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Welcome to the

INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE

The Registry Resort & Club

Edgewater Beach Hotel

Naples, FL

   I would like to take this opportunity to introduce our recreation internship experience and say that we are very dedicated in providing an outstanding learning, educational and fun experience for all of our interns. This is a new program and we are the only two resorts in the Naples area that will be offering an internship of this caliber. I have taken my knowledge and experience from being the Director of Recreation at both Wild Dunes Resort on the Isle of Palms, SC and Casa Ybel Resort on Sanibel Island, to create the “Internship Experience”. The “Internship Experience” is just that, an experience that will challenge the interns and educate them throughout the course of their internship. The following is specific information regarding The Registry Resort & Club and the Edgewater Beach Hotel recreation internship program. This internship program will be very unique and all students will gain valuable experience in which will help them understand more about the hospitality industry.

  Our internship experience is designed to provide interns with a “hands on” approach that is like no other program. The interns will have the opportunity to work for two resorts, each with their own special qualities. You will be working for The Registry Resort & Club and the Edgewater Beach Hotel which are owned by Boca Resorts, Inc. Boca Resorts, Inc also owns the Boca Raton Resort & Club, Naples Grande Golf Course, Grande Oaks Golf Course, The Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-Six and the Radisson Bahia Mar Beach Resort both in Ft. Lauderdale. The primary owner is Wayne Huizenga who owns the Miami Dolphins, Florida Panthers and Blockbuster Video.

  The Registry Resort & Club is a four star – four diamond resort that sits on 23 gulf-front acres on the Gulf of Mexico's platinum coast. In our 18 story tower, there are 395 luxuriously appointed guest rooms and 29 tower suites. We also have 49 garden villas spread out around the property. There are 15 har-tru tennis courts with five courts lighted. We have 5 restaurants on property and a night club as well. On the ballroom level we have over 45,000 square feet of meeting space to accommodate corporate groups of all sizes.

As you head to our 3 miles of white sand beach, you will go through our national wildlife sanctuary. Here you can see Black and Red Mangroves, birds of all kinds, alligators and nature at its finest. You can also rent a sea kayak, umbrellas & chairs, hobie cat or just relax. You may even get to see dolphins swimming around or a loggerhead turtle nest on the beach. The health club has everything you need for a good workout or just let go with a massage. Spread out around the property, are our 5 swimming pools. We have our Palm Terrace pool with the hot tub and next to that is our Mangrove Mountain pool with our 100ft water slide and the zero entry end in which you can lay back and let the water sooth you. On our pool deck we have our personal cabanas in which you can relax and watch TV or use your computer. We have two smaller pools in the villas with our lap pool as well. We have 3 retail shops that will meet all your tastes. Overall, The Registry Resort & Club has everything a person could need for a vacation you will never forget.

  The Edgewater Beach Hotel is a 126 room “all suite” boutique hotel. It sits directly on the Gulf of Mexico and has one pool for your enjoyment. There is the Club Dining Room on the 6 th floor that has a great view of the gulf. You can have a bite to eat out by the pool or rent a chair & umbrella. It is very relaxing and quite.

Interns are offered a quality internship experience with exposure to a wide variety of recreation opportunities that are provided for guests as well as our Premier Club members. I will be hiring 4-8 interns that are hand-picked from over 420 colleges & universities from the United States and Canada to run all of the recreational programs for the resorts. Interns are employed by The Registry Resort & Club, and they receive all of the benefits offered to other Registry Resort & Club employees. For example, discounted rates on golf, tennis, merchandise and food.

  The Registry Resort & Club recreation internship experience is a very intense learning process which includes weekly staff meetings, resume clinics, special guest speakers, committees and business management exposure. During an intense week of training, the interns are introduced to all resort department heads, each presenting an overview of the responsibilities and opportunities affiliated with that department. During training week, you will be exposed to all areas of the recreation department as well as the rest of the resorts. Interns will have the opportunity to participate in recreation activities provided at The Registry Resort & Club in order to be as informative as possible when dealing with customers. During training week, the interns will learn how all of the accounting works, opening & closing procedures for all the outlets, how to run activities & kids camps, rules & regulations and much more.

  The interns responsibilities include rotating through our kids camps (Camp Registry & Kids Night Out), teen events, running activities, beach services (renting out chairs, umbrellas, boogie boards, etc...), pool attendant, fitness center, tennis center and office work (reservations, pool fees, etc...) at both properties. Each day will be different; you will not be stuck in the same place every day. For example on Monday you may be running beach services, Tuesday you might be doing the activities, Wednesday you might be doing Camp Registry, and so on. We will not stick you in one area for a week. This is a great business experience in high-volume outlets which are run in an entrepreneurial manner.

    The interns handle charges and money, track transactions using the RIO & HIS computer systems, complete closing paperwork, accounting paperwork and compiling participation totals. Other experiences will include corporate recreation, holiday events, special event planning, scheduling, community programming, helping out with bike rentals and more.

You will work six days a week between 40-45 hours a week, with the average being about 42.5hrs. You will accumulate over 600 hours during the course of your 15 week internship. You will get one day off a week and one full weekend off during the course of your internship.

  Written mid-term and final evaluations are completed for each intern. I, along with my assistant, meet with each individual privately to discuss the evaluations and then send a copy to the intern's advisor. This evaluation process is taken very seriously and the honest comprehensive review gives the intern a firm understanding of their accomplishments and their areas requiring improvement. I keep in constant contact with your internship supervisor during the course of your internship so all parties know how everything is going.

  Each intern is required to complete a special project, regardless if your college or university requires it or not. The reason being is that this is going to give you experience designing and running a project on your own or with another intern depending on the size of the project. Your special project will be one that is beneficial to our guests and club members and will also be beneficial to the recreation department and the resort as a whole. It is to be completed on your own time. Some examples of special projects are: sports tournaments, teen activities, trips to area attractions, chartered tours, crazy games, our 4th of July carnival etc... Most colleges and universities require interns to complete a special project, which can be done in conjunction with The Registry Resort & Club and The Edgewater Beach Hotel Recreation Departments special project.

  Each intern is required to be on at least one committee, which are the: Marketing Committee, Quality Management Committee and Activities Committee. During the weekly staff meeting you will report on the committee's findings, ideas, plans, comments and hand in a report to the managers. These committees are designed to let you run them and set them up how you want. The managers will get things rolling, but then it will be up to you to run the committees in a professional and business like manner.

  We also offer our “Resort Shadow Program” which gives the interns an opportunity to get a first hand look at what the top executive's duties are and what a typical day is for them. This is a chance to see the different departments and how they work. The intern would choose a specific person to shadow and it could be from one hour to one day. It will be very similar to cross training with the other departments, enabling you to get hands on experience in other areas of the resort. Some examples of the various departments are: marketing, accounting, food & beverage, lodging, advertising, golf, tennis and housekeeping just to name a few.

  Another part of the internship is our “Intern Exchange” program with other area resorts and parks & recreation departments in the Naples area. This program is designed to give you an idea and an understanding of how other resort recreation departments operate and what types of programs they have to offer. You and other interns will go to these area resorts and observe the operations of the different recreation departments and other departments throughout the resorts and the parks. In turn, the other resorts and parks and rec. depts. will send their interns to The Registry Resort & Club and they will tour our property and get an idea of how our recreation department operates.

  Internship positions are open to college students with an intent on completing their college requirements for an internship experience in Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, Hotel and Restaurant Management, Public Relations, Education and any other related majors in the hospitality field. The Registry Resort & Club will provide a fully furnished luxury apartment, rent, paid utilities (up to $100.00 per apartment), local phone and cable television. There will be 4 interns to an apartment. Housing is off property, so when you are done with work you can leave the resort and go home.  

In addition interns receive a taxed stipend of $400.00 per month to assist in food, gas, and any other personal expenses. Participating in this internship program requires a lot of hard work and dedication; therefore interns are not allowed to hold a second job. Interns must also be taking the internship for college credit (the number of credits will depend on your school) and have an internship supervisor. There is the opportunity to make some extra money by baby-sitting and helping out in other departments. Any student that is WSI (Water Safety Instructor) certified, will have the opportunity to help teach swimming lessons and make a few extra dollars as well. It also requires interns to be very flexible, quick thinkers, enthusiastic, open minded and self motivated, because in the hospitality field, things can change very quickly and you need to be ready for any situation that comes up. This internship is going to give you real world experience. You will gain a tremendous amount information and knowledge about how the recreation department runs and how the hospitality & hotel business is operated overall. It will be up to you to want to learn as much as you can, because the internship is what you make of it. The more you put into your internship, the more you will get out of it and it will prepare you for your future.

  Please, as soon as possible, fill out the application completely and send back along with your cover letter, resume, three professional references and photo (optional), if not already done so, to:

ERIC M. CARLSON

DIRECTOR OF RECREATION & POOL OPERATIONS

THE REGISTY RESORT & CLUB

475 SEAGATE DRIVE

NAPLES, FL 34103

  Once I have received your application, cover letter, resume & three professional references, I will then contact you to set up a phone interview. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call me at, 1-800-247-9810 ext. 5612, or directly at 1-239-597-3232 ext 5612. My fax number is 1-239-597-7168. My E-mail address is ecarlson@naplesresort.com. My office hours are Monday through Friday 8:00am to 5:00pm EST.  

Internship positions will be filling up very quickly, so do not miss out on a chance to have a great educational experience and some fun in the sun along the beautiful Southwest Florida coast and complete your internship requirements at two of the nation's top resorts! You can also check us out on the web at www.registryresort.com or www.edgewaternaples.com and see a little more about the resorts. Again, thank you for your interest in our internship experience!

I would also suggest that each student become a member of RCRA (Resort & Commercial Recreation Association). Becoming a member of this association is going to help you quite a bit in your professional career and while you are looking for either an internship or getting a foot in the door. Not only will you get current information about new trends in the recreation industry, but also it is a great way to network and meet other professionals around the country. I highly recommend you becoming a member if you are not one already. There is also a job placement guide that lets you know about job openings around the country. There is also a national conference held each year in November at a different resort around the country with seminars and round-table discussions as well as an information session with resorts and other companies looking for employees and interns. It will also benefit the professors, because the will know their students are going to a property that will offer a quality internship experience and build a relationship with these properties. I have been a member since 1994 and have gained a great amount of knowledge and ideas and have met recreation professionals around the country. If you need any further information on what RCRA is all about, please feel free to ask me any questions or call Lisa Linden (Executive Director) directly at 1-630-892-2175 or look them up on the web at www.r-c-r-a.org .

Have a great day! 

Eric M. Carlson

Director of Recreation & Pool Operations

The Registry Resort & Club

Edgewater Beach Hotel