Apply Now

Help us with reception in Sacred Valley

4.5
(248 reviews)248

The experience

We offer long-term opportunities for fluent Spanish and English speakers to support our local staff in our reception and other areas as required.

What you offer

25 hours of help per week

Kitchen Hand: Help prepare, finish and serve meals.

Administration: Help with booking systems and payments.

Reception: Help with check-ins, check-outs and guest assistance.

What you get

2 days off per week

Private Room: You will have a bed in a private room. In other words, a room just for you.

Breakfast: You are entitled to a free breakfast, every day of your stay.

Lunch: You are entitled to a free lunch, every day of your stay.

Free Laundry: You can use our laundry room freely.

Use our equipped kitchen: Feel free to use our kitchen and make your own delicious food.

Fast Internet Access: High-speed internet for you to work remotely

Requirements

Fluent English and Fluent Spanish

Over 23 years old

Welcomes solo volunteers, couples, and partners of volunteers

What's not included

Flights, Travel Insurance, Internal Transportation and Visa

Program Details

Our lodge is in the Inca town of Ollantaytambo, gateway to Machu Picchu in the Sacred Valley of Cusco, Peru. It is a small (10 rooms) quality Bed and Breakfast located in the pedestrian Inka streets of the village.

We work with responsible people who help with reception, breakfasts, dinners, checking rooms, answering email and managing reservations and sometimes other work as required.

25 hours a week in return for Bed and Breakfast. You can help yourself to breakfast every day and we give you 8 soles a day, enough for a menu lunch of soup and a main course in a local restaurant. You sort out your own dinner (but can use the kitchen). You can survive on very little money in Ollantaytambo. Lots of people save the soup from lunch to eat later.

Couples and singles are welcome. Accommodation is in a private room with a private bath.

We are currently looking for a long term HelpXer or Work exchanger or couple, preferably 4-6 months, fluent or almost fluent in Spanish and English, who is personable, responsible and hard-working and with good administrative and email skills and attention to detail to help at the lodge. We are also interested in people with kitchen, gardening and marketing skills, but also preferably as part of the long-term Help.

A key element of the job is to empower our local staff with regard to speaking English as well as computer and administrative skills. One thing to realise is that working hours can be at odd times, as we especially need help the days our local staff have their time off (evenings, weekends, holidays) and sometimes during breakfast hours (approx. 7-10am) and dinner (5.30-9pm).

You must be hard-working and enthusiastic like us!

Activities & Shift

Primary Duties

1)Help with breakfast
a)Serving Breakfast and making sure we have enough stock (beers, fruit, bread, etc.)
b)Prepare breakfasts (squeeze orange juice; cut fruit; cook eggs) and serve guests.

2)Answering e-mail enquiries from potential guests, tour group/travel agencies and confirmed guests, directly and from booking engines.

3)Managing reservations:
a)assigning rooms/managing room assignments
b)recording in reservation book (see e-mail response instructions)
c)updating booking engines
d)checking reservations in our PMS (property management system) and reservations book, the ideal way to learn our systems
e)updating white board

4)Hosting Guests
a)assisting with luggage transfers from the plaza
b)welcoming them to Apu Lodge
c)checking in/checking out
d)offering assistance re: dining options; transportation; itinerary planning; hiking opportunities; medical assistance etc.
e)Checking gas level for showers

5) Auditing petty cash and expenditure. Cashing up reception safe each working day and reporting any differences. Other accounting as required.

6)Checking rooms and reception are clean, complete and have fresh flowers. Simple flower-arranging in small vases.

7)Helping Staff when appropriate
a)clean rooms occasionally, help with laundry
b)prepare breakfasts (squeeze orange juice; cut fruit; cook eggs)
c)shopping


Additional Tasks Dependent on Skills

1)Marketing Assistance
a)Internet and web-based
b)Short-term and Long-term plan development and/or implementation

2)Property Maintenance
a)Repair and replacements (light carpentry; plumbing; electrical; painting)
b)Gardening

Rules

We expect you to stay fairly quiet especially during rest hours for our guests as you will have a private room with bathroom within the Lodge. Whilst alcohol consumption is not banned we ask you not to get drunk or offer alcohol to our staff whilst on the premises of Apu Lodge. Strictly no smoking in or near the building.