When the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront is fully booked for an event like next week's Florida-Georgia football game, there are nearly 4,000 people, including guests and staff, inhabiting a two-square-block area. That's equal to the population of Macclenny or the number of people on board a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier at sea.
Making sure all those people and the hotel are safe is the responsibility of Michael Mottinger, director of security at the hotel.
Like many hospitality professionals, he discovered his career almost by accident. Mottinger was going to college hoping to be a history teacher when he got a part-time job working the front desk at a La Quinta Inn. He worked his way up through the ranks to general manager and then decided to make the switch to working for a full-service brand.
Mottinger joined Hyatt eight years ago and six years ago, came to Jacksonville. He was assigned to the front office and then was the hotel's reservations manager before being named director of security.
This year marks Mottinger's sixth Florida-Georgia weekend at the Hyatt, so he knows what to expect.
"It will definitely be interesting," he said.
The hotel has arranged for extra security from the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and paramedics from Jacksonville Fire & Rescue will set up a first-aid room in the hotel.
Access to the hotel will be limited at times to registered guests only. Mottinger said over the years, the Hyatt has developed a regular Florida-Georgia clientele that includes those who come for the distinctive social atmosphere Downtown and others who just want to watch the football game and have accommodations within walking distance of the stadium.
While the weekend of the Florida-Georgia game brings Downtown's hospitality business a level of activity equaled only by Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005, having a full house is nothing new at the Hyatt.
With 963 rooms along the Northbank Riverwalk, the property has been the site of visits by convention groups from all over the world, visiting NFL and college football teams, political figures and entertainers as well as business and leisure travelers.
"Security is tailored to the needs of each group. We make sure our guests and their belongings are safe and we protect the hotel's assets," Mottinger said.
The hotel's departments work together to ensure guests have the best experience at the hotel.
"Everybody does security and everybody does hospitality. Every day and every week, it's different. It's a fun job," he said.
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