Member Spotlight by Rita Bassiet, Director of Sales

Provide us with a brief summary of your business’ services.

The Columbus Airport Marriott is a full service hotel and meeting center with 230 guest rooms and 14,000 square feet of meeting space. We offer free parking and complimentary shuttle service to John Glenn International Airport and Easton Town Center. On a typical day we will host business travelers working on projects all over Columbus, Association and Corporate meetings on site, and leisure guests here to sample all that Columbus has to offer.

Tell us about your company’s mission and values.

We are owned and managed by Winegardner and Hammonds Group, whose mission is to provide a positive working environment and superior hotel services.

Every employee of the Columbus Airport Marriot carries our Pledge Card as a part of our uniform.  On this card are the mission statement priorities, and the most important is our people. We achieve the other priorities, like customer satisfaction and growth, with happy positive people working for us!

What are the services you use the most (or are looking forward to using) from the Columbus Chamber?

Any opportunity to connect with the Central Ohio community makes our lives easier and more productive. The Chamber has made that possible with networking events, research for targeted growth opportunities, and facilitating introductions to key decision makers.

How do you stay engaged with trends that you see in your industry?

We are lucky in the hospitality industry because we like to have meetings!  There are many organizations that educate and inspire us to learn new things every day.  We go to events and read newsletters from Meeting Planners International Ohio, Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association Ohio Chapter, The National Association for Catering and Events and the International Live Events Association. We are also big hotel nerds who like to take pictures of everything we see when traveling and bring it back to our guests.

What is your company culture like?

Our employees are so dedicated and work very hard to provide for the needs of our guests on a 24/7 basis. For that reason, it’s vitally important that we ensure that our people are well taken care of and satisfied with their work life. Making time to talk with employees about any challenges and also celebrating the victories is essential to creating understanding on a deeper level. And having fun whenever possible helps too!

What makes Columbus such a great place to do business?

I grew up here in Columbus and no matter how much we grow and change, I believe that our friendly and generous people are our greatest asset. When our hotel guests visit Columbus for the first time, they are so impressed with the hospitable and open nature of our community.

What pieces of advice have you found to be the most helpful since starting your career?

Do what you love and you will never work a day in your life. My dad told me as a little girl to get a job where I got paid to talk, so I did!

How do you achieve a work/life balance?

My biggest challenge is learning to say no and not overloading my calendar. If I can manage one or two nights a week that have no work or personal commitments after work, it’s a great week. And everyone should play volleyball as often as possible, it’s the best.

Social Media (Please provide links to your social media channels):

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CbusAirMarriott

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Columbusairportmarriott/

Website: www.columbusairportmarriott.com

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