Team Members’ Initiative Drives OTO Forward

With CDC guidelines slowly relaxing as case counts decrease, the tourism economy is beginning to pick up its pace. OTO Development has already seen occupancy numbers rise, signaling the dawning of the travel and hospitality industry’s recovery.  Year-to-date, OTO properties are operating at over 67% occupancy, more than 15 percentage points higher than the U.S. industry average.

The team at OTO is more energized than ever, as the past 15 months have showcased how much value can be created when team members come together to tackle challenges with a solution-oriented approach.

For example, New York was one of the hardest hit markets over the past year, but that didn’t stop Christine Velez, Area Senior Sales Manager for the AC Times Square and Hampton Inn Times Square, from leading her team forward. Not only did she take on any task that needed to be done, including cleaning rooms, working the front desk, and filling in anywhere needed at the Fairfield Inn and Suites Penn Station, but she continued the work of her official role – driving new business to fill rooms. When the FFI Penn Station was sold, she moved over to join the team at the Hampton Inn and AC Times Square and immediately began thinking outside the box to find new clientele. She and the team created a daily walk schedule that they have stuck to, to this day, no matter the weather. She’s hunted down restaurant opening teams, store openings, and film crews, and she’s even worked her way into high rises by talking with the security teams. At this point, it’s possible she has befriended every security company in the city – so much so, that one gave her one of their company hard hats in PINK – made especially for her!

“Christine embodies initiative – any opportunity for business, she jumps in headfirst. Her energy is contagious, and her drive is unwavering,” says Lisa.

Likewise, back in the corporate office, Jordan Trolinger, Senior Brand Marketing Manager, wrestled with how to maintain OTO’s unwavering commitment to producing a high-quality product while managing expense reduction.  She jumped in immediately to assist the sales teams by creating hundreds of flyers that team members like Christine could use while pounding the pavement, redesigning menus and collateral with QR codes, and stepping in to help with public relations.  Jordan even learned how to create websites for OTO’s new restaurant projects to save money on outsourcing, saving the company thousands of dollars in the process.  In her latest creative endeavor of bringing the Coconut Charlie’s brand to life, the beach bar at the Hilton Garden Inn St. Pete Beach that is affectionately named for Charlie King, CFO of OTO, Jordan found an inexpensive illustrator service to create the brand’s persona (and the likeness is uncanny)!

Lisa says, “Jordan’s initiative and resourcefulness have allowed OTO to maintain our same standards of excellence while saving money during a time when marketing was as important as ever.”

These are just two examples of incredible initiative at work among OTO’s team. As OTO opens new hotels in business and leisure markets while the hospitality economy recovers, it will continue to be the team’s initiative, drive, and teamwork that allows them to outperform the U.S. travel industry.