Nancy Jennigs

My journey in hospitality began over 20 years ago when I was driving down to Tampa from New Jersey with my dad to attend the University of Tampa. He asked me what I wanted to do with my career, and I told him I really wanted to travel. He suggested I go into hotels, and that idea stuck with me. I earned my degree in business management from the University of Tampa while working at the front desk of a hotel, learning that to move up in the hotel business, you need to start small and work your way up. After graduation, I became an event manager with Mainsail Management, then was part of the opening team for three hotels called Avion Park near the airport with McKibben Hospitality around 2008, serving as sales coordinator and sales manager. From there, I became director of sales over three hotels in the Brandon Tampa area with White Lodging, then moved to the Doubletree Tampa West Shore as a senior sales manager to gain experience with full-service hotels and larger properties. When COVID hit in 2020, I was furloughed along with so many others in hospitality. It was a difficult time because our profession is all about interacting with people and being hospitable. Being chosen for my current role as Associate Director of Sales at the Aloft Element Tampa Midtown out of so many qualified people in Tampa was an incredible honor. I was part of the opening team that launched this dual hotel during COVID and right before the Super Bowl. We were touring potential clients in hard hats before Midtown was even built, as our hotel was the first building to open in this brand new neighborhood. Seeing the vision of what Midtown was and watching it become what it is now has been amazing. Today, I oversee all the main large accounts and handle reporting back to corporate.