Business ProfileforThe Biltmore Company

As a former 12 year host at Biltmore House I can say Biltmore is a fantastic venue and in many respects earns its reputation. My tenure there was disrupted by the pandemic and angry guests who had no hesitation about filing complaints. Despite the harsh work environment my first 10 years as a host were both memorable and enjoyable.....the last two years were impossible.Biltmore is a family owned company whose management is very poorly paid, poorly trained and even more poorly qualified. The Family expects accountability for complaints so the role of a manager is largely to review and follow up on complaints, identify a host to target as responsible and build a case for dismissal. The practice of targeting and bullying has been honed to a fine art. I once noted that Biltmore uses a very big stick with staff when a nice carrot would suffice.As pandemic-related complaints skyrocketed Biltmore gave more and more refunds to angry guests and with each refund there must be a host held responsible and targeted for dismissal. Actual support for hosts as front line workers in the pandemic environment is not a concept embraced by Biltmore management.Coronavirus rudeness is not unique to Biltmore nor is it unique in hospitality industries in general. However, Biltmore's strategy of denial and blame is a sad if not abysmal example of how poorly managed companies struggle to cope.