Associate Spotlight: Christine Shivnarayan

Here at Musselman Hotels we are featuring some of our top associates from each of our properties. We are happy to introduce Christine Shivnarayan, a Night Auditor from the Hilton Garden Inn Northeast who has been with us since June 2015!

Tell us a little about yourself… Where are you from? What do you like to do outside work? How did you end up in the Hospitality industry? When did you join the Hilton Garden Inn Northeast team?

I am from Guyana in South America. When I’m not at work I like to just be outside or paint. I spend time with family and just be outside as much as possible. I didn’t want to sit all day so this job was perfect. I have worked in hospitality before. I was working 3 2nd shifts and 3rd shifts as well so I applied to be a full time night auditor. I applied when they weren’t actually hiring so I was happy to get this job.

What was your background (School and/or Work) or experience before joining Musselman Hotels at the Hilton Garden Inn Northeast?

I worked in hospitality for 2 ½ years which is not long but everyone is much older than I am so I have been able to learn a lot from them.

Did you know anything about hotels and the hospitality industry before starting with us?

Yes I had some experience.

So what was the learning curve like and how is Musselman Hotels different from other places and/or hotels you have worked in?

It wasn’t difficult, everyone made it easy because they were so friendly. It is different from other places. I really like the personalized birthday cards and the card I received when I was Associate of the Quarter.

Have you received any awards/recognition since joining the company? If so what did that mean for you?

I won Associate of the Quarter. It was wonderful to recognized and chosen for that.

What types of support do you receive from management and other team members?

I get a lot of support from everyone and Gary especially. It’s not normal in most places for a General Manager to be ready to help like that.

How have your duties at the Hilton Garden Inn Northeast changed over time?

In addition to just the Night Auditor duties Gary will give me new things and show me how to do more. It’s really nice to be able to learn more about the hotel.

What is the most interesting challenge you have been faced with at the Hilton Garden Inn Northeast and how did you handle it?

There’s no one challenge but every day is different and brings a different challenge like interesting phone calls to a guest refusing to leave because they booked the wrong days. I just remain calm and help any way possible.

What is your favorite thing about your position?

I’d have to say greeting and helping guests.

What is your favorite thing to do outside of work?

Visiting new places but Kentucky is the best place I have been. It has the friendliest people I have ever met.

If you had to choose one motto and/or saying you live by, what would it be?

There’s a lot that I live by. One of my favorites when I’m at work is “A guest is the most important visitor on our premises. He is not dependent on us, we are dependent on him. He is not an interruption of our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider in our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favor by serving him. He is doing us a favor by giving us an opportunity to do so.”

-Mahatma Gandh

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Hopefully in a higher position in the hospitality industry, preferably here at Musselman Hotels. It’s a great company.

The Hilton Garden Inn Northeast is always looking for passionate, hard-working individuals to join their growing team! Contact the hotel at 502-423-0018 to learn more about the current positions available. You can turn your drive to succeed into a lifelong career with the Musselman family!