Meet Our People: WTM Board of Directors -Cynthia Johnson Webster

Cynthia Johnson Webster

General Manager of Canopy Memphis Downtown

Cynthia Johnson Webster got her start in the hospitality industry thanks to a timely question from the General Manager (GM) of a hotel. As an employee of the Chamber of Commerce in Mobile, AL, she often worked with the organization’s volunteers. One volunteer was the GM of the Clarion Hotel. Cynthia recalls that Mr. Hoeb asked her if she had ever considered the hotel business as a profession. She responded that one of her favorite TV shows was the 1980s drama Hotel! He encouraged her to look into hotel management as a career path – and offered her a job. “The rest is history,” she says.

Please meet the General Manager of Canopy Memphis Downtown – and one of WTM’s hard working Board of Directors – Cynthia Johnson Webster!

How did your career path lead you to where you are today? 

Sometimes in order to move up, you have to move around. This industry has led me from Mobile, AL, to College Station, TX, to Hollywood, FL, to Denver, CO, to St. Louis, MO, to Southaven, MS, to Memphis, TN.  Each place allowed me to grow in the hospitality profession, take on new tasks – and build my knowledge and my passion.

What do you find most rewarding about your job? 

Positively impacting the guests and team members.

What do you find most rewarding about being a leader in the Memphis hospitality industry? 

The success of my former team members. When you see them reaching their goals, even if they have to leave you – this is the most rewarding part of being a leader.

Why does the Welcome to Memphis mission resonate with you? 

Welcome to Memphis invests in the community by developing individuals. This mission resonates with me because I am all about developing and helping people to reach their goals, both professional and personally. If we help one another, we all grow. 

What do you think the future holds for Welcome to Memphis? 

A greater impact on more and more people. Bringing more people to the world of hospitality.

When you have visitors to Memphis, what are three places you always take them? 

Stax Museum, National Civil Rights Museum, and Shelby Farms. 

What advice would you give to someone who is new to the hospitality industry? 

Be flexible – understand and be able to pivot. 

Thank you for your outstanding example of leadership in the hospitality industry, Cynthia!