The Secret to 26 Years at The Marriott

Leslie Weil: I'm currently the general manager at the Fort Lauderdale Marriott Resort in Pompano Beach. I have been in hospitality for over 25 years now, maybe 26. I am Peruvian and I moved to the US to study hospitality at FIU. While I was in school, I started working because they kind of make you work, which is a good thing because hospitality is the best. It's definitely not necessarily for everyone. And I had my first job in housekeeping as I was still in school. That's how I started my career. And from then I started moving through different areas of the hotels, spending most of my time at the front desk. 

The front desk is very dear to my heart. I feel like I learned a lot about all the departments while I was at the front desk. And I started in select service hotels, which are typically smaller, which means in every role you have a bit more responsibility than you typically would. So from there I grew to every single job in hotels. I did housekeeping, I did sales, I did front office, front office supervisor, assistant front desk manager, front office manager. And then I had my daughter and then it sounded like accounting would be a great job so I moved into accounting. Well it's not for me because it was a little boring. I'm very used to the craziness of the operation.

It was a lot of learning for two years. So well, for me, it was boring. Probably hospitality accountants are less boring than regular accounting, that's for sure. And from there, I went back to operations, operations manager, assistant general manager, and general manager. That was mainly in select services, but I was very lucky that I really got to work in all the departments. So when I became a GM, I had a lot of buying from the team because I understand what everybody goes through every single day, right? I was with the same company for 13 years. So all these jobs were within the same organization, just different hotels. And then I left. And since then, I've been very lucky because I've been able to work in hostels, luxury hotels, mid-scale hotels, upper upscale. I've worked in Latin America, in Europe, mainly in Miami, Philadelphia. And I've done a lot of openings and transitions, which is my biggest passion. 

So currently we just finished a huge renovation of the hotel where I am at today, you know, like finding the right team has become like the biggest part of my career and just really working together to create great experiences. So that's what makes this industry unique in the end and my career path. It's probably different than most because I've gotten to do a lot of different things, but I think building experiences is what it's all about and having been able to do it in all sorts of environments definitely enhances the next step every time I take one.

Leslie Weil: 100 % Yes, I find that in hospitality, it's the best industry. To me, there's times where I've left a job and my friends tell me, now you can have a normal job. This is my normal. But I do think hospitality is a career where you grow a lot by doing. It's one of those careers where your experience can really take you to the next level. I think it's one of those careers where curiosity really enhances your next step. If you're curious and you ask questions, a lot of the worlds collide in hospitality. So you might be at the front desk, but you're doing a lot of the accounting, right? You might be in sales, but you're working with revenue. So there's a lot of learning in each role that you have. And that's why I think, I think my path really got me to grow, but it's only because I asked lots of questions. And if I was bored, I was always looking for something else. And I think that's possible for everyone.

Leslie Weil: I am by nature impatient, but ultimately I feel like because you're always learning, maybe the days go by fast. I feel if you ask 90 % of the people in hotels or hospitality why they like their job it is because no two days are the same and it's legitimately true. So I think that I was always learning and I was lucky to work in companies that always saw the potential and allowed me to grow the way I did. And I think I took training very seriously. I still do it with my teams. I feel like if you have the opportunity to learn something, you just have to jump at it. I guess I always wanted to keep growing. So I just kept taking the path and I never thought that something would stop me. I just did it.

Leslie Weil: So I know, like I am the one GM that will tell you, okay, when are we doing it again? After my first one, everyone's like, what do you mean? I opened my first hotel as a GM and I opened the next one six months later, because I transferred within the company. And I love that you get to, I mean, your name's in that building forever. You get to build the team from scratch. You get to build what the experience is gonna look like. My favorite part of hotels is really the team.

Like I really think it's one of those industries where really everything is like an engine and one piece needs the next one to like work, right? Like we all need each other and it works like an engine. So I find that when you're in an opening, you actually get to create that from scratch and create that cohesiveness that just, you know, moves through life. That's really what builds the hotel and the foundation. And then it doesn't matter if you live within a year or four or three.

Like your name's always in that building. It just becomes a core part of who you are and that's where you have the most learning. And it is very fast-paced and it is very crazy and it's true that you barely rest. But then you see it come alive and it's not always quickly, but you see something so amazing come together, right? Because you see it being built. Like I always say, then your guests get to sleep in that bed for the first time ever. A bed that's never been slept in, a bathroom that has rarely been used, except for construction people. But it's just such a good experience to be able to tell a guest, well, you're the first one, right?

Leslie Weil: No, even in transitions or like, you know, I work for a company, the company got sold and they were like, well, now you can, like I said, do something different, but I love this industry. I genuinely think that's the best industry in the world. Like it doesn't have, you don't have to work in operations to love it, right? You have HR, have accounting. And I always say, even the admin roles are more fun in a hotel.

Leslie Weil: I think it's funny because it depends on who you ask. I think some people think that I sit in my office all day and I just look at numbers, which is a part of my day, right? But if you ask my team, I'm never in my office. Like it's rare for me to be sitting in my office because half the day I'm walking around, you're looking at what's going on, you're talking to guests. Yes, numbers are a big part, but there's certain parts of the month where you sit down and just do numbers, but it's still not an entire day.

As a GM in a hotel, you're not just giving orders, right? Like everybody, it really works. So some days I'm a barista at the bar for coffee in the morning. Some days I'm picking up plates. You know, just your days change based on what's needed, you know, hotels can be really busy and can be really slow. And then your days really change because it's just one team. So I don't think I, you know, maybe some people like to sit in the office and work all day in numbers on the computer, it's just not who I am. So I love working in an industry where I can balance being out, talking to the guests, helping the front desk, and picking up plates from the kitchen.

It doesn't really matter because my job is everything, right? And I get to do it alongside amazing people. So I think the biggest misconception is people think, OK, you're not a general manager. You're going to work Monday through Friday, 9 to 5. You're going to sit in your office. You're just going to respond to emails and look at the numbers. The beauty of my job is that I get to touch a little bit of what everyone does. And then I get to combine everything into whatever the numbers are gonna tell and the story that we're gonna tell.

Leslie Weil: So I've worked for Marriott for most of my career. So over 26 years, it's where I've spent most of my time. And I think working for a brand gives you a really good basis of standards, like to understand why standards matter. And it gives you great ideas on how to best serve your guests. Obviously, it gives you a great world of reservations that if you were not in a brand, that wouldn't exist. So I think it gives you a surge.

But there's a lot of training opportunities. I have to say that throughout my career, since I started till now, I've been able to take advantage of a lot. I've also worked for a lot of different brands. And if you're able to grasp that from all the brands, then you can kind of create what you want to do in each hotel that you go to. And the standards just allow you to serve your guests better and fulfill an expectation. But hospitality, especially in the day that we live today, where everything is online, everything is on social media.

It's not just about delivering the expectation, but exceeding it. Right. So I really think it gives you a great basis to just grow from there. And, know, you have an active loyalty and then it's up to you to use, you know, the people that come to be able to enhance their experience and not just give them what everybody else will.  But the training opportunities and obviously when you work for a brand, you have great discounts everywhere. So it's a perk that we do get to use, but there's also the misconception that all we do is work every day, all day, and there's no life. It's not like that. Sometimes it's busy, sometimes it's less busy, but then when you get the time off, you can go and enjoy hotels for a good rate.

Leslie Weil: I mean, it's true that there are a lot of late nights. There's a lot of time that, you know, like you're working nonstop. My daughter and I joke that she grew up under my desk and it's partly true, right? So I think you do at points leave stuff that you are not able to do behind. My career has been really rewarding and I love what I do. So I think there's an offset, but yes, have I missed maybe some trips with friends or weddings?

I don't think I've missed a wedding, maybe. But like important events or birthdays or things that you would like to be there for because you have to work more than others, absolutely. But I also think eventually you find your own balance and you make it work for your situation. Every situation is different and there is a lot of noise. Like people will tell you, my God, you work so hard or your hours are crazy. And they're just normal for where we are. But it's so rewarding. Like we get to make people's days every day. Right? Like not just the guests, but also your team. So yeah, sometimes it's like, my God, I can't believe I missed this. But I think what I've gained is a lot more than what I've missed.

Leslie Weil: Attitude. think curiosity, asking questions, the enthusiasm for what you're about to do. And it really doesn't matter what role you're applying to, right? Whether you're going to be a dishwasher, a housekeeper, or a manager, it's like the passion that you bring that makes you stand out. I think that's the one thing you cannot teach. It's the one thing you cannot really read on a resume, actually, right? So short of somebody really finding the hiring manager and sending a very enthusiastic email or why they want to work there.

It's something that can only come when you're meeting the person. Like everybody can have a resume and on paper we can all be the same. What makes you stand out is just why you want it and how you present yourself that you want it. You'll need that when in this industry because while I love it, obviously not every day is perfect and you'll still deal with broken toilets or upset gas.

Leslie Weil: So I think what the motive for Marriott has always been, if you treat your employees right, they'll treat the customer right, and then eventually everything takes care of itself. While I've worked for Marriott for most of my career, I've worked for a lot of different management companies, different owners as well, right? Because most Marriott's that I've worked with are franchises. But I think that culture portion really stands out everywhere you go. Like, you take care of your people, people take care of the people, and then I always say then the business takes care of itself.

And I think it's a culture that is at the core of every hotel I've worked at. And it's really what ultimately makes the hotels enjoyable, right? Like, you know that that's gonna be the culture where you go. And then I'm lucky enough that I've been a GM now for, I don't know, 16 years, and I get to be part of creating that culture, you know, working for Marriott specifically when I first started, but everywhere I work gives you that foundation that even when I go to places that did not have a brand, you know that's at the core and then that's how you keep everybody engaged and then you keep yourself engaged because you know you'll be taken care of.

Leslie Weil: 100%. I think culture is everything. Like, I think if you ask all the people that I've worked with in my career, my biggest thing is my team. And it's very important for me that everyone has fun at work, even when work is not fun. You know, like I said, not every day is fun, but you try to do little things and, you know, engage with the teams, engage with the associates, make sure that, you know, you get to know them, but...

For the last few years I've been doing all these national holiday celebrations like it's National Marshmallow Day and then we'll go around with marshmallows. Tomorrow is National Banana Day I believe and we're doing banana bread and banana muffins in the break room or we go around the hotel just handing out Oreos on Oreo Day. So ultimately those little things really build that culture and you don't need a brand to do that, you just need to create an environment where people feel connected to something.

Leslie Weil: I think I'm very truthful, so I expect the same. I think you can be very spot on when somebody lies in the resume. Like, tell the truth and you have more odds of being hired. I don't like when people badmouth their prior companies. Like, if you're going to talk bad about the prior company, you might be talking bad about me after. So it's easy enough to explain what you're living without having to really be very negative about where you come from. Every experience we have gives us something better for the future. 

So I wouldn't go on an interview and say, well, this company is not good because of this, or I want to leave because they did that. I think there's a way to frame it without really tarnishing anybody's reputation because it's not needed. When you're in an interview, you are selling yourself more than anything. So it's not about doing the opposite with where you come from. Other than that, think in hotels, hospitality in general, restaurants, so you kind of have to be a little upbeat. So it's hard when you're interviewing somebody if they're very quiet or can't quite, you know, express why they want to do the job. It's also, I'm not going to say it's a red flag, but it will be harder to make the decision to hire that person because 90 % of the roles in a hotel require you talking to guests, even if you are behind the scenes.

Leslie Weil: I think the front desk is really a great place to start because it's really where everything meets. If you're at the front desk, you're dealing with the sales groups and how they come in. You're seeing what revenue is doing to the rates or the over-sales or whatever is happening. If there is an issue with any department, you are gonna get the call from the guest. So I really think it really allows you to learn everything. And if you're curious enough, you start asking questions, you can ask the sales team, can I enter this rooming list for you?

You can talk to the kitchen and say, hey, let me just get all the receipts and help you wrap up the day. Like there's so much that ends and begins at the front desk that it gives you a good snippet of what everybody else does. Even for HR, if somebody is coming for an interview, they're going to go to the front desk to ask where the office is or who they're meeting. So it really is, I think, at the center of what everything that happens in the hotel begins and ends. And with that said, even if you are doing a night audit, you are doing some of the accounting for the day because you're closing the day.

So working at the front desk gives you a really good idea of all the options that you have in a hotel. So it's not necessarily the end, though you might love it and you wanna be supervisor, assistant front desk manager, front desk manager, which was my path. And that's great, because you keep learning, but you're doing a little bit of everything. So it really is a good gate into anything you wanna do in a hotel.