Meet Deborah Rafferty
Director of Revenue Management
// Philadelphia, PA
Deborah first discovered Starwood magic at Disney. Seven years later, she’s
as passionate about her career as when she started. More
Q: When and how did you come to Starwood?
I moved to Orlando in 1999 and interviewed for the Sales Reporting Systems
Analyst (SRSA) position at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin, and was
hired within a week of the interview.
Q: What has been your progression through Starwood?
I stayed with the Swan and Dolphin for three years; all my moments there
stand out. I still say to this moment that it was my favorite place to
work. . .it was indeed magical. The reason I left? I wanted to return
home to Philadelphia. I made my way back north through a series of
opportunities which included being part of the SRSA Taskforce focused on the
Princeville Resort, Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers, Sheraton Arlington Park,
and the Diplomat Club & Spa. Then I assumed the same role with Westin Times
Square before becoming Director of Revenue Management for Sheraton Atlantic
City, later transitioning to the position of Director of Revenue Management
Sheraton Society Hill in Philadelphia in 2004.
Q: Can you describe your position?
The simple answer is that my focus is on maximizing overall hotel revenue,
but it’s really a daily and weekly check-in of several factors: My team needs
to understand the local market, what the pricing is of area hotels, where we
fit in that scale, what our forecasted occupancy is for a given period, and
then pooling that information to determine pricing. Because of these daily and
weekly meetings, we have made 2006 the best year in the history of Sheraton
Society Hill.
Q: What is your favorite thing about your job?
It is constantly evolving…new technology…brand culture…the cheese
constantly moves and I love it.
Q: What is the most satisfying part of your job?
Making sound decisions that benefit the owners, like Brand Culture Training,
and realizing we make the difference. It doesn’t matter how many times we
renovate our hotel…it is the people that really matter. It is the
experience that our guests go home with that keeps the memory lingering. It’s
important to the guest, and it’s also important to us, creating repeat business
and a cycle that benefits everyone involved—the guest, the staff, and the
company.
Career Paths
Information Technology/Systems
Starwood is a leader in the Hospitality industry in technology innovation.
Smart Rooms, Wireless Internet Access, Self Check-in Kiosk, and
state-of-the-art ERP systems are only a few technologies in place to improve
our guest & associate experience and there are many exciting career
opportunities in areas of Information Technology.
One of the key Information Technology positions at our hotels & resorts is the
IT Manager. The IT Manager is responsible for the implementation and the
ongoing operation of all installed computer systems. The position also
involves responsibility for ensuring data security – implementation of
corporate policies as well as end user training. Broadband and Telecom are an
integral part of the daily job responsibilities – where the IT manager
facilitates and extends HSIA and Telecommunication services for small and
large meetings and events. The IT Manager is expected to surface business
issues, propose new areas of opportunities in technology, and be a
problem-solver for the hotel management.
Sheraton offers a wide range of career growth for the IT professional. From IT
Manager the candidate can develop to a Director level with multiple hotel
responsibilities, and potentially an Area Director with Metro-level
responsibilities. Properties range in size and complexity, from small urban
properties to large convention properties and four-star, full service resorts.
The company also offers an exciting worldwide corporate career path through
Starwood’s subsidiary company Galaxy Hotel Systems, and it’s Corporate
Technology Office in disciplines such as property management system, sales
automation, web hosting and others.
Dozens of IT positions also exist at Starwood’s corporate and divisional
offices. From website development to systems support, a lot of work goes on
behind the scenes to make things run smoothly. Although there are too many
choices to list, please continue to explore the opportunities currently
available in Information Technology.
