Spa News! CONGRATULATING - Krista Sherman, spa director at WaterColor Inn and Jessica Porte, fitness director at WaterColor Inn, for achieving the award, “Spa Director & Fitness Director of the 2nd Quarter 2013�! They have exemplified not only financial success during the 2nd Quarter, but also their commitment and perseverance for outstanding guest satisfaction. It is because of their personal standards of excellence and dedication, that they are being recognized with this award. Thank you for A JOB WELL DONE KRISTA & JESSICA!
Hilton San Diego housekeeping department started a “Be Healthy Program”. The team is excited about new food choices for their Saturday morning family meal. They also have added a few morning exercises to get the team warmed up each day before the start of their shift. They have a bulletin board with cards on it that each associate can state the reason they want to get healthy. Great reminder! We also have the team select the healthiest recipe. The winner gets a gift card for $10.00. Going well so far………
Housekeeping Week The team enjoyed breakfast that included a waffle bar!
Showcase Employee Bernice Barber-Liquid Lounge Concierge. Bernice became part of the OKR family in August 2013. What is our GEM all about? Nickname: BiBi Hometown: Key West, FL Fav Store: Banana Republic Fav Movie: Breakfast at Tiffany’s Fav Color: Aqua Blue Fav Sport: Running Fav Season: Christmas Hobby: Spending time with son, Tristan Fav Book: The Secret Fav Flower/Plant: Orchids Fav Animal: Dogs
This is Ali Thomas Ali Thomas is celebrating her 10th year with Ocean Key Resort. Ali began her career as a reservations agent and was promoted to reservations supervisor before taking on the role of Reservations/ Revenue Manager. Ali is a core member of the OKR management team, and is fiercely dedicated Noble House. Ali has worked tirelessly to insure that Ocean Key remains the rate and revpar leader on the island. In a market as competitive as Key West, this is not an easy task. She has driven the resort to a YTD occupancy of 92% - with a rate of $415! Ali enjoys boating, fishing and lobster diving. But primarily, she enjoys her island life with husband Nate and many pets.
The team at The Edgewater showing off their team pride with their CondÊ Nast Readers’ Choice award!
Room attendant Lorna Ramilo makes beds using her legs and NOT her back!
River Terrace housekeeping department celebrating Housekeeping Week with a very pretty white cake………..they are all roses in my opinion!
Award-winning Chef Kevin Thiele is the 2013 Rhode Island March of Dimes Signature Chef. Kevin is presently Director of Food and Beverage at Hotel Viking in Newport. A Johnson & Wales graduate, he lives in Newport where he joined the venerable Hotel Viking in 2004 as a line cook, progressing to his current position as Director in 2012. Kevin’s culinary stops have included the Great Southern Hotel in Killarney, Ireland and wine certification in Koblenz, Germany. And, in the US, Kevin’s talents have also been “on the menu” at Fahrenheit Bar & Bistro in Providence as well as Mansion House Hotel on Martha’s Vineyard. Chef Thiele appreciates chefs like Anthony Bourdain and Thomas Keller. He describes his food tastes as eclectic and particularly enjoys the cuisine of Asia, France and Italy. Closer to home, Kevin, like so many of our chefs, is a strong advocate of locally-sourced ingredients as reflected in his dishes that reflect the area’s rich larder of fish, clams, scallops lobster and other seasonal produce. March of Dimes Rhode Island proudly recognizes Kevin as the 2013 Signature Chef.
Ramona (J1 student on the left), and London (our seasonal Top of Newport chef) on the right. Now that is happy! Great smiles too‌‌ Dan, Georgianna, and Radu Juan Plietez (Banquet Cook) and Executive Chef Thiele Our very own lead therapist, Catriona St. George, has achieved her national certification in massage therapy. Very proud of her and her accomplishment! (bottom left) Team Viking! (bottom middle) Housekeeping Week ends with lots of ice cream for everyone! (bottom right)
Ivan Foster, Accounting Assistant, was awarded the 2nd Quarter Noble Gem Award. Here is what fellow associates had to say about him: •
“Ivan is one of the hardest workers in the building”.
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“Sometimes accounting is overlooked, but he deserves the recognition because he works extremely hard and tries his best. His dedication is unmatched”.
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“He works diligently to keep the hotel financially aware and helps the audit team to be successful. He deserves some recognition, especially his latest accomplishment of keeping aged accounts current”.
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“His work is a reflection of the accounting team as a whole - they take pride in their work and help everyone to be successful”.
Celebrating at the Noble Gem luncheon!
SAFETY BINGO WINNER We continue to celebrate many months accident free! Here is one of our many Safety Bingo winners so far – Jose Perez.
Best organized cart in the department? ………..and the winner is Noelia Mirafuentes.
CONGRATULATIONS!!! Ismael Martinez and Ivette Acosta as the Employees of the Month Marco Perry and John Valis (Getting things fixed at the Riviera Palm Springs…..yes, that is a hammer!)
The senior team at Mountain Lodge is showing off their team t-shirts (tie-dyed, of course!) while feeling good about representing our Core Values. Not a bad back-drop, uh?
Associate of the Year! Pedro especially wanted to be in the newsletter so he could send it to his mother in Peru. I am sure she will be very proud of you! Your picture is also hanging on the ‘Wall of Fame in the corporate offices in Kirkland, WA.
#1 in TripAdvisor When you get to be #1 on TripAdvisor………. you celebrate and have Mike Benecke fly down and enjoy lunch with the team! 10,000 feet on top of the mountain. Now that’s flying high! Congratulations to everyone at the lodge.
Grand Opening! The Commons Hotel completed the re-launch of their brand new hotel with a ‘Geek-chic’ theme throughout the hotel. One of the best jobs (in my opinion!) completed by our Noble House design team! Celebrating on a beautiful Minnesota day, the managers did a little teambuilding! Who looks the cutest in their helmet? To: David Keinert, Director of Rooms We are so happy to congratulate you on being recognized in the October 2013 issue of Hotel Management magazine as one of ‘top 30 under 30’ managers in our industry. We consider ourselves extremely lucky to be able to say that you work for our company! You are one of the many associates that make Noble House so special. You make a difference every day in the eyes of the guests, your teammates and fellow managers. As the Board of Directors, and on behalf of the company, we are honored that you have chosen our company as your employer of choice. We wish you continued success in your role as Director of Rooms at The Commons Hotel. We know you will have a bright future at Noble House! Jake Donoghue, Pat Dyer, Mike Benecke, Jamie Colee, Scott Colee & Pat Colee
Housekeeping week Pelican Grand Beach Resort celebrated International Housekeeping week with MANY smiles and great memories that will long be remembered‌ it surely lifted their spirits and re-energized them for the upcoming season!
Robert Keane (pictured top left) is the newly appointed Ambassador to the Chamber of Commerce in Naples, FL. Robert will have access to all new members joining the Chamber and more opportunities to promote LaPlaya. Positive Trip Advisor scores just don’t happen. It takes hard work, commitment and sacrifice from all the associates including the team that works in the purchasing department! The Hotel of the Year Trophy recently made a stop in the spectacular Private Member’s Club! (top center photo) Who is that? Head and chest only? That’s the First Responder’s at LaPlaya holding their CPR dummy! The team is prepared for whatever happens! Taking care of the night shift ………..pizza always works! Chris Grossman at LaPlaya never forgets about the team that works the overnight shift.
A story about one of us… written by his supervisor-Matt Meyers, La Playa On July 4th, 2013 a member of our team will turn that magic milestone age of 21. Coincidentally, this will happen on Independence Day for the United States of America. It is likely that our team member will find this to be his own “Independence Day”, as most of us have already found in our own lives, at 21 you’re no longer a kid. I suggest you each reflect on the time from 17-21 in your own lives. Anthony Hobbs Jr. (pictured top right) started working with our team 4 years ago as an innocent 17 year old kid, beginning his first job. I’d be lying if I said Anthony had a bucket full of skills to bring to the team…one day during his first week I asked him to coil up the hose we had been using to clean with. Anthony said, “Sure, no problem” but his eyes told me this surely was a problem. Why? Because he had no idea what I was asking him to do. So he looked at me and I looked at him, and I waited. He looked at the hose, then at me again, then back at the hose. I said, “it’s not going to coil itself, you do know how to coil a hose right?” Anthony admitted then that he had no idea what I meant. I asked him if he’d ever been asked to do much of any kind of labor growing up and he admitted that indeed, he had not. My response was one of disbelief and a little bit of annoyance. So, I taught him how to coil a hose. Then I told him “as long as you work here, you’re going to learn man skills.” But, Anthony had things I could NEVER teach him too. You see, he was a gangly teenager with no experience and no idea how to perform much of what I would need from him, but what he possessed as a person told me he’d be just fine in the long term. Anthony had a genuine willingness to help, be it guests, members, or his team. At 17, he had a desire to make people happy. Now, that’s the most basic fundamental of the hospitality industry right? Anthony wants to make anyone and everyone happy and is willing to put in the effort to do so, that cannot be taught. The finer points can be learned and practiced, but the true desire to succeed in hospitality is a part of a person that is either there or not. Now, as he approaches 21 and 4 long years of suffering under my direction, Anthony is capable of so many things and has grown in so many ways. He has taken his lumps along the way (from all of us), and kept smiling. I trust Anthony to work a 12 hour shift alone, provide outstanding service, keep things clean, and use critical thinking to solve problems. He has been mentioned in numerous comment cards, on Tripadvisor, in our club member survey, and has been a cornerstone of our pool team and its continued improvement and success. He can coil a hose, refinish teak furniture, pressure wash equipment, and give great service while being a great teammate. No one is perfect, personally or professionally, but the ability to recognize one’s weaknesses and improve is what the best humans strive for…I could tell stories of many on our team similar to this. But, as Anthony turns 21 let’s all take a moment to recognize a member of our team who has come from a 17 year old kid who couldn’t coil a hose to a 21 year-old adult who can run our pool alone from open to close and provide excellent service. Most importantly of all, Anthony treats his teammates with respect and is willing to do the right thing at all times. That is quite a transformation! Happy 21st Anthony…we are ALL proud of you and extend our thanks for being a great member of our team and the success we have enjoyed together! We look forward to your continued growth and contribution in the future as you embark on your career in the hospitality industry.
Safety While attending a H.A.T. meeting at Ocean Key Resort & Spa, I ran into HATMAN! Concierge Nate Boucree is one of the most creative associates at the resort and has a way of really energizing the H.A.T. committee. I think I need a costume also! (besides my clown costume!)
Push – Do Not Pull Pulling large objects can be as hard on the back as lifting. Instead, push the load. Some back safety techniques to use are: •
Stay close to the load, without leaning forward.
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Tighten your stomach muscles as you push.
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Push with both arms, keeping your elbows bent.
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Turn – Do Not Twist the Back
“SAFETY TIP” from the Housekeeping team at Monterey Beach Resort
Clean The World Program Thanks to the hotels that participate in the Clean the World program, Noble House has contributed a grand total of 7,309 pounds of soap and 5, 211 pounds of bottled amenities! Largest contribution by Hotel Viking with 2,211 pounds followed by LaPlaya and Little Palm with 1,558 pounds each! The two countries receiving most of the contributions are Haiti and Honduras.
Noble House The corporate team (including their families) volunteered at Northwest Harvest for a morning filled with green peas! We packaged, weighed and boxed over 10,000 pounds of green peas for distribution at the local food bank in the Seattle area. The smiles and teamwork was incredible for an early Saturday morning. I think Mason Mullen wins for the most bags of peas filled. No one ate green peas for a while! Oh, soooo many peas!
Jaz’s Note As most of you know I am a big New Orleans Saints football fan! This season has my team on a winning track (5-0). After losing our coach last season to what was alleged “bounty-gate” (paying players to hurt or injure another player), the games were not the same, but Saints fans never get down! Although most Saints fans will tell you that this did not happen, the ruling did not go in our favor and last season was a blur! Every team needs a coach! Imagine not being able to talk to your team for a year---especially Drew Brees! He is so cute! I believe we have great coaches in our hotels and you never know who is in line to lead a team. As our company grows, we are looking for the next man/women up to take on the leadership roles. So, I challenge each of you to put the headphones on, pull up a chair, grab a clipboard and start communicating your play by play game card. Let someone know if you are going for it on fourth down or will you punt.