The Heart of Hospitality : Jess's Experience in the Industry
By Jason Grant
Feature Story
In the heart of every bustling hotel, amidst the clinking of glasses and the murmur of conversations, there exist a hidden world- a world of tireless dedication, unwavering hospitality, and boundless passion. Its a world inhabited by unsung heroes of the hospitality industry whose behind the scenes efforts ensure that every guest's experience is nothing short of exceptional. Join us as we step behind the front desk of a hospitality worker unraveling the mysteries of her daily routine and uncovering the stories that lead to her success.
Unlike any other, Jess's story is quite a unique one to tell, breaking into the industry after a vacation with family captivated her through the whole experience. This is where She discovered her love for the industry after vacationing with her family at DoubleTree by Hilton resort Downtown Nashville, Tennessee. Impressed by her trip she decided to explore the industry as a career field.
She stated that " That trip completely impressed me and I have never forgotten it. It opened my eyes to then understanding that there were actual jobs, careers and opportunities for when people plan vacations".
This tremendous journey has truly depicted the reality of what is possible through dedication, progress and searching for all the possibilities.
Her inspiring journey while still peaking has directed her at the tender age of 18 where she started her first full-time job working with Rafting in the Smokies in Hartford Tennessee. This marks her official entry into the tourism industry which majestically blossomed into 10 years working in the hotel business with Hilton and Marriott brands. Fast forward to the present, she's working with the Gatlinburg Convention & visitors Bureau/ Chamber of Commerce. Presenting a wider view of the tourism industry in Gatlinburg along with their overall goals.
Reaching such a peak in the Tourism Industry is not merely by chance but as some would put it, she's in alignment with her roots. The beauty of Jess's inspiring journey commenced with her great-great -great Grandfather who operated a ferry on the Pigeon River in Hartford Tennessee. He was committed to assisting people to cross the river with their supplies. Even more intriguing her next great-great-great Grandfather operated a store in Hartford known as "S.L. Laws and Sons". The lineage continues as more recently her grandad who she mentioned had passed in November of 2023, was the owner and operator a Edwina Grocery in the Edwina Community for more than 30 years.
" Hospitality and tourism is not something that I'm just passionate about, but it is also genetic and engrained in me. I come from a longline of people who find pure joy in making people feel welcome in East Tennessee."
As we know, in every industry there are certain required skills that are necessary to function and provide cutting edge experiences which can require training or in the case of few it comes naturally. In this case Jess told us that two essential skills that lead to her success in the industry are being organized and not procrastinating. Even though it might prove to be challenging at times because of the many distractions in the industry.
Meanwhile, working in the Tourism industry can be fun and create great opportunities, there are some instances when challenges do arise without a notice. The Covid19 pandemic was one of her most challenging moment in her journey as she puts it " I was employed during that time period and I was never laid off or furloughed, thankfully, but my day-day task looked completely different and my role was changed which became an adjustment".
Although, there are challenges a regular day in her office can look like visitors walking in to ask questions or receive recommendations maybe even directions around the strip. of course, office duties are pretty much the same, responding to emails and answering phone calls that are related to the area and working on different marketing projects related to the chamber membership. Also, "helping to host frontline programs, business after hours at Gatlinburg Business as well as grand opening or ribbon cuttings Dine and discover events.
There comes a point in the field when there is just no escaping the hard part. In the tourism industry there are a lot of requests and challenges when it comes on to the visitors, especially in her role at the chamber of Commerce. She handles visitors complaints when it comes to the chambers business, which she describes as being discouraging at times but fortunately she does not get a lot of complaints because most of the visitors loves the area and member businesses dearly. Luckily she's compassionate and understanding, because she understands that vacations are not cheap therefore she tries her best to resolve them.
speaking of challenges, lets look closer at the experience of handling large crowds and high expectations during peak seasons. Peak vacation seasons always tend to bring with it large crowds which is one of the good things about and for the industry. however, she stated that there are practices in place as well as policy and procedure for the large city events which can be difficult to navigate, but the end goal is to collect tourism tax dollars. "that happens more when we get large crowds.
The influx of people is what all tourism workers look forward to in peak seasons because this is where they earn their bread. The industry businesses collaborate to organize and create new experiences for the visitors which caters to all visitors and helps in creating a welcoming feeling.
There we have it a story from its start to peak, the mysteries of the tourism industry are reflected in the a typical day-day activities of ensuring guest get their money's worth and of course making a living within the industry.
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