A Day In The Life Of Marisa Lopez-Fink

In the fast-paced and ever-evolving world of hospitality, my passion has always been for people. I approach everyday with humor and positivity – everyone should have a little fun while enjoying their day.

My day starts early at 8am by visiting my friends at our very own Provisions Coffee for a specialty drink we’ve titled “the sludge” which fuels my morning routine. Before our morning stand up I like to review any guest reported issues from the previous day and plan follow up with our Front Office Manager. We discuss our strategy for tonight’s sell out and the guest letter we’re sending out for window washing throughout the week. Thanks to our Guest Service at a Glance sheet, we’ve identified our incoming VIPs early and have assigned rooms for our housekeeping team to walk before arrival.

Then we’re off to the morning briefing with department heads at 9am, here we take a moment to recap what’s happening in every department for the day as well as any upcoming projects. This is a crucial time to discuss the day’s priorities, review our occupancy levels, and address any ongoing guest concerns. We’re just starting construction on our associate walkway and advise everyone on how to enter the building until completion. Then we all head back up to the floor.

Walking through the lobby, I take the time to engage with guests and team members alike, ensuring they get a solid “Welcome to your day!” Today I’m checking in with our valet team after a busy weekend making sure they’re stocked up on waters for arriving guests and the shuttle is making its rounds. While outside on the drive, I met a lovely gentleman who’s bringing his family next month from Mexico and we discuss what kind of local attractions they may enjoy.

Next, I head down to touch base with our housekeeping managers. We review our order guide to send off to accounting and ensure coverage is set for the departing rooms. Then it’s time to check in with our laundry provider and request an early delivery as we anticipate a large influx of arriving guests throughout the day.

After ordering our housekeeping and front desk supplies, it’s time for a one on one with my front office manager. Today’s topic is all about the upcoming schedule while we prep for a special local event next week. We’ve also just received our personalized Cambridge postcards as part of the hotel’s guest journey to enhance their stay. We get to work embossing them with our own logo so we can hand them out as a departure gift. This way our guests have a chance to write about a favorite memory during their trip!

After we knock out a few of those, I join the team for lunch in the employee cafeteria. We’re debuting our new café fridges with fresh ready meals daily, though not without a few bumps in the road, the team is quickly adapting to a new 24hr food offering.

Next up, my favorite time of the day! Time for problem resolution meeting. We gather one manager from each of our departments and sit down to review last week’s Medallia scores and strategize on ways to address our guest feedback. Recently, we implemented towel conservation signs into the guest bathrooms and tracked an increase in guest satisfaction especially with our cleanliness scores. Sometimes it’s the small things that make the biggest difference. We take a moment to celebrate the positive name mentions we’re tracking and make a note to congratulate the individuals who are making such a huge impact in our customer service score.