A few weeks ago, Travis (Global I.T. specialist) and I set off to visit Hard Knocks Orlando, a urban themed indoor laser tag (sort of and I’ll get to that) gaming facility. Located just a few minutes from University of Central Florida, it’s a 30-40 minute drive from most of our resorts. After all is said and done, it’s well worth the drive and the money. This isn’t your father’s laser tag!

Once we arrived , we joined a group of six other friends and kept the same 4 man teams throughout the two hour session. After all, we had to keep score for bragging rights! Who won? Keep reading.

So how is Hard Knocks NOT like your ‘father’s laser tag’? Simple, you use real (looking) guns and run around in realistic themed environments completing several team based missions. The ‘weapons’ are replica metal electronic devices with a similar weight and feel of the real thing. Ammo is limited and the quantity of available ammo is tied to the type of gun your using at the time. You have to remember to ‘reload’ by hitting a button when your ammo count is low. Then you must wait a few LONG seconds for the gun to become live again as it completes the reload sequence. All in all, very realistic. Also, only ‘killing’ shots made to your opponents sensors (three in total) will cost them a life. Once all your available lives are gone, your dead and have to take the walk of shame back to the staging area. Remember, no talking to your teammates on the way out - dead man tell no tales. Pirate rules!

I haven’t played laser tag for over a decade and honestly never got into it. Too much of people running up to you and rapidly pulling the trigger in your general direction. Not very realistic! Hard Knocks is much different, teams must work together to advance (and stay alive) or they won’t last long. Strategy actually counts for something at Hard Knocks and the combinations of realistic feeling weapons and the fast pace of game play (missions rarely last over ten minutes) makes for a quick and fun team building experience for all involved. The two available formats (Warehouse and Office Building) are played back to back with over 30 missions or scenarios to choose from.

If I had to list one thing that makes Hard Knocks worth your time, it’s the realism. The environments and weapons are so realistic that local SWAT teams practice in their facilities. With over 30,000 square feet of air conditioned  space available, it’s a great place for team building, birthday parties, pickup games or any sort of group team experience. You’ll also get a great workout! Even though the AC is blasting, running (actually running isn’t allowed - let’s call it ‘aggressive walking’) around for two hours gets the blood moving. I had a hard time climbing stairs for three days after Hard Knocks!

For more information on Hard Knocks Orlando, including prices, requirements and training videos - visit Hard Knocks Orlando and Hard Knock Training Videos for details on the rules of game play. Your Regulator “Athena” will walk you though it.

So who won? Well the fact that this blog post exists should give you some idea. Travis and I were on the winning team with yours truly winning the final mission - “The Highlander”. As I walked out of the Office arena, our Regulator gave me a thumbs up and said, “Congratulations, your the Highlander!”. I can think of no higher compliment.

Before I came to Global I had no idea that this type of product was even available! I was used to working in the hospitality industry. Let’s face it, in Florida, most people are associated with hospitality in one way or another.  I have always worked in hotels and times shares, and I can tell you there is such a world of difference.

The best thing about being with Global is the people. At so many large companies you become just another number. Here we get to know people, both co-workers and guests. I have many guests that return each year, some to the same home. Many have been staying with Global longer than I have been with the company, and when I speak with them they ask questions about the people they used to deal with. It truly feels like being part of family.

Another thing I would say is the value to our guests. If you compare what you get staying at our resorts with what you get anywhere else, there is nothing to compare it with. That makes my job easier in so many ways. You get all the comforts of living at home while staying with us. While no two of our homes are exactly alike, they are kept to a high standard that people enjoy staying in. I can’t say there are never any problems and that leads me to my last point.

I love to help people. When I’m working in a unit, either doing routine maintenance or a repair for a guest, I’m not just “patching a wall.” I’m helping someone’s vacation be better. We all wish for a flawless vacation, but we live in a real world where things do break. That’s where I come in. I get to talk to the people, find out what’s wrong, and get it fixed as fast as humanly possible. If it can’t be fixed, it gets replaced. We work with our owners to make sure everyone has a great time and a great place to stay.

In short, I love my job and I love doing it right here, right now. This is my second family and I can’t see being anywhere else.

- Aaron Tripp, Maintenance Department

The best way to describe how we feel about Global is the following:

G - is for good working ethics.

L - is for the love of the family atmosphere we maintain.

O - is for the “over-the-top” attitude.

B - is for always trying to be the best we can be.

A - is for all of us working to together to improve things.

L - is looking towards the future and how we can make things better and continue to grow.

At this time, Dave is working in the maintenance department and enjoys all of the guys & ladies that he works with. I am working at the front desk at our Formosa office, in the field with maintenance a few days, and helping where ever I am needed in the office. We are still enjoying our jobs, even though sometimes it gets hectic - but that goes with the territory in the hospitality business. We feel that Global is our extended family and have loved working for Global and hope to continue in the future. Their values and relationships with employees exceeds many companies that we have worked for in the past. We hope Global feels the same way about us.

- Pat & Dave Hess,  Front Desk & Maintenance Staff

- Adam Costner, Director of Customer Service

- Lisa Boxe, LBV Receptionist

I do reservations for retail clients. This involves persuading new and potential clients to stay with Global vs. the competition.  Sales is very complex and it takes a lot of positive energy. I have to be in a good mood everyday in order to keep the callers attention and materialize the call. Some leads are not as easy to close as others, so I do an intense amount of following up and emailing to make sure that I am not leaving any money on the table. In addition to sales, I assist guests with all of their needs from the time they book until they check-in. I answer general customer service calls, adjust files and problem solve when needed. I also send off personally written thank you letters to all of my clients, and advertise on Craig’s List to generate leads.  My job involves many processes.

I love working for Global because of the people here. I am very close with all of my co-workers and they are a bunch of very compassionate people. If one person sees the other in pain, everyone is there to lend a helping hand. It is a very comfortable environment where everyone embraces you for who you are and appreciates your unique attributes!

-Molly Burns, Vacation Home Specialist

- Susan Lattimore, Vacation Home Specialist

- Susan Lattimore, Vacation Home Specialist

- Miranda Butcher, Accountant

- Michael Koretzka, Maintenance Staff