line cook

restaurant manager

sous chef

pastry cook

chef de partie

Sparkling Hill Resort

I have worked here for over 3 years and with 3 different sets of managers in the restuaraunt and man do I have a lot to say. 

Basically the mangment has no actual concept of hiring standards, keeping stock, or interdepartmental communication. This leads to a multitude of problems where you are constantly apoligizing to guests for running out of espresso (in the coffee shop), limes, egg white, specific liquors for cocktails ect. As for communication you will be working a regular bar shift and all of a sudden your pulled to go serve a 70 person cash bar banquet with 20 minutes to set up because no one told you about it or the events department didnt tell the resturaunt management team.

Secondly the managment couldnt care less about the staff the hire. They pay you minimum wage in the resturaunt and unless you are senior server (which wont happen to you because they have had the same 6 core serving staff for 6+Years) you will most likely be on as a junior server/expo/host (10 - 20 dollars a night) or stuck in barrique in java (15 - 100 dollars). Barrique and java sounds good at first but the pay does not equal how much work you actually put into the job due to the responsabilities you have down there. For example as of now there is still no running kitchen in barrique so for the past year all the servers there are forced to make and sell cheese plates and antipesto plates as well as serve and watch the restuaraunt.

As for your prefered shifts, there is a group of 3 that does all your scheduling so if you get on one of there badsides it is not good for you. If you would like to move up positions in the resturaunt loyalty and experience does not mean anything at all and you will constantly be given broken promises about how next month you will be serving the restuaraunt where you make 300 dollars a night in tips. This is just a trap so you dont quit and they only give promotions to people that kiss butt or were friends with the mangers before they started.

The only plus side is that the staff are usually great and they have staff accomidations on site for cheap but thats it. One time one of the laundry managers brought donuts for the laundry team as a treat. Rumor has it is that the manager got severly reprimanded and written up for using company money to treat staff.

Basically don't work here unless its temporary and you're living in staff housing.

Other than some of the great people that I met at this location, I have nothing good to say about my time spent here.

For context, I was hired into a management position. During the interview process I was presented with a very "rose tinted glasses" view of the resort, and was told nothing but great things about the culture and processes that were in place. Needless to say as soon as I started my work there, this couldn't have been further from the truth.

The culture is a "next in line" mentality as the resort does the bare minimum in taking care of the staff they have. This is clearly shown as the resort is constantly understaffed and constantly has job postings to fill the gaps. Wages for front-line staff are unacceptable, additional perks are niche and not for everyone, expectations for hours and output are totally unrealistic, and unless you're staying in staff accommodation it's almost not worth it to commute as they do nothing to help counteract that cost. I immediately brought this to the attention of my reports and was given a "shoulder shrug" and deflecting excuses as to why this hasn't been improved already. Management however was held to a completely different standard to the rest of the staff, which from my perspective, it entirely unacceptable especially for a company that preaches a "family" like culture.

Operationally, Sparkling Hill is very far behind industry leaders as to how they run day-to-day. Equipment is outdated, inter company communication is almost archaic, and some of the basic tools that exist in other hotels/resorts (like housekeepers having a way to communicate with the front office staff, even a radio) are non-existent. 

For such a beautiful location and wonderful amenities, it's so bizarre that staff are mishandled to this extent. The lack of a Human Resource department is evident and would do huge favours to Sparkling Hill to get back even close to par with the industry. The dichotomy of how management and front-line staff are treated is completely unacceptable and having an HR department to mediate this would be a great first step.

Until Sparkling Hill makes clear steps in approaching these issues, I would recommended anyone to stay away. You're time will be more valued at other resorts around the Okanagan.

I only worked there for a short time and almost got to probation, I left because I cost me half my days wage just to get there, there’s not enough parking and if your closing you normally have no choice but to park in “overflow” parking which is down a super steep hill and is totally unsafe in the winter and it really drags walking up two steep hills to get to work after driving for 20 minutes, you have to be there early just to park and half time to walk to work. It’s rediculous. That’s before you even enter the building. How ever the view and location is to die for, its stunning in the winter and spring.

On that note, working there as a spa attendant was probably the only job position I would recommend because nobody except guests and coworkers nag plus you can hide for a bit, it was by far the only casual job possition and the co-workers were super nice people. BUT, management sucked. They needed training badly. They have horrible communication between even departments or even staff. Staff get looked down upon on the daily even though with out us the resort would literally fall apart. I would continually receive my schedule 1 week at a time and usually between 24-72 hours before my shift. It gave everyone a bitter taste in there mouths and left feeling very unappreciated, we were expected to live only for work and not have lived outside of work, we were required to remain VERY flexible due to scheduling randomly changing with no email or anything to tell us, except a phone call telling you your late or missed a shift. It was the only work place I’ve worked at where every single employee hated their job, And by the time I left we had a really nice and caring manager but she wasn’t able to carry out her duties in the spa since we were so understaffed she actually had to play the roles of 2 jobs and it was so unfair to everyone. Please don’t work there and support how they treat there staff. I worked in construction previously and I was treated so much better in that environment.

Oh, what a delightful experience it has been working for this company—truly the highlight of my nine-year professional journey. If I could shower them with zero stars, I'd do it with immense joy. The management, oh what a gem, is a shining example of efficiency, or, should I say, the lack thereof. Perpetual understaffing is their unique way of creating a harmonious work environment, and who needs compensation for overtime anyway?
The leadership, if you can call it that, is a group of individuals with egos so grand that they make running a functional operation look like child's play. Any attempt to contribute constructive ideas is met with applause, or maybe not, because it's promptly dismissed with a stubbornness that would make a mule proud. But hey, who needs expertise when you can have egos leading the way?
For those lucky souls eyeing a position here, especially if they dangle a tempting $100,000 salary, I wholeheartedly recommend it. It's not just a red flag in the Food and Beverage department; it's practically a crimson carnival. The deep-seated problems there are not to be missed, unless, of course, you enjoy a workplace culture that's anything but desirable.
And let's not forget the revolving door of leadership—a brilliant showcase of management prowess. Talented leaders, drawn to this paradise, graciously decide to exit within a mere four months. It's like a leadership retreat, only without the retreat or the leadership.
But wait, there's more! The employee retention rate is a staggering 2%, a testament to the company's commitment to keeping its workforce content and fulfilled. A stable and satisfied workforce? Who needs that when you can have discontent and disillusionment? These two fabulous factors combined should make anyone jump at the chance to join this stellar team. So, if you're seeking a workplace with inefficiencies galore and a blatant disregard for well-being, congratulations! You've found your utopia!

I worked at Sparkling Hill for a few months last year.  

My position was sometimes fast paced but not stressful at all.  Some other position were much more stressful and employees dissatisfaction was very high.

I enjoyed the interactions with my co-workers, my supervisors and with the vast majority of the clients.  Some were truly classless but these people can only afford the Winter Local rates.

Driving to work in the winter can be a real challenge for some due to the poor road conditions.  The main staff parking is not ideally located:  a good uphill walk.  The secondary staff parking is much worse but the main staff parking is often at capacity so...

The compensation is very low by industry standards.  They do attract some staff with low cost staff accommodation.

The upper management and the company culture are the rotten apples that ruin the experience.  They have unrealistic expectations, they don't value their employees and they are not acting like they are accountable for their failures.  

Leadership is a game breaker for companies and leadership is non existent at Sparkling Hill.

The upper management would benefit to read books like by Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink. Being accountable to their employee is something foreign to them.

The company doesn't have an HR professional.  To turn things around they would need a HR Superstar consultant...

 Sparkling Hill is a "revolving door" staff wise  because the company is a company that fail to value and invest in their entry level employees.  

The top heads need to rolls or they need serious help to change things around.  But for now their "heads are in the sand" living in denials.

Until then:  the place is a good first step to get a first job in hospitality .  Move on when you can!

My experience working at Sparkling Hill Resort & Spa was very rewarding for me. In a typical day the hotel is very busy. I began working  my shift at 6am in the Laundry room firstly checking the levels of all the chemicals we use for our laundry machines and changing those necessary with the proper work safe procedures. Until 9:00am when the housekeepers arrive, my duty was to keep all the washers and dryers going at all time,stock the storage rooms full with folded towels and linen, look after any guest laundry,answer housekeeping department calls/requests, and Iron all linen. At 9:00 am each morning our manager would have a meeting with everyone and depending on the kind of day it was I would either continue working my shift in the laundry department or help with housekeeping upstairs. Because of the wonderful opportunity of cross training the hotel provided for me I was able to learn many different skills of the departments. Management was great to me, they made coming to work a pleasant experience and I always felt I was treated fair in the workplace. I also enjoyed getting to know all my co-workers, they all treated me with respect and I had no issues with anyone and made many friends. The hardest part of the job I found was that it is a very physically demanding job, by the end of the day you are exhausted. However I am a hands on person who likes physical work because it keeps me feeling busy. The most enjoyable part of the job for me was going out of the way to do those little extra things to make a guest feel happy.

This is a place which has so much potential to be a great workplace but unfortunately the experience is marred by the company owners and higher management. They simply do not care about their employees at all, and this is reflected in the unusually high staff turnover. The expectations of workload to be completed in certain timeframes is completely unrealistic. In my first position in housekeeping people were working themselves to the point of injury due to lack of staffing, with no sign of appreciation or any hint that they were looking for a solution. If they had simply reduced the hotel occupancy temporarily it might not have been so bad, but as mentioned employee welfare is not a priority here. 

I saw even more in my second role at the front desk. There are a lot of issues this hotel needs to address, and as I dealt with complaints I tried to relay these issues to management and suggest solutions, only to be met with almost disapproval at showing initiative. It seemed the attitude was very much just a 'that's just the way it is' state of mind, lot's of excuses and very little action. 

I will say that the people i worked with in my teams in both roles were great. There is a lot of great staff there who work so hard, which makes it even more of a shame that they are rewarded with below standard pay and again no appreciation. Unfortunately upper management has managed to turn this into one of the more toxic places I have ever worked, and employee morale is critically low. I would not recommend working here unless it is to take advantage of the cheap staff housing.

Management is the worst. You might think your job has bad management but trust me this job is worse. I have never worked in a job where management has disregarded and disrespected employees so much. If you try to bring up a concern they will disregard it, gaslight you or manipulate your words all while being incredibly condescending. Instead of fixing the issues they they blame staff for not working hard enough and just slap on temporary solutions that last for a day or 2 and when they inevitably don’t work staff take the blame for it. There is such a lack of professionalism within management its honestly unfathomable. if you make a mistake don’t expect to have a conversation with your supervisor about how you will not do it again expect to never hear a word about it until another employee tells you everyone is taking trash about you. Or if you express you frustration with something expect a manager to tell you you are being dramatic for this to only be about work and that there must be something going on at home, when you say no they will press you about it and ask 2 more times if your home life is ok. The job itself if fine, it is repetitive and a bit boring but it really isn’t bad but the management is so horrible you will not be able to stand working there for more than a couple months. 

Sparkling hills is a beautiful resort but the staff are treated like second class citizens. You have a common area that is shared with other staff but it is always dirty and stinks. nothing works and getting a repair done takes days unlike the immediate response guests receive. The staff housing is over priced and shared with a stranger, there is no room for your food in the shared refrigerator and freezer and the closest store is a 40 minute hike up the mountain and they overcharge for everything. There is a constant turnover in staff as they don't treat people fairly. I would not recommend working here. The worst part is that despite paying rent for your accomodations, you are given 24 hrs to get out if something happens to your employment and that is very sad considering most of the employees are here from other countries and don't have anywhere to go. You are not allowed to park near the resort so you have a 15 minute uphill hike and you are also not allowed to use the elevator so you have to take the stairs so as to keep you away from guests. They treat women unfairly as they employ people from countries where women are looked down on and they are allowed to continue this mentality despite being in Canada. Stay away!

Working at Sparkling Hill Resort was challenging, primarily due to significant management issues. From the time I started, there had been at least a dozen firings, almost all without prior warnings, even for employees well past their probationary periods. The primary reason seemed to stem from the General Manager's considerable ego; questioning her decisions or actions often led directly to termination.

I've witnessed entire departments abruptly let go without notice and capable managers dismissed over minor misunderstandings. The employee turnover rate is easily the highest I've ever seen throughout my career. It's created an environment where nearly every staff member feels like they're walking on eggshells daily.

Due to these ongoing issues, employee burnout is exceptionally high, morale is consistently low, and this directly impacts the resort’s reputation within Vernon. It's telling that even the Assistant General Manager chose to leave due to conflicts with the General Manager.

I wouldn't recommend employment here unless significant changes occur at the highest management level.


Top Job Titles	Average salary
Line cook 19 salaries reported	$22.14 per hour
Restaurant manager 4 salaries reported	$22.00 per hour
Sous chef 7 salaries reported	$57,857 per year
Pastry cook 6 salaries reported	$20.50 per hour
Chef de partie 5 salaries reported	$22.55 per hour

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