Guadalupe “Lupe” Mendoza, Hotel Nikko San Francisco
Known in the Housekeeping Department as the “Class Clown,” 15-year veteran of the Hotel Nikko San Francisco, Guadalupe “Lupe” Mendoza’s radiant smile, witty jokes and positive attitude brought a ray of sunshine to the hotel in the gloom of the 2009 economic downturn. During these challenging times, when so many have been asked to do so much with much less, Lupe’s upbeat attitude has helped keep morale high in her department, when it could have hit an all time low. With the reduction in hours due to falling guest occupancy, many of her less senior co-workers were in danger of losing their benefits. To help out, Lupe volunteered to give up some of her shifts to others. Her actions were contagious and other employees began to do the same. This self sacrifice was an incredible example of what teamwork is all about. As a result, none of the Nikko’s employees lost benefits due to not enough hours worked.
With staff reductions, Guest Comment Scores could have tanked. However, the exact opposite occurred with Lupe’s spirit and attitude. She never missed a beat and was an example to other staff members on how to roll up their sleeves, pitch in, get the job done and not only maintain but increase guest satisfaction. Housekeeping scores experienced 95% in 2009. Lupe’s efforts brought her the coveted 2009 Hotelier of the Year Award, and when she won, the first words out of her mouth were, “Viva La Housekeeping!” This sums up her attitude toward her co-workers, her department and her hotel.