While we report on the industry news and happenings both in Hotel
Business and at hotelbusiness.com, all of our stories tend to focus on the deals, promotions and new brands that make our industry such an exciting one—and quite an eventful one.
But while our industry is exciting and eventful, and our jobs are busy, the industry is also compassionate and empathetic—and reporting on those stories is what makes our jobs gratifying. We tend not to focus on all of the good—the benevolent and altruistic deeds big and small—the industry does, in favor of speculating on the economic cycle and projecting segment growth. Don’t get me wrong, those latter topics are hugely important to you and to our news organization, but I also want to share some of the less-covered pieces of news that happen beyond the boardroom, so to speak. And maybe not just from a corporate level, but on a property level, the folks you have on your front lines. So, I’ve decided that I’ll use my Editor’s Note page here, from time to time, to share a few with you. There are so many—please tell me some of your stories. I’d love to know what you’re doing to give back and build community.
Cintas Corp. recently announced the winners of its second-annual Everyday Impact Hero Program, which was developed to celebrate individuals who make a real impact in the workplace and beyond. Cintas received hundreds of submissions from its customers across North America.
There were four hotel winners: Pablo Perez, stewarding manager at the JW Marriott Indianapolis in Indiana; Kathryn Phillips, GM at the Hilton Garden Inn in Kansas City, KS; Michelle Harrison, executive housekeeper at The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort in Kohala Coast, HI; and Luis Sambolin, housekeeping houseman at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel, NY. What makes them special? I’ll let the stories of the latter two answer that. Michelle is not only active in fundraising, she’s about paying-it-forward by supporting women in lodging as a member of the Women in Lodging Association. And, despite her busy hours, she drives her employees where they need to go and picks them up if stranded, always at the ready to help.
And then there’s Luis. After witnessing the destruction of Hurricane Maria firsthand—and its effect on his family in his native Puerto Rico—he returned to NYC and teamed up with a local school in Puerto Rico to fundraise for clothing and school items for 100 students in need, raising $3,400, which he distributed to children upon returning to Puerto Rico.
Keep up the good works.