One of the most common questions that all job seekers have when preparing to begin a new career journey is: what will it be like to actually work there?
Today we offer an opportunity to learn what it’s truly like to be a part of the high energy, action-packed gaming and entertainment environment that is Graton Resort & Casino! Behind all of the bells and whistles, bonuses, jackpots, slots, tables, dining venues, and resort offerings, is a team that works incredibly hard to create an exciting and enjoyable guest experience.
With that in mind, we sat down with three of our team members, representing our Housekeeping Team, Internal Maintenance Team, and Count Team, asking them to share a typical day in the life at Graton Resort & Casino. Let’s see what they had to say!
Linda, Housekeeping Attendant
“To me, it’s like my family. My coworkers, our supervisors and managers…”
Linda is originally from China and joined our team after moving to our hometown of Rohnert Park. She has been in her current role since the inception of the Hotel and Resort. Prior to that, she also worked briefly at Scoops serving ice cream!
Linda’s an early riser, starting between 8am and 9am most days. Each morning, her shift begins with her department’s huddle where Linda is briefed on any and all property-wide updates. Mornings can be a bit on the slow side since a lot of our guests like to catch up on their sleep. That all changes around noon at our designated checkout time. For our Housekeeping Team, things can become fast paced quite quickly and Linda noted that it is very helpful that her team is able to clearly indicate which rooms she is assigned for the day. It is also important to have help where it is needed so team members are encouraged to help each other and to work as a team.
We asked Linda what types of qualities make her a good fit for her role. She shared that for her, cleanliness tends to come easy as she likes her environment to be neat and organized in her day to day life so it kind of goes hand in hand with her personality. Linda also describes herself as a hard worker that is motivated to perform her tasks. She prefers a role that doesn’t leave her with too much spare time. In her current capacity, she feels that her duties come at a pace that makes her happy.
Linda mentioned that it is a great feeling to have guests that appreciate how beautiful the rooms are, and that it’s a fantastic reward when they share their appreciation with kind words for her service and hard work.
Mark, Internal Maintenance Porter
“They take care of us. Nothing comes out of my paycheck for your benefits and I mean that’s outstanding!”
Mark was born and raised in Santa Rosa. It will be seven years in January of this upcoming year that he has been a member of our Graton Team!
He works on day shift as an IM Porter. He likes to start his day with a healthy breakfast and coffee before getting busy with his day. Mark’s preference is to arrive about thirty minutes early to take some time to catch up with coworkers and share stories of what may have happened while he was off or over the weekend.
Each day brings with it a different mix of duties with a main goal of keeping the casino squeaky clean. He’s appreciative of supervisors taking the time to provide insight on all rules, regulations, duties, and other important information so that he knows exactly what is expected of him. The duties themselves are steady and at times may require covering nearly every area of our property so he definitely gets his steps in! Once the day is done and he’s cleared to head home after a job well done, Mark likes to get in some evening exercise to clear his mind and to help with getting a proper nights rest.
Mark let us know that he enjoys a lot of different aspects of his position but one reason he really loves it is for the chance to be around all of the fun and excitement of big jackpot winnings! It’s a satisfying thing to see guests enjoying themselves. He also enjoys frequenting Tony’s for a pizza or Habit Burger for a burger, or stopping in on his off days to try his hand at Blackjack.
Overall, Mark wanted to highlight just how much he appreciates the perks and benefits of being a Graton Team Member and said “it’s a beautiful thing the way that this company takes care of our needs”. He also shared that there is a lot of room to be promoted if you want to grow your career.
Ambrosio, Count Team Supervisor
“If you think of the casino as you would the human body, we would be its heartbeat.”
Ambrosio previously resided in Rodeo before moving to Santa Rosa. He has been with us since October of 2013! He was previously a Count Team Attendant before recently being promoted to Count Team Supervisor.
Early on in our sit down interview, Ambrosio told us that when the casino first opened, it was the talk of the town and with so many jobs available, he saw this as the perfect opportunity to try something new. He was extremely happy to get the call that he had been selected.
Ambrosio is our only night owl of the group, with a typical start time of 2am. During his shift, Ambrosio and his team are responsible for the secure transference of funds all across our property. As things begin to slow down towards the very end of Ambrosio’s day, he makes sure to get his areas prepped for the next team to come in and take over.
Being a part of the Count Team requires patience and attention to detail. Ambrosio has shared that although it can be demanding at times, his position suits him well because he himself is very detail oriented and sees each day as a challenge that he is ready to meet head on.
Ambrosio left us with a nice explanation about why his job brings him joy:
“I love my job. It makes me very proud. I’m proud of it because we are handling some of the most sensitive materials in the casino with counting money. There’s a feeling of satisfaction when you perform well.”
At Graton Resort & Casino, we’re proud of the hard work that all of our team members contribute towards creating a fantastic work environment and guest experience that keep our guests coming back. We could not ask for better representatives of our property. A big thanks to all three of our interviewees for participating in our Day in the Life feature!
Thanks to the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, each and every one of our employees recently received an increase in wages! Tipped positions now receive an extra $2.50 per hour and non-tipped hourly positions received an increase of $3.25 per hour. Salaried Team Members were given a minimum of a 10% increase.
To all of our readers, if we’ve piqued your interest and you’d like to learn more about what roles we have available that might be fit for you, please visit our Careers Page and apply today!
Thanks for reading and we look forward to seeing you soon!
