by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
Each year, the Omni Hotels brand evaluates executives in each department of the 45 Omni hotels and resorts in North America and recognizes one director as the leader among his or her colleagues. At the recent annual corporate meeting in Fort Worth, Tex., Leslie Tune, director of operations at Downtown’s Omni Hotel, was the recipient of the “Ideal Director of Operations Award.”
She said a career in hospitality is the only one she ever wanted or even considered.
Tune’s father worked for Ford Motor Co.’s international division and the family traveled the world.
“I grew up in hotels. My first job was at a resort in Thailand,” she said.
After graduating from high school in Thailand, Tune headed to America and graduated from the hospitality program at Michigan State University. Then she went to work for Hyatt and spent eight years with that brand in Chicago, Atlanta and Miami.
Tune relocated to Jacksonville and went to work for the Omni in 2008 as director of rooms. She was later promoted to director of operations and oversees the food and beverage and rooms departments.
“I focus on taking care of our guests,” she said. “The best part of my job is meeting new people every day and knowing we’ve been able to make them happy while they’re a guest here.”
When asked about her career goal in the industry, Tune quickly replied, “general manager, of course.”
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