Marcela Muñoz has only worked in one hotel in her life, but she has used her skills and outgoing personality to work her way up through the ranks and drive the expansion of the insider program at the W South Beach.
Muñoz was born and raised in Medellín, Colombia, and earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism. Looking to broaden her horizons, she became an au pair and moved to America to work with children and learn about another culture. She soon married and supported her husband as a homemaker—but when the marriage ended after seven years, she needed a fresh start.
“I was almost 30 and I didn't have experience and I had to start from zero,” she said of those days. A friend of a friend, however, worked at the W South Beach and spread the word that the hotel needed a server. Muñoz started working at the hotel, serving drinks at the bar and learning about the hospitality industry from the inside. The adjustment was made easier with the support of the hotel’s team—particularly General Manager Rick Ueno. “He really helps the employees and he likes to see how they grow,” she said, and noted that the team encouraged her to learn as much as possible and pick up new skills for more opportunities—“which I really appreciate.”
Those opportunities came quickly, and Muñoz soon was a manager at the bar. Not long after that, the property began expanding its Insider program. Across the W brand, insiders take on some of the responsibilities of concierges and of guest services liaisons, communicating directly with guests before, during and after their stays. Director of Guest Services Santiago Perdomo said the program is meant to provide guests with “insider access” to whatever a destination has to offer, “to really connect them and set the scene for them throughout their stay.”
While most hotels in the brand have a single insider to handle all requests, the W South Beach has six. Muñoz had been with the property for three years at that point, and while she now had plenty of experience under her belt, she was still apprehensive about applying for the position. The hotel team, however, was very encouraging, and she got the job in January 2023.
Insider’s Insights
Her first days as an insider were challenging, Muñoz said, noting the responsibilities of regularly connecting with the hotel’s leadership, the guests and other vendors to make sure all requests were being handled. Muñoz and the other insiders make a point of meeting leaders at other area businesses, particularly at new restaurants in the area, so that they can score hard-to-get reservations. A computer system tracks communications and tracks the status of various projects, and she had to learn how to quickly share updates with the necessary parties for as many as 30 guests at a time. “I wasn't sure if I had the abilities [and] the skills to do it,” she said. “But the whole team was super supportive.”
As she became more comfortable in her role, Muñoz learned to focus less on the challenges before her but on finding a solution. “The good thing about the hotel is they never say no,” she said. “I can just imagine crazy stuff and they always want me to do it.”
For example, a guest wanted to propose to his girlfriend on the beach—but the weather turned rainy right before he popped the question. With only an hour to spare, the hotel team pulled together and turned the meeting room into a romantic space with images of candles projected on the walls, flower petals strewn on the floor and giant illuminated letters spelling “Marry Me.” The couple, she recalled, was thrilled.
Insiders have a dedicated phone they can use to text and call guests to make sure they have whatever they need or want. (Some guests, she noted, simply want to be left alone, and the team will respect that request as well.) Importantly, the hotel does not have one standard job profile for insiders, Muñoz said, so each team member can draw on their own strengths to build ongoing relationships with the guests and encourage them to return.
Marcela Muñoz’
Secrets To Success
Listen to guests: “What are their expectations? What are they looking for?”
Have empathy: “Have the ability to understand other people's feelings. Put yourself in their situation.”
Find fun in the work: “When you feel happy, you can transmit that to the guest.”
Challenge
Muñoz has had to stay calm while guests get frustrated when something they want is not available.
Success
“Try to tell them that … you're with them,” Muñoz said. “When I see their faces and they're super happy and they smile about the experience we can create for them, that’s the whole world for me.”
W South Beach
Opening year: 2009
Number of guestrooms: 357
Owners: RFR Holding and Tristar Capital
Management company: Marriott Bonvoy