[caption id="attachment_1276" align="alignright" width="150"] Starbucks' Staff[/caption] Starbucks at St. Rita’s Medical Center in Lima, OH celebrated five years of coffee magic today, Friday March 22, 2013. The celebration included live music, beverage sampling, a gift basket raffle, guest baristas and miles of smiles shared by associates and...

[caption id="attachment_659" align="alignright" width="150"] 2012 Valentine Memorial Scholarship winner Jacob Kuna and Vice President of Operations Jeff Johnson. Click the image to watch a video of the surprise presentation![/caption] Today’s blog entry was written by Jackie Harris-Harrell, Towne Park’s Vice President of Diversity Inclusion On behalf of The Foundation, I am pleased to announce Jacob Kuna as 2012’s Valentine Memorial Scholarship winner!  Selected from 19 applicants by Towne Park’s Educational Testing Service Scholarship & Recognition Program Review Committee, Jacob joined Towne Park in January 2011 as a Guest Service Associate at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown.  A full-time student entering his junior year at Arizona State University, Jacob is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology. Please Read More from Jeff Johnson, Vice President of Operations, about how Jacob’s family and many of his Towne Park teammates surprised him with this award!

[caption id="attachment_623" align="alignright" width="150"] Discovered Treasure on display at the Sheraton Society Hill![/caption] During any vacation, children are at their most boisterous during check-in.  They’ve been patiently (… or impatiently) waiting to begin their holiday, and now they’re so close they can taste it.  Getting that room key remains the final obstacle before vacation really begins.  One minute you’re at the concierge desk checking in, the next minute you’re apologizing to other guests for your children’s cannon balls into the pool! If you’re traveling to Philadelphia, Towne Park Account Manager Ahmad Farooq at Sheraton Society Hill has made check-in a little easier for you - and much more fun for your kids - by creating a Children’s Amenity Program for arriving guests.

Account Manager Paul Goldsholl and his team at Baltimore’s Pier 5 Hotel made history in March when they recorded the highest scoring month for client metrics in the hotel’s history with a 98.2% score! “It was all about going BEYOND parking cars or loading luggage every shift to directly improve the experience for guests at the hotel,” Paul said.  “We instituted required commitments, such as making dinner reservations, sending families with young children to the new pinball museum, handwriting letters to guests for special occasions and using “chin-ups” to create a positive impression with guests who didn’t use valet but still encountered our associates as they came through the doors.” Additionally, the Pier 5 team was able to achieve their goal of SILVER CERTIFICATION in Franklin Covey’s Four Disciplines of Execution Process.

[caption id="attachment_599" align="alignright" width="150"] Sandra on stage at the Inn Key Awards[/caption] We pride ourselves on the talented and diverse associates that inhabit Towne Park Nation.  Sandra Mejia, a Towne Park Bell Person at the Embassy Suites Miami International Airport, embodies an exemplary associate as showcased by her recent nomination for Bell Person of the Year at the Greater Miami & The Beaches Hotel Association 18th Annual Inn Key Awards on April 19, 2012 - the only woman to receive such an honor. Nominated by the Embassy Suites’ General Manager as a result of her obvious passion for helping others, Sandra received her honor while proudly representing Towne Park in front of over a thousand hospitality professionals in South Florida. Towne Park’s Account Manager at Embassy Suites, Hanner Aguilar, was beaming with immense pride as he recounts his experience seeing Sandra accepting her nomination.  “It was a great feeling to see one of my team members from the Embassy Suites Miami International Airport receive such a prestigious honor.  As the only female to receive this distinction, Sandra’s story truly reflects Towne Park’s efforts in becoming more diversified!”

[caption id="attachment_576" align="alignright" width="150"] Towne Green's Pledge Tree[/caption] Towne Park’s environmental council, Towne Green, kicked off Earth Day weekend with a celebration in the corporate office last Friday! In honor of the holiday, Towne Park associates were encouraged to wear their green shirts to work while members of the Towne Green Council wore 100% organic shirts of their own, with “Painting the Towne Green” emblazoned across the back to help spread their mission of raising environmental awareness in the community.