3 minute read
New Goodstone GM Believes in Destination
New Goodstone GM Believes in Destination
By Chip Newcombe
Raeshawna Scott, the general manager of Goodstone Inn, is no stranger to the hospitality industry. She brings two decades of experience with her to the Middleburg venue.
She studied hospitality at the University of Pennsylvania, where she “learned to love the operational side of the industry.”
Through internships, she was introduced to Hyatt Hotels where she worked for about nine years. She started as an assistant front desk manager, then kept moving up—to assistant housekeeping manager, director of guest services, and director of housekeeping, and then employee relations manager.
After her work for Hyatt Hotels, she moved to Kimpton Hotel and Restaurants, where she spent a dozen years in various leadership roles, eventually working her way up to the general manager position of the Kimpton Banneker and Kimpton Topaz Hotels, both in Washington D.C.
Her love of the hospitality industry began in her mother’s kitchen and initially, she thought she wanted to be a chef.
“I was really into cooking and messing up my mother’s kitchen,” she said with a smile.
Her first real job in hospitality was with McDonalds and she first thought she wanted to own “about a thousand of these.”
But, when she started college, she started to “really love courses like front desk management and housekeeping management and facilities management.” Working for Hyatt and Marriot reinforced her love for the operations side of the industry, where there is never a dull moment.
“I am solution driven,” she said, adding that when an issue arises, she immediately begins working to find the proper outcome.
Now, at Goodstone, she said she’ll be focused on providing an excellent experience for those who might find themselves staying or dining at the inn. Goodstone’s dining experience is farm to table, and she wants to expand that aspect of the menu.
“We sit on 265 acres of land, and it is truly my desire to continue to grow that experience,” she said. She hopes one day to develop a farmers market, where the staff grows and harvests the vegetables they sell at the market. She wants to continue to incorporate the land, which includes honey bees and an orchard, into the dining experience as much as possible.
Scott also wants to raise the visibility of the Goodstone Inn within the Middleburg community and surrounding area.
“My goal is to create awareness and visibility for the community and for Goodstone Inn,” she said. She’d like more people to know that both are destinations that people must experience because, “We are a destination.”
By working in the hospitality industry, Scott believes she has the ability to impact people’s lives in a positive way.
“We truly have the ability to positively impact a person’s mood and outlook,” she said. “That one interaction with a front desk agent or a restaurant server can be an actual difference maker for someone.”
Details: www.goodstone.com.
