Today we’d like to introduce you to Rose Aguado.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Rose. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
In Spring of 2018, I had transferred to the University of Houston, and because I had been working in the hospitality industry for sometime, I figured why not stick to what I know best. There I joined the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant management. It was not until Spring of 2019 I had to choose an emphasis to go along with my major. During this time period, I was getting inspired by some local influencers and have always channeled my inner Anthony Bourdain. So with both of these combinations on my mind, I instinctively chose marketing and sales. That summer, which is this past summer I began my first marketing and sales course. It was a Friday evening and I was listening to How I built this with Guy Raz for a course assignment.
This NPR episode was about Jen Rubio who created the luggage brand Away. Her story inspired me so much that I kinda went a little crazy that night. I was on the edge of a breakthrough with my love for hospitality and the excitement I had to share it with everyone I knew. Houston has so much to see and offer that I knew this was my calling. Right away I took to social media and started looking around for the name Houston Hospitality, it was taken by some random guy from Cali who had nothing to do with Houston at all. So I made a call to a friend, and during this phone call HTX Hospitality was born. It was one of those times where you just needed to voice your thoughts out-loud to really gather and understand them clearly. Sure enough the name was available on all social settings, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. This was the beginning of HTX Hospitality, which is about bringing the community together through one sip, one bite and one dream at a time.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The struggles have consisted of finding balance within the start of my senior year at UH, having actual work, as well as managing my goals for HTX Hospitality. Success is a very challenging process, but with lots of support and encouragement it has been manageable.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about HTX Hospitality – what should we know?
HTX Hospitality uses social platforms to be creative and showcase different restaurants, bars & hotels within the city. The main goal is to share experiences throughout the hospitality industry and introduce some of the hard working individuals behind the scenes of the operations. There are many students who are apart of the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management program who are looking for inspiration or seeking knowledge of how the industry works. I took this opportunity to go out and actually meet these people who can help my fellow classmates and I along the way of our own journey through the hospitality industry.
What makes me most proud is seeing all the love and support from a city I have always called home. From the moment I started HTX Hospitality the amount of feedback and words of encouragement I have received is nothing I ever expected. It is a really good feeling knowing I have full support from Houston, TX.
As of right now, there are a few Houston influencers on social media doing really well capturing Houstons restaurants. These food bloggers are inspiring, but what sets HTX Hospitality apart from other bloggers is being able to make those real-life connections on and off social media. The University of Houston has opened up many doors into the lives of successful individuals throughout the Houston hospitality industry. For instance, I was able to join NACE (National Association for Catering & Events), which is an organization that has allowed me to meet the men and woman who work throughout the city of Houston organizing large events. All of these opportunities have given me more of an advantage to not just restaurants, but bars, hotels and anything related to hospitality.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Being ambitious is a key quality to my own success. There is not a day that goes by where I am not doing something productive that will contribute to my short-term or long-term goals. Whether it pertains to school, work or HTX Hospitality, everyday I am living and breathing my dreams. Of course, it is not easy and some days are harder than others, but overall persistence has lead me to this pivotal moment in life.
Contact Info:
- Email: htxhospitality@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/htxhospitality/?hl=en
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/htxhospitality
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdTt5EZ-U_CwPHnJzVmo4UA
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