Meet Danita Harth-Bates
Director of Rooms
// Chicago, IL
Helping people, first as a lawyer, and now as the Director of Rooms, has
always motivated Danita Harth-Bates. More>
Q: When and how did you get into the hospitality business?
After years practicing law, I was looking to do something different. My sister
and I had always talked about opening a restaurant, and to become familiar
with the industry, I signed up for a six week hospitality course, which in
addition to being interesting landed me a job at the front office at the
Chicago Hilton and Towers. I loved it, and decided that hotels, not
restaurants, were going to be my future.
Q: What has been your progression through Starwood?
I’d say pretty rapid. After 18 months at the Tremont and Raphael
Hotels, I was promoted to Rooms Manager at the Sheraton Chicago
Northwest, which was then known as the Sheraton Arlington Heights. And then
later that year I was promoted to General Manager. The year
after that I transferred to the Sheraton Gateway Suites O’Hare as General
Manager. At that stage, Sheraton Chicago asked me to become their Director of
Six Sigma, and I signed on and stayed there for two years, and then, wanting
to return to operations, I became the Director of Rooms for the Sheraton
Chicago.
Q: Your title is Director of Rooms, but what does that entail?
I oversee the Front Office, Housekeeping, Laundry, Bell Services, Security and
several smaller departments. I interact with guests regularly and work with my
teams to ensure we are providing the quality of service Sheraton guests expect.
Q: What is your favorite thing about working for Starwood?
Starwood’s willingness to take risks, to try new things, and
their ability to embrace change. The information and cross-company
communication is phenomenal.
College Recruiting: Management Training
Starwood offers a Management Training program for graduates that exposes
them to the places, people and practices that will help set the foundation for
success throughout their careers. Trainees concentrate in rooms, food and
beverage, culinary, revenue management, finance, convention services and sales,
and rotate through other areas in the hotel to learn from leaders in some of
the most successful Starwood properties. The length of training varies from 6
to 18 months depending on discipline. At the completion of the training, each
participant is placed into an assistant manager, manager or equivalent position
at the same hotel where they trained.
These opportunities are limited to current undergraduates attending school
with work authorization in the location of the position (U.S. or Canada).
Experienced, non-student candidates and those without appropriate work
authorization are invited to search for global
career opportunities.
At Starwood we have high expectations for each associate we hire. The
environment we create for our managers includes programs that provide:
- Training and development in functional areas, leadership skills and
rotational exposure
- Performance-based salary increases and bonuses
- Career planning to help get you into the next progressive set up
- Annual assessments of talent, skills to guide development
- Productive feedback from managers, direct reports and peers
- Opportunities for projects, task force assignments in other hotels
Fall 2008 Semester
Starwood is currently recruiting for Management Trainees who graduate
November-December 2008 or early 2009. Students who attend the schools listed on
our campus
schedule are advised contact their career services office for instructions,
and to complete an
online application in order to be considered.
Spring/May 2009 graduates are invited to complete an application in early
2009.
