The Star Stories en - January 2023

WELLBEING

Prioritize self care

Use fun as fuel

Build connections within your community

We care for people so they can be their best

We care for people so they can be their best

Learn how our colleagues overcome the challenges that made them grow professionally.

In our company, we face challenges every day, but we always find a way forward that makes us even stronger and allows us to succeed.

We all have a story of courage that made us grow and develop to be our best. Therefore, we invited all ALG colleagues to participate by sharing that life-changing success story.

Our colleagues told us, from their perspective and experience, those stories that changed their lives. We certainly hope that each of you feel identified and have your own story.

Important Events ALG & HYATT

You can read some of them, right here:

Carey Driscoll Trisept Business Development Manager

Click here to watch the video

Marina Rojas Inclusive Collection Americas Quality & Compliance Manager

Click here to watch the video

Natali Satanovsky ALG Vacations Spplier Engagement Director

Click here to watch the video

Cristian Fernando Mieses UVC Operations Coordinator, Región República Dominicana

Click here to watch the video

Nuria Anuncibay Inclusive Collection, Europe General Manager, AluaSoul Ibiza

Click here to watch the video

Juraj Fekete Amstar Meetings & Events Operations Manager

Click here to watch the video

MARK HOPLAMAZIAN WORDS OF

Dear Hyatt family,

It is my pleasure to share that today, we completed our planned acquisition of Dream Hotel Group, expanding our lifestyle portfolio as part of our intentional long-term asset-light growth journey.

We look forward to sharing more soon about how and when the properties will join World of Hyatt.

Please join me in welcoming our 600+ new Dream Hotel Group colleagues to the Hyatt family!

With gratitude,

MARK HOPLAMAZIAN President and Chief Executive Officer Hyatt Hotels Corporation

BRAILLE DAY WORLD

World Braille Day, celebrated on January 4 since 2019, is observed to raise awareness of the importance of Braille as a means of communication in the full realization of the human rights for blind and partially sighted people.

What is Braille?

Braille is a tactile representation of alphabetic and numerical symbols using six dots to represent each letter and number, and even musical, mathematical and scientific symbols. Braille is used by blind and partially sighted people to read the same books and periodicals as those printed in a visual font, to ensure the communication of important information to themselves and others, and represents competence, independence and equality.

As Braille is a means of communication for blind people, it is essential in the context of education, freedom of expression and opinion, access to information and written communication, as well as social inclusion.

Here we want to share with you the Writing Peace book, which invites young people to become aware of the interdependence of cultures through familiarization with contemporary writing systems, their history and mutual contributions. It provides a concrete introduction to many writing

to see the Writing Peace Book

PARTICIPATE IN THE VALUES AWARDS!

Do you know a colleague who lives our values every day?

If the answer is yes, we invite you to nominate an Amstar colleague for the Values Awards by clicking the button below:

The winner will be presented at the next edition of our Global Town Hall

IN PUERTO VALLARTA THREE KINGS DAY

At Amstar, we always join events with a cause that generate smiles and a positive effect in the community besides living our values: Wellness and Empathy. For that reason, in January, our Amstar team in Puerto Vallarta, along with the Secrets Bahia Mita hotel, organized a "Three Kings Day" for the children. Our colleagues collected gifts for "Refugio de Amor," a Children's Home, which is part of the National System for the Integral Development of the Family in Banderas Bay (DIF).

On this occasion, Amstar supported with transportation, some toys donated by our colleagues, and the presence of one of our colleagues at the event, along with the team of The World of Hyatt Inclusive Collection, who led this wonderful initiative coordinated by Ms. Paty Cuevas, Human Resources Lic. of the chain.

Thanks to everyone who supported and brought smiles to the little ones!

On January 19, we invited all our colleagues to participate in Amstar's recycling campaign, where they had the opportunity to bring to our office all the recyclable waste from their homes to contribute to the care of the environment and give these materials a second use.

"Your grain of sand is important."

CELEBRATING ANNIVERSARIES TOGETHER IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

For us at Amstar, it is essential to recognize our colleagues' commitment, effort, and loyalty. They are the company's heart and a clear example of our values. That is why we held a special breakfast in January, where we presented trophies to our who completed 10 and 15 years at Amstar in the last half of 2022.

Congratulations to all of them and thank you for being part of this great family!

A DAY WITH SALES AND SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES IN HOTELS

Department objective:

We elaborate sales strategies that help us to achieve the objectives and goals of the company in conjunction with personal purposes, always considering the characteristics and needs of the customer, as well as the complete knowledge of the product, focusing efforts to obtain maximum satisfaction of our customers.

Departments/contact areas: Customer Service, Operations, Cashier, Airport, Destination Supervisor, Destination Manager.

Integrantes del equipo:

Nuestro compromiso principal siempre será la satisfacción y felicidad de nuestros pasajeros a través de los servicios de calidad que ofrecemos porque inspiran confianza y porque vendemos momentos memorables que duran para toda la vida

Cesar Guerra Destination Supervisor

José Rodríguez Sales Representative

Viridiana Salazar Sales Representative

Linda Aguilar Sales Representative

Margarita Guzmán Sales Representative

Rafael López Sales Representative

Luis Mora Sales Representative

Alejandro Marcial Sales Representative

Jazmín Gómez Sales Representative

Elide Casillas Sales Representative

Francisco Javier Avelar Sales Representative

Guadalupe García Sales Representative

Jesús Dueñas Sales Representative

Carlos Rivera Sales Representative

Paúl Ruelas Sales Representative

Juan José Orozco Sales Representative

Alberto Bernal Sales Representative

Perla García Sales Representative

Francisco Ochoa Sales Representative

INTERVIEW WITH THE AREA LEADER:

CESAR GUERRA DESTINATION SUPERVISOR

I started at Amstar in March 2004 as a sales representative. I was at the hospitality desk in sales in October 2018. In that year, I had the opportunity to grow within the company as Destination Supervisor. It was a great opportunity and a significant change on a personal level, but I also took on a huge responsibility with a lot of determination and commitment. I am happy to have accepted it; I will always be grateful to the

What does Amstar mean to you?

For me, Amstar means: Learning, values, and principles. The best school in my working life; thanks to this badge, my personal life has had a tremendous positive impact, adding a lot of successes and triumphs; it has helped me grow, mature, and make better decisions in general.

What is the main strength of the department?

One of our main strengths is the passion and enthusiasm we work with daily. Always thinking about the welfare of our passengers and giving our best effort to achieve the common goals of both the company and personally, we are:

· A high-performance team.

· Turning problems or difficulties into opportunities.

· Thus, obtaining a more significant positive impact on customers.

What are the main challenges facing the department today?

There are several challenges or factors that we face today, being a service department, attention and direct sale of excursions to customers at destination, technology is one of them, since customers from any cell phone with internet access to different pages where you can buy tours pre arrival or at goal with the same suppliers with whom we work at destination and we have a commercial contract, direct online sales with our customers, unfair competition in the different pages, the sale of excursions in the streets, beaches, shopping malls, including the time share that are located inside the international airport facilities, in spite of all these challenges that we face every day, thanks to the strategies that we have designed we have been able to achieve in significant part our objectives and monthly goals, although it is not always so, for this reason we continue working and innovating strategies, forms and methods to make contact with our clients since their arrival at the international airport of Puerto Vallarta.

What departmental information would be helpful for all colleagues within the company to know that would help the department provide better service, meet its goals, or achieve a more significant impact?

For this reason, to positively impact the whole team, other colleagues can help us achieve our objectives. For that, we consider using CROSS TRAINING, where we can be proactive in all departments involved. In this way, all areas directly or indirectly affected will know the needs of the sales representative at the moment of being in direct contact with our passengers at the destination. There will be more awareness and patience in difficult moments of tension due to the high season, and colleagues are busy fulfilling their tasks and responsibilities.

In Amstar our priority is your personal and professional development, so we put at your disposal our online platform A-Learning, where you can have access to our catalog of courses that will help you to be your best version.

NEUROPLASTICITY

By We Emotionally Care

The human body is an incredible machine: it has the ability to process hundreds of foods into energy, strengthen itself after suffering an injury, regenerate itself, identify elements around us, and tell us a story of our environment through our senses. One of the most impressive faculties that we continue to explore in neuroscience is neuroplasticity or neural plasticity.

Neuroplasticity is the brain structures and cells’ ability to modify and reorganize themselves based on experiences, learning, senses, damage and physical activity, among others.

Years ago, there was a constant discussion as to whether the human brain was capable of modifying itself or whether, when it reached a point in its development, it remained static and unchanged, i.e., without the capacity to be altered (which left us vulnerable to the idea of not having a chance to recover from an accident or to learn new things). Fortunately, it has been proven that neurons and neuroglia (special support cells for neurons) are able to adapt and respond in the best possible way to our lifestyle.

Not only that, but it has also been proven that there are 2 areas of the brain where new neurons are produced, which disproves the previous belief that neurons are never regenerated or modified.

Neuroplasticity is present in incredible cases. For example, in cases of people with visual disability, it has generally been found that the brain area with which they would process visual information is activated when using another sense (such as touch, in the case of people who read Braille). We can argue that the brain seeks to optimize its resources to make our lives easier.

This process is influenced by the exposure we have to our surroundings and the genetics of each one of us. Some of the habits and activities we can do to improve our neuronal plasticity involve eating a good balanced diet, sleeping 8 - 9 hours a day, playing an instrument, exercising consistently and healthily, practicing mindfulness, having positive social relationships, practicing with attention and intention multiple times something we want to learn, and avoiding a life of constant stress.

MINDFULNESS

FINANCIAL HEALTH TEST

In these times, preserving your health is the most important thing and we know that you take the necessary measures, but... are your finances healthy? We invite you to take a little test to find out if you are working on them correctly or if you need to make a slight adjustment.

Answer the questions, know the result, and improve your wallet's health.

1. When you buy something and get change back, what do you do with it?

a) I keep it.

b) I buy something, but I don't spend it all.

c) I take advantage of it and spend it all.

2. At the beginning of each month, do you record your payment dates for water, electricity and credit cards, among others?

a) Sure, so I don't forget any payments.

b) I make a mental note, but I do forget a date or two.

c) Not really, and I often end up overpaying.

3. When buying, do you set a spending limit?

a) Yes, this way I avoid unnecessary purchases.

b) It depends. If I like something, I buy it on credit.

c) Limits? There is only one life, and you have to enjoy it to the fullest.

4. If you had an unforeseen expenditure, how would you deal with it?

a) I would use the money in my savings account.

b) I would ask for a bank loan, as I know I have a good credit history.

c) I don't know. I wouldn't be able to solve it on my own.

5. What do you do when you find a good deal?

a) I think about it first and do not overspend.

b) I compare the price in another store.

c) I buy it, as I'm sure it will be useful later.

RESULTS

If most of your answers are A

You are financially healthy. That means you know how to make the right decisions to take care of your finances.

If most of your answers are B

You have good control of your finances, but you must put a safety belt on it. Save constantly to overcome any unforeseen expenditures.

If most of your answers are C

You are not in very good financial health, but this is the perfect time to take measures to put your economy in order. You may be flexible in your spending limits or you may have a spendthrift spirit, but it is important to take certain actions that will strengthen your wallet and allow you to lead a more peaceful life. Consider the following tips:

1. Make a budget that allows you to control your expenses and income.

3. Eliminate incidental expenses, i.e., those small, seemingly harmless expenses that represent a hole in your wallet.

5. Save as soon as you receive your income. Allocate a portion of your salary to a savings fund and don't wait to see what you have left at the end of the month.

2. Take advantage of technology to schedule your payments and keep track of your finances.

4. Evaluate before you buy anything. Even if you see a tempting offer, think about whether it is the right time to make that expenditure.

6. Remember that what matters most is having self-discipline to control your expenses, and a firm commitment to improve your finances.

WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION DAY

LET'S TACKLE CLIMATE CHANGE TOGETHER!

Let’s learn correct behaviors towards our environment by knowing it, protecting it and preserving it.

The purpose of celebrating World Environmental Education Day is to raise awareness of the problem, not only globally, but also locally.

The first indications of the importance of caring for the environment appeared in 1972, when in the Declaration of the United Nations Conference on the Environment in Stockholm, Sweden expressed its interest in raising awareness and implementing principles that would be useful to society as a guide to preserve and improve the environment.

And it was not until 1975, during the International Workshop on Environmental Education, experts from more than 70 nations set out their basic objectives in the Belgrade Charter. They defined six key points to help social groups and individuals become actively involved in achieving those objectives. The following are the main objectives of Environmental Education as set out in the Tbilisi Declaration:

Awareness and Knowledge

To acquire greater sensitivity, awareness and basic understanding of the environment and its associated problems, as well as the presence and role of humankind in it.

Attitudes and Skills

To help individuals acquire a set of values, attitudes, commitment and skills for environmental improvement and protection.

Action and Participation

To create new patterns of behavior based on responsibility that help individuals and communities to take care of their environment.

This commemoration seeks that each person identifies the environmental problems they live with on a daily basis, seeking solutions and participating actively.

MORE SELF-CARE AT WORK BY

DAVID PRITCHARD

Self-care means returning to yourself, it means prioritizing your well-being above everyone else's. Because if you don't take care of yourself, you can't take care of others. Self-care is about taking care of your mind and body, so you feel less stress and more peace.

Considering the hectic pace of the work world, most of us could benefit from more self-care during the workday—to crank up productivity, form stronger relationships with colleagues, and even elevate your performance.

Self-care differentiates from what people may know as self-care because it's a little bit deeper. It should connect you to your deeper priorities to feel your best every day.

It’s not just about treating yourself and rewarding yourself on the weekends.

It's about learning about yourself and being able to find your voice and priorities in the busyness of your days.

You can’t expect to deliver your best work if you’re constantly feeling stressed and exhausted, can you?

This is why it’s so important to take care of yourself at work, too, as it is a big part of your day.

Rather than having self-care be something “outside” of work, it's important to weave it naturally into the course of your workday.

Here are ideas on how to add more self-care into your work life:

2. Snack smartly and stay hydrated

3. Take 3 deep breaths

1. Get up, stretch, and move every hour

5. Journal for one minute about a positive experience at work each day

6. Take a walk during the lunch break

4. Give someone a high five

7. Make a playlist that motivates you

8. Write down three things that you are grateful for at work

9. Do some power poses

10. Have lunch with colleagues outside the office

11. Start saying 'no'

12. Help a colleague. share an idea, help with a project, or share some good news

13. Celebrate your victories –Take the time to connect with your team to look back on the previous week, month, or quarter and what you have accomplished together

FOR THE WIN COMPETENCIES

As we’ve previously mentioned, our work environment is ever increasingly considering far more than just experience and work history when it comes to finding the right talent for companies. You may have Heard terms such as “competency-based reviews” and “Competencies interviews” since competencies are being valued more and more in internal processes. That’s why we’ve decided to use this space to talk to you, issue by issue, a little bit more about competencies so you get to know them better.

In this issue we’ll start with the basics… what even are competencies?

Well, the reality is that their concept has existed for quite a while and there are in fact many different definitions coming from different authors, usually depending on the topic they are being applied to. At the end of the day, all definitions agree that competencies are a series of characteristics necessary to perform an activity effectively.

Applied to the work environment, we wish to propose to you the following definition of competencies as “Knowledge, attitudes, abilities and skills that a colleague needs to succeed in their job”. This means that if you have these competencies developed, you’ll probably have a good time at your job!

KNOWLEDGE

Information developed or learnt through experience, study or research.

SKILLS

The results of applying knowledge multiple times.

COMPETENCIES

ABILITIES

Innate potential to perform physical or mental tasks.

ATTITUDES

An individual’s behaviour or observable reaction towards a determined situation.

Now, another main feature of a competency is the fact that they are transferable and flexible. This means that you are able of applying them in more than one job position in a similar fashion, though of course in different grades and potential.

The best way to explain this is through an example. Imagine a surgeon and their activities. Now think what kind of competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, or attitudes) they would need to succeed at their job. Have you thought them yet? Well, you may have thought of “knowing how to perform surgery” as one of them, being a surgeon and all. Well, you may be shocked to know that this skill would not be considered a “competency” since it is a rather specific one that very few other job positions would need to know.

Psicología Positiva en el Trabajo

Positive Psychology at Work

Instead, we invite you to know imagine a restaurant host. Can you think of any competency that might be shared between these two positions? If you thought of something related to “customer-oriented attitude” you’re exactly right! Both positions Benefit from this attitude, whether to give a better service to their patients or to welcome guests to the restaurant.

Still, you might be thinking that this attitude is far more crucial for a host than it is for a doctor, and you would be correct.

You should know that competencies, even though they are transferable, they will have different levels of importance for different positions, since like we said, they will translate to success in the end.

Lastly, like we mentioned in previous issues, you need to remember that, after all is said and done, competencies are trainable! This means that you’ll always have the opportunity to work on a competency that you might be lacking to succeed in your current job, or perhaps to develop new one that might let you apply to other job positions that picque your interest. We’ll be talking much more about competencies in future issues so make sure to come back to learn more about them.