Thursday, a well-known local business reaches a milestone.
The Hampton Inn, at 2029 Rockford St. in Mount Airy, will mark 25 years since it opened.
“We are excited we made it 25 years,” said General Manager Lenise Lynch. “We are going to have a small celebration here at the hotel thanking our employees and our guests for helping us reach this milestone.”
Lynch, who has been at the hotel for 15 years — and in her present position for 13 of those years — said local businessman Zack Blackmon Sr. had “this vision” of what Mount Airy was becoming as a tourist center, and how a hotel could be a thriving business in the city.
“He opened up the hotel with 74 rooms,” she said. “Business was booming…they did not have enough room to accommodate all the guests who were coming through here. I believe they were selling out most every night.”
Eleven years later, in 2007, Blackmon went ahead and expanded the facility, adding 51 rooms for a grand total of 125.
”At that time, we became one of the biggest hotels in the area,” Lynch said.
One particular point of pride for Lynch and the staff there is that she said the local facility has been honored with a Top 15% ranking in the Hampton chain every year of its existence — some of those years, even in the Top 5%.
She said the rankings are a measure of customer satisfaction and how the hotel does when Hampton corporate officials come in for inspections, along with how each location incorporates company-wide changes.
”Hampton Inns are inspected, it used to be twice a year, now it’s once a year.”
She said the inspections measure how clean the property is, if staffers are properly trained and meeting customer needs, if company-wide changes have been utilized. “Just making sure you’re doing all the things you’re supposed to do. The Hampton Inn (staff) in Mount Airy has always been on their toes, done what they are supposed to do.”
Lynch said being successful comes from ownership that holds itself to the highest standards, then offers support and guidance needed for management and employees to be successful.
”It all starts at the top, it trickles down. If you have good ownership, good management, if you have good and loyal staff in place, you’re going to be successful,” she said. “When our guests come in, we bend over backward to make sure they are satisfied. We take pride in our property…if something needs fixing, we fix it, we don’t Band-Aid it. …it’s taking care of your guests, putting yourself in their shoes sometimes. “
In 2015, the hotel changed hands, with Srikanth and Shri Kanna purchasing the facility. Lynch said the standard has remained the same, helping lead the way for the staff and keeping the hotel among the top in the chain.
The Hampton Inn employs 32 people at present — though Lynch said she would like to staff up to 40.
“That’s been a struggle, but again, we’re strong, we’ve been through a change of ownership, we’ve been through recessions when you think back to 2007-2008, the pandemic, and we’re still going strong. We do have some long term employees that have been here for 10-plus years, who have helped to keep us going. Present ownership and long-term employees have been instrumental to the success of this hotel.
“Witnessing this moment is an honor, cheers to 25 years. I’m sure that Zack would be proud of the legacy he has left. I just hope and pray the coming years bring more fortune and prosperity and we can make our current owners just as proud as I feel like we made Zack.“
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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