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?