by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
After more than seven years working at luxury hotels on the west coast of Florida, Dave Disalvo, the new director of sales and marketing at the Omni, has brought a fresh set of eyes to Downtown.
“I’m thoroughly impressed with Downtown Jacksonville compared to Tampa,” he said. “It’s really vibrant.”
Disalvo, a native of Pittsburgh, has spent 36 years in the hospitality business. His first job was clearing tables in a hotel restaurant and that led to a career that included the food & beverage and catering departments before he moved into the sales side of the business.
“You have to have a passion for hospitality. We take care of our guests because we never forget they are in our home,” said Disalvo.
After four years in Tampa working for another international luxury hotel corporation, Disalvo said coming to the Omni and Downtown has been quite a change. He also said working at a hotel that has flown the same brand flag since it opened more than 20 years ago is also a new experience.
“I’m very happy to be with Omni. It’s small and privately owned and every hotel is different. It’s nice to have owners who are in the hotel business instead of in the real estate business with hotels on the properties,” added Disalvo.
The Omni being Downtown offers nearby amenities that impress Disalvo when it comes to marketing the hotel to potential business, convention guests and leisure travel guests.
“Having the symphony and the Artist Series perform across the street is great for the hotel. Having the Landing a short walk away is also a great advantage,” he said. “I went over there one night to watch my Steelers play and there was no place to park. It’s not like that in downtown Tampa.”
Disalvo is living in the hotel until he settles on the right neighborhood following the relocation from Tampa, so he has gotten a taste of what it’s like to be able to take advantage of what the neighborhood has to offer.
“Any challenges involved with having to get a car to go somewhere are eliminated in the Downtown Jacksonville market,” he said and added he’s particularly impressed with being able to go to restaurants on the Southbank on the water taxi. The Omni being located close to the area’s other recreational and entertainment venues is also a plus when it comes to marketing the property.
“There’s pro football and baseball and Downtown is a half-hour drive from some of the best golf in the country. This is a remarkable destination,” said Disalvo.
One of the events that takes place Downtown every year also made quite an impression on Disalvo, who arrived in Jacksonville just before the Florida-Georgia weekend.
“The news media was trying for the angle of the hotels not being full this year, but we did good business. Go to a downtown hotel in any other city on Halloween weekend if you want to see a hotel that’s not full. Don’t look at what you don’t have, look at what you have,” he said.
Another thing Disalvo discovered when he arrived at the Omni is the work atmosphere among the staff, some of whom have worked at the hotel since the day it opened. That’s virtually unheard of in the hospitality industry.
”The location of the hotel and the great team we have is a wonderful opportunity. Nobody here comes to work just for a paycheck,” he said. “One of my responsibilities is to make sure everyone who works here remains employed and I’m getting great support in that mission.”
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