I would like to state, for the record, that I am not a “disgruntled” employee. Far from it.
Money – the root of all evil, per 1 Timothy 6:10 – was the sole reason Katie Batilla and I were forced apart after high school graduation in 2004. Our romance began in 2002, and my mother (Diane Faber) immediately meddled with our relationship. She even sent the police to Katie’s family home, while we were having Kissy Time! Understandably, Katie broke up with me soon thereafter. We reconciled in early 2004, but we had already declared our respective colleges – at opposite ends of the continent. That Spring, Mother Dearest decided to evict me from my childhood home, explicitly because I had reunited with Katie. In those months before college, I evacuated to a spare bedroom offered by the owner of the neighborhood roller rink, so that Katie & I could spend our waning days together.
Our collegiate choices were irreversible, having been finalized in a process called “Early Decision,” as of Fall 2003. So, though we had consummated our union, Katie soon moved 2,000 miles away from San Antonio to attend St. John’s University in Queens, New York. At the same time, I was locked-in to a full-ride scholarship at the University of Texas at Austin.
There, I was pinned as an, “Emerging Scholar.” Everyone had high expectations for me, especially Katie. When I began stumbling, I should have turned to G-d, as I am doing now. Sadly, I was young, dumb, and naïve. Feeling alone & hopeless – without a relationship with G-d, Katie or my OTC meds – I fell apart and dropped-out of UT in my 4th semester, returning to San Antonio a broken man. I deleted my Facebook account and ghosted everyone from our graduating class. Essentially, I had committed social suicide.
I let fear, grief & shame consume me. Though I had resigned myself to failure, I was certain that I could keep a roof over my head + food in my mouth, through hard work & dedication. Maybe one day, I would rediscover the success that had eluded me, and possibly reconnect with Katie?
Beginning in 2006, I committed myself to a career in hospitality. Hotel management doesn’t usually require a college degree – you can “pull yourself up by your own bootstraps.” When I was still enrolled at UT, I took a job as a PBX Operator at the brand-new Hilton Austin. In the summers between high school semesters, I had previously answered calls at 411 Directory Assistance, where I learned how to serve clients over-the-phone. When I moved back from Austin, I took a job as a Night Auditor at another Hilton property. In 2008, I was hired at the historic La Mansión del Rio & Watermark Hotels, which together had been acquired by Omni a few years prior.
The complex’s General Manager once remarked that I have, “a good sense of urgency.” Indeed, I was not a patient man, and I have high standards for myself. In my first six months at La Mansión, I was recognized as “Manager of the Quarter.”
At the time, Omni was committed to developing talent from within, and they took it seriously. I didn’t have a “sheepskin,” but I knew how to lead a luxury hotel! In November 2008, I flew on an airplane (for the first time in about 2 decades) to Dallas so I could attend a Management Development class at the Omni Park West Hotel, which they abandoned during the Pandemic.
I remained at La Mansión until 2012, when Josh Heidenreich, formerly the Watermark’s Hotel Manager (and, until last November, Omni’s SVP of Operations) summoned me to be his Assistant Director of Housekeeping at the Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale. There, I excelled, being awarded “Manager of the Quarter” & “Manager of the Year” in 2013 & 2014. I moved from Operations to Human Resources, working under HR Director, Donna Larney. (Who would later warn me about the cutthroat practices at Highgate Hotels.)
2015-2018 was a drought period for my accolades/development. I moved back to San Antonio, before being invited back to New Haven. One day, in the Spring of 2017, another ex-boss tapped me to serve at the Crowne Plaza Times Square, as Director of Front Office. By that point, I had been with Omni for over a decade, but the allure of New York City was irresistible. I remember interviewing with the hotel’s GM, Niles Harris, who felt I was a bit green coming to NYC. Nevertheless, he gave me a shot.
I had a slow start at the Crowne, gradually earning the confidence & respect of the Front Office team. However, by the end of 2019, things were going well. I was again recognized as the hotel’s “Manager of the Year,” and also presented with the Hotel Association of NYC’s “Big Apple Stars” award for the property after New Year’s Eve 2019.
Of course, soon after that, the global pandemic ruined everything, and this devastation against the Middle Class was only exacerbated by Shitty Texas Hotel Conglomerates (and real estate investment fuck-o’s) looking to cut costs at every turn. Together, they are to blame why Everything Sucks Now. For me, at least.
Just wanted to let y’all know – I was not PLANNING to stage a populist revolution against “job-creators.” Their lies, greed, and malfeasance brought this to fruition.
I miss you, Katie, and I will always wish things had gone differently. Please turn to G-d, my love.