Editorial Board   Guest Author

Ms. Parisi

Dawn Parisi

Area Director of Sales & Marketing, Starwood Caribbean Hotels & Resorts

Dawn Parisi, with 18 years of hospitality sales and marketing experience under her belt, leads the Starwood Caribbean Hotels & Resorts team as the cluster's area director of sales and marketing and director of sales and marketing for The Westin St. John Resort & Villas. Before joining Starwood Caribbean Hotels & Resorts, Ms. Parisi held positions at major brands from Hilton Hotels to Intercontinental Hotels Group in several key markets including the Caribbean, New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Orlando, Cincinnati and West Palm Beach. Previously at Starwood, Ms. Parisi served as the director of sales and marketing for new builds and transitions as well as complex director of sales at the W Hotels of New York City. As area director of sales and marketing, Ms. Parisi oversees six properties: The Westin St. John Resort & Villas; The Westin Resort & Casino, Aruba; W Retreat & Spa, Vieques Island; Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort & Casino; Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel & Casino and The St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort, Puerto Rico. Among her duties, Ms. Parisi is primarily responsible for revenue and yield strategies along with directing and managing all catering and banquet sales activities. Within The Westin St. John Resort & Villas, Ms. Parisi develops sales initiatives, builds and maintains deep-rooted customer relationships, realizes strategies to meet and exceed guests' needs in leisure and group sales functions, and achieves the property's sales objectives.

Ms. Parisi can be contacted at 866-716-8108 or dawn.parisi@starwoodhotels.com

Coming up in March 2019...

Human Resources: An Era of Transition

Traditionally, the human resource department administers five key areas within a hotel operation - compliance, compensation and benefits, organizational dynamics, selection and retention, and training and development. However, HR professionals are also presently involved in culture-building activities, as well as implementing new employee on-boarding practices and engagement initiatives. As a result, HR professionals have been elevated to senior leadership status, creating value and profit within their organization. Still, they continue to face some intractable issues, including a shrinking talent pool and the need to recruit top-notch employees who are empowered to provide outstanding customer service. In order to attract top-tier talent, one option is to take advantage of recruitment opportunities offered through colleges and universities, especially if they have a hospitality major. This pool of prospective employees is likely to be better educated and more enthusiastic than walk-in hires. Also, once hired, there could be additional training and development opportunities that stem from an association with a college or university. Continuing education courses, business conferences, seminars and online instruction - all can be a valuable source of employee development opportunities. In addition to meeting recruitment demands in the present, HR professionals must also be forward-thinking, anticipating the skills that will be needed in the future to meet guest expectations. One such skill that is becoming increasingly valued is “resilience”, the ability to “go with the flow” and not become overwhelmed by the disruptive influences  of change and reinvention. In an era of transition—new technologies, expanding markets, consolidation of brands and businesses, and modifications in people's values and lifestyles - the capacity to remain flexible, nimble and resilient is a valuable skill to possess. The March Hotel Business Review will examine some of the strategies that HR professionals are employing to ensure that their hotel operations continue to thrive.

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