Dollywood University gives new hosts crash course in park procedures

[WebmasterTim]

PIGEON FORGE - When most people think about a university, images of a sprawling campus with ivy-covered brick buildings filled with stodgy professors comes to mind. That's not Dollywood University.


Far from the typical university, Dollywood U meets in small sessions and offers the park's new hires a day-long debriefing on all things Dollywood. In a room in the back of the park's human resources department, students of all ages gather in groups that range in size depending largely on what time of year it is.

"Dollywood University is where we teach our new hosts how to put their best food forward for Dollywood," instructor Don Surrett says. "We want them to understand that we're called hosts because we want to teach those who come to the park as guests in our homes."

For new recruits, the day begins early with a glamour shot for the soon-to-be-issued employee identification card. The card doesn't just let everyone know that someone works at Dollywood, it has a host of uses including serving as the employee's timecard.

Then the real work gets under way as trainers like Surrett and Pat Schroeder take the new staffers under their wings, getting them ready to fly on their own. Surrett has quite a job to do - outside of some on-the-job training, this is Dollywood's only chance to make sure the folks who work there know their stuff.

Surrett covers everything a Dollywood host might ever need to know about the park, from the mission statement - "Creating memories worth repeating" - to the dress code, which is extensive.

To ensure hosts put the park's best face forward, the park's handbook addresses everything from the jewelry employees can and cannot wear, to perfume and cologne. There are rules that prohibit hosts from carrying handbags, having exposed tattoos, using cell phones in front of park guests and growing facial hair unless they had it when they were hired.

Each part of the regulations is essential to ensuring hosts keep with the theme of Dollywood, Surrett says. Since cell phones and modern purses did not exist in any of the past times the park is themed for, they would look out of place in the hands of a host.

Another way the park ensures guests make memories worth repeating on their visit is offering a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee on all goods and services. To help keep that promise, each host is trained to deal with guest concerns using the anagram "DOLLY," which stands for determine the problem, obtain all the information, listen and kindly show empathy, list all options and you are empowered to take action and kindly solve the problem. Given the park's name and namesake, the process should be easy to remember.

After becoming acquainted with the handbook and park regulations, hosts take a tour of the park, as guides point out host lounges, time clocks and other important spots. Finally, in other sessions following their graduation from Dollywood's alma mater, hosts learn how to operate cash registers, operate rides and get on-the-job training.

It's easy to see how Surrett and Schroeder could spread an infectious love for Dollywood since both men like the place enough to teach the early-morning classes though they are actually retired.

"I taught journalism at a high school in Michigan until we retired to this area," Schroeder said. "I didn't want to just sit around at home, so I figured I'd come up here to work. I started out in parking and then moved to training and helping put the park newsletter together. I love it here. It's a great job and a great place to work. I'll be here until I can't do it anymore, I guess."
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