What does it take to keep good help? That’s what LODGING asked a beneficiary of an approach to cultivating excellence and loyalty in hospitality team members at the hospitality management company Vision Hospitality Group. Amber Chastain shared the story—hers—of a former factory worker displaced after the pandemic who joined Vision as a breakfast attendant at the Hampton Inn Cleveland in November 2021. She described how Vision’s employee development program Gear Up facilitated her remarkable rise less than five years later to general manager of the Tru by Hilton Chattanooga Hamilton Place.
When Chastain applied for the breakfast attendant position at the Hampton Inn in Cleveland, she was focused strictly on getting a job, not building a career. “Everyone at the factory where I had worked was laid off after the pandemic. I was applying for jobs everywhere.” Although she had “zero hotel experience,” she was hired for that position, and soon after starting, she was also working part-time at the front desk.
When she’d been at these jobs for about six months, she said, her manager suggested she apply for an internal career development program at Vision called Gear Up, which is designed to help employees who have been with the company for at least three months grow into leadership roles.
“I didn’t give it much thought, but threw my hat in on a whim,” she recalled, saying she was first interviewed, then chosen to be part of the first phase of that program, Level 1, a 6-week training that she said provided “the tools you need to move to the next step of the program.” That next step, Level 2, she explained, was a 6–to 9-month customized training for potential general managers, which is restricted to current managers. This she became when the operations manager position at her property opened shortly after she completed Level 1.
She remained in that position until July of this year, when, after a series of events she described, she assumed her current position. She had completed Level 2 when her manager mentioned a GM position at Chattanooga Hamilton Place. After discussing that GM position with the hiring manager at that property, she was placed on a task force to try out the position for a month. “After that, he asked if I would want to take on the job permanently.” She accepted.
Chastain claimed the Gear Up program didn’t just give her the skill but also the confidence to advance in her hospitality career. “The Gear Up leaders all acted like mentors. I call on them all the time. They’re very supportive and give me the best advice,” she remarked, adding that the “bit of confidence” she got from comments like “Amber, you’ve got this” was often what she needed most during her swift progression.
Chastain expressed gratitude to Vision for making this opportunity available to employees like her. “The amazing thing about this company is that if you’re wanting more, they will give you all the tools that you need to succeed.”
As a leader herself now, Chastain said she doesn’t hesitate to hire people who have no experience in hospitality, or even what might be considered a checkered history. “I’ll always tell them, if you want this and are willing to work, you have full support from me.”
Chastain stresses the importance of teamwork and paying forward the success she’s enjoying now. “It’s important to me to believe in people, and to give people the chance.” She recalled a recent “full circle” story, when she hired a team member who was working breakfast and as a houseperson to become an executive housekeeping manager. “She just had the best personality, so I asked if she might be interested in moving up to that job. She was nervous, just as I had been, saying she didn’t have manager experience. But I said, ‘I’m here to help if you’re willing to try for a few weeks. She came to me after that and said, “I want this.”
Which brings us to the payback enjoyed by Vision. According to the company, by developing employees before they move into new roles, Gear Up reduces turnover, prevents knowledge gaps, and creates a strong long-term talent pipeline within Vision Hospitality Group. The results speak for themselves: of Vision’s 38 general managers, eight began their leadership journey through the Gear Up Program.
