Above and Beyond Foundation gives Hero of Hospitality award to Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch employee
$5k awarded to Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch employee
Above and Beyond Foundation/Courtesy photo
Hospitality is what makes this valley tick. Without the men and women who take care of the guests, resorts like Vail and Beaver Creek and the surrounding communities could not survive.
The Above and Beyond Foundation, founded by Vail resident Mary Jo Blythe, awards hospitality front-line workers that go above and beyond in their job consistently or have performed a single phenomenal act of service.
“We’ve had previous winners deliver a baby in the hotel parking garage, save a person’s life, we even honored the housekeeper that found the arsenal of guns in a Denver hotel room during the All-Star baseball game last year,” Blythe said.
The Above and Beyond Foundation targets hospitality industry conferences occurring around the Americas, Mexico and the Caribbean, and uses that as a forum to give out awards.
“We contact the management of the hospitality industry companies involved in producing those conferences, so the nomination number is tied to those events. Our board of directors reviews the nominations and then selects the winners,” Blythe said. Since it was founded in 2018, over $800,000 has been given out to front-line hospitality workers all over the world.
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The foundation presented a $5,000 Hero of Hospitality award to an employee of the Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch on June 20 during a hospitality industry conference being held at the property. Soledad Villalobos, a 10-year employee with the hotel, was surprised when the award was presented to her since the workers don’t know about it until they show up at the event.
“I felt truly surprised! I never imagined winning something like this. I always do my job without ever expecting anything. So many questions came to my head; I was looking at the check and all I thought was, ‘Is this real?!’ I’m enormously grateful for this gesture and it means so much to me,” Villalobos said.
Villalobos has been a utility player at the Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch, serving in many roles at the hotel. From being a restaurant and banquet server, a barista and food runner, to helping out as a spa attendant, pool attendant, and the front desk, she jumps in and helps wherever it is needed. Villalobos’ human resources director, Clariseli Acosta, said she always does her work with a smile on her face.
“She takes time to listen to the guests and creates an environment of belonging and kindness for all. To Soledad, her coworkers are her family, and she is excited to come into work every day wondering what can I do today to brighten up someone else’s day,” Acosta wrote on the nomination form.
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Villalobos credits her work ethic and upbeat attitude to her upbringing.
“I come from a family that taught me to always work hard and my mother always told me to do a good job the first time or else I will have to do it again a second time. If we put our heart and passion into our work, there is a greater satisfaction. I love my job and it’s a way I thank God!” Villalobos said.
Blythe was a professional in the meetings and events industry for over three decades and saw the importance of the front-line workers’ role in the outcome of a successful meeting or event and also leisure travel.
“I felt the need to create a way to give back to these amazing individuals that work so hard day in and day out, with a smile on their face, in an industry that pays less than others available to them. To be able to honor them in front of their peers and give them a monetary award, it signifies to these individuals that the professionals in the industry do notice and care about them and want to show appreciation for all they do to support the industry,” Blythe said.
To learn more about The Above and Beyond Foundation, go to TAABF.org.
