A high school internship with The Greater Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce eventually led Kayla Williams to a career in the hospitality industry.
Williams, who was named the general manager of The Waters Hotel last November, said her career in hospitality has given her a new perspective on the Spa City.
"It's interesting because when you live here growing up, you don't really realize or understand that it's a tourist town because it's all you've ever known," she said. "You don't realize that Hot Springs has been mentioned nationally, where people are (asking you), 'What is this place, and why do we have to go?'"
From the inside, Williams said she believed it might draw her if she was from somewhere else, but it is impossible to truly know.
"You kind of get numb to the fact of how amazing Hot Springs is because you've just lived it your whole life," she said. "Working in hospitality kind of opens your eyes. ... There's plenty of things to do, and there's plenty of things to see and people do travel here to visit it for certain reasons. And so it's kind of neat to be able to talk to guests about the area and experiences because I'm a native, but then it allows me to see it in a different light than just the local who's like, 'I don't know why everyone comes to Hot Springs.'"
Williams was the intern for the event coordinator at the Chamber of Commerce, which helped her realize that she enjoys coordinating things. After getting her bachelor's degree in communications at Penn State University, she moved back to Hot Springs and started a family, and someone at the Chamber of Commerce referred her to an open position at the Arlington Resort Hotel and Spa.
"Before that, I had never worked in a hotel a day in my life," she said. "I've worked in restaurants as a server and all those things, but never a hotel. I immediately loved hospitality. I enjoy talking to people. I enjoy talking about the place that I grew up in, and so I've always said that once you start working in hotels, you either love it and you're here for life and you're a lifer, or you realize not for me, because you deal with different people from all different backgrounds from all over the world, and that's not for everyone."
After working as a sales assistant at the Arlington, she worked in insurance and learned that "insurance was not my cup of tea."
"Some people, they know exactly what they're going to do (each day)," she said. "That's kind of what I found in insurance: I knew exactly what I was going to do every single day. And as much as it's nice to not have any surprises, not that you don't get them, but working in a hotel, every day is completely different. And as chaotic as that can be, it is very entertaining at the end of the day. You never get bored. I can tell you that. And that's what I love about it. It's ever-changing."
Williams returned to the hospitality industry, becoming sales manager for the Clarion Resort on the Lake.
"I was there for about five years there with (her department head, Tasha Smith), and then that hotel got sold," she said. "She left and went to manage as the General Manager at the Holiday Inn Express and Staybridge Suites, and she needed a director of sales to come with her. So I followed her there. We worked together for about five years there, and then she got the position of general manager at The Waters Hotel, and she needed an AG."
When Smith left The Waters last year, Williams decided to remain in Hot Springs, which led her to become the hotel's general manager.
"I'll follow her locally," Williams said with a laugh. "I was not going to follow her all the way to North Carolina. ... As much as I miss her, it provided a great opportunity for me to step up into my final role as a general manager here."
Williams said her work at the Holiday Inn Express helped prepare her to become a manager.
"My experience at the Express really set me up for my position here because I had experience in a little bit of operations and then sales focus," she said. "When I came over to The Waters as AGM, I was able to expand on my experience as the operations of the hotel with her leadership as general manager. And now that she's has left us and I've taken that role, I'm managing the hotel and managing both restaurants and making sure that we're giving the best guest experience at the end of the day."
That is the main focus of the hospitality industry, Williams said.
"Every hotel is a business, and, of course, we want to be profitable, but our main focus is our guests' experience," she said. "And so we're really pushing that and making sure that you know our guests leave happy and that they want to return. The sales background gets utilized because I'm selling the experience, and then at the end of the day making sure that we're meeting that revenue as well."
Williams said being from Hot Springs allows her to help direct visitors to places they are interested in visiting or giving some of the history of the area.
"Making the move to downtown is just kind of bringing back my knowledge of when I did work at the Arlington," she said. "It's fun to research and give more information on like the history of downtown because that's where it all started and knowing that and giving that to guests. ... It makes it a lot easier when they ask for things to do outside of downtown. We have our beautiful lakes that surround us, and I'm a lake girl, so I love to talk about the summer activities that they can do and all of that. So it definitely makes it easier coming from here."
While each day being different from the next might not be for everyone, Williams thrives in the ever-changing environment.
"I've always said when I've worked in hotels, 'I've had jobs before, but this is my career,'" she said. "I never wake up and think, 'Ugh, I have to go to work today.' I look forward to it, each and every day. ... It's got the two restaurants plus the hotel, so there's always something going on. So it does keep me entertained. I really love our staff here, and they're a fun group to work with and to lead. So it's never boring, and it's just it's nice to come to work and leave with a story every single day."
Williams said being in the hospitality industry gives her a more critical eye when it comes to visiting other hotels, but she also is more understanding about some things.
"When you work in a hotel, you tend to be more critical of other hotels and how they run it and maybe the condition of the hotel, but I think over the years I've learned that everyone has their own story and their own ownership and their own management team," she said. "If there's you know, a hotel that wouldn't necessarily be like my first pick because of whatever reason, I've learned to have empathy because you work in this industry for so long you realize that, everyone can be short staffed, and I think I have a lot more patience than I probably did when I was younger. ... I definitely think I have a lot more patience and understanding of the struggles that they go through because we all go through it every single day."
While she admits the hospitality industry is not for everyone, Williams encourages people to give it a chance, even if they are not extroverted.
"You definitely have to be at least a bit of a people-person," she said. "I don't necessarily consider myself an extrovert -- maybe a tad bit introverted -- but I do enjoy talking to people and meeting new people and meeting strangers and getting to know them and being able to talk about the hotel and talk about Hot Springs. It's not for everyone, but it is a very exciting, entertaining job. You get to see new faces every single day."
Kayla Williams, the general manager of The Waters Hotel, has spent more than a decade in the hospitality industry.
As general manager of The Waters Hotel, Hot Springs native Kayla Williams has been able to get a new perspective on the Spa City.
Named the general manager of The Waters Hotel in November, Kayla Williams has worked at multiple hotels around Hot Springs.
Kayla Williams, the general manager of The Waters Hotel, enjoys the ever-changing nature of the hospitality industry.
Working in the hospitality industry has given The Waters Hotel General Manager Kayla Williams a different perspective when she visits other hotels across the country.
Kayla Williams, the general manager of The Waters Hotel, first entered the hospitality industry thanks to an internship at the Greater Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce.
As the general manager of The Waters Hotel, Kayla Williams is in charge of two restaurants as well as the hotel.
Kayla Williams, the general manager of The Waters Hotel, likes working at a boutique hotel like The Waters because it has its own unique character.
