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Corporate Staff

Gerard Sotingfong

       Gerard joined MHI as a property controller at the Best Western in Arlington, Virginia in 1992 and quickly became known as our most meticulous controller with an uncanny ability to reconcile everything down to the penny, even uncovering errors in spreadsheets that the corporate accounting staff had made!  Needless to say, at the first opportunity, Gerard was offered a position in the MHI corporate office. 

Gerard's workday starts every morning with a long commute to Greenbelt, Maryland from his home in Fairfax, Virginia.  This is Gerard's least favorite aspect of working for MHI.  Once he is here though, Gerard is ready to get started.  Gerard  manages and oversees the full accounting process for six MHI properties, using his strong attention to detail to ensure accuracy at every step.  We have Gerard to thank for the  design and implementation of the MHI Turnover Report as well as spearheading the implementation of new procedures to improve day to day accounting for all company banking activity.   

Gerard has been married to his wife Kathleen for 25 years and they are proud parents to Dennis (21 years of age) and Aline (18 years of age).  Kathleen is a Resource Administrator at the World Bank and both children attend the University of Virginia.  Dennis is a junior studying aerospace engineering and Aline is a freshman studying chemistry with an interest in pharmacology.  

During his off hours Gerard enjoys traveling and learning about different cultures.  He is famous for his three-week trips to his birthplace to visit family in Mauritius.  After visiting their website you will wonder why Gerard ever left!  When back in the states, he especially misses the smaller, juicier pineapple that is found in Mauritius and the delicious red lentil pancakes he enjoys at local Indian restaurants.  Link here to find a  recipe to try the cakes yourself.  

   Gerard spends many hours at home on projects around the house and is justifiably proud that he completely finished his basement by himself.  Gerard also enjoys movies; a few of his favorites are "Mrs. Doubtfire", "The Rock" and "The Illusionist", which he highly recommends. 

Congratulations, Gerard on beginning your 15th year as a integral member of the MHI Team.  We couldn't do it without you!

Gerard Sotingfong and his family on a visit to Mauritius. 
Left to right: Dennis, Aline, Gerard and Kathleen.  
Team Member

Darrell Marshall, Sr. 
 Crowne Plaza Jacksonville
 By: Thea Pugliese, HR Director-Crowne Plaza Jacksonville

WHO LET THE DAWG OUT?

When Darrell Marshall, self-proclaimed "DAWG", is on the run at The Crowne Plaza Jacksonville Riverfront nothing can stop him!  Darrell is officially our Receiving Agent, however his list of unofficial titles is growing longer than the stride of a Great Dane.  On one busy day in particular, Darrell donned four different uniforms in a matter of hours.

After receiving early produce deliveries in his regular job, Darrell jumped into the culinary "black and whites" and cooked breakfast in the American Grill. Then he morphed into a Banquet House person and set-up and broke-down banquet rooms before running down to the cafeteria to serve the employee lunch. After, he hit the banquet hot line again to help put out a buffet. Then he suited up in a plastic apron and got behind the HOBART to fill in for the dishwasher, all the while receiving and disbursing Fed-EX and UPS deliveries galore.

While this specific day was unusual, Darrell's response to it was not. No matter how busy he is he always has time to help anyone and everyone who needs him. Darrell's signature is his smile and his vibrant songs can always be heard above the din of the back of the house. In the last 12 months he has made himself known as the team "morale booster", the "go-to guy" and a true believer in "there is no such thing as It's Not My Job!"  But that is not all - Darrell is also a key member of our Brand Champion Team and has been instrumental in starting up our Green Team (recycling program). 

But most surprising of all is that Darrell came to us of his own accord from our biggest competitor. Therefore, we would like to send THEM the biggest thank you bouquet for "letting the DAWG out" because we are so ecstatic that he found his new home with us!

On a personal note, Darrell is also extremely involved helping out at the school where his wife Monique works, Rutledge Pearson Elementary. He is also a proud dad to Timothy (12 years old) who is home schooled by his Mom.   

During his "few" hours of  personal time, Darrell enjoys cooking, watching sports (especially the Tampa Bay Buccaneers!) and music.  

Thanks for having such a positive impact on our team at the Crowne Plaza Jacksonville.  We like your style!

General Manager

Don Meaux
Shell Island Beach Resort

       After a stint serving his country as a Marine in the mid-1970's,  Don Meaux began his career in hospitality at the Princess Anne Inn in Fredericksburg, Virginia..  He continued managing small interstate properties in Richmond, Virginia.  In 1988 Don was the Vice President and General Manager of the AAA-Five Diamond- Commonwealth Park Suite Hotel and then moved on to Assistant General Manager at the AAA-Five Diamond- Jefferson Hotel also in Richmond.  Don finally joined MHI in 1994 as the General Manager of the Fairfield Inn in Williamsburg, Virginia.   He was instrumental in opening the Hilton Philadelphia Airport and then took over as the General Manager at the Holiday Inn Downtown in Williamsburg, Virginia and steered their course from 1994 through the end of 2000. 

In January 2001, Don took the helm at Shell Island Beach Resort in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina handily guiding the team, the homeowners and guests through challenging times as two significant hurricanes wreaked devastation and caused the loss of a good portion of the beach where the property stands.   

Don and his brother Rob recently enjoyed joining their parents, Joseph and Caroline Meaux to celebrate their 55th wedding anniversary. Don has two sons- Brett (18 years of age) and Ryan (16 years of age). 

Don and two other  MHI Don's (Walker and Bradley) have established a yearly tradition of meeting in North Carolina for a buddies golfing trip one weekend in March.  They are joined by some of Don Meaux's non-MHI affiliated friends as well.  This is a trip the men look forward to each year with great anticipation.  

In addition to golfing, Don enjoys fishing, music and coin collecting.  His favorite coins are two 1877 Indian head pennies he bought many years ago for a relatively small sum and has watched grow in value tremendously. 

Being a former DJ, Don enjoys all types of music but is partial to classic rock and Motown.  He especially enjoys  The Eagles, Aerosmith, The Temptations and The Four Tops.  While a GM in Richmond he had the pleasure of hosting ZZ Top and Sinbad who threw a "pajama party".  Don says it was a weekend that "will go down in history".  

  We wish you many more weekends, that "go down in history" and here's to many more years in the MHI family.


Don Meaux hard at work at Shell Island Beach Resort.