by Amy Limbert
Staff Writer
The new general manager at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront, formerly the Adam’s Mark, says no major changes are imminent.
Phil Tufano, 42, said that while the signage is being changed, no other big changes have been made concerning the hotel or its restaurant and bar. He said that new programs will be implemented gradually, over the next couple of years.
As far as business goes, Tufano says the riverfront hotel has already booked five national conventions, with 35 more leads from national sales.
This Hyatt is the 10th or 11th largest in the hotel chain, he said. It will be a conference hotel, with 70 percent of its business coming from groups and 30 percent from individual travel.
Tufano came to this hotel from a Hyatt in Bethesda, Md., where he also was general manager. He’s built his career with the hotel chain, also previously serving as a general manager at a Hyatt in Atlanta. Before that, he held various positions including senior executive assistant manager, front office manager and executive housekeeper at hotels in Orlando, San Antonio, Palm Springs, Calif., Scottsdale Ariz., New York City, Palm Beach and Aruba.
“I’ve been with the Hyatt for 20 years,” he said. “The reason I’ve stayed so long is because Hyatt has maintained a progressive attitude and an image that is very people-oriented, with both customer service and employees.”
Although it is not unusual for hotel managers to relocate every few years, Tufano, whose wife and children will be moving to Jacksonville when the school year concludes, says he plans to make this his home for quite a while.