by Richard Prior
Staff Writer
There’s a lot more to this than just making sure there’s a fresh mint on the pillow.
Noel Salinas has been in Jacksonville for a month and a half, having been named the new executive assistant manager of the Adam’s Mark Hotel.
That means the second-ranking executive at the hotel won’t have to look far to find something to do.
Salinas doesn’t vacuum the rooms, sell souvenirs or greet guests at the front desk. But he does make sure that the 200 or so staff members responsible for those tasks perform them with a style that makes guests comfortable.
“I am the second in charge of all the departments, operating the entire hotel,” he said. “The Rooms Division is probably what I’m most responsible for. That’s the Housekeeping Department, front office, security, phone reservations, gift shop.
“It’s everything other than food and beverage.”
Salinas comes to Jacksonville from Mobile, Ala., where he was also the executive assistant manager at an Adam’s Mark.
“This is a promotion,” he said. “The Mobile property has 377 rooms. Here, I’ve moved up to a larger hotel, a much bigger operation — 966 rooms and 110,000 square feet of meeting space.”
Salinas actually is no stranger to Jacksonville, having been sent here three times while he was assigned to Mobile.
“I’ve come in to help with large conventions,” he said. “I got to see what the operation was like.
“I enjoyed the city and the staff. I love Jacksonville. It’s an exciting city. It’s very clean. And it’s a great location, central to a lot of great areas that aren’t too far from here.”
Before going to work for Adam’s Mark, Salinas was general manager for the Wyndham Hotels and Resorts in Atlanta.
A native of the Rio Grande Valley in south Texas, Salinas was majoring in business at the University of Texas at Austin when he discovered his life’s work.
“I started in the hotel business as a night auditor while I was going to college,” he said. “I ended up working in hotels full-time after that. I enjoyed it.”
The first company he worked for was Promise Hotels; the next was Wyndham.
Juggling schedules and managing a couple hundred different personalities are not so difficult . . . as long as there are good managers in charge, Salinas said.
“I’ve got strong department managers that work under me, and they do a good job,” he said. “I assist them with any issues they may have — groups that are coming in or staff issues.
“But you’re only as good as who you surround yourself with. We have a pretty talented crew here.”
The only changes, or tinkering, Salinas believes would be beneficial are to improve communication among departments.
“I’m working on trying to bring the teams together,” he said. “Helping improve communication between one department and another is key, providing them the tools to improve communication.
“I hope to be able to make that better. That’s going to be extremely helpful for us.”
Salinas and his wife, Berina, have three children: Jacob, 11; Ellis, 7; and their 5-year-old daughter, Sydney, “a diamond in the rough,” he said.
The family has been living at the Adam’s Mark while a new home is being built in Julington Creek. Salinas has been enjoying his stay at the hotel, but will be ready to move into their new place.
“Living in the hotel is great, but I’d like to have somewhere to send the kids when they get on my nerves,” he said with a laugh. “We should be able to close the end of the month, barring any hurricanes.”
Being assigned to Jacksonville is a promotion Salinas has been looking forward to since he got his temporary assignments.
“I’m very fortunate to have this job here,” he said. “This is a flagship hotel of the company. A beautiful hotel, a great staff.
“This was a hotel I always hoped to be assigned to. Eventually it happened. I’m real excited about it.”