These interviews are part of a series that highlights new hires within the industry. Have you recently started a new role or do you know someone who has?
Submit your ideas to brittany.trevick@tigeroak.com. Adam Heffron was recently hired as Hotel Manager at Conrad New York.
1. What are you looking forward to the most in your new role as hotel manager?
The Conrad New York is a leader in the transformation of Lower Manhattan. As Downtown continues to boom, Conrad New York is consistently part of that conversation. Who wouldn’t want to be part of something like that? I look forward to leading the hotel through the evolution of the downtown scene, while finding ways to continue to solidify Conrad New York’s imprint as simply the only choice for smart-luxury travel. As a brand, Conrad aims to be innovative, inspiring, and locally connected. Conrad New York is the brand leader in innovation, and I hope to use my experiences and insights to help elevate the hotel and team to even greater heights.
2. How do you think past experiences have prepared you for this role?
It can be cliché, but the reality is, I started from the bottom and worked my way up. Having an intimate understanding of what our teams go through on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis has afforded me a level of empathy and compassion that I don’t know is easily found in those that don’t truly understand what our teams are going through. Having most recently been a general manager with Hilton has been most beneficial, as the learning curve is much less than if I had come from a role with less exposure or responsibility. My recent general manager experience and understanding of Hilton, the New York City market (specifically Lower Manhattan), allows me a more seamless transition so I can hit the ground running.
3. How did you get into the industry?
Looking back, becoming a hotelier may have been a foregone conclusion. Both of my parents are in the industry, and so naturally as a high school sophomore looking for a job, the first place I looked was a hotel in my hometown. My first position in a hotel was as a bellman, and I quickly moved through the ranks into PBX, Front Office, and various F&B positions before taking on additional responsibilities in managerial roles related to Front Office, Revenue Management, and F&B. I joined Hilton in 2011, and I must say, these have been by far the most rewarding 5+ years of my career.
4. What are you hoping to achieve in your new role?
I am fortunate that my predecessors in this role are truly wonderful luxury hoteliers, and have built perhaps the best team of luxury professionals New York has to offer. My goal is to continue to build upon that legacy to ensure the Conrad New York is synonymous with smart luxury travel in Downtown New York. In my experience, we cannot expect our team to connect and engage with our guests in any meaningful way if we have not created a thoughtful, caring environment for our team members. So, in order keep Conrad New York front of mind for team members and travelers, I hope to help build the best hospitality environment in the business, so we continue to staff the best hospitality team in New York.
5. What do you enjoy most about the industry?
I love the challenge of delivering the impossible, of anticipating the unanticipated, and making people smile. I love that the magic of what we do as hoteliers is accomplished with a team comprised of people from all different backgrounds, cultures, countries, and demographics. It is inspiring to me when we all work together to make someone’s day, week or year. All of our differences that we hear, see, or read about each day in the news are thrown out the window, and we work together toward a common goal, which is ultimately to take care of another individual and ensure their comfort. That is special to me, and something that is simply not possible in many industries.