Lizzie smiled. She tapped on her tablet. “Noted.”
They walked back inside. Sarah’s heels clicked on the tile as they headed toward her office.
“Your main responsibility will be the Saturday welcome parties,” Sarah said. “Every week we get a new influx of spring breakers. We do an orientation party the first Saturday they’re here. DJ, music, welcome drinks. It’s a chance for them to meet other guests and get information about the island.”
“That sounds fun.”
“It’s functional. This Saturday you’ll shadow me and see how it works. After that you’ll help coordinate.” Sarah pulled out her tablet and brought up the event calendar. “We have parties scheduled every Saturday through the end of April. Although I know you’re just here for six weeks. So that will be your duty, along with the bar crawl. And of course, the weekend party on Carlson Island in two weeks.”
“Ok.” Lizzie looked at the screen. “What kind of music do you usually do?”
“Top forty. Dance music. Whatever’s current.”
“And the welcome drinks?”
“Rum punch. Sometimes margaritas. We keep it simple.”
“What about activities? Like games or contests?”
“This isn’t a cruise ship.”
Lizzie bit her lip. “Could I make a suggestion?”
Sarah looked up. “Go ahead.”
“What if we did a TikTok dance-off? Get people involved, create some energy. And there’s this mocktail that’s gone viral recently. The Sunset Something, I can’t remember the exact name, but everyone’s making it. We could serve that alongside the regular drinks.”
Sarah stared at her. “A TikTok dance-off.”
“Yeah. It’s what people are doing. We could even encourage them to post content and tag the hotel. Free marketing.”
“I don’t do fads. Fads change every week.” Sarah’s voice was sharp. “We need something sustainable that works for the entire season. Not something that’s going to be outdated by next week.”
“TikTok isn’t a fad. It’s how people communicate.”
“It’s a platform for teenagers to do synchronized dancing and lip-sync to songs.”
“It’s also how businesses reach customers.” Lizzie’s voice was respectful but firm. “If you want to connect with spring breakers, you need to meet them where they are.”
Sarah sat her tablet down harder than necessary. She was being lectured about social media by someone who probably couldn’t remember a time before smartphones. “I appreciateyour input, but I’ve been running these events for years. I know what works.”
“Of course. I didn’t mean to overstep.”
“You didn’t overstep. You suggested. I’m declining.” Sarah closed the tablet. “Anything else?”
“This party on Carlson Island, what’s that about?”
“Mid-spring break, we’re hosting a two-day event on Carlson Island. It’s a small island off of Key West, about twenty minutes by boat. We have a DJ, tents, cookouts, watersports, a spa and so on.” Sarah pulled up the schedule. “It’s one of our biggest events of the season.”
“That sounds incredible.”
“It’s a lot of work. But yes, it’s popular. We have people signing up just for that.” Sarah glanced at her watch. “I have a meeting with the catering staff in ten minutes. Why don’t you familiarize yourself with the details I told you and then later, we’ll meet again and I can see what you remember and what we have to go over again.”
“Okay. Thank you for the tour.”
Sarah nodded and walked away. She made it to her office, closed the door, and leaned against it.
This was a problem.
