Mark Braswell
Director of F&B, Omni San Diego Hotel, San Diego, California

“I find the work ethic in associates with years of experience outstanding. They seem to take more ownership of their work than younger associates and they are proud of doing an excellent job. In fact, the more senior associate tends to be the backbone of the department due to their knowledge, experience, and stability. They often go above and beyond when it comes to customer service. For example, one easoned associate who works in our outlet shop in the lobby got in her own car and drove to purchase a pair of hose for one of our lady guests. Other associates just entering the workforce may not go to that extreme to take care of a guest. It is truly a privilege to have easoned associates on our team. Their work ethic is a tremendous asset since the trend in hotels is to take care of people like we did years ago.”

Michael Snapkoski
Director of Sales and Marketing, L’Enfant Plaza, Washington, D.C.

“We are certainly open to hiring everyone regardless of age or other factors, but one value that an older individual brings to the table is a certain level of maturity. Older people have been through more life experiences than, say, a recent college graduate, so they tend to be more responsible. In addition, the older worker probably has spent 20 to 30 years vacationing and traveling on business, so they have racked up many different service-level experiences—as opposed to someone who is in his or her 20s who, with limited experience, may rate hotel service as great simply because someone made their bed for them. The well-traveled older worker has been through it all and has higher expectations and, hence, strives to deliver high quality service. Also, I’ve found that older workers speak up more at meetings and contribute more because of their vast experiences. They tend to take their life experiences and use them. For example, they might say ‘Ten years ago I stayed at this great resort in Scottsdale, and you wouldn’t believe the type of service we received. Wouldn’t it be great if we could do something similar. I believe the number of years on earth equals experience and that is invaluable in the hospitality industry.”

Jeffrey Decker
Director of F&B, Monmouth Plantation, Natchez, Mississippi

“Natchez received quite an influx of workers from New Orleans after Katrina, and we did hire one older worker who wanted to relocate here. His background was in banquets. He is an awesome employee, not only because of the depth of his experience but also because we can count on him in all situations. In addition to his knowledge and wisdom, he has the finesse that comes only with experience. I have found that older workers carry themselves well—they know when it is appropriate or not to speak up. I don’t see a lot of crossover from non-hospitality careers primarily because of the lower salaries F&B usually pays. However, we recently hired an older woman for our waitstaff who just retired from teaching. While there is a learning curve in her new career, she is a solid, resourceful employee. When we have a job gap to fill, we absolutely consider older workers.”

Eric Simonich
General Manager, Hilton Garden Inn, Anchorage, Alaska

“Especially at a smaller property, I think one of the challenges with hiring an older worker is their flexibility when it comes to working set hours. For example, just recently we had an older gentleman who was looking for a job, but he was unable to work a full eight-hour shift. He wanted a part-time position with us, and here our workers definitely need to work an eight-hour shift. Also many older workers are probably not going to want to work Christmas Eve and every Saturday and Sunday. At a previous property where I worked, I remember one older worker who stood out because of his maturity. He was also warm and caring, and very detail oriented. I have found older workers get along just fine with the younger workers and vice versa, which is the nature of hospitality workers in general. I’ve also found that the younger workers look up to older workers.”