Fairmont Hampton Inn breakfast hostess named Head of House
The Minnesota Lodging Association honored five outstanding individuals, two lodging properties and an industry supplier at its gala awards ceremony on January 12, 2017 at the Sheraton Bloomington Hotel in Bloominton, Minnesota. Among those award recipients was local breakfast hostess Suzanne Sukalski.
Suzanne was honored with the Head of the House Award which recognizes an hourly employee in the “front of the house” who demonstrates above average care and service to guests and co-workers.
Suzanne Sukalski began her job as Breakfast Hostess at the Hampton Inn in Fairmont in 2012. She came into the role after learning about the position in her Special Education Career Exploration class, which give students the ability to observe jobs at various businesses in the city of Fairmont. After observing various jobs in hotels and restaurants, Suzanne began to envision herself having a career in the hospitality industry and knew it was something she wanted to pursue after graduation.
Her graduation picture and plans for the future were posted in the Fairmont newspaper and caught the eye of Jason Subbert, the General Manager of the Hampton Inn Fairmont’s management company, TPI Hospitality. At Jason’s behest, Suzanne received an application to apply to the hotel through school and, after an exceptional interview, was offered the position only a few months after graduation.
Suzanne has really come into her own at her job. Working at the hotel has helped her realize that being part of the Hampton Inn Fairmont team means being a part of something that is bigger than herself. The teamwork of the hotel staff shows that no one’s job is small or insignificant; it takes everyone building off of one another to make the Hampton Inn Fairmont a successful business.
Suzanne tries every day to give each guest a special experience. Whether it’s wearing colorful aprons that she sewed herself, or creating greeting cards to distribute to guests with candy, she is always looking for ways to brighten her guests’ day and help them feel as comfortable as possible. Suzanne hopes to continue her job at the Hampton Inn Fairmont for as long as she can and she is incredibly grateful for her co-workers and the confidence they have helped instill in her over the last four years.
When accepting her award, Suzanne said, "I am so happy. This award is for my amazing team. Thank you for believing in me."
Suzy with Jay Junker (left) and Jason Subbert (right).
Local woman wears many hats Article from the Fairmont Sentinel | July 5, 2016
FAIRMONT – Suzanne Sukalski wears many hats. She’s a valued employee at Fairmont’s Hampton Inn. Her job as breakfast hostess requires her to greet guests, keep all the items for the morning meal stocked and complete clean-up chores at the end of her shift.
She’s a philanthropist. She bought a popcorn machine which she takes to weddings and community events, donating her proceeds to a program that helps people with disabilities find jobs.
She’s an artist, displaying her creativity by making a variety of work aprons with seasonal and holiday themes. She also gives each Hampton Inn guest a personally designed and signed card, wishing them a good day and including a candy treat.
And she is a public speaker, presenting a Power Point presentation to various organizations and businesses, including the corporate offices of Cargill.
That’s a pretty impressive resume for a 23-year-old woman with Down Syndrome.
Her most recent endeavor took her to Anoka to visit a third-grade class at St. Stephen’s Catholic School. Suzy, as she prefers to be called, was featured last fall in a Minneapolis Star Tribune article about adults with disabilities and the jobs available to them. Betty Kowalski’s class at St. Stephen’s had just finished studying about the dignity and rights of workers so they sent cards of encouragement to Suzy and to her employer.
“We just sent the letters and thought that was that,” Kowalski said. “To our surprise, she responded back.”
Suzy had sent each of the 22 students a Christmas ornament she had made. The class reciprocated by sending her cards for Christmas and Valentine’s Day.
In early April, Suzy traveled to Anoka with her mother, Diane, and sister, Kristina, to personally meet the class and give her Power Point presentation.
“Suzy just made our year,” Kowalski said. “What we received was just head over heels beyond what we ever thought. Just the kindness that she and her family showed to the third graders was something we all felt. I know Suzy impacted us in so many ways.”
Kowalski said her young students don’t fully grasp disabilities.
“When we talked about disabilities, they did not recognize the disabilities in their own class,” she said, adding that one student is on the autistic scale. “That was so cool to me. They just accept everybody for what they bring to the table.” What Suzy brings to the table at the Hampton Inn is pretty amazing.
“It’s been a long process, but it’s been very good,” said Jason Subbert, general manager of Torgerson Properties Inc. in Fairmont, which includes the Hampton Inn. “There’s been a lot of people involved. There’s been a lot of people that have helped get us there. It’s just a fantastic story.”
Suzy’s job was designed to be sustainable. She does not have a job coach so her employment isn’t vulnerable to governmental budget cuts.
“It needed to be something that can stand on its own and last,” Subbert said.
The Hampton Inn staff had to engage and help Suzy differently or more directly than they would other associates, and Subbert credits them for guidance, support and feedback.
“We had to learn more about how to work with somebody with disabilities than the person with disabilities needed to learn how to work with us,” he said. “We learned that we need to be open to coaching and development, what adjustments we need to make and not just force them to comply. Probably the biggest surprise for me was how our staff started helping each other differently because of how they had to help Suzanne differently. You end up with a much more hospitable atmosphere.”
By changing the process of how they did their daily work, the Hampton Inn staff received recognition from the hotel guests and from the industry. In January and February 2014, the hotel ranked at the top of the 1,200 Hampton Inns worldwide based on guest ratings.
“Suzanne was part of the team that accomplished that, and I don’t think that would have happened without changing the process of how we were doing our daily work,” Subbert said. “That elevated everything. It was the entire team helping the entire team differently that drove us to that high level of change and, ultimately, how we help our guests because that’s who rates your service.”
Of the 220 Torgerson employees at the Fairmont properties, Subbert said Suzanne leads the pack with the number of comment cards completed by guests.
“She only works two or three days a week, and we still get more positive comments on her than any other person,” he said.
One of those cards was completed by a Mr. Bennett whose interaction with Suzy was so memorable, he sent his comments four months after his stay. He’d had a long day on the road and woke up the next morning dreading another long day. While he was eating breakfast at the Hampton Inn, Suzy handed him one of her handmade cards, wishing him a good day.
“After reading the card and remembering her smile, it totally changed my day for the better,” Bennett wrote. “Good job to the management for hiring Suzanne and for her vision to impact other lives.”
Suzy talks about her life and her job in her Power Point presentation.
“I love my job,” she said. “I make lots of money, but it’s more than just money. I have learned many new skills. I am learning more about myself and what I can do. I am proud to be part of their team.”
She motivates others to challenge themselves.
“Believe in yourself, and be proud of who you are. There is no one else like you,” she said.
Suzy offers advice that she lives by. She encourages people to smile and shake hands. She tells people that sometimes you have to do hard things, but not to be afraid. Ask for help, and be ready to help others.
“Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something. You can do anything if you work hard,” she said.
Suzy is grateful for her family’s support, and she loves her life on the farm with her mom, her father, Lawrence, and her dog, Howard.
“Even though Suzy has Down Syndrome, it certainly does not define her,” Diane said. “She is an example of someone who is thriving in the workplace. We’re just grateful they gave her this opportunity, and the co-workers all make it work. Suzy has made a visible positive impact at her company and its guests.”
In fact, Diane said, some guests, when they make reservations, ask if Suzy will be working during their stay.
Even though Suzy’s smile and personality have brightened her workplace, the influence she had over the young Anoka students is immeasurable. “At that age, they’re so impressionable,” Diane said. “When they become the managers, the employers, the owners, they hopefully will have Suzy in their mind.”
Pen pals meet, share stories, create special bond Article from the Anoka Herald | April 19, 2016
With a sunny smile and unbridled enthusiasm 23-year-old Suzy Sukalski makes arts and crafts projects, sews aprons and works as a breakfast hostess at the Hampton Inn in Fairmont, Minnesota.
She doesn’t let her Downs Syndrome slow her down or stifle her sunny disposition.
Letters from St. Stephen’s Catholic School third-graders boost her spirits even more so she was happy to come visit them at school.
And so, traveling with her mother, Diane and sister Kristina O’Brien Suzy travelled April 8 from her home in Fairmont to St. Stephen’s in Anoka.
Eager to finally meet her “pen pal angels” Suzy giggled and grinned as the students filed into the classroom.
Several months ago, Betty Kowalski’s third-graders connected with Suzy after reading a newspaper article about her work at the Hampton Inn and studying a course about the dignity of work and the rights of workers.
“We sent cards of encouragement (to her),” Kowalski said.
“We wrote thank you letters to her for working,” said Max Berglund, one of Kowalski’s students.
“I wrote a lot of ‘God bless yous,’ too,” said Max’s classmate, Evie Williams.
And then, Suzy wrote back.
“At Christmas time, Suzy surprised us with a thank you letter and ornaments she had made for each of my students. As the year rolled on we sent her Christmas and Valentine cards and she started to call us her ‘pen pal angels,’” Kowalski said.
During her visit to St. Stephen’s Suzy gave a presentation and slide show to the students, telling them about her work at the Hampton Inn, describing the arts and crafts projects she likes to do and the aprons she sews with her mother.
She began her presentation by telling the students “you have great potential. You have great abilities. My question to you is ‘How will you use them?’”
Later, she urged the students to “believe in yourself and be proud of who you are.”
“Challenges are opportunities,” she told them. “Don’t let anyone tell you you can’t do something – you can do anything if you work hard.”
Kowalski said exchanging letters with Suzy, hearing her story and witnessing the simple delight she has for life is something her students will cherish years to come.
“This is something that has taught them understanding, appreciation and compassion. It’s something they will keep with them for many years,” she said.
After finishing her presentation to the students, Suzy and her “pen pal angels” made a craft project and then went outside for recess where Suzy surprised them with a fun balloon game and giant soap bubbles. “They will remember this a very long time and I hope to be able to keep up with Suzy with letters and find out how she’s doing years down the road. This is a very special relationship and we are so glad to meet her,” Kowalski said.