Hey Beth,
Oh, could I ever help you out! I worked at a mountain resort in the Canadian Rockies this passed summer. It is called Emerald Lake Lodge. It is part of CRMR LTD (Canadian Rocky Mountain Resorts).
I was a dishwasher for part of the time in the main restaurant in the lodge. I worked 40 hours a week, 5 days on, 2 days off, had good breaks (it was pretty laid back- if you needed a break, you could take one. They were about 10 minutes long). The best perk I had being a dishwasher was a free duty meal every shift made by the chefs. I could have whatever I wanted; it didn't have to be on the menu, as long as the ingredients were in the kitchen! Did I ever eat well last summer! Not only that, though, but Emerald Lake Lodge is in such an incredibly beautiful part of the Rocky Mountains, in Yoho National Park. I saw the northern lights one night- it was so amazing!!! And there are so many stars in the sky, I had never seen so many. . . . In BC the minimum wage is $8/hour CDN. I was paid $8.50/hour. When I started I already had some experience. If you have experience you will almost be guaranteed to be paid above minimum wage, and you will easily be able to afford your rent and anything else that you need.
If you have experience, it shouldn't be difficult to get a job at a mountain lodge or a ski resort in retail at a souvenir shop or renting ski/board equipment. You don't need any experince to be a housekeeper at all. In fact, the less you know about cleaning, the better. I was a housekeeper for a couple weeks. I didn't really like it and switched back to the kitchen, but some people do alright. And, yes, you do get tips. Actually, I got tips as a dishwasher as well. If you want to do guest relations (room service or front desk) you would need some experience as a housekeeper (more for room service/guest request) or in customer service/reception to do it. They probably won't hire you for that unless you have experience.
Working at a mountain resort can be a lot of fun. Make sure you have an account at a bank with a nearby branch for banking, bills, depositing checks, withdrawals, etc. It really sucks if you don't have any money to spend. That will help your sanity a lot, trust me. It depends which place you work at, but in some places people don't do much but get drunk, stoned and watch tv on their day off. Some people are more active and go hiking or skiing or whatever. If you are going to be working at a mountian lodge, remember that it will be in a remote location and you will be living with your coworkers. Of course you can absolutely make some really tight friends and hae a blast. I don't mean to be a downer. Just thought I would give you some food for thought that you may have not yet considered.
Well, I hope that helps. Good luck! I'm sure it will be lots of fun!
