22 SPECIAL REPORT November/December 2021 | HOTELMANAGEMENT.NET LARRY CROSBY. The Foundry Hotel Asheville (N.C.), Curio Collection by Hilton director of sales and marketing. I was soon promoted to the general manager position to lead the hotel into a new era.” What is the most pressing challenge you’ve faced and resolved in the past year? “The most challenging aspect in the last year was regaining the trust and commitment of our team during the wake of the pandemic. Most organizations had to make the very dif cult decision to furlough staff to survive the loss of revenue although our people are our most valuable asset. Regaining that trust to return to work while still meeting revenue and guest service goals was a very strenuous time for our staff and required adjustments to not only our operations but our human resources model. It was extremely important to ensure that our team returned to a revised and improved workplace that highlights their value and gives them the assurance that our organization has their best interests. Along with compensation increases, we pivoted to promote a more cohesive culture that welcomes input from all levels, fosters collaboration in solving challenges, and af rming that our hotel is a cohesive family that takes care of each other. We also continued to provide transparency with our team to close the communication gap and ensure they are consistently aware of the climate of our hotel and industry.” PATRICK DEWBERRY. Best Western Windsor Inn & Suites, Danville, Va. Tell us why the person you’re nominating deserves this award. “Patrick’s magic is his electric attitude and his heart of service,” according to Teresa Hill, guest services supervisor. “Although he wears many hats, drives three hours per day to work and back and regularly works from 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., he is available to every one of his employees at any time, day or night. His No. 1 goal is to make sure that our guests have never been happier or better served at any hotel at which they have previously stayed and he empowers us, to the extent that he is able, to do the same. He has a way of making our guests feel that each of them is the most important person in the room. He motivates the team by conveying that our hotel’s success depends on us delivering the best service and stay possible. This allows us to feel personally responsible for a job well done. He is equally adept at prioritizing the needs of the hotel and the needs of the staff simultaneously. Patrick feels like a team member as much as he feels like our team leader.” KATHLEEN FLANARY. The Boxer Boston and Freepoint Hotel Cambridge (Mass.), a Tapestry Collection BEN DEANE. AC Hotel by Marriott Washington DC Downtown What is your management philosophy? “I believe in taking chances on people. That means transferring people from department to department so that they can expand their skills or hiring people with no experience. I once went into a prison to train people who were close to release on basic food and beverage skills so they would be able to nd jobs once they were released. Two properties ago I moved 12 people into different departments; I’ve switched a director of food and beverage with the director of front of ce, and a director of front of ce with the director of housekeeping. My philosophy is that if people are great, they can be great in another role, too; it’s up to us to help them move up and provide them opportunities to get promoted.” Tell us about some of your goals for the next year. “My goals for next year include nishing in the top 5 for customer service in the U.S. for AC Hotels, get at least 50 percent of my managerial/supervisory team promoted and win OTO Development’s Hotel of the Year Award (which is based on occupancy, RevPAR goals and guest satisfaction scores).” What do you love most about being a general manager? “It’s my dream job come true, being a GM. I almost feel as though (pandemic excluded) I don’t work a day because I truly love it that much. I love the delicate art of balancing my commitment to my three-legged stool—our guests, our team and our owners. It is the most rewarding experience to have the pleasure of fostering the growth and development of future leaders. It’s a satisfaction like no other to curate growth within a company that truly embodies their core values. I am also tremendously passionate about cultivating unique programming and experiences for our guests as well as weaving in the culture and essence of their locations throughout our guests’ various touchpoints of their stay. Perception meets reality the minute a guest engages with the property either via phone or in person after they’ve selected your hotel. You have to get it right from the very beginning and meet expectations you’ve established through your online presence. I’m very passionate about getting it right every time and creating memories for our guests at our hotels.” JOHN FRICKE. Canopy by Hilton Philadelphia Center City LINH DEPLEDGE. Cannery Pier Hotel & Spa, Astoria, Ore. Give us a brief sketch of your background. “I consider myself fortunate having worked in marketing and management for over three decades in some of our country’s most desirable tourist destinations, but I never considered working in hospitality. I am an accidental tourist [and] I lucked into hospitality as a career eight years ago when my family moved from Hawaii to Astoria, Ore. I was hired by Adrift Hospitality as the director of operations and marketing for its collection of hotels in Long Beach, Wash. My decades of business experience expedited my immersion of the business side, but I had to learn hotel operations to ensure ef ciency, quality and service level. I was immediately fascinated with the hotel business, from its unpredictable pace, the challenges of recruiting in rural towns and encounters with unique guests that keep me on my toes. After ve years, I received a call for my dream job—an opportunity to be a part of the iconic Cannery Pier Hotel & Spa. I joined the hotel in December 2019 as the What is the most pressing challenge you’ve faced and resolved in the past year? “Opening a new hotel in normal times is typically a little crazy, but adding in the pandemic with its travel restrictions, continually changing city mandates, etc., made it even more dif cult. My hotel team had to overcome these hurdles and open the hotel without the normal opening team support from our management company and brand that would typically exist. Although we are a year into our opening, we are still learning the best ways to make the business work in our physical hotel. Each hotel has a different set of operating challenges based on the footprint, design and layout and typically the growing pains of a new hotel ease much quicker than we have experienced. For instance, we’re almost 13 months into opening, and because of the many gathering restrictions in place in Philadelphia, we just hosted our rst private dinner for over 60 people in our event space. Although the event was successful and the guests happy, we learned things to make the next event even smoother. It’s important to know that each day will be better than the last and that we have bright days ahead.”
Hotel Management Nov-Dec 2021: Page 22
