M&R Names the Best of 2022
M&R recently honored its annual top performers for 2022 with a luncheon and ceremony led by President & Chief Executive Officer Amit Gandhi, Executive Vice President Manish Patni and Chief Operating Officer Brian McSherry at the Churrascaria Plataforma restaurant in Manhattan.
“As in previous years, the awards competition was tight in 2022, given the overall quality of our workforce,” said Amit. “So many of our team members go that extra mile in caring for our guests. The challenge for us was choosing the best of the best.”
Hotel of the Year
The DoubleTree by Hilton New York Times Square West was named Hotel of the Year and its general manager, Margarita Garcia, General Manager of the Year.
With 612 guest rooms, the DoubleTree is the largest hotel in M&R’s portfolio. It opened in early 2017 and is one of M&R’s several hotels in the busy Times Square market. Its rooftop lounge, High Bar & Lounge, and Tranzit Restaurant & Bar are popular with both guests and locals.
A guest review on TripAdvisor last year summed up the DoubleTree’s appeal: “Hotel staff was amazing, very helpful and friendly. Would definitely stay again.”
The DoubleTree brand is known for the warm, chocolate and walnut cookies handed to guests at check-in. Margarita marvels at the cookies’ enduring popularity. “Guests ask for them,” she said. “They’ve become a symbol of the friendly hospitality the team at the hotel is proud to offer.”
President's Award
When M&R assumed management of the Midwest portfolio in 2018, Chris Beyer was general manager of the Hilton Garden Inn Joplin in Missouri, a position he had held since 2010.
Brian said Chris’ experience as a general manager, understanding of the regional market and overall leadership abilities made him the ideal candidate to first be named director of operations for the Midwest portfolio and in 2022, vice president of operations.
In addition to serving as M&R’s eyes and ears in the Midwest, the President’s Award underscores how highly the company regards his leadership and counsel.
General Manager of the Year
Margarita Garcia began her M&R career in 2019 when she was appointed general manager of the Holiday Inn NYC – Lower East Side. The following year she became general manager of the Fairfield by Marriott New York Manhattan/Central Park. In 2020 she was named DoubleTree general manager.
Asked what she finds most rewarding about her position, Margarita responded: “Aside from delivering a profitable hotel, building future industry leaders is an important goal. We work hard to build what we call a mentorship culture, where every experience is a teachable moment. Guests should feel our hotel is a place to go to, not just go through.”
Sales Person of the Year
Zonia Batres’ rise at M&R has been nothing less than meteoric. Since 2017, when she was named sales manager at the Hilton Garden Inn New York Times Square South, she has been promoted three times. With each move, her knowledge has grown along with her client list, both transient and group.
She transferred from the Hilton Garden Inn to the TownePlace Suites New York Manhattan/Times Square, where she served as area director of sales. She also supported the SpringHill Suites New York Midtown Manhattan/Park Avenue. In 2022, she became director of sales in 2022 for the Le Meridien New York, Fifth Avenue, her third Marriott International brand.
“Sales success requires a focus on identifying and meeting customer needs,” said Janelle Schwartz, vice president, sales & marketing. “Zonia’s singular focus on doing that is a critical driving force behind her sales success. In the face of challenging selling situations, she is calm and level-headed, a problem solver. She gets things done and is someone that her colleagues and clients can depend on. In short, she is a role model for salespeople who aspire to success and high achievement.”
Corporate Employee of the Year
Celebrating her 10th anniversary with M&R in early 2023, Ninfa Lamache-Lopes, director of hotel accounting, was named Corporate Employee of the Year. She is a "dedicated, hard worker with the highest standards," said Ron Kozinski, vice president of finance. “When it comes to directing the accounting team, she is both a teacher and a mentor. And when it comes to the owners of our managed hotels, they know they can count on receiving financial reports that are on time and accurate.”
Supervisor of the Year
Having originally served M&R as a housekeeper in Staten Island, Filomena Giurbino was named a housekeeping supervisor at the Comfort Inn Prospect Park-Brooklyn in 2019. General Manager Fran Ramos lauded her work ethic and willingness to go above and beyond. Fran said Filomena did not miss a day of work during the pandemic and took it upon herself to prepare breakfast bags for guests who were uncomfortable eating in the hotel’s breakfast room.
Back of the House Employee of the Year
Erik Melendez joined M&R in 2018 as a member of the engineering team at the Fairfield by Marriott New York Manhattan/Central Park. General Manager Yan Chung describes him as an essential member of the staff, prepared to work whatever shift he is needed.
“In an emergency, he’s right there to handle the situation,” Yan said, adding that he’s “always polite, respectful and has a great rapport with both guests and team members.”
Manager of the Year
Housekeeping Manager Rose Hutzel joined the Fairfield by Marriott Indianapolis South when it opened 27 years ago. General Manager Justin Long described her response to an emergency last winter: When the hotel’s sprinkler system froze, causing a water pipe to burst and flood the hotel, Rose went out of her way to make sure all guests and team members were safe.
During the height of the pandemic, Justin said Rose stepped up to pinch hit at the front desk in addition to her regular housekeeping duties, which enabled the hotel to continue operating as close to normal as possible. “You don’t often see that kind of commitment,” he said. “When Rose says she thinks of the hotel like family, she means it.”
Front of the House Employee of the Year
What personal qualities would a general managers seek in recruiting a guest service agent? Someone knowledgeable about the hotel, with good interpersonal skills, who is outgoing and patient. Those are the qualities Fran Ramos, general manager of the Comfort Inn Prospect Park-Brooklyn, attributes to Raisul Karim.
When she interviewed him for the job in early 2022, she sensed he was a candidate with all these qualities, and then some. Raisul had been hired in 2019 to work at M&R’s Holiday Inn Express Manhattan Midtown West. In addition to dealing so well with guests at the front desk, Fran notes that Raisul excels at training newly hired guest service agents.
