The new GM: Renaissance Newark airport hotel’s Jeff Plamondon

Former FBI hopeful now a self-titled Marriott ‘lifer’

While it was his intention to be “out in the field” for his career, Jeff Plamondon, GM of the 397-room Renaissance Newark Airport Hotel in Elizabeth, N.J., had something other than being on the front lines in hospitality in mind. In fact, Plamondon was dead set on working as an FBI agent for the U.S. government. However, when he was turned down in his twenties, he was welcomed with open arms by Marriott International and hasn’t looked back since.

The word loyalty comes to mind when taking a glance at Plamondon’s resume, which reads like a well-planned climb to general manager with an unwavering dedication to Marriott over nearly 40 years. He is known as a “believer” in Marriott founder J. Willard Marriott’s philosophy that, “If you take good care of the associates, the associates will take good care of the guests,” and can be found most days helping behind the front desk or in the restaurant mingling with guests. In essence, he is a straightforward good guy and a self-proclaimed “lifer” at Marriott.

This humble, hard worker is not an open book, however, and anything but boring or static. He has moved around quite a bit within the company, holding various positions with varied responsibility, including a stint at Marriott’s corporate headquarters in the late 1980s as director of training and organization development for sales and marketing, where he recruited, hired and trained all sales personnel for full-service Marriott hotels. But the GM role wasn’t handed to Plamondon, nor was it ever his intention. It was something that seemed to come to him naturally with hard work starting from the bottom.

“My first job was a pot washer, and all through college I worked as a waiter and bartender. So when I realized I would not get a job with the FBI, it dawned on me—my work history was in the hospitality industry. I interviewed with Marriott in 1974 and the next thing I knew I got a job offer as a restaurant manager. Then I had to choose, law school or the job—and it seemed exciting to me to be able to run a restaurant,” Plamondon said.

Early on he felt a connection to the training, support and corporate philosophy of Marriott.

“I believe in the values of the company. It is not just something made up. It’s real and there is a Mr. Marriott and he cares,” Plamondon said.

That is why, even though he could have stayed at Marriott’s headquarters and moved up the corporate ladder there, Plamondon chose to go back out into the field in 1991 and has been working on the front lines ever since. His unique background, experience and skill at juggling many things at once have turned him into a specialist in the field. He is known for being an expert at hotel conversions and renovations, having overseen quite a few for Marriott in his day, including the reflagging and renovation of the 300-room Princeton (N.J.) Marriott at Forrestal from the Doral Forrestal, as well as renovations at the Greenbelt (Md.) Marriott, the University of Maryland Conference Center, the Philadelphia Marriott West, the Tysons Corner (Va.) Marriott and most recently a multimillion-dollar renovation at the Renaissance Newark Airport Hotel.

In fact, Plamondon was brought in to oversee the conversion and renovation of the Renaissance Newark Airport in December 2010 by the property’s new owners, Thomas Lake Partners. The property was gutted and completely refurbished with updates to plumbing and heating as well. During that time, Plamondon moved into the hotel so he could oversee planning and construction, showing his true dedication to the new project.

“It was a stressful time when everything was going on simultaneously and [the hotel] stayed open,” he said. “The confidence of the associates was down because, let’s face it, the property didn’t look its best. And the guest confidence was down. I felt it was important for me to be there, keep them feeling good about themselves and the property’s future.”

Many employees were receiving fewer hours and some were working under strenuous conditions, he said.

Plamondon immediately began having daily “stand up” meetings to keep employees in tune with what was going on at the property.

“These meetings were seven minutes, but they kept the staff informed, focused and motivated,” Plamondon said.
Living on site, he was able to also meet with contractors day and night, as well as converse with guests in a makeshift restaurant and bar located in part of the ballroom.

“I sat and talked with customers and informed them about the changes, and even offered them a hard hat tour,” Plamondon said.
Completed in May, the Renaissance Newark Airport’s refurbishment has transformed the hotel into an upscale gem that is running like a well-oiled machine. In addition, the property’s numbers are up significantly. Since completion of the construction, occupancy is up 14 percent and total revenue is up 20 percent, said Plamondon. He attributes the newfound success to his staff, which he said worked hard “even when it was tough to see the light.”

In fact, this seasoned GM feels his biggest accomplishment in his career is not numbers related. It is the development of people—his former staffers who have been able to move on within Marriott International and the industry, to accept bigger and more responsible jobs and fulfill their career dreams.