Crowne Plaza GM wants to make TT his home

Recently appointed general manager at Crowne Plaza, Trinidad John T. O’Hara, took up his post just one week before Carnival 2003 and has already taken to the culture and the country.

The Ohio-born O’Hara had stints at Hilton Head, Chicago, Fort Worth, Orlando, Sarasota, Puerto Rico, Arizona, Florida, Hawaii and the islands. But he and his wife Deborah fell in love with the Caribbean and here is where both of them loved the most, hence the reason to return to the region. “When the opportunity came up to work in Trinidad, I grabbed at it.  Trinidad is a beautiful island,” said O’Hara who immediately fell in love with the people. “We enjoyed living on islands and while we lived in the Caribbean for five years, we visited all the islands. Trinidad is one of our favourite islands. Island life is not for everyone, however, we not only succeed, we excel in the islands,” he said.

The 44-year-old has been married to his college sweetheart for the past 23 years but they are childless. However, at times they use that factor to their advantage in that they are able to easily relocate and adjust. His wife, who has been involved in residential property management, is still in Arizona tying up loose ends to be here by the end of the month. When O’Hara gets the time, he loses himself in his loves, namely water sports, beach, walking and jogging. Asked if Deborah will be working when she arrives in Trinidad he responded with a grin: “I tend to do a full-time job if you know what I mean, so I’ll keep her very busy”.

On the work side, he boasted that the Plaza has been sold out since February to the present, with the Carifta Games, cricket, airline turnover flights and just a lot of other business activities. He said he is looking forward to succeeding and excelling at his new job and intends to improve certain areas in sales and marketing. Since his arrival, the designated Certified Hotel Administrator  (CHA),  has since created and appointed the new Crowne Meeting Director who was sent to Chicago before taking up the position. He’s also had the Executive Housekeeper fly to Florida for one week of training. He said: “The bottom line is you have to believe in a vision and the mission.”

O’Hara’s brought with him, 27 years of hotel management experience with his forte lying in resort management. He spent 17 years with Hyatt Hotels and Resorts, with his last position being vice president and general manager, at the Rio Rico Resort and Country Club in Arizona for the past three years. “My most significant accomplishments during my tenure consisted of completing a multi-million dollar renovation, retaining the AAA Four Diamond Award, generating the highest profit ever for the ownership and improving our ranking from Arizona Business Magazine from number ten in 1999 to number one for 2002. For 2003, we are in the top ten rankings for the following categories: resort, Golf Course, and for the first time ever meetings and convention facilities. The Resort is number one for 2003 for the second consecutive year,” boasted O’Hara who stated that his only reason for leaving Rio Rico as well as Hyatt was due to the change in ownership.

O’Hara also claims to have excellent coaching skills and outstanding leadership abilities. He said: “I lead by example and I lead by being first. My leadership skills have enabled me to effectively interact at all levels and among various cultures.”  O’Hara, who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration has done extensive research on the Caribbean and apart from managing hotels he has a comprehensive knowledge of food and beverage. He possesses excellent communication skills and speaks Spanish. He is also actively involved in the Rotary and Lions Clubs. For now, O’Hara loves the fact that something is always happening at the Crowne Plaza and at the end of the day he is looking towards making TT his permanent home.