and whatever is going on that gets people out there.

“Call me crazy, but it is that craziness, that panic, that feeling of not stopping that keeps me fueled and passionate about the Hospitality Industry.”  

 After I graduate PIHMS, I plan on enrolling into a crewing course that will provide me with the certifications I need to pursue a career in super yachting. I hope to travel the world, make great connections within the industry and work with people. After my super yachting adventure, I plan to find a position within Human Resources and start working alongside the people and for the people in a hotel or any organisation breaking boundaries and modernizing Human Resources from what it is traditionally known for.  

I am incredibly passionate for the hospitality industry and plan to be a successful individual who has furthered the industry for what it is known, I wish to become an inspiring hotelier to those alongside me and those after me. I am grateful for PIHMS and other hospitality institutes that provide students like myself with the opportunity to create a career in the industry that most people view as just a job. For me hospitality is not just a job, just a career, it is a part of who I am, and it is my purpose and reason.