Hotel Manager Stood Tall In The Chaos All Around Him — Michael O’Keith Smith
Michael O’Keith Smith is a positive change maker and a charismatic community leader in the hospitality and tourism industry. For over four decades, he has held progressive leadership positions with Hyatt Hotels Corporation and is devoted to seeking the collective good.
Michael Smith was featured in an article published by the Chicago Tribune titled “Hotel Manager Stood Tall In The Chaos All Around Him”. The article recognises and describes how Hyatt Regency New Orleans dealt with the Hurricane Katrina crisis under the leadership of Michael.
Here are a few excerpts from the article:
“The men and women who run the nation’s gleaming convention hotels tend to possess a disarming charm that almost, but not quite, masks a steely resolve to keep their hospitality machines purring softly.Michael O. Smith, who until this month ran the Hyatt Regency New Orleans, is no exception”
“He was just a hero,” she said moments later. “He came through for us in a big way. He saw how desperate we were … and he was completely in control.”
“Smith and his staff led 3,800 guests and stranded city residents to safety in third-floor ballrooms. They played host for days while the heat was ungodly, the water was not running and the power was intermittent.”
“The exodus easily could have devolved into chaos without the help of the Hyatt staff. They worked alongside the military, providing water, snacks and chairs for the most vulnerable, including pregnant women, children and the elderly.”
“I’m so proud that we absolutely, positively, had no casualties, no one was injured, no one is dead,” said Smith, 48, who began working for Chicago-based Hyatt Hotels & Resorts some 27 years ago
“On one of his last days in New Orleans, Smith took a moment to reflect on what helped him through the crisis.
Partially, it was an understanding of perseverance.”
“She was the saving grace at the end of the day,” he said. “Every night we’d have these long conversations. My wife is my Sigmund Freud.”
You can read the full article here.
