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Spotlight

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Corporate Staff

Lynette Forde     

        Lynette joined MHI in 1998 as the one and only staff member in the  Accounts Payable department and she continues in that capacity today. She prides herself on her accuracy and her commitment to getting  her work done on time.   

        Managing the payables for 12 entities can be quite the daunting responsibility; requiring a balance of great attention to detail, time management and customer service.  Lynette's typical day finds her opening oversized envelopes filled with invoice batches sent from each property; entering the invoices into the Great Plains ™ software program, reconciling each batch and then filing the invoices for reference purposes.   She does the same for each invoice paid from the "Manager's Account".   Much of her day is spent fielding calls from vendors and property Controllers who are checking on the status of payments.  

     Wednesday is check cutting day; a day our property Controller's as well as our vendors look forward to each week.  The mailman dreads Thursday morning pick-up though; the average number of checks going out each week is between 500 and 1000!

   Lynette is the proud mother of two children, Tiffany Forde (23 years old) and Corey Clark (11 years old).  

         During her off hours, Lynette enjoys solving challenging crossword puzzles, traveling, trying new recipes, ballroom dancing and playing many different kinds of card games.  One of her favorites is  "All Fours" and originated  in Lynette's native country of Trinidad.  Learn the rules of the game here and see if you like it as well!

        We are proud to have Lynette as a valued member of our MHI Corporate team.  


Lynette Forde and her children.  
From left: Tiffany, Corey and Lynette.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Team Member

William Bryant
Hilton Savannah DeSoto

       William Bryant is Hilton Savannah DeSoto's  full-time lobby concierge.  Mr. B, as he is fondly referred to by fellow team members and guests, has been employed with the Hilton Savannah DeSoto for 37 years.  He began his tenure as a bellman in 1969, worked his way up to bell captain and took over lobby concierge ten years ago.  

        Mr. B is known around town as Hilton's "information extraordinaire" having welcomed presidents, movie stars and political figures.  He continues his unrivaled record of most positive comments recorded; receiving as many as fifteen positive comments from guests each and every week.  Hilton DeSoto's Human Resource Director, Mikell Holland, calls Mr. B our "Ambassador to Savannah"!

        Mr. B has one son, William, Jr. who is himself the father of three children who have in turn made Mr. B a great-grandfather three times over.   

        In March  2006, the local paper, The Savannah Morning News, published an article about Mr. B heralding his exemplary customer service.  To read this article please link here.

        Thank you Mr. B for your consistent example of southern hospitality at its very best.  We truly benefit from your wisdom and years of experience as you continue to welcome our guests to the Hilton Savannah DeSoto.
GM

  Rick Guttenberger
Hilton Wilmington Riverside

    

       Rick began his hotel career in Houston, TX working as a night auditor in a small hotel while attending the University of Houston.  Rick brings a wealth of hands-on experience to his role as General Manager of the Hilton Wilmington; having worked as a front desk clerk, bellman, accounting general cashier, assistant restaurant manager, reservations manager, sales manager, director of convention services and assistant GM.  At 30 years of age, Rick was offered his first GM's position and he has been a GM ever since! 

         The year following high school graduation helped form Rick's tremendous ability to relate to people.  Rick traveled North America staying with over 125 different families from all backgrounds and cultures.  This experience opened Rick's eyes to the richness of life that can be found when mind and heart are introduced to people of different heritages.   

         Rick has been married for 18 years to Denise and they have triplets! that they adopted when they were 22 months old from an orphanage in Seoul, Korea.  Harry, Jack and Lucy are now 14 years old and attend Isaac Bear High School in Wilmington; a University high school developed by the Bill Gates Foundation in conjunction with UNC-Wilmington and the State of North Carolina.  Jack and Harry are heavily involved in Eagle Scouts and Lucy is a competitive tennis player.  As I am sure you can imagine Denise is a busy stay-at-home Mom who is also one of the founders of the citywide Women's Ministry in Wilmington.    

        Rick's faith is central to his life and is like the hub of a bikes' wheel; all other aspects of his life; family, work and hobbies are like spokes in the wheel radiating from his central core. And like bikes' wheels, Rick believes in creating balance in all facets of his life to ensure the ride is mostly a smooth one.

        Rick particularly enjoys developing young managers and has created a program at the Hilton that provides the opportunity for team members who are interested in becoming managers.  See page 1 of this edition of the INNformer to read more about Rick's program at the Hilton Wilmington.   

       Rick collects hotel memorabilia and two of his favorite items are from hotels in Texas. The first is from an old hotel in Nacogdoches and is an old brass, mail/key box which houses 40 slots for guests mail and keys. The second item is a still-working black dial phone from a Six Flags hotel outside of Dallas.  Rick has it on his desk at home and got a real kick out of explaining to his children how to really "dial" a phone.  He also enjoys golfing, relaxing on the beach and traveling.  It's nice getting to know you Rick!            


Rick Guttenberger with his family in Charleston, SC in May of 2006.  Left to right:  Harry, Lucy, Denise, Jack and Rick.