Dennis Hale has been with the Embassy Suites by Hilton at Lake Buena Vista South — if you’ve attended any number of Osceola County-related gatherings recently, you know the place — since it opened its doors in 2012. Now, as its general manager, his work has been recognized by the chain.
In May, he was named General Manager of the Year for the Embassy Suites. Hale, who has won a number of other awards while working at the location at Vineland Road and Kyngs Heath Road, reflected with the News-Gazette on how far he’s come in his time as a manager and what he’s looking forward to next.
News- Gazette: How do you feel about winning the award?
Hale: “It’s been fun, a great reflection of our team. I’m very happy to be one of the representatives. It’s a results-based award that’s based on the hotel. All the attributes that are rewarded is touched by the team.”
ONG: Tell us your story on how you got to where you are today.
Hale: “I’m very lucky. I’ve been a General Manager for 33 years. My wife and I lived everywhere for a lot of years, but we decided to move to settle down. After we moved, I’ve ran the Suites for 12 years through connections and experience with the brand. That was something adventurous through the brand. Built the hotel form the ground up. Vacant piece of land. We are owned by a company separated from the suites. We opened here Sept 2012 and it’s hard to believe that it’s been going on 11 years.”
ONG: What’s next for you now that you earned the award?
Hale: “My goal is to continue to run this hotel to the best of my ability. Making the owners happy and proud of this hotel. Only time will tell.”
