Associate Spotlight: Rachel Perry

This month’s Associate Spotlight comes from the Hilton Garden Inn Louisville Airport. Rachel Perry is the Sales and Event Coordinator at the Hilton Garden Inn Airport and has been with Musselman since 2015! Get to know another one of Musselman’s wonderful associates!

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 Airport team?

I am from Louisville, KY I have always stayed here in Louisville. I am from the PRP area. I was 18 years old and had been working at Subway while going to school. And I knew I didn’t want to do that forever so I thought why not try hospitality. I saw an ad in Indeed and the day before my graduation I interviewed here. I interviewed with Bud and Kristin when they were still here for a Front desk position. In my spare time I like to spend time with my 3 years old son. His name is James Earl Foster but we call him fatty ☺

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

It was September 2014 I was going to JCTC and didn’t know what I wanted to do. I didn’t know what direction I wanted to go in. 7 or 8 months later I interviewed for sales.

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

I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into. I started the week of the Swine Show so it was super busy. I had no choice but to learn to make every guest happy and I think that is the best way to learn sometimes.

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

The only other job I had was at Subway which I started working at when I was just 16. I wanted a change of scenery. So when I started here it was a lot more pressure. It challenged me to learn how to handle different types of people and to get know people more. I think that was such a good thing because it’s an important skill to have at any job but definitely in hospitality.

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

In 2016 I won Associate of the 1st Quarter and it meant more to me than anything else I’ve received. I am not the type to seek praise I just come in and do my job but to be recognized for my progress in 2016 made me feel great. You know all the people I work with have watched me grow and seen me day in and day out here and to know they saw progress and growth in me was a wonderful feeling.

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

Everyone is great here but especially Rodney and Donna give 100% support whether it’s a positive or negative issue. I feel very lucky to be able to work so closely with someone like Donna and I am learning so much from her. Joy has become like a second mother to me. She has my back. But honestly everyone Beth, Brian all of them have built such a support system and have become family. They all want and root for me to grow in my job and get better. I would be so scared if I ever had to leave!

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

When you work as a front desk agent you deal with a lot of guest issues but it is after everything has already been planned and booked so going into sales was a huge change. You get to know people more personally being involved in planning their events. You start from the beginning with them. So that part of my job is different from where I started but it’s a good thing.

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

I think that when planning events with people you have to be personable and friendly but remembering to keep it to a minimum. I love talking to and getting to know people but always keeping in mind being professional. You have to keep your work and personal relationships separate when necessary. It hasn’t affected me because I always try to keep that in mind.

What is your favorite thing about your position?

Being so versatile. Though my title is Sales and Event Coordinator I do so many things. I have helped out in different areas and with different things that I have been able to learn a lot. But the person I have to give so much credit to and could not thank enough with learning about Hilton is Dan Kaster when he was here. Major props to him!

What is your favorite thing to do outside of work?

I play a lot of volleyball. I am trying to be more active after having my son. You would think I would be a size 0 chasing him around all day!

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

I am a day to day type of person so it would probably be “Let it go” I love that I say it all the time. Or “Live day to day” Things happen in the hotel all the time that wasn’t what you were expecting or planning for but you just have to let it go.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I want to live it day to day but whatever I am doing now I want to be working toward securing my future for me and my son. I kind of see this as an open door question because I can’t see myself leaving the hospitality industry but I am open to new opportunity so I can continue to learn and grow.