Working from the bottom up

Here's an inspirational story from Eric A. Danziger, a 30-year veteran hotelier, who was just named president and CEO of the Wyndham Hotel Group.

Danziger started out in the hospitality industry as a bellman at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, and moved into more senior roles in general and regional management. He's been with Doubletree (now under the Hilton umbrella), Starwood (these guys control Sheraton and Westin) and Carlson (the parent company of the Regent hotels) , the latter two as president and CEO of the respective hotel companies. He then took a break from the hospitality industry to run two online companies, and he's back again. Excited and ready.

In his words, "I wanted to get back in the hotel industry for years. It was always who I was. It's in my blood. It's who I am."

That's the story. You gotta have passion to be in hospitality. You gotta love people. I really enjoy hearing about the career paths of different people in the industry, especially those who work from the bottom up. Another two inspirational figures are Ed Fuller, President of International Lodging at Marriott, who began as a night watchman, and Robert McCarthy, President of North American Lodging Operations at Marriott, who started as a waiter. It just goes to show, folks, if you love your job, you'll go far in your career, no matter where you begin.

Thanks for checking in, and I hope to see you again sometime.