Making a Masterpiece: Tina Minor
Tina Minor
Hotel General Manager, Holiday Inn Express & Suites
Tina Minor has been working in the hospitality industry for 35 years. One visitor who nominated her for the Pick Awards described how Tina cared for his wife who experienced an anxiety attack during her first trip traveling alone to a new city. “By the time my wife arrived at the hotel she was a nervous wreck,” the nominator wrote. “Tina Minor was the first employee she encountered.” Tina asked the guest how she could help, then unloaded the woman’s luggage and helped her find her medication. Later, she checked on the woman in her room, and even called her as the woman drove home to make sure she was okay. "I believe that Tina Minor is the epitome of guest relations,” the nominator wrote.
What’s something you’ve learned from your time working in the hospitality industry?
Patience, first of all. And to treat people the way that I want to be treated. And to understand that a customer is what drives our business. Without the customer there would be no need for us.
What advice would you give to somebody coming into the industry for the first time?
I would tell a newcomer to be ready to work from the bottom up. I started out as a cashier and waitress at the Holiday Inn on Brooks Road. It was Kemmons Wilsons’ first hotel in Memphis, and I would see him a lot. He taught me about how to take care of a customer completely. When I waited on tables, he would make sure that I knew that if someone ordered coffee, you bring cream and sugar, to take care of the customer’s needs completely before I walked away.
So I would really recommend that a newcomer start at the bottom and work their way up. If you haven’t worked in customer service before, you’ll have to gain experience.
Is there a memorable experience that you’ve had with a guest when you were able to problem-solve, or turn their day around?
We have a regular customer who has been coming here for 5 years. He is blind, and the last time he came here, his wife wasn’t with him. So I was his assistant while he was here for ten days. I would go check on him every morning and make sure his medication was lined up properly, I made sure he ate, I checked on him at the end of the day to make sure he didn’t need anything before I left. I taught him how to use Uber Eats. He was here for Elvis Week, so I made sure that the associates checked on him in the lobby, that he had an escort to help him come and go. I really put in the time with him. He has been loyal to us. He comes back each year because of the experience he’s had here.
What three places would you recommend that guests visit in Memphis?
Porch and Parlor, Bass Pro Shop in the Pyramid, and Bosco’s on Sundays for Joyce Cobb’s jazz brunch.
Thank you, Tina, for your exceptional service to guests visiting Memphis!
