Henley and Aertson Hotel Win Three Awards at the GNHA Stars of the Industry Awards Ceremony

The Kimpton Aertson Hotel and Henley Nashville, a Kimpton restaurant, need to make more room on their trophy shelf for three new awards the team won this week at the Greater Nashville Hospitality Association Stars of the Industry Awards. Mark Hayes, the General Manager of Aertson Hotel, and James Garrido, the General Manager of Henley, walked away winning Good Earth Keeping for the hotel, General Manager of the Year for the hotel, and Manager of the Year for the restaurant.

The Kimpton Aertson property goes above and beyond to ensure they are as environmentally friendly as possible. You could say that it is a way of life on property as the building itself is built to LEAD standards.

The Housekeeping department plays the largest role. They go against the industry norms by leaving window blinds open when cleaning rooms. This cuts back on light bulb energy by allowing natural light in. This department also participates in the Clean The World initiative by sending used soup to be sanitize and repurpose for those in need. In addition, a towel reuse program is also in effect. Through this program the Room Attendants will not replace towels that are hanging. In order to receive clean towels, they must be on the floor or a special request must be made.

The in-room lighting system for this property is very unique. In order to help conserve energy, lights must be activated in order to be used. Activation occurs when a guest key card is inserted into a slot, which is conveniently located by the front door.

The property does not utilize the standard sized shampoo, conditioner, and body wash amenity bottles. Large 16-ounce bath amenity bottles take their place. These bottles are also refillable; therefore, reducing the plastic bottle waste.

Finally, Aertson’s on-site restaurant, Henley participates in the property’s “Green Mindset.” Henley does not offer guests the standard beverage napkins but utilizes reusable coasts. In addition, Henley does not use plastic straws. Both of these changes drastically reduce Henley’s daily paper waste.

Mark Hayes was awarded General Manager of the Year. Within the first year of opening, Mark and his managers scored an unheard of 97% approval rating from their employees during the annual Employee Opinion Survey. James Garrido said the following about Mark, “Besides being a kindhearted, service-driven professional, Mark is a lead-by-example machine. You can find him personally greeting our guests in the lobby, working Sundays and helping pick up towels at the pool, or using our floor buffer to polish up the building before a big weekend. He is hilarious and kind, personable and fair. He is whipsmart with the best memory I have ever come across. It isn’t often that a hotel general manager can just as competently describe a dish as a restaurant server. But he’s that dude!”

When bragging about James Garrido, Jon Howard, Henley’s Restaurant Manager, had the following to say in Garrido’s nomination for Manager of the Year in the restaurant category, “There is so much that makes James such a dynamic manager and friend. He is selfless in how he sees his staff, always wanting the best for us in life, job and everywhere in between. When we don’t want to get up for the challenge, he either helps us rise up and take on the day or understands it isn’t going to happen and finds a way to do what is best for us mostly sacrificing his own time to do so. He is forever positive. He walks into a room clapping, making his presence known and at the same time making us all feel more energized and appreciated. He never yells or reprimands and somehow always gets the absolute best from his team. As he says he uses honey. This has been scattered but there is so much to say and so much I didn’t say. But the most important things is that James Garrido cares more about me than most people in my life, and I would not have made it through the last 12-months without him.”

Congrats to the Kimpton staff who made these awards possible and for the leadership of James and Mark who were able to win in their respected categories!