Moments of Greatness — a destination marketing organization (DMO) deserving of a spotlight and applause. For our very first Moments of Greatness, we are featuring Stevens Point Area and their willingness to go above and beyond to improve their destination.
On Friday, July 23, Stevens Point Area staff stepped up in a time of need to make a difference in their local community. The DMO team visited one of their partner hotels to help combat understaffing and get the local Holiday Inn ready for a busy weekend.
Like many communities, businesses in the Stevens Point Area are experiencing staffing shortages — especially with hotels and catering for events. With a quick flip of the entire property, it was an all-hands-on-deck situation and the Stevens Point Area staff was happy to jump in where needed to help the hotel better prepare. Melissa Sabel and Hannah Klein from the Stevens Point Area Convention & Visitors Bureau team were put to work doing laundry and preparing rooms for the weekend guests.
We asked Melissa and Hannah about their experience working in the hotel staff’s shoes:
What encouraged you to lend a hand to the local hotel?
When you get an SOS call from a local partner, with a difficult flip in light of the current COVID-related staffing shortages, you know it is time for all hands on deck! Our hotel partner was hosting a long-standing week-long event and had to flip all of the rooms on property for a full weekend — creating a time crunch. Hannah and I agreed to step in and help.
– Melissa Sabel, Stevens Point Area
What type of tasks did you complete?
After a quick briefing, the teams were divided up to handle different tasks to make this as efficient as possible. With 149 rooms on property, there was a long list of to-dos! To start, we headed to housekeeping for supplies and loaded up on clean and folded bedding … Amy (the hotel’s general manager) taught us everything we needed to know for making beds, from fitted sheets to pillow cases. We hit the ground running, found our rhythm along the way, and even mastered the duvet covers!
– Hannah Klein, Stevens Point Area
Why was it meaningful for you to help?
It’s all about doing what needs to be done to support our local industry. This time, it was making beds. But, as an organization (and an individual), it is necessary to recognize the challenges we face — and come up with creative ways to address them. Not only has the general manager been a strong advocate for the tourism industry for over a decade, she has become a friend.
– Melissa Sabel, Stevens Point Area
It was meaningful to help a partner who has always been such a big supporter of the local tourism industry. We are lucky to live in a community that rallies around each other in times of need, and this is just one example of that. Their success is our success.
– Hannah Klein, Stevens Point Area
What takeaways did the team get from working at the hotel?
Overall, it brought a new appreciation to the work that goes behind the scenes to influence a positive guest experience in the destination. It was also a reminder that no single job, front or back of house, is more important than another. It only works when everyone works together! It truly takes a village to be successful.
– Melissa Sabel, Stevens Point Area
