behind the desk
Manager shares thoughts on motel
Gina Mora, front desk manager, shows how to make envelopes for the room keys. Photo by Emily Miels
By Emily Miels A bell rings as the door opens and customers enter to check in or out and stock up on supplies like snacks, drinks and cigarettes. The phone rings and Gina Mora answers with a friendly and experienced, “Thank you for calling the Stay Plus Inn, COSAC Quarters. How may I help you?” Look a little closer, however, and visitors may notice some differences between most motels and the Stay Plus Inn, which has been dubbed “America’s first homeless resort” by owner Sean Cononie. It’s a different clientele that stays in the motel now, Mora said. She would know. She has worked at the Stay Plus Inn, formerly a Howard Johnson motel, for almost 15 years. Cononie took ownership of the facility earlier this year, bringing with him more than 100 residents from his former homeless shelter in Hollywood, Florida. “Some, they don't want to take a shower, and you can smell them. It's sad,” she said, before pointing out the air fresheners she had stashed inconspicuously around the front desk to help mask the odor when needed. There’s a note taped on the desk as a reminder to “Call 3” in case of emergency, which Mora said was sparked by a difficult guest a few weeks ago. “(Sean) said any emergency call three immediately, because we don't know what kind of people (will come,)” Mora, who also lives on
“Sometimes the guests come in with many problems, so grumpy, and when you give a smile, make them feel at home, they're going to feel happy.” the property, said. “If you say something wrong to them — maybe they have bipolar, maybe schizophrenia, we don't know.” A local church also dropped off some donations one Sunday afternoon, not a typical gesture seen at most motels. Mora, who grew up in Peru and moved to Florida in 1982, handles every call, email and guest with professionalism, frequently using her Spanish. With the buzz of the staff walkie-talkies and the occasional ring of the bell over the door, she folds
recycled pieces of paper into small envelopes for the room keys during her downtime. While the facility, its clientele, ownership and operation may have changed during her time here, Mora said the overall goal — to give the guests a positive experience during their stay — has not. “Always we need to smile and to be very professional with the guests. And some guests they say ‘no problem,’ they take it. But a lot of people they don't feel safe or comfortable,” she said of travelers who make their way to rent a room at “the homeless resort.” “Sometimes the guests come in with many problems, so grumpy, and when you give a smile, make them feel at home, they're going to feel happy.” She said the housekeeping staff — Consuelo, Rosario and Enixa — works very hard to make sure the rooms are clean and orderly. She showed off the multiple sheets, written in both English and Spanish, listing the detailed cleaning directions. She is stocked with maps of the hotels and surrounding locations, ready to assist the guests with any of their questions and needs. She makes a genuine effort to converse with the guests and get to know them, calling many by name. “Sometimes, I pay for the people, but today I don't bring money,” she said when a resident didn’t have the change to pay for his snack. Maybe the most important thing that has stayed the same, Mora said, is that she still loves her job. “I love my job, and I try to help and be a better person every day while we help other people,” she said.
Homeless voice • will write for food
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