5-Star Internship: Building a Future in Luxury Hospitality
Montage Big Sky wasn’t on the radar of Caleb Risher ’26 when he was searching for an internship at a hotel. But his networking skills and the support of JWU faculty and alumni helped him make his way to the largest resort in Montana — a luxury, Forbes Travel Guide 5-Star Award-Winning luxury hotel.
Changing his Career Path to Hospitality
After working in the restaurant business since he was 16 and earning an associate’s degree in culinary arts from a community college, Risher decided to change his career path to the hospitality industry. With his sights set on the hotel and resort sector, he transferred to JWU Charlotte to earn his bachelor’s degree in hospitality management. “I wanted a smaller college and one that is more hands-on,” explained Risher on why he chose JWU. “I didn't want to just go study books. And I received a transfer scholarship from JWU that really helped.”
Making His Way from Charlotte to Big Sky
When Risher was searching for an internship at a hotel, a professor suggested Montage Big Sky — she knew the director of rooms, JWU alum Breandan Aslin ’16. Risher ran with it. “I connected with him on LinkedIn and applied for an internship. When I didn’t hear back right away, I direct messaged him and that got things started.” Aslin responded to Risher with an interest in hiring him and bringing him to Montage.
Risher was interviewed three times for the position by various managers. “There’s a lot that goes into the interview process and there's a lot that goes into the job because there's standards that you have to meet,” noted Risher. Since starting at Montage in May, Risher has learned what it takes to meet the high standards of working at a hotel of Montage’s standing.
Wearing the Many Hats of a Houseman
Risher’s title at Montage is Houseman, which means he does a little bit of everything to help make the guests’ experience exceptional. His goal for the internship is to understand how all aspects of the housekeeping department operate, giving him the background needed for his plan of securing a management-in-training program down the road. “I think this is a great role for that,” said Risher. “As a houseman you help the housekeeping department by delivering items to guests and helping with maintenance, storage of supplies and linens, and laundry. My job is to do a lot of different tasks. It's a great entry level job and a good starting point. There's a lot of rules that go into it. For instance, when you're handing an item to a guest you have to put it in a bag with the company logo on it.”
Another rule is having just ten minutes to deliver items to guests after they request them. “That’s the Forbes standard, so once you get the request ticket, you go. This resort is massive,” notes Risher.
Just an hour’s drive from Yellowstone National Park, the resort spans over 500,000 square feet and includes 139 guest rooms, 32 privately owned home residences, a 10,000 square foot spa, an 18-hole golf course, five restaurants and other impressive amenities.
Welcoming, Supportive Management
The resort and the people he’s worked with have made Risher’s time at Montage valuable, professionally and personally. “I have found the work we do at Montage to be helpful in furthering my career in the resort industry. The management at Montage is probably the best I've ever worked with. They're very much into helping you advance and grow in your career.”
The management team has been supportive and generous in sharing their knowledge with Risher: “My main manager is the assistant director of housekeeping, and her insight and experience have been great for helping me see how the hotel operates. The housekeeping manager has also been wonderful as a mentor and helping me understand how things run.”
Connecting with Aslin from the start inspired Risher to keep moving ahead. “Having a mentor who works at a Forbes 5-Star resort and seeing him succeed shows me that through hard work and dedication, my future career goal can come true. Seeing someone working in resorts at an important level has been very inspiring for me.”
How JWU Helped Prep Risher for his Internship
Out of the courses Risher has taken so far, he says the one that prepared him the most for his work at Montage was Managing the Hotel Guest Experience. “I learned how important the guest experience is in the hotel industry and to ensure the guests have a wonderful experience,” shared Risher. “With Montage being a Forbes 5-star hotel, it was important to learn about guest satisfaction and guest interaction.”
In return, Risher is learning what it takes to succeed in a luxury hotel environment. Communicating and interacting with guests in the right way is key. “Making sure you maintain a certain level of eye contact, making sure you say the right thing and keeping in mind there are certain words we're not allowed to say, too. We can't tell a guest ‘No’ or ‘I don't know’ or ‘No problem.’”
Does the knowledge and skills Risher has been learning at Montage take what he’s learned at JWU to the next level? “One hundred percent,” exclaimed Risher. “Just knowing how a resort operates and the certain standards that need to be met, especially for a 5-star resort, all of that expands on what I’ve learned in the classroom. I would say JWU and internships go hand in hand. They are one of the main reasons I picked the school in the first place.”
Advice, Opportunities and Support
Would Risher recommend JWU to prospective Hospitality students? “I would 100 % recommend it and would say to go and do anything and everything possible. Take every opportunity and run with it.”
Some of the opportunities beyond internships to help students learn about industries and careers are guest speakers on campus and site visits with faculty. “All the hotels we visited as well as the guest speakers we’ve had have given us real-world experience which is great for learning about working in and operating a hotel or resort. One of the hotel visits, which was part of the Manage the Hotel Guest Experience course, was to Grand Bohemian Charlotte. A recent visiting guest speaker was Wes Bartlett, director of operations at AC & Marriott Charlotte SouthPark, who spoke about the importance of work experience and building your brand.”
Risher also speaks highly of the JWU faculty who have supported him academically and personally. “Associate Professor Rosenbaum and Associate Professor Atreya have both been amazing mentors for me. While working for the College of Hospitality Management’s front desk through a work study position, I had the chance to interact with them. They mentored and guided me during my first year at JWU. Professor Rosenbaum helped me through some personal challenges while also pushing me to pursue my dreams, and Professor Atreya helped me overcome some of the academic challenges of college.”
Risher’s Future Plans
Risher is already planning for his next steps. He hopes to do another hotel internship to gain experience in front desk management, complete a manager-in-training program after graduation, and earn a graduate degree focused on international tourism and sustainable development. His ultimate goal? “To get a position scouting out and opening properties for a company similar to Montage.”