Nora Gomez; from unemployed immigrant to hotel GM
Nora Gomez came from Colombia to the US in 2003 to study English. Working as a secretary for a construction company in Connecticut, she was suddenly laid off. Desperately, searching for a job…any job, she spotted a vacancy sign at the Hilton Garden Inn (operated by New Castle Hotels & Resorts), for a front-desk agent. Due to her previous secretarial experience in administrative work she landed the job. Applying for a new job; by chance, rather than according to a plan, propelled her along a career path that, eleven years later led her to become a General Manager. It is said that sometimes, the worst moments can define and change our lives for the better. How very true!
Not only did she get the job, she was also soon made administrative assistant - allowing her the opportunity to prove that she could handle increased responsibilities. Spending the next five years in that role, she recalls following all the Hilton trainings and began to enjoy the hotel trade. It was around that time that she made her next move in her career. Realising she now needed more experience in managing people and learn how it would feel to manage an entire department by herself, she informed her General Manager that she was ready for the next step in her career. It so happened that the Executive Housekeeper at the hotel was leaving and that paved the way for Nora to move into the top seat at Housekeeping.
As she grew familiar and confident in her role as the head of the housekeeping department, she made time to take classes at Norwalk Community College, eventually earning a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. At the same time, she was successful at securing her green card – doing all of this whilst bringing up two children as a single mum. “I was able to find the flexibility to be a mom, to go to school and better myself,” she said of the time, observing that unlike most companies, her employee’s willingness to adjust schedules to accommodate her educational and parenting needs was exemplary.
Seven years into her job, the hotel owners (New Castle) acquired a Holiday Inn Express. After converting the property into a Hampton Inn, they asked Nora to take up the position of Assistant General Manager – which was took another step up the ladder. “I was managing housekeeping, front desk, HR, accounting, all the overall operations of the hotel,” she recalled. In the hotel’s first year, it earned a Lighthouse Award – which Hilton bestows on the top 5 percent of Hampton hotels with high rankings in accommodations, service and quality. The hotel also reached the city’s top spot in TripAdvisor rankings during that first year too.
Her journey continued when New Castle offered Gomez a different kind of opportunity—managing the independent Westport Inn after years of operating under brand standards. “It was very different to come to an independent hotel,” she said. “I had more liberty in terms of what I could do with guests in terms of customer service, more freedom to be better.”
December will mark her 15-year anniversary with New Castle. “New Castle gave me an opportunity to grow,” she said. With no plans to leave any time soon, she goes on to add, “They assisted me with my education. They assisted me with my immigration status. They helped me to be a working mom. They give me support.” As a GM, Gomez focuses on providing the same support from her team that she has received from her company. “If my team needs me, I’m a phone call away. I consider myself a mentor. I want my team to know how great the industry is, and why I fell in love with it. I tell them my story and how I started at the front desk and now I’m a GM.”
Hospitality Sri Lanka
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