Meet Our InTown Leaders!
At InTown Suites, it’s all about making a connection with our guests! To make that connection even stronger we want you to get to know us a little better. We sat down with some of our property managers for some Q&A on what it’s like to work at InTown, guest experiences, and upcoming renovations. Let’s see what they have to say!
Meet Our InTown Leaders:
Chris Wilson, Regional VP of Operations, employed with InTown Suites 12 years
Jennifer Pintus, Dallas Market Regional Operations Manager, employed with InTown Suites 9 years
Carolina Lagos, Houston, TX – Stafford General Manager, employed with InTown Suites 8 years
Ben Thomas, Orlando, FL – University Blvd UCF General Manager, employed with InTown Suites 11 years
What do you enjoy most about your job?
Chris – What I enjoy most about my job is the people I work with.
Jennifer – That’s easy! Hands down it’s my team!
Carolina – What I like about my job is seeing happy guests and making them feel right at home.
Ben – What I enjoy most is looking forward to working with my wonderful staff. Plus resting on Sundays and four weeks vacation is a nice bonus too.
What do you feel sets InTown Suites apart from other hotels?
Chris – There’s a lot I could say, but in the end, it’s our people, our model, and our standards.
Jennifer – How small our teams are. It really sets us aside from the rest and makes InTown feel like a family.
Carolina – What sets InTown apart from other hotels is our teamwork.
Ben – It’s simple, we truly care about our people.
What do you feel is the most important thing InTown offers to its guests?
Chris – Overall, it’s our values and what our guests receive from their money.
Jennifer – Comfortable rooms at an affordable price, along with a friendly smile from our team.
Carolina – Our guarantee of a safe, secure, and clean environment.
Ben – Security, safety, cleanliness. Plus treating our guests with love and respect in a professional way.
Can you share any unique experiences you’ve had with guests?
Jennifer – Often, I am stopped by guests when I’m at a property doing walks. I love hearing stories about how they ended up at InTown Suites and how they enjoyed their stay. I can’t pinpoint just one, but it always makes me feel good that our teams are making the guest’s transition in life much easier and giving them a great environment to stay while doing so.
Carolina – Recently, I had a guest whose husband was going through dialysis. When he was at the hospital she felt the need to talk and sometimes even a hug. When that happened, she would look for me. In the end, I like it when guests feel that they have a friend in me.
Ben – I remember a guest going for a job interview and her asking for prayer before she left. I happily obliged, and hours later she came back with a huge grin. With tears in her eyes, she told me she got the job.
Can you tell us about the recent renovation efforts at the property?
Chris – All properties have/will receive exterior renovations to enhance the curb appeal of the property. A handful of properties have received upgraded landscaping. A small group of properties are being touched at different levels regarding interior renovations. Interior renovations are decided by the return we feel we can get from operations.
Jennifer – We just wrapped up the exterior renovations for Dallas. It has given a fresh look and updated our properties. RFS (North Richland Hills) has received beautiful landscaping and is beginning an interior renovation, which we are all very excited about!
Ben – Our Orlando property is still very fresh. They haven’t even started gutting yet, but the communication so far has been excellent.
What role did you have in the renovation?
Chris – I contributed to providing constructive feedback and overseeing the outcome. I was also involved in rate discussion, to ultimately see what we feel we can get a return on and why.
Jennifer – I have been very hands-on during this project. We had 12 properties in the Dallas area undergoing exterior renovations all at once. I built great relationships with the different contractors we used. Plus my team (as well as myself) have learned a lot about the renovation process.
Carolina – My role was focused on keeping everyone informed on what’s going on.
How do you think recent renovations will affect existing and future guests of InTown Suites?
Chris – Providing our guests with a better product than the competition, and making InTown a more desirable solution to long term stay compared to our competitors.
Jennifer – We have already had positive feedback from our guests regarding how fresh and clean it looks outside. They love the new look and I think it will bring a stronger appeal to our properties for future guests.
Carolina – I think this is exactly what we were looking for. Guests that have been here a while will be happy to see the rooms get renovated.
For a deeper dive into our new renovations check out our recently renovated page, and don’t forget to keep up with our weekly Around Town Blog!