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California Lodging News
www.calodging.comDonna Lowell
Tell us a little
about yourself
and background.
Growing up in Boston,
I was a huge sports fan
and had my eyes set
on a career as a sports
journalist covering
all my Boston teams.
Unfortunately, that
plan didn’t take shape so I took my career
aspirations to the phone company where
I developed my business skills in multiple
departments beginning as a directory assis-
tance operator.
With the divesture of the phone company
came an opportunity to transfer to a new
unregulated division, which called on my
entrepreneurial skills and forced me into a
position as an employee relations manager.
So what did I know about HR?
Nada
. During
this time I was a single parent to a seven
year old boy, living in Connecticut with no
family around and terrified that I would fail.
I enrolled in a human resources program at
Cornell University in New York City and over
the course of the next two years gained an
education as well as certification in Human
Resources!
How long have you been
the Director of HR at the Hyatt
Regency Indian Wells?
Retirement came calling after 26 years and that
was when I took my human resources knowl-
edge to the hospitality industry with Hyatt in
Boston. A hop, skip and a jump to the Hyatt in
Scottsdale for eight years and here I am at the
Hyatt Indian Wells Resort & Spa since 2013.
What challenges have you
encountered directing hR
at your property?
As other human resources professionals can
attest to, there are many challenges in our
Hotelier
Profile
Director of Human Resources, Hyatt Regency Indian Wells
field and we could write a book and develop it
into a sitcom for HBO but above all, we have
to agree that it’s the unknown each day when
we start work, the people we work with and
the satisfaction of making a difference in the
lives we serve every day. Its involvement in
the community, the spirit and energy of the
hospitality industry and how we help others to
be their best
!
What advice do you have for
those interested in entering
the hotel industry?
My advice to those looking to enter the hospi-
tality industry is to “work hard, respect others,
care for others, be honest and have fun!
What is your personal motto?
As HR professionals, even when we’re having a
challenging day, we have to remember “Some
people come in your life as blessings. Some
come in your life as lessons.” —Mother Teresa.
Many of my hospitality colleagues have cre-
ated both for me “a blessing and a lesson.”