General Manager Kyle Highberg

The Doubletree Guest Suites Omaha has had the pleasure of welcoming a new General Manager this month. Kyle Highberg has been in hospitality for 10 years, and started out as a front desk agent at a Hilton in Maryland. He joined the Doubletree team in order to be part of a full service hotel and focus on his passion: servicing the guest. Kyle, along with his wife and three kids, enjoy the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the outdoors.

450th Bomb Group Association

The Doubletree Guest Suites was host to the 450^th Bombardment Group Association’s last reunion in October. The Group served in Italy from 1943-1945, defending our country in World War II. The five-day reunion included a banquet with ‘The Noteables’ band from Offutt Air Force Base, a memorial ceremony, a business meeting, a wine and cheese reception, and a lot of socializing, laughing, and reminiscing. The reunion was planned by Mr. Alvin Goodman. More photos to come!

Welcome, Michael Steele!

In late September the Doubletree Guest Suites Omaha was honored with a very special guest, Michael Steele! Steele is the 64^th Chairman of the Republican National Committee. Our Revenue Analyst, Anne Foutz, was lucky enough to snap a photo with him.

The Friendliest Face at the Doubletree

If you’ve ever been our guest at the Doubletree Guest Suites, chances are you’ve spoken to Lorenza Diaz, our lobby attendant. Since starting her career as a room attendant 10 years ago, Lorenza has won the Employee of the Month award more than 5 times and has broken our record for Above and Beyond the Call of Duty awards given. Housekeeping Manager Jami Farris said about Lorenza, “Her attitude is fun and playful. She is a delight to everyone she meets!" Lorenza was born in Ensenada, Mexico and has one son.

Meet Amanda!

Amanda Sampino has recently been promoted to the Director of Operations. She will oversee the Food and Beverage, Front Desk, and Housekeeping departments. She started at the Doubletree in 2007 as a front desk agent. Amanda grew up in Poughkieepsie, New York (No, she doesn’t know Snookie from the Jersey Shore!), rides a motorcycle, and holds a degree in culinary arts and food service management from Johnson & Wales University.

Amanda’s Doubletree Fast Fact: When the hotel was originally built, it was a Granada Royale ‘Hometel’ – one of the first all-suite concepts in the hotel industry!

When I walked into the hotel on Wednesday morning it looked like a scene from “The Princess and the Pea”. Piles… and piles… and piles… of mattresses!

I headed down one of the hallways to get some coffee and the walls lined with mattresses made me think, “Have I gone insane? Was I fired months ago, and I just think I’m at work, when in reality I’m in an institution with padded walls??”

No… the smiling faces of the housekeepers carrying the mattresses out to a big truck in the parking lot confirmed that I hadn’t been committed. We were, in fact, donating 186 mattresses to the Open Door Mission, an organization and shelter that strives to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty. Our recent sleeper-sofa upgrades have allowed us to give to this great organization.

During my time volunteering at the Open Door Mission and other shelters in the Omaha area one issue has always been prevalent: There just aren’t enough beds. I feel lucky to work in a place that gives back to the community – one good night’s sleep at a time!

Pictured above is Darren Timberlake, the Community Relations Coordinator at the Open Door Mission.

-Kristin Nielsen, Event Services Manager

Spring!

Spring is in the air at the Doubletree. The landscape is beginning to take color along with new and more colorful chocolate mulch I’ve noticed the plants are poking their heads out of the ground. I always look forward to see the beautiful blooms each year. This year, getting the hotel ready for spring has truly been a group effort. Last week the management staff put on their jeans and gardening gloves and spent a day outside spreading mulch and trimming bushes!

-Bobbi Barr, Accounting Manager

Geocaching for Hidden Treasure

Are any of our followers Geocachers?

For those who aren’t familiar with the term, Geocaching is a hugely popular activity that is commonly called a high-tech treasure hunt. Basically, you use a handheld GPS receiver to find caches (pronounced ‘cashes’) that others have hidden. It can be a box with a paper log so that finders can prove they’ve found it, or they can contain several trade items.

If you register on a site like www.geocaching.com you can find Geocaches in your area. Enter the coordinates into your GPS, read the hints on the site, and start the search!

You may be asking yourself why I am writing about an obscure (but fun!) hobby like Geocaching… It just so happens that there are 898 Geocaches within 25 miles of the Doubletree Guest Suites Omaha!

Located in mid-town, we are the perfect location for your summer Geocaching headquarters!

Welcome to Paradise

I’ve heard the DoubleTree Guest Suites called ‘paradise’ so it’s only fitting that we have the largest Bird Of Paradise plant in Omaha! Housed in our atrium, this massive plant measures over 18 feet. The average size for a Bird of Paradise is from 1 to 4 feet. It is about 15 years old, and is expected to bloom for the first time this year. Look for an update when the buds are ready to bloom; this is sure to be an event to remember!

Homaha? Ourmaha? Bromaha?

Although Omaha, Nebraska has 18,512 fans on Facebook, I have a feeling almost everyone who lives, or has visited here is a ‘fan’. On my quest to find everything fabulous, fun, and exciting in Omaha, I found a one-stop shop where the various reasons for living and being in Omaha can be heard, straight from the locals’ mouths.

Check out iliveinomaha.com

Here are my Top 5 favorites:

“I live in Omaha because we got more than corn, we got character.”

-Kenneth

“I live in Omaha because raw industrial space leads to raw industrial parties.”

-Jordy

“I live in Omaha because a ten-day road trip to California reminded me of the hospitality that can only be Omaha.”

-Kara

“I live in Omaha because if my wife’s car gets stuck on ice, a kind stranger will come help me get it out.”

-Scott

“I live in Omaha because of all the times I look around a corner and say, “who knew”.

-Ryan

Why do you live in/visit Omaha?

For the frequent traveler... Why not take advantage of all your options?

If you’re a frequent guest at the Doubletree or any hotel, you’ve probably signed up for some kind of rewards program. As a member of Hilton Worldwide, we offer HHonors; an opportunity to earn points towards a variety of services and discounts.

You may be thinking to yourself, “It’s not worth the hassle”. What hassle? All you need is a valid email account to start earning points at over 3,000 Hilton Family hotels worldwide. Amenities and services like a complementary weekday newspaper, late or express check-out, room upgrades and complimentary breakfast can turn your stay into a grand experience.

Not only do we fulfill the needs and requests of our HHonors members, we know them by name. While we treat all our guests like family, our rewards members are able to notify us of their preferences before they even arrive. As soon as an HHonors member makes a reservation, we know that they want to be on a high floor, close to an elevator, and that they always prefer a king bed in their non-smoking suite.

Unlike other rewards programs, there are no black-out dates and you can “double dip” to earn both HHonors points and airline miles for the same stay. Who could ask for more?

Join HHonors. When you arrive to find the amenities of your choice and you’re greeted with a friendly, “Welcome! We’ve been expecting you!” at check-in, you’ll be glad you did. After all, sometimes you just want to go… where everybody knows your name…