Laura Schell Email & Phone Number

AC Boston North

The Row Hotel At Assembly Row (158 rooms)

• Carried out the pre-opening set up of every aspect of the housekeeping department: supply procurement, vendor relationships, staffing, training, safety initiatives, PMS system set up.
• Set and held the standards within the hotel pertaining to all aspects of cleanliness, room details/styling, daily departmental operations standards, and collaborative interdepartmental policies.
• Maintained positive Guest Satisfaction results within budgeted Minutes Per Occupied Room (MPOR) labor standards.

The Westin Waltham-Boston (351 rooms)

• Responsible for the implementation of a “real-time” inspection program using Mobile Rooms Coach-enabled tablets, allowing for increasingly focused and effective retraining.
• Deployed capital expenditure to replace each room attendant’s cart, thus raising employee satisfaction with working conditions and increasing available cleaning time.
• Devised and implemented a comprehensive back-of-house cleaning schedule including daily and monthly maintenance routines to address interdepartmental StarVoice concerns.
• Partnered with hotel marketing efforts to launch a successful social media campaign of over 500 votes to win American Hotel Register’s National Housekeeping Heroes Contest, which awarded our team a day of on-property.

The Westin Waltham Boston (351 rooms)

Instrumental in leading the hotel rooms division through transition as one of the first properties to undergo franchise acquisition post-Starwood/Marriott merger.

The Sheraton New York Times Square (1780 rooms)

• Directed 17 managers (9 of whom were direct reports), 126 house attendants and 198 room attendants to meet the demands of 92% YOY occupancy in a Local 6 union environment.
• Developed and acclimated newly hired managers into the department, setting them up for success via streamlined on-boarding.
• Rebidded the house attendant schedule to include job task combinations and came to a mutually agreeable outcome with both union delegates and associates.

The Westin Copley Place (803 rooms)

• Created, maintained and controlled the weekly schedules of 139 associates within Local 26 union parameters and budgeted productivity goals.
• Drove initiatives to increase sustainability, including Make a Green Choice and Global Soap recycling program.
• Managed the deep clean, carpet care, and inspection programs to ensure each of the 803 rooms are maintained within brand specifications.
• Certified Property Service Culture Trainer for Brand and Experience Modules, ensuring the hotel maintained a 90% training completion rate.

The Boston Park Plaza (945 rooms)

• Oversaw daily housekeeping and laundry operations.
• Ensured consistent cleanliness standards were applied in all 945 rooms.
• Provided assistance to any guest inquiries or requests.
• Responsible for implementing the Nextel-Starguest system to the house attendant team, resulting in guest requests being fulfilled more quickly and efficiently.

The Boston Park Plaza (945 rooms)

• Hired the strongest candidates to build the most efficient teams in the front desk, guest services, concierge, PBX, bell, door, and Park Response departments
• Participated in the ADP program as a mentor for line-level associates in different departments, offering expertise and cross-training
• Planned for strategic development and engagement of all team members as part of the department’s StarVoice action plan, leading to increased departmental score from 2007 to 2008
• Oversaw daily operations, including revenue maximization and inventory management, to deliver superior guest satisfaction, resulting in increased GSI from 2007 to 2008
• Led the guest services team in providing the Boston Park Plaza’s signature “classical caring experience” through the employee empowerment program and involvement in the hotel-wide Guest Experience committee to develop.

The Westin Philadelphia (290 rooms)

• Management Trainee – Rooms Division
• Led the front office team as a front office supervisor and weekend manager on duty.
• Mastered Lightspeed and Galaxy PMS systems to perform front office functions.
• Maintained exceptional results in key drivers of success: Brand Assurance Audit: 94%. StarVoice: 90% in supervisory effectiveness. Guest Satisfaction Index: 9.0+ in check-in speed, efficiency, and friendliness.