Monday, May 2nd -
* Headquarters (HQ) --- Started by day at HQ, for a new hire orientation....technically I'm not new anymore however coming from the franchised world to the managed world they required that I attend. And the emails wouldn't stop coming that I hadn't been yet!!! It was an amazing day that started off with an opening talk from the one and only Debbie Marriott Harrison (Mr. Marriott's daughter), it was AMAZING!!! The orientation slide show that we as trainers show at every opening, she went through this slide show to welcome everyone to the Marriott family. She added back stories, talked about her father and gave me so much information to share with future teams as I welcome them to the family and share the story of this amazing company. The day progressed with a lot of things that didn't pertain to me like ID badges for the building, insurance (I already signed up), etc. We had lunch in the Hub (cafeteria) while sitting there eating I felt a tap on my shoulder it was Ted Coleman, VP of the HMSS Team (my team) he wanted to say hi....OMG I knew someone at HQ it was a big deal! An afternoon of tours and we wrapped up our day in the innovation lab, one of my favorite places at HQ!
* Dinner took place at a local joint and I had the pleasure of dining with a fellow team member, Audrey! She lives in DC so picked me up from HQ and we headed to dinner, she started a couple of months before we so we caught up and talked about life on the road. During dinner their was a hail storm with HUGE hail, of course we weren't parked in covered parking and her car caught some damage. At least we weren't in the car when it happened. After a great dinner and a couple of cocktails, she was kind enough to return me to the hotel and I got settled in and prepped for the team meeting to start the next day.
Tuesday, May 3rd -
* My day started with the gym, but first on my way I heard that sweet voice of Pearline checking in at the front desk after her red eye from California. I stopped and spoke to her, gave her a hug and told her to get some sleep before the day started!
* Everyone started to arrive around 11am, meet, greet and hugs started right away in the lobby. It was so amazing to finally put names and voices with faces I had seen on Facebook or through pictures!
* Team meeting kicked right into gear with a Courtyard overview, our must encompassing brand to train. We talked about new things coming to the brand and the new design that is AMAZING. Then the afternoon wrapped up with Courtyard Cocktail training, where we got to work on our "shaker face", practiced real cocktails and got to sample one or two! It was so fun, my side hurt from laughing during the training as everyone was concentrated on what their face looks like while they shake a drink and the team really seemed to enjoy each other!
* Dinner happened at Matchbox restaurant. It was a cool place and we had a room to mix and mingle throughout an inside and outside space. Food was awesome and the drinks where cold, and I had the opportunity to talk to a lot of the team that I hadn't had the chance to work with as everyone worked the room to talk to each other. I had the chance to talk to Bryson and Drew two of the guys on the team that I hadn't gotten to met, both super nice and very tall! Then made my way around to the group of Katy, Mary, Hope, Jim, Bobby (here is your shout out and you might get one more!) and Kelli, it was so nice to talk to new people and listen to their stories of working together, family and life. It was good to see Tim, Ben and Landry again, three of the nicest guys ever and while I have only worked with the later two I hear that Tim is great to work with on property. Corporate people like Ted, Tom, Stacey, Terri, etc. where also around to chat and catch up with the team, it was a great night filled with lots of laughs and lots of hugs! Was so excited to see that crazy Maricela and chat about her Mexican adventures as of late....she makes my heart smile and my side hurt from laughing!
Wednesday, May 4th -
* Team building was the theme of today! We ventured to the Escape Room in downtown DC....what a heck of a good time! It was so much fun! They divided us into groups, they lock you in a room for 30 mins and you have to figure out the clues to get out of the room. In the first group I had the pleasure of working with Rachida, Emma, Pearline, Maj, Katy, and Drew, the theme of our room is that a spy had stole a flash drive and hid it in the room. We had to use the clues in the room to find the flash drive and on it was the 4 digit code to get out of the room. With 45 seconds to spare we got out of the room! It was soooooo much fun and really forced you to work as a team, this was by far the most fun of the week! Then they shuffled groups and the next room that the group went to was an 80's themed room, it was two groups combined so around 15 people and the clues were so hard. Usually people have 30 mins in this room however we had some traffic issues with all of us getting there so they had to cut the rooms to 30 mins and therefore we did not complete this room (however not sure we would have anyway, it was hard)!
* Lunch was a few blocks down at a restaurant....for hospitality people this was a horrible experience! The food was late coming out, the table was tiny for 28 people and some of the food came out raw like Mary's chicken! And it was hot as all get out in the room we were in! Needless to say I'm sure a few people Yelp'ed about the experience!
* HQ was next on the list, I had been on Monday but was super excited to go again! This time we would hear from Shruti Buckley, Brand VP for Fairfield, an my version of JW Marriott since I came from the Fairfield Brand and bleed blue if you cut me! We got to headquarters and headed downstairs to the innovation lab where we had snacks waiting in the entry way and would hear from Shruti and Chip about the newest and greatest happening with the Fairfield Inn and Suites Brand. As I was standing in the lobby talking to some of the team, Shruti approached me, gave me a hug and said congratulations on Opening Hotel of the Year (the brand awards were announced the week before I went to HQ and Leavenworth Won Opening Hotel of the Year from the Brand Awards!!!!) as soon as she said my name and hugged me my ears started to ring and I didn't hear another word. I couldn't believe that this woman talked to me (now granted I am sure that my boss Joe said something to her has he knows I have looked up to her since being with the brand) however either way I was getting congratulated directly from the brand VP, I was freaking out and all I could say was thanks!!!! As soon as she left to go set up her presentation I turned to Cole and said I just went blank, she laughed and I said no really my ears started to ring and I don't even know what she was talking about for the 5 mins we spoke!!! They did their presentation and it was AWESOME!
* Next we got the chance to walk around all the innovation lab brand rooms, and the brand leaders were in them to talk to us about upcoming changes with the brand and get our feedback on what is happening out there! Bruce was manning the TPS room, Shruti in Fairfield, MVA talking about AC, Christina believing in Residence Inn and Callette and Jody killing it in the Courtyard space! When I got the chance to rotate through the Fairfield, I told Shurti that I was sorry I couldn't find my words earlier that seriously when she started talking my ears went dead! She laughed and said why?, I explained to her that she is my JW and she said that was so sweet! We had a good chat for about 15 mins and she gave me another hug as she said she was so proud that a Fairfield Girl had done good and was now opening hotels! (PS I am on the schedule for my first solo Fairfield this coming week and I am soooo excited!!!)
* We had the night free to ourselves so I headed to dinner with some of the most amazing and supportive people I know that have been on this journey since I started and help me when I have questions or just a pat on the back to remind me that it is okay that I don't know EVERYTHING right now. Headed out with Chantel (who was my trainer when we opened the Fairfield in Leavenworth), Doug (Zirkle's work husband), Shannon Cole (my battle buddy), Queen ("my mentor"), Tricia (the first person on the team that told me no matter how new I was that I could add value and that it was a collaborative assignment to speak up) and Moya (BOPS brought us together and it has taken us apart now!!!)....it was a night filled with lots of laughs and a great reminder again of how blessed I am to be on this incredible team!
* The night continued when we returned to the hotel and had a couple of drinks in the hotel bar where we were joined by Maricela and Emma who were working on their AC Shark Tank presentation! It was a great night that then moved to a gathering in my room (since I arrived on Sunday I walked and purchased a few beverages to share with friends) Drew and Kelli joined us for laughs and drinks! It was so nice to hang, talk and laugh.....Chantel and I did face swap (the pictures can't be shared...gross) however we were laughing so hard that my side hurt the next day like a good ab workout had happened!
Thursday, May 5th -
* The day kicked off with a shark tank like presentation where the brand leaders from our team "pitched" their brand to the shark tank (Ted, Tom, Shruti and Sharon) in order to get them to "invest!" Our trainers did AWESOME, they were nervous but killed it as they were presenting! Emma and Bobby (your second shout out!!!!) did an amazing job with Courtyard, Katy got up and ROCKED Residence Inn (even when the song did working, Zirkle jumped in with the save and started everybody off sans music, it gave me chills), Mary is my hero as she presented the Fairfield brand in front of Shruti and did it like a CHAMP, Jim did a great job of pitching the Spring Hill brand and Emma and Maricela wrapped it up with setting the AC Lounge mood in the meeting room to talk to us about this Lifestyle Brand.
* We spent the rest of the day with the wonderful Cathy Blitz, from the Learning and Development Team! She did the DISC assessment with us, something that I had the pleasure of completing with her an Darthy during my ConnectU Journey as a new GM to Marriott. This was super eye opening for our team as it puts you in your natural personality/leadership style and then she talked a lot about how different styles work together, how you have to communicate differently with different styles and how this will only make the team stronger. There is no surprise that I am a HIGH I and not far behind it is D, the I means that I am outgoing, extroverted, sociable and the life of the party also the D means that I am decisive, take charge and get stuff done! As we talked through it all there were a lot of moments where things clicked and it made me giggle inside! As a team we wished this would have been done on day one and given us some more time to talk about it, but we are glad we had this time and it was very eye opening and will be useful moving forward!
The day wrapped with goodbyes, hugs and laughs about what a great week it was, thinking we would see each other again soon or now saying that based on our DISC they will never put us together! I got to meet up at the airport with a few people for some last minute time before we had to say our real goodbyes and head in different directions. I was lucky to be boarding a plane to NYC for an opening with Tricia and Nate (more to come on that craziness later!) What a jam packed week that I couldn't even get it all in like I missed talking about Katy's obsession with Murder She Wrote and rocking that stellar broach all week, he fact that Bobby is reading my blog and my first one I was so nervous writing it that I referred to him as "that trainer" he was the first person I got to shadow on the team if only for 48 hours, Callette Nielsen asked me to show her how I used the couch and I jumed in with both feet she laughed, that the Queen called me her work wife (HILARIOUS) and that numerous times Cole and I looked at each other and said pinch me I must be in a dream there is no way we are blessed and so lucky to be here and get to work on this team!
#fill the cup
#addingvalue
#myteamisbetterthanyours
#myjobisbetterthanyours
#newjobtitlebrandactivators
#DISChighiweknewalready
Just trying out the Courtyard Couch...if you wonder it fits 10!!!!
Throwing our Courtyard sign!
Two of my favorite ladies! Chantel who got me excited about this job and my opening and The Queen showed me the way once I got here!
Shruti Buckley and I, just hanging out with the VP of Fairfield...freaking out inside!
I "heart" my mentor and our tees!!!
Group selfie before we leave the airport!
Our group got out of the escape room!
Before Ben fell!!!!!
We switched glasses....:)....and then faces!
Whom do these belong too????
Blitz and I!
Katy is awesome! She gave us all RI shout outs!
The team I got to spend the week in NYC with....more to come on that later!
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