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TRANSCRIPT
Fighting the Battle for Leadership
Inside this issue:
Fighting the Battle
for Leadership 1,4
Accsellerate+ 2
Taking the Lead in
Daytona Beach, FL 2
TRUE|STORIES 3
2016 C&W Hospi-
tality Conference 3
C&W is Mt. Rush-
more Bound 4
Hilton Joy Picture 4
quote “Whatever you do, do with Integrity, Wherever you go, go as a Leader, Whomever you serve, serve with Car-ing. Whenever you dream, dream with your All. And
never, ever give up.
-Curtis L. Carlson
founder of Carlson Hotels
cloudline
continued on page 4
The years 1861 through 1865 were the bloodiest times for the United States in a conflict known to
history as the American Civil War. Through the smoke and fog of this deadly war arose leaders that
wore uniforms in shades of both blue and grey. Generals such as, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant,
and George McClellan have been highlighted by historians and their contemporaries because of the
leadership skills they exemplified and/or lacked. One leader you may have heard the name of but
probably don’t know too much about is Thomas L. Jackson.
His men often referred to him as “Old Jack” but he is most
famously known as Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. Stonewall is
still considered to be one of the greatest American military
strategists that has ever lived. At one point in time he was
known worldwide and arguably held more notoriety than
Robert E. Lee and Abraham Lincoln. It was to the degree that
even the hairs from his horse Little Sorrel were sought after to
be sold on the streets of New York. However, Thomas Jackson
could have cared less about the fame that surrounded him.
Humility being one such characteristic that underscored the
essence of how he carried himself throughout life; whether it
was in the midst of a battle or a beautifully calm day. How Jackson portrayed himself gives us a
glimpse into how we can take on the leadership situations we face. All of you reading this right now
are in fact a leader. It’s not because of a title on your business card but because of the influence held
in the life of someone around you.
When Jackson taught at Virginia Military Institute (VMI) before the war he was viewed as a quirky
professor. Students and faculty alike had various commentary on his eating habits and the way he
interacted with people socially. One endearing quality about him that many didn't disagree on was
the genuine kindness he gave toward others. Stonewall was by no means soft when it came to exe-
cuting on standards and performance. He would lead his men throughout the Civil War on demand-
ing long marches (20+ miles) even during the cruelest of weather conditions. The ability to be able
to move thousands of men across such distances was unheard of and unexpected. Despite his adher-
ence to strict rules and expectations, according to S.C. Gwynne, author of the book, Rebel Yell, “The
most human part of him-and the most surprising to his men-was his exceptional kindness...It did
not seem to fit with the rest of him. In spite of the crushing demands of his job, he sat for hours with
his surgeon Hunter McGuire to comfort him after a family tragedy.” McGuire would write later
about Jackson’s “great kindness, his tenderness to those in trouble or affliction.” For all of us it is
okay to expect the best from those who look up to us as a leader. Yet, in the pursuit of excellence and
achievement we must demonstrate a sense of care and compassion for others if success is truly going
to find us.
Another attribute about Stonewall that was vividly displayed on and off the battlefield was his cour-
age and fearlessness. Many commanders of the day would place themselves at safe distances away
from the heaviest fighting. Jackson would often be in close proximity providing instructions and…
tenyears!
Page 2 V O L U M E 1 0 , I S S U E 1
Accsellerate+
A warm welcome to Matt Jones, our new Region-al Director of Sales for the company. Matt comes to us from the Hilton Garden Inn Dover, DE where he served as interim DOS for about two months. He has already assumed sales & mar-keting responsibilities of several properties. I caught up with him after the C&W Hospitality Conference and asked the following questions:
MW: How long have you been in the hotel busi-ness?
MJ: 29 Years.
MW: What are you most looking forward to taking on/accomplishing in this new position?
MJ: Assisting our guest, owners and employees to have a great experience when staying with us, owners to be profitable and to continue to offer our employees opportunities into the future.
MW: Where do you see sales & marketing going in the next five years?
MJ: With the climate of Social Media, Cloud based System Analytics, Distribution Channel Management, Mobile bookings increasing signifi-cantly and OTA's which are taking a large portion of hotels budgets I believe properties are looking to revamp their brand and vanity sites to in-crease direct bookings will be crucial for each property’s success. Properties will need to stay in focus what trends are taking place globally as well as in their backyard.
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.”
-Helen Keller
Congratulations to General Manager Gloria Glaz and the Comfort Inn Mans-
field, PA team. This is their 3rd year in a row to win a Gold Award from Choice
Hotels. Hotels that receive this award are considered to be among the top
10% in the brand. They are recog-
nized for their overall guest satisfac-
tion, performance and service.
High Sales & High Profit Winners
October 2015
High Sales: Holiday Inn Express Peekskill, NY
High Profit: Hilton Springfield, VA
November 2015
High Sales: Holiday Inn Express Peekskill, NY
High Profit: Quality Inn Collinsville, VA
December 2015
High Sales: Hampton Inn Virginia Beach, VA
High Profit: Holiday Inn Express Peekskill, NY
Coakley & Williams officially
welcomed the Daytona Beach
Resort to our hotel family at
the beginning of January. Tak-
ing the helm as our new Gen-
eral Manager, is Ms. Libby
Gallant. Libby lives and
breathes Daytona Beach hospi-
tality. From her first job as
desk clerk during high school
(in the middle of Spring
Break), to her new position as
General Manager at the Dayto-
na Beach Resort (DBR), Lib-
by’s experience includes sales,
operations, revenue manage-
ment and multi-property man-
agement in Daytona Beach
Taking the Lead at Daytona Beach Resort area hotels. She was most re-
cently GM of Perry’s Ocean
Edge Resort, and had previous-
ly served as Director of Sales &
Marketing at DBR!
Libby is proud of the fact that
she “trained Thomas Gallant on
the front desk…and married
him three years later!” They
recently celebrated their 25th
wedding anniversary. Their
daughter Maggie is graduating
in May from Embry Riddle
(ERAU) with a degree in Engi-
neering Physics; son Max is
attending Daytona State Col-
lege EMT program. “Our third
child is Buster, a 75-pound res-
cue dog who keeps the whole
family on our toes.”
Libby is currently active as a
Board Member in the Lodging &
Hospitality Association of Volu-
sia County, Halifax Area Adver-
tising Authority (where she also
serves as Chairwoman of the
Tour & Travel Committee), and
the Tourism Development
Council. Please join us in wel-
coming Libby Gallant, CHA, as
General Manager of the Daytona
Beach Resort & Conference Cen-
ter!
WINNING WITH IHG Currently, Coakley & Williams
Hotel Management Company
operates 6 IHG branded proper-
ties. C&W wrapped up the year
collectively 4/5 in all metrics.
Metrics include Heartbeat Score,
Loyalty Recognition, and Guest
Reviews. Properties that scored
5/5 were Holiday Inn Express
Peekskill, NY and the Holiday Inn
Express Abingdon, VA. Abingdon
received a Top 3rd Fee Award/
Incentive for the 1st Quarter of
2016.
PROMOTIONS @ C&W
Kelley Catterton is now Assistant Controller
Shane Flowers is now Senior Field Auditor
Congrats also to Anna Lopez who recently passed
her CHSP (Certified Hospitality Sales Pro) exam!
www.daytonabeachresort.com
Page 3 C L O U D L I N E
stayed at the Hampton Inn with
my daughter and my two
granddaughters. My little So-
phia and Angela are so excited
about Christmas! The hotel had
an area where they could write
letters to Santa Claus! They
were so excited! Both girls
wrote a very nice letter and
“shipped it off” to Santa! Well,
today they received a letter
from the North Pole! You see,
this year has been incredibly
hard on my family. They both
lost their father to illness as
well as their grandfather. Both
girls wrote they wanted their
“Daddy” for Christmas along
with a few other small items. It
broke our hearts! When the
letter arrived today. Santa sent
them both silver bells and a
copy of the North Pole
on DVD. They have
watched this movie 4
times and those bells
haven’t left their sides!
Santa wrote that the
spirit of their “Grappie”
and Daddy was always
with them. When you
ring this bell, they will
hear you and are always with
you. We were thinking what we
could do to lift their spirits and
give them the very best Christ-
mas possible. That letter was the
best present we could have ever
asked for. The letter was so beau-
tifully written and made the holi-
days for the girls. I have not be-
lieved in Santa Claus for a very
long time! I now believe in the
magic and the spirit of what San-
ta Claus stands for and brings to
the world. Thank you just doesn't
seem to be enough! I have since
contacted Hilton Worldwide to
see who wrote this letter. This
hotel is amazing for doing such a
simple idea. The Breakfast was
great, the pool is nice and the
staff in general were all so very
pleasant. We will be back!”
Additionally, Hilton has a pro-
gram in place where pillow cases
are crafted into dresses for girls
living in Africa. Lauren set up a
tie-dye party where the staff of
the property colored. She sewed
on buttons and pockets. The
dresses were then sent to Hilton
Worldwide for distribution.
In our last issue of Cloudline
we recognized Anna Pettersen
from the Hampton Inn Fish-
kill, NY. Anna demonstrated
above and beyond hospitality
by driving a guest’s misplaced
wallet all the way to Manhat-
tan, NY to return it to them.
The Hampton Inn Fishkill con-
tinues to knock the cover off
the ball when it comes to tak-
ing care of guests. In this issue
we recognize breakfast server
Lauren Innello who went out
of her way to create a magical
memory for guests that were
staying at the property over
Christmas. Here is the posting
from the guest:
“I Believe!” - I was visiting
family this past weekend. I
Interested in contributing
to Cloudline? Contact
Mark Williams if you would
like to submit an article
for the next issue at:
Coakley & Williams Conference Wrap Up
TRUE|STORIES
Servant Attitude Award
Jamie Howser Corporate, Di-
rector of Revenue Management
Sales Ambassador of the Year
Don Evans from Holiday Inn
Central
Digital Marketer of the Year
Rob Waddell from Hampton
Inn VA Beach Oceanfront
DOS of the Year
Paul Varma from Quality Suites
Royale Parc Suites
Quality Excellence Award
George Brewer from Holiday
Inn Express Abingdon, VA
It was another great year at the
2016 Coakley & Williams Hos-
pitality Conference held at the
new Radisson Washington DC-
Rockville. Corporate office
staff, General Managers, and
Sales Directors representing
over 30 hotels attended the
three-day event. Keynote
speaker for the conference was
Vicki Hitzges author of the
book Attitude is Everything.
Highlights included the vendor
tradeshow (our best yet!), car-
nival themed networking re-
ception, and the annual awards
dinner. Here is a list of the
2016 Award Winners:
Financial Man-
agement Award
Mark Jan-
iszewski from
the Red Coach
Inn
Management
Excellence
Dan Schaffner from Hampton
VA Beach Oceanfront
GM Rookie of the Year
Ryan Saunders from Holiday Inn
Express Peekskill, NY
General Manager of the Year
Wade Michael from Quality
Suites Royale Parc Suites
Because of their efforts, both
Lauren and Anna received a
Spirit of Hospitality Award
from Hampton Inn this past
December and January. Both
ladies received a plaque of
recognition and $350 from
Hilton. That’s the way to
spread the Spirit of True Hos-
pitality!
C&W Employee of the Year
Yoki Wells, Property Account-
ant at the Corporate Office
(above) Members of the C&W team
enjoying lunch at the conference
Congratulations to all of our award
winners and thanks to the Radisson
Rockville team for a great event!
Mark Williams, CHT Vice President of Development
email: [email protected] Phone: 301-614-8848
Coakley & Williams
Hotel Management
Company
Vision
To be the leading hospitality
management company dedi-
cated to peace of mind and
success for all.
Mission
Our passion is serving peo-
ple. We seek to maximize the
return on your investment,
create loyal relationships
and provide a caring ap-
proach to success. We strive
to be a role model within our
industry and communities in
a way that honors God.
True Hospitality Values
Quality, Integrity, Caring,
Service and Safety
can keep so cool and appear so
utterly insensible to danger in
such a storm of shell and bul-
lets…” Jackson replied to the
artillery officer, “Captain my
religious belief teaches me to
feel as safe in battle as in bed.
God has fixed a time for my
death. I do not concern myself
about that, but to always be
ready, no matter when it may
overtake me. That is the way
all men should live, and then
all would be equally brave.”
The bravery Jackson portrayed
was recognized on both sides.
Union troops themselves
acknowledged and respected
the man as an exceptional
solider and leader. We certain-
ly face obstacles and challenges
that the teams we lead must
face and overcome. Yet, we
cannot yield ourselves to defeat
easily nor can we cower and
hide quickly. As leaders, we
must resolve ourselves to not
succumb to fear. Jackson nev-
er did and as a result his men
were inspired to not quit in
the heat of battle. Like Jack-
son, as leaders we can be
brave, kind, consistent, and
demonstrate excellence in our
pursuits. As Stonewall once
said, “You may be whatever
you resolve to be.” As you step
forward into the 2nd quarter
of this year, keep fighting the
battle for leadership. Don’t
quit! The end result will most
certainly be a win.
All the best,
3/3/16
motivation to his men to press
forward. One of the first large
engagements between the Un-
ion and the Confederate armies
was the Battle of Manassas
(also know as the Battle of Bull
Run). The end result was heavy
losses on both sides. Even still,
the Confederates delivered a
surprising defeat to the Union.
An unknown brigadier general
named Thomas L. Jackson
played a highly pivotal role in
the outcome that day. Despite
the many bullets that whizzed
past him (one hit his hand al-
most removing a finger),
Stonewall led the charge up
Henry Hill that eventually
forced the opposition into re-
treat. In a brief interview after-
ward, an artillery officer by the
name of John Imboden asked
Jackson, “How is it that you
Fighting the Battle For Leadership Continued... CONNECT WITH US
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Coakley & Williams is Mt. Rushmore Bound In March, Coakley & Williams
will continue to extend its
reach across the country as the
company assumes manage-
ment of four hotels situated at
the base of Mt. Rushmore in Key-
stone, South Dakota. The four
hotels include the Travelodge Mt.
Rushmore/Keystone, Super 8 Mt.
Rushmore/Keystone, Boardwalk
Inn & Suites, and the Rush-
more View Inn. In total, all of
the properties amount to
roughly 150 hotel rooms and
are in close proximity to one
another. “We are thrilled to be
able to start working for the
ownership of these hotels
right at the footsteps of one of
our country’s most treasured
national monuments,” says
Mark Williams, Vice President
of Development. “The addition
of these properties continues
to establish C&W as a growing
organization with a presence
from coast to coast.” Coakley &
Williams now operates 36 ho-
tels in 10 states.
Picture of the Hilton Spring-
field, VA (right). The hotel
shared a little joy over the
holidays by creatively lighting
up the night sky. The Greater
Springfield Chamber of Com-
merce loved it so much they
made this picture the cover of
their Facebook page. Nicely
done Hilton Springfield team!
“You may be whatever you
resolve to be.”
-Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson