Spring 2013 Newsletter

GungHo!

GungHo!

The Generation Companies

Generation Opens Augusta, GA Home2Suites by Hilton

In time for April’s Masters, professional golf’s most prestigious major championship, Generation has opened the

Augusta, Georgia Home2 Suites by Hilton. The hotel is at the intersection of I-520 and I-20 near the Augusta Ex-

change, an 87-acre regional power center with extensive shopping and restaurant facilities, and is just three miles

from the Augusta National Golf Course. From ground-breaking to grand opening, the hotel was completed in a

record-breaking seven months. “It takes an extensive amount of planning and coordination to develop and con-

struct this quickly and still deliver a superior product that meets or exceeds all building codes and Hilton

standards,” said William Smith, Managing Director, Real Estate & Construction at Generation. “We’re proud of

our accomplishment.”

The 123-suite, four-story, upper mid-tier hotel brand brings a hip and

humble design to its target audience: the savvy and sophisticated yet

value-conscious extended-stay guest. Generation was the developer

for the project, handling the site identification and acquisition, design,

entitlements, construction, purchasing and opening of the hotel. The

hotel is owned by Generation Suites of Augusta, LLC and will be

managed by The Generation Companies. Home2 is the fastest growing

brand in Hilton Worldwide history.

“All of us at The Generation Companies are excited to be bringing the most progressive product concept in ex-

tended-stay lodging to the greater Augusta area ,” said Generation President, H. Mark Daley, III. “Add to that our

award-winning hotel operations team and the product-service combination is going to make a lot of visitors to the

Augusta market, whether leisure or corporate, quite pleased. And having this hotel open in time for the

2013 Masters is a great opportunity to showcase what we have to offer.”

Guests of the new property will enjoy attractive suites outfitted with 42" flat

screen televisions, refrigerator, microwave, dishwasher and comfortable,

flexible living space that can be customized for eating, working or relaxing.

Guest amenities will include the Home2 Market for grab-and-go convenience

foods and products, a combined laundry and fitness area, a 24-hour business

center with complimentary wireless

printing, exterior resort-style pool and

grilling area and expansive outdoor

community spaces including a fire pit and

putting green. The hotel will utilize environmentally-friendly products and

practices, including recycling bins throughout the property and

bulk-purchased guest room supplies. To learn more about the hotel, go to

www.news.home2suites.com.

Success Story: Generation Annual Meeting “All-In 2013"

“The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.” –Michelangelo, Renaissance sculptor and painter of Rome’s Sistine Chapel

What does famed Renaissance sculptor and painter Michelangelo have in common with The Generation Companies? A commitment to making–and reach-ing for–high goals. At this winter’s Annual Meeting at Homewood Suites in Wilmington, NC, Generation President H. Mark Daley III debuted his “All In 2013" initiative, a plan for each property to strive for 110% of budget. “The ALL-IN 2013 plan is designed to focus our efforts as a company-wide team on taking back the ground that was lost during the Great Recession. Being ALL-IN now will help put us on sound footing for the future. Most of our hotels’ loans are due to mature late this year, so the performance we have leading up to this event has a huge impact on our options going forward. I know the Generation team can achieve our ALL-IN goals because we survived the toughest of times together with our entire hotel portfolio intact. We have proved that we have

the best extended stay operating team in the world. Our collective character, commitment, and teamwork is unsurpassed and makes us up to the task. Now is our time to play offense and make the most of the positive industry fundamentals we are experiencing.” Operations VP, Ron Jacobsen commented,

“While striving for greatness is nothing new for our teams, the opportunities and challenges surrounding our “ALL-IN 2013” campaign are. Time and again, we have proven, that in an atmosphere of trust and disciplined execution, our Generation team consistently delivers. “ALL-IN 2013” will be no different.”

The four-day event included a training session with the dynamic motivational speaker and trainer Denise Ryan of FireStar, hotel break-out sessions, Hilton

Sales trainer Chris Williamson, and motivational remarks from Andy Bene, a 30+ year Wall Street veteran and Generation Board member. The meeting culminated with the awards gala to honor outstanding performance.

Congratulations, award-winners, for aiming high and meeting your goals!

Property of the Year—Homewood Suites Wilmington, NC

I enjoy working for Generation because they give you a goal or task and then trust you to do it. If you do it

well, you get rewarded for it. There’s no micro-managing. When I need something, the company is

always there to help, to bounce ideas back and forth. That’s how I run this hotel: I give our leaders a job and leave them to it, helping brainstorm when they need it. Independence and empowerment work;

those are two words I use every day.

I think the key to a great hotel is smart hiring. We don’t just hire anybody. We have a tough application and interview process and hire only the right people. Our team is the reason we won. With good direction, training and tools, they make it happen for guests. There are 42 hotels in Wilmington. People choose

ours because we take care of the property, working hard to make it look brand-new and because our team

works together and cares deeply. We genuinely want our guests to have a good

experience, check in to check-out.

General Manager of the Year Bob Cox, Staybridge Suites Memphis, TN

I love my job because I have a passion for the hospitality industry and simply enjoy every minute of

every day that is consumed with doing my job the best that I can. To do a good job as a General Manager it’s

necessary to have a good team working with you… not for you. I love surrounding myself with great team

members who enjoy their jobs and who willingly go out of their way to make our guests feel special and make our

hotel the very best in every possible way. The ultimate prize for doing this is to have a satisfied

guest tell me that our hotel or one of our team members “made their stay”.

The moral and ethical make-up of Generation are found in few organizations. As with all businesses we’ve had

our ups and downs, but even in those lowest of lows, our leaders Mark and Ron keep an upbeat

attitude which motivates us to work even harder to make our company successful. That is the ultimate in leading by example. To have a team at the top that is so dedi-cated to making us the best at what we do is priceless.

Gung Ho! Person of the Year—Rachid Alaoui Candlewood Lake Mary, FL:

I believe that rewarding greatness increases employee engagement in the workplace, a factor that converts into improved performance

and a better customer experience. I feel appreciated, I feel my opinions do not go unnoticed, and my co-workers are all wonderful to

work with. Everyone – from housekeeping to maintenance to the most senior partner–are genuinely kind, caring people. It is a

pleasure to work in such a positive environment and I look forward to going to work each day.

I have been with Generation for almost 13 years, We operate our

hotels in a climate of openness, trust and cooperation in which each of us freely grants others the same respect and decency we seek for ourselves. It has always been the right platform to improve and grow my knowledge, My efforts have always been recognized. And, how

many CEOs or vice-presidents would share their personal cell phone number with the entire company?

Most Improved Property—Candlewood Destin, FL

I’ve been in this business 33 years so I’ve seen a lot of companies in action. I love my job because Generation lets me do my job. It’s my job to take care of my team and Generation actually gives me the tools to do that–to prepare them, to train them, to reward them. Generation is

good at recognizing people for a job well-done. I was shocked and thankful when they announced this award–I have such a fantastic team who worked so hard and deserve it so much. We’re lean but there’s not one person at this hotel I could not call upon in a have-to situation that they wouldn’t step up to plate. They’ve got great attitudes, they want to please people, they want people to like this property, they want to work.

I also love that Generation challenges us. We’re having a great year,

but, still, there are ways we can do better, we want to do better. We get so much support from the company and each other. There are a lot of great hotels in Generation. I have so much respect for our managers;

you can always turn to them for advice and help.

Rewarding Greatness winners 2012 L to R—Brandon Cantrell SBS RR, Bob Cox SBS Memphis,

Rolf Holte SBS Jax, Ron Jacobsen VP Operations, Scott Turner Cndl Rocky Mt., Greg Thompson HWS Wilmington,

Darren Sheehan Cndl Raleigh

Sales Director of the Year—Michele Massey Surburban Richmond, Hampton, VA

CSC Employee of the Year—Judy Grimme

Assistant Manager of the Year Robin Severson—SBS Round Rock, TX

Runners Up

Annual Awards 2012

Sales Director

Yvonne Higgins—Cndl Fairfax, VA

Assistant Manager

Jonathan Mulroy—SBS Memphis, TN

Donna McRae—SES Fayetteville, NC

Maintenance Engineer

Shane Clanton—SES Jacksonville NC

Kelvin Lee—Cndl Raleigh, NC

Guest Service Representative

Chris Smith—SES Wilmington, NC

Barb Zachary—SES Richmond, VA

Congratulations to

Everyone

You are certainly GungHo!

Rookie of the Year Marcy Spink

Suburban Richmond, VA

Maintenance Engineer of the Year Tony Rodriguez

SBS Jacksonville, FL

Guest Service Rep of the Year Saruon Chuon

Candlewood Sterling, SES Sterling, VA

IHG Housekeeper of the Year Miraila Portalatin

Candlewood Richmond, VA

Choice Housekeeper of the Year

Joann Kinlaw SES Wilmington, NC

We’re Growing:

Generation To Manage new Jacksonville NC MainStay Suites

What’s better than getting a new property to manage? Getting a second new property from a satisfied partner! That’s just what Generation did in Jacksonville, NC. Generation has been awarded the management contract of the new MainStay Suites-Jacksonville, NC on Marine Boulevard near the Camp Lejeune Military Base and will handle the day-to-day operations, hiring and marketing. Generation is currently managing the owner’s first property, Suburban Extended Stay in Jacksonville. A 96-room, mid-scale extended stay option, the MainStay Suites opened its doors December 31 and employs 11 to 13 team members, including General Manager Christina Mack.

Generation Regional Operations Manager Rick Stroud sees enormous benefits in partnering with an owner on a second hotel. “We’re delighted to be working with this owner again and expanding our relationship,” Stroud ex-plained. “As he continues to grow, it opens doors for us to manage more properties, which is exciting. These are both beautiful, well-done hotels and we enjoy ramping up and operating beautiful, well-done hotels. This new property augments our current mix of hotels quite nicely.” Stroud pointed out that the Camp Lejeune area has grown rapidly these last few years, including a num-ber of new hotels. He feels the new MainStay Suites is ahead of the pack for one very important reason: community. “This hotel is locally-owned; our partner has other businesses in Jacksonville and is invested in this community. Because he knows the area, he’s able to develop businesses that are tailored for and perfectly serve a military audience,” Stroud concluded. “We believe that this hotel, with its nice courtyard with fire pit and grills, provides a great opportunity for guests to relax and socialize in a comfortable setting they can’t get in other hotels in the area. We’re looking forward to providing Jacksonville with another good option for hosting local community functions including parties, weddings, receptions and business events.” For more

information about the new MainStay Suites in Jacksonville, NC, go to www.generationcompanies.com or www.mainstaysuites.com/hotel-jacksonville-north_carolina-NC615.

Generation Welcomes Two New GMs

Generation recently brought on board two new GMs: Maureen Meier at Staybridge Suites in Jacksonville, FL and

Christina Mack at MainStay Suites in Jacksonville, NC.

Meier brings extensive extended stay hotel management experience in sales and operations to the job. She worked

with the brands-Residence Inn and Homewood Suites. She is focusing on

maintaining momentum and success at the hotel and plans to work closely with

her sales team during challenging economic times to cap-ture market share. She feels the Staybridge Suites is up to the task, thanks in large part to the corporate culture of

Generation. “I was very impressed during my interview,” she said. “Not only with area manager Rolf Holte but also

with the consistency of the hotel and team that he put together when he opened the hotel five years ago. The

more he told me about Generation, its vision, history and the way it treats employees, the more impressed I became. Generation has a proven track record with many long- term

associates and that tells quite a bit about a company. It is incredibly important to work for a company that you truly

enjoy, a company that treats all of its employees with genuine care and concern.”

For Mack, joining Generation is like coming home...literally. The Jacksonville native with

13years of hotel experience with Choice and Marriott is excited about returning to her

home town to run the MainStay Suites. Her goal? For the hotel to be in the top five in

the area. “It needs to be about more than just being new or having a great price and a

free breakfast,” she commented. “We want people to talk about us because they loved their stay, they felt at ease and

at home, we made their travels better.” But, don’t be mis-taken: Mack intends on succeeding on paper too. “We’re

going to blow the budget out of the water!” she stated. She believes her experience in seasonal selling and creativity and the Generation incentive program–the giveaways to

high-performing team members and bonus structure–will help her succeed. For Mack, autonomy is vital. “I really

appreciate that Generation is not going to micro-manage me,” she said. “They allow managers to run their unique properties their unique way. Yes, there is structure and

there are expectations, but I’m free to be creative and do what works best for my unique property and team, which benefits the company because micro-management creates more work for them too. That trust and freedom gives me

more opportunity to get out there and talk to staff and guests, which means more business.”

AdviceFromthePros:SmartSalesTacticsinaRecoveringEconomy

Therecentinvitationfrom

GenerationPresidentH.MarkDaleyIIIforpropertiestostrivefor110%ofbudgetthisyearisabigrequest,butit’sachallenge(somewouldsay,opportunity)thathotelteamsareembracing.Here’showGenerationDirectorsofSalesaretacklingthisambitiousinitiative“AllIn2013".

*IrecommendhavingGSRsringanycallforreservationsunder29daystoIHGReservationsbecausetheyknowthedetailsofthepropertyandwon’tquoteanybutthebestflexrate.Plus,itfreestheGSRstoturntheirbusi‐nessfocustotheproperty,spendingtimewithin‐houseguestslookingforleads.Mostofall,ithelpstheGSRsnotyieldtothepressuretoreducerates.Also,anystaysbookedformorethan30daysaresenttotheDOSforfollow‐up.Last,wehaveongoing“AllIn2013"trainingwiththeentirestaffbecausewebelievesalesareapartofeverybody’sjob.–SherryMatthews,

DOS,StaybridgeSuites‐Memphis,TN

*Wehavedailymeetingswithouren‐

tirestaff–includingGSRs,housekeepersandmaintenance–tomotivateeveryonetogeneratenewleads.Andwerewardtheteammem‐berwiththebestleadwitha$50giftcardoftheirchoice.Now,we’reget‐tinglotsandlotsofnewleads!We’realsopursuingadditional“filler”staysforweekendbusinessbymakingsalescallstoareaattractionsandevents.It’spayingoff:weekendbusinessisstartingtopickup.We’vestartedrole

‐playingwithGSRsatweeklymeetingsonallfrontdeskprocedurestoensuregreatcustomerservice:taking

reservations,check‐insandcheck‐outs.I’mworkingthefront

deskduringpeakcheck‐inatleasttwonightsaweektodeliver

additionaltrainingtoourGSRsandwe’rereviewingallold/closed

directbillaccountsforpossiblenewbusiness.

–MarthaSmith,DOS,CandlewoodSuites‐RichmondWest/

ShortPump,VA

Sincecomingbackfromourmeetings,I’vefocusedonourRFPsfor2013andmakingstrongerconnectionswiththecompanies.Itworked!Iwasinvitedtogiveapresentationto30administra‐tiveassistantsnextmonthatalargeinsurancecompany,abrand‐newRFP

forus!Also,I’mgivingGSRsincentivesof$20giftcardsonran‐domnightsiftheyaccuratelygathereachcompanynameandinformation

forthearrivalsthatevening.Typically,theseareeveningswherewemayhave30arrivalsbutweonlyhave15companynames.So,thereare15morepotentialleads.Throughtrainingandcoaching,weareseeingresults!SomeofmybestleadsandagreatwaytobuildrelationshipsiswhenI’matthefrontdesktalkingtoourtravelersastheywalkthroughthedoortocheckinorgototheirroom(after4:30pm,ofcourse!).Chattingwiththemandmakingsuretheyknowweappreciatetheirbusiness

makesthemfeelimportant.I’vemadeaspecialefforttobeatthefrontdeskmoreoftenintheeveningstosayhelloandgreetourguestswitha

smile.–ShellyTurnerParamore,DOS

CandlewoodSuites‐Raleigh/Crabtree,NC

Eatthefrog!Takeonthebiggestchallengethefirstthinginthe

morning.–DanaLewis,DOS,

CandlewoodSuites‐WashingtonDulles/Herndon,VA

GungHo! is a newsletter of

The Generation Companies,

LLC

We welcome submissions from all team

members

The Generation Companies

PO Box 14848 Research Triangle Park, NC

27709

www.generationcompanies.com