Reflections
but to get ahead of ourselves...
to break our own records, to outstrip our yesterdays by our today,
to do our work with more force than ever before."
Stewart B Johnson
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Reflections....on those who have impacted our careers
There is one section of HoganHospitality.com that I have begun to allow me the opportunity to "reflect" on some of those people who have positively impacted my career. While these reflections will be of people that I have known, I encourage you to think back on the people who contributed to the person you are today.
I spent the first four years of my career after college with Sheraton Hotels. I enjoyed the learning experiences at both the 1500 room flagship hotel, the Sheraton Boston and at the older 500+ room Sheraton Houston which was my first assignment away from native New England. I was recruited to Atlanta where I rejoined a senior Sheraton manager at the 400 room Dunfey Royal Coach, which eventually became one of the Omni Hotel organization.
What always struck me about the Dunfey Hotel brand and company was the sincere commitment to people at all levels, including line level staff and Roy Dunfey became the embodiment of that commitment. Roy had a career in another industry and joined with his brothers at retirement. He would travel from New Hampshire to Georgia, Texas, California, Illinois and all the extended locations several times per year and hold open forums with all staff. It impressed me that he learned the names and some personal information about so many people. He became the family face who knew the staff. He would recall a graduating` student or an illness of a staff member from last year’s visit. I don’t know how he gathered his sources, but the staffs at those dozens of hotels he visited twice a year knew someone important at the management group felt they were important as individuals.
Roy was not a hotelier, but he represented himself and the Dunfey Family in ways that reached far beyond whatever his title may have been. It is those kinds of people that leave a lasting impact.
3. Natividad Cruz - Sheraton Boston
After graduation from the Hotel Administration Program at the University of Massachusetts, I accepted a position as a management trainee at was then a 1,000 rooms at the flagship Sheraton Boston. My assignments included service as day manager in the Falstaff Room (main dining room), housekeeping supervision, night auditor, a wide range of front office roles, hotel evening and weekend Manager-On-Duty and pool manager.
There was one additional position that perhaps taught me the most, because it was something I had not been prepared for and because it exposed me to very different experiences and people.
My eight months as Executive Steward was challenging and demanding, in that I found myself responsible for 85+ dishwashers, pot cleaners, set-up staff, and stewards. Department responsibilities included cleaning for a huge banquet kitchen, 3 restaurants, 4 lounges, a stand-alone kosher kitchen, silver polishing center, making coffee for literally thousands daily and more. This was a new experience for me, and the fact that less than 10% of the staff spoke English made the task that much more daunting.
Many of the stewards came from Puerto Rico and were legal residents, but were struggling to support their families on entry level jobs with limited potential for advancement. Some of the many lessons I learned came from my relationship with an individual named Natividad Cruz. He started in an hourly position but stood out immediately as someone who wanted to do and be more. He was slightly older than I and it helped me that he spoke some English, but what I learned from him was an appreciation for others who were trying to survive in unfamiliar territories. He and I learned together and from each other certain ways to make cultural diversity real.
Natividad was able to see that there might be potential with commitment and after less than 90 days in the department, I was able to break with some organizational "protocol" and promote him to Assistant Executive Steward. Three months later, he was recognized by the hotel as its first ever EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH from that department.
I have never forgotten the lessons I learned from this caring person, who shared his values, his culture and his professional friendship.
2. Louise Avery - Ahead of Her Time - Avery Vermont Inns
Families are involved in many businesses around the world and they seem to thrive in the hospitality industry. I have personally worked in large banquet restaurants, small hotel chains and management groups that have been successful family businesses. My family was not in the hospitality business, but I quickly learned what the phrase “family business” in the 1970s when I went to work for the Averys.
The Avery family operated three very different types of Vermont Inns. They owned the Norwich Country Inn near Dartmouth College, the Montpelier Tavern, a downtown hotel near the state capital and the seasonal Bonnie Oaks Resort and Cottages in Fairlee,Vermont (a TV Newhart-ish setting with a population then of about 600).
Borden and Louise Avery started in the industry in the 1940s, and grew with the industry while always maintaining their independent style of operations and hosting guests and this second reflection is about a strong and independent woman hotelier. Louise and Borden survived the rationing of WWII and embraced the changes of the 1950s. The couple worked many 12 hour days, often 7 days per week during the early years. While I did not work with Louise until the early 1970s, I learned quickly why and how Vermont's residents are often known for their "Yankee" ingenuity. I came to respect her savvy for meticulous review of the audit to ensure accuracy, as well her skills in purchasing. She accompanied and supported Borden as he became very involved in industry association events, yet she preferred to fine tune landscaping and design in the properties.
The Averys did not want to grow their brand beyond the four hotels that eventually included the Lake Morey Resort, which is now managed by Louise and Borden's grandchildren who have evolved into hoteliers in their own right. My reflections of Louise is that of a very strong-willed professional who was ahead of her time in the business world, but exactly where she needed to be in growing and enjoying their family enterprises. Borden passed away in 1996 and Louise missed him for the next 15 years, ever the matriarch. Louise joined Borden in the summer of 2011.
1..His credentials said, "Al Wrisley, PhD., Professor in Hotel, Restaurant and Travel Administration at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst", but the undergraduates in the program knew him as a special kind of professor and mentor. He was not my academic adviser, but he always took the time to review what I was considering because he knew I did not have confidence in my assigned adviser. He did not convince me actually to "like" hospitality accounting courses, but he did make me realize the critical nature of understanding financial controls. I recall he led an honors discussion course at a time when these were being tested for their value and I remember how much the class learned from those give and take debates on a range of issues that would affect our industry and livelihood.
Al was an authority on certain food and beverage specialties, authored several academic textbooks and worked with a consortium of consultants who helped establish many of the practices and operating standards used today in the urban gas station/food convenience stores.
My best reflection of Al is his storytelling about the "real world" of hospitality and hotels. He shared stories of the heart and soul of the people who are the industry and the stories he told influenced those of us who elected to enter and remain in the business.
Al is retired now and he and Lynda split their time between Michigan and Florida, although they were considering a Carolina option the last time we spoke.
Al, Thank you.
