www.calodging.com January/February 2023 15 he Industry Outstanding General Manager, Small Property Kurt Bjorkman, The Ranch at Laguna Beach If you look up the word hospitality in the dictionary, Kurt Bjorkman’s name will be listed. Kurt lives and breathes hospitality and has a true heart. For Kurt, service starts with taking care of his team. In Kurt’s words “In order to take care of our guests, we need to take care of each other first.” An example of this is Kurt never wants to see a team member be stressed on the job, either due to high business levels, short on staff, or a team member that encounters a discerning guest. With this Kurt has trained in each department to learn the jobs, so if we are down a team member or are busy, he can easily step in to relieve the staff and serve our guests. If there’s a guest that needs special attention, Kurt is the first to step in and smooth things over, while not undermining our staff or taking credit for resolving and issue. Kurt’s servant heart doesn’t stop with serving guests. He’s also very passionate about sustainability and has put in to place many sustainability programs. In a nutshell, Kurt is one of us, he’s on our level and is admired and adored by all his team. He is kind, thoughtful, generous, and welcoming. He really is the true definition of hospitality.” Outstanding General Manager, Medium Property Chris Sommers, Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa Within a year of taking his position, Chris had to make the heartbreaking decision to close the property due to the pandemic. While this was the most difficult time of his career, he advocated for the hourly associates, he oversaw the distribution of food to staff as the kitchen closed, and then spent the next two months patrolling each day to ensure the property was secured during the closure. He personally filled bags with food and essentials, such as toilet paper and hand sanitizers, in preparation for delivery to the hotel associates. When the hotel reopened, he was there to greet associates who were returning and, on many days, he was working alongside them—clearing tables, folding towels, and parking cars. Throughout it all, he maintained a positive attitude and his encouraging spirit helped the staff get comfortable in the new paradigm of mandatory masks, social distancing, and deep cleaning. Chris’ leadership has also been instrumental in growing our management staff. He continually challenges them with a “you can do it” spirit. While other properties struggle to staff and are unable to reopen fully, Chris focused all efforts to safely open as many services as possible with the end goal of rehiring as many associates as possible and getting the team back to work. Chris has the heart and passion of a true hotelier.
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