Heidi A. Miersemann, general manager at the Alila Napa Valley in California, is the only woman GM leading a luxury resort in the valley.
Miersemann’s career includes commercial and operational roles across Hyatt, Hilton and Starwood. She is an active member of Women at Hyatt, focused on wellness, community partnership and sustainability.
What first got you into hospitality?
My father was a traveling salesman when I was growing up, and he was always coming home with stories of his travels. He used to say that he was born under a “wandering star” and that I was too. My first ‘W-2’ job was as a host at a restaurant in a hotel, and I loved that I could learn a new skill, and that they moved me around to whatever position I wanted to learn. I realized I would never get bored and would always be learning if I stayed in hospitality and travel industry
Who were some of your mentors when you were getting started?
I was fortunate to have leaders that supported my curiosity and numerous questions as I learned new skills. Once I joined Hyatt I found the formal mentor programs very helpful, with support from Scott Lane, Greg Leonard, Mark Hickey, Anthony Duggan, Mark Jennings and Yvette Edwards. Outside of the company I often reach out to former leaders for input, including Don Shindle and Nicole Del Sesto.
What were some of the most important lessons you learned early in your career?
I learned that although it can sometimes be uncomfortable asking questions in a large setting, the knowledge gains are worth the momentary discomfort. When I am hesitating on asking more about a topic because I don’t understand the priority level or who it affects, I remember if I don’t ask, I won’t ever learn. It also supports the style of leadership that I have which includes transparency and sharing larger picture operational and marketing strategy with colleagues so that they have the information needed to make the best decisions.
What is the biggest professional challenge you’ve faced in your career? How did you overcome it?
One of the biggest challenges, excluding Covid, which impacted so many of us, was the Napa Valley earthquake in 2014, a 6.0 magnitude quake that shut down a multitude of hotels and required an overnight evacuation of the resort. Learning how to remain calm, organize next steps, contact our support network, and how to message and manage PR around the closure was a life lesson that gave me confidence when facing future situations that were uncontrollable. (like Covid in 2020.)
What was one of your proudest professional accomplishments? Why is it meaningful to you?
My proudest moments are when our teams achieve the goals that we set out to achieve, as a group effort. Having spent early years playing and coaching soccer teams, I find many similarities in providing clarity around inspiring goals, supporting leaders in the personal and professional goals, and aligning resources to ensure the team has success. I am grateful to have been part of multiple record breaking hotel teams, because of this focus on shared goals. Including highest service AAA score in the hotel’s history at Magnolia hotel in Denver. Commercial Services team of the year, at Grand Hyatt Denver and at Park Hyatt Beaver Creek, and highest performance EBIDTA years at the time at Westin Napa and now at Alila Napa. The work we do as a team is the most meaningful to me, because achieving something hard is the most rewarding, especially when you have wonderful people around you.
What is the best part of your job?
The people. Finding time to learn more about my colleagues and their individual goals and interests is always the reason for my dedication. My biggest joy is following someone’s career and continuing to give them support even after they have moved beyond our team. Some of our guests have fallen into this category as well, where our lives have intertwined and they become some of our best customers as they learn how dedicated our team is to them, and to the sustainable luxury future that we are all striving for.
What do you hope to be doing five years from now?
More of what I am doing now. Leading teams to record breaking success and continuing to innovate in the luxury resort hospitality space by building diverse teams with a passion for the care of guests, the climate, and our wellbeing