Meet Ryan Gullion of Hotel Alessandra in Downtown

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Gullion.

Ryan, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I learned that I had a passion for the hospitality industry while working in my first job. Since then, I have been working in either a restaurant or hotel for the past twenty seven years. I pursued a degree in Hotel Administration at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and embarked on a voyage that has taken me to seven different cities on both coasts. I have been in Houston the longest, a combined 13 years and hope to never work in another place. Houston has proven to have the best people to work with and for. I joined Valencia Group 15 years ago when we opened our first hotels in San Antonio, Texas and San Jose, California. I am now on my third hotel in Houston and could not be more excited to be a part of a renewed and energized Downtown Houston.

Has it been a smooth road?
I don’t think I would call it smooth, the trajectory of my career has provided me with many opportunities for growth and challenges that I am grateful to have experienced. I think if you approach any “struggle” as an opportunity to grow as a person or leader you find yourself embracing challenges rather than avoiding them. I am a firm believer that you always have to challenge yourself both personally and professionally to find things you do not do well and work at them. I find great joy and fulfillment in making incremental improvements at things which I do not initially do well at.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Hotel Alessandra – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Valencia Group is based here in Houston. As General Manager of the hotel, I am responsible for the fiscal performance of the hotel, exceeding the expectations of our guests, providing a dynamic and satisfying place to work. I think if you asked the people I work with every day they would tell you that I am dedicated to making sure they have everything they need to be successful and that we have a great team of passionate people that truly love what they do, that is what I try to bring to our business. I am extremely proud of the fact that our company is composed of many of the people that helped start it and have found rewarding careers while we continue to expand into new markets. I think our company is fortunate not to be bound by static “brand standards”. If we find something that benefits the guests, the owners, or our fellow associates we are empowered to make those decisions.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
My favorite thing about this city is the people we share it with. Houston has a unique attitude. We roll up our sleeves and get things done. I think we all remember how we all responded during the recent hurricane. Those citizens that were able to help with their trucks or boats got out and started making rescues. As soon as it stopped raining, people who were fortunate enough to have their homes spared got to work assisting strangers clean and repair their homes. My least favorite thing about our city is the traffic, I think we need to be smarter about how we utilize our freeways. I think staggered work times would fix most of the issues.

Pricing:

• rooms from $299 during the week and $229 on the weekends

Contact Info:

• Address: 1070 Dallas Street
  Houston, Texas 77002
• Website: https://www.hotelalessandra-houston.com
• Phone:713.242.8555
• Email: rgullion@valenciagroup.com
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