Reflections from HoganHospitality.com| Roy Dunfey, The Voice of Sincerity at Dunfey Hotels

 

Reflections

Our successes come from the impact that others have had on us over the years. HoganHospitality.com has a section dedicated to sharing and  “reflecting” on some of those people who have positively impacted my career.  While these reflections will be of people that I have known, I encourage you to think back on the people who contributed to the person you are today. ____________________________________________________________
Reflection #4: Roy Dunfey – Dunfey Hotels

I spent the first four years of my career after college with Sheraton Hotels.  I enjoyed the learning experiences at both the 1500 room flagship hotel, the Sheraton Boston and at the older 500+ room Sheraton Houston which was my first assignment away from native New England.   Both of these assignments had positive attributes, but I was an impatient young manager eager to prove myself and quickly!
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I was recruited from Houston to Atlanta, where I rejoined a senior Sheraton manager at the 400 room Dunfey Royal Coach, which eventually became one of the Omni Hotel organization.  This hotel experience gave me tremendous opportunity to work with a growing brand, to be exposed to an exciting new night club concept called TINGLES and to sharpen my organizational skills on many levels.  I also learned a great deal about making renovation decisions profitable and the critical nature of deadlines.

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The company had a strong commitment to staff and the larger hotels all had active HR departments, progressive policies and ongoing learning for staff.    What always struck me about the Dunfey Hotel brand and company was the sincere commitment to people at all levels, including line level staff and Roy Dunfey became the embodiment of that commitment.   

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Roy had a successful career in another industry and joined with his brothers at retirement.   He became an added dimension in HR and the brand ownership, as he would travel from New Hampshire to Georgia, Texas, California, Illinois and all the extended locations several times per year and hold open forums with all staff.  This was before technology made mass communication perhaps easier, but these times also showed who really cared about their staff.
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It impressed me that Roy learned the names and some personal information about so many people.  He became the family face who knew the staff.  He would recall a graduating  student or an illness of a staff member from last year’s visit.  I don’t know how he gathered his sources, but the staffs at those dozens of hotels he visited twice a year knew someone important at the management group felt they were important as individuals.

Roy was not a hotelier, but he represented himself and the Dunfey Family in ways that reached far beyond whatever his title may have been.   It is those kinds of people that leave a lasting impact.

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What do you do at your hospitality business to make a difference?

Success does not come by accident or chance.

Contact us for assistance.

John.Hogan@HospitalityEducators.comor 602-799-5375

HospitalityEducators.com was created to help hospitality businesses address problems via a training and information resource site to help you increase your Hotel’s revenue, market share and profitability.  With more than 800 pages of tips, guides, best practices, strategies, plans, budgets, videos and resources, HospitalityEducators.com is the number 1 website for independent hotel owners and managers.  This site can help you solve your problems now!      Read More 

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KEYS TO SUCCESS  is the umbrella title for my 2011 programs, hospitality services and columns. This year’s writings focus on a variety of topics for hotel owners, managers and professionals including both my “HOW TO” articles, HOSPITALITY CONVERSATIONS™, Lessons from the Field™, Hotel Common Sense™ , THE P-A-R PRINCIPLE™  and Principles for Success.

Feel free to share an idea for a column at john.hogan@hospitalityeducators.com   anytime or contact me regarding consulting, customized workshops, speaking engagements … And remember – we all need a regular dose of common sense,

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John Hogan is a successful hospitality executive, educator, author and consultant and is a frequent keynote speaker and seminar leader at many hospitality industry events. He is Co-Founder of www.HospitalityEducators.com, which delivers focused and affordable counsel in solving specific challenges facing hospitality today.Consulting Expertise and Research Interest

1. Professional Development for the Organization and the Individual
2. Customer Service
3. Making Cultural Diversity Real
4. Developing Academic Hospitality programs
5. Medical Lodging Consulting
6. Sales Management and training
7. Turn-around and revenue management

If you need assistance in any of these areas or simply an independent review or opinion on a hospitality challenge, contact me directly for a prompt response and very personalized attention.www.HospitalityEducators.com  is a membership site offering a wide range of information, forms, best practices and ideas designed to help individual hoteliers and hospitality businesses improve their market penetration, deliver service excellence and increase their profitability.www.HoganHospitality.com
Your Hospitality Resource for the Hotel Owner, Innkeeper, Manager and Hospitality Industry Associations.