Her Story
About Jasmine
I started my career in hospitality as a front desk clerk in Dallas, Texas, after being hired on the spot by a general manager who saw potential in me. I was applying for a desk clerk position at $6.25 an hour, but I negotiated for $6.75, and he met me in the middle, telling me he saw me in sales one day. I worked my way up from front desk clerk to supervisor, then manager, then operations manager, cross-training in multiple departments including front desk, housekeeping, and night audit. I was determined to get into sales, and after being rejected three times by the Residence Inn brand, I kept going back until Mr. Brian King called me and said salespeople need to know how to take rejection. I got my opportunity and loved the sales world, staying in it throughout my career. I've worked for some of the best companies in hospitality including Marriott International, White Lodging, McKibben Hospitality, and Pyramid, managing portfolios of both Marriott and Hilton properties. I became a general manager while pregnant, but had to step back due to a difficult pregnancy, choosing not to take FMLA because I felt it wasn't fair to the hotel. After staying home for a couple years, I returned to work in a full-service role at a Doubletree property with 389 rooms and 38,000 square feet of meeting space. Everyone told me it was a troubled property that would be gone in four years, but I stuck with it, hit my numbers every time, and reached my million-dollar marks. I proved to myself that if I could sell a non-shiny hotel, I could sell just about anything. In September 2019, I became one of the long-haul COVID patients before anyone knew what COVID was, experiencing loss of taste and smell, fatigue, and hair loss. I resigned from my position because I couldn't give 150%, and when March 2020 came and I saw Lisa Milano on TV describing the symptoms, I realized what I had been dealing with. I'm grateful I left on my own terms before the industry furloughs, which allowed me to mentally support my friends through that difficult time. After moving to Greensboro three years ago with my husband who works for Merrill Lynch Bank of America, I launched my own business, J. Malu LLC, as a hospitality advisor. I currently work with a Wyndham brand property, a La Quinta Inn and Suites, helping them with sales support and identifying gaps in their operations.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Jasmine
01What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
One of my HR mentors told me that when you figure out your niche, stick to it after you've done everything and do the best at it. That advice really resonated with me throughout my career. I also had a general manager, Tom Overson, who taught me about trust when I didn't understand why I was being moved to a different property. He asked me, do you trust me? And when I said yeah, he told me he didn't have to share everything, but if I trusted him, he would get me where I wanted to achieve. He asked where I wanted to go, and I said I wanted to be a cluster director of sales to manage multi-properties. He promised he'd get me there, and he did. That lesson about trust and having faith in your mentors was invaluable. I learned that it's okay if people advance and get bigger positions and bigger pay, but if you love what you do, stick to it. You don't have to compare or compete or feel left out. If that's what you're good at and you're okay with it, stick to it and be happy. Part of my growth was realizing it's okay, I don't have to be a Brian King, and I would love to be in a Brian King position one day, but I'm okay with where I'm at. I need to be happy and be okay with it, and be happy for the others that can be a Brian King.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
If you want to come into the hotel industry, learn as much as you can. Cross-training is big. That doesn't mean you have to stay in that department forever, but if you can learn, because if you ever want to be a general manager, you do need to know all the ins and outs of operations and sales. Having that knowledge is imperative. For someone like me, I didn't have the opportunity because of my family situation and my journey. I didn't have the opportunity to go all the way in college, I just went to a community college in Dallas, and I always felt inadequate. I always felt like I was going up against big positions with people that went to Cornell or Texas Tech. So don't limit yourself if you don't have those same opportunities like others. This industry actually gives you that education, those life learning skills. Don't limit yourself, because not all of us have the opportunity to go to college. I have three kids, and I will say definitely get your education if you can, but it's an industry that can develop you. If you're loyal to the company or to the organization, it can give you that opportunity. Marriott had programs where if you went to school, they could pay some of your tuition fee and stuff like that, so the sky's the limit in the industry. Once you find your niche, stick to it, and it's okay if people advance and you see them getting bigger positions, bigger pay, but you love what you do, and it's okay. You don't have to compare or compete or feel left out. If that's what you're good at and you're okay with it, stick to it and be happy.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The most important values to me are integrity and partnership with my spouse. My husband and I have an agreement that anything above $250 we need to discuss together. We committed to this when we got married and when we started doing our businesses, and I won't break that principle. I'd be upset if he did a big-ticket purchase without discussing it with me first. In my work, I value being intentional and genuine in relationships. I learned from my mentor Brian King that sales is not just transactional, it's about relationships. I believe in giving 150% to everything I do, and if I can't give that level of commitment, I won't take something on. When I was moving to Greensboro, I had opportunities in Tampa, but I didn't want to join something and not be able to give 150% knowing that I was moving, and people respected my decision. I also value diversity and multiculturalism. I want to align myself with intentional, like-minded people that see the value in diversity and in multicultural perspectives. I told the owners I work with that within these cultural segments, there is quinceanera, there is Diwali, there's African weddings, there's bar mitzvah, and they loved it. I value mentorship and helping others. When I received a certificate of appreciation from President Obama's communications department, I said I cannot accept that because I didn't do it by myself. It was a team that did it, and I asked that all 30-32 staff members receive certificates too.
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