AMY ISBELL-WILLIAMS
DIRECTOR OF LODGING: GERONIMO HOSPITALITY GROUP
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Amy is a pure powerhouse... and has been since she busted onto the Indy scene for the opening of Ironworks Hotel in 2017. Did she stop there? Nope. In 2021 she also led the charge and opened downtown's Bottleworks Hotel. Both of those properties are now the lodging leaders in Indianapolis. Bottom line - Amy's a baaaaaaad chick and takes care of business.
Q. So far, how has Geronimo been different from your previous work experience(s)?
A. In my last company, I very much felt like just a number. I had a new boss every 3 months. Which made it difficult to understand the expectations of my position and type of success I was expected to achieve. At (unnamed company) GMs were handed over a property, and pretty much told to make as much money as possible, without regard of quality. This took the passion out of hospitality. We were discouraged from being creative and curating a memorable experience for our guests, which is what I am in this industry for, first and foremost. That’s what excited me about Geronimo. I was looking for some place that would encourage me to “own” the guest experience. I wanted to be able to take the blueprint of what I had learned in my first 13 years in hospitality, and build onto it, enhance, and elevate the experience for guests. No stone unturned, no detail overlooked. I think we, as a company, do a really good job of that. We think about travel and hospitality in a way that nobody else does. It sets us apart.
Q. What in the world were you doing before you came to work with Geronimo?
A. I worked for a large, national lodging company. Which shall not be named.
Q. What has your Geronimo Journey been? Where did you start, and how did you get to where you are today?
A. As the opening GM of Ironworks Hotel Indy, I was the first Geronimo Hospitality employee in the Indianapolis market. We went from one, to over 100 working with Geronimo in under 5 years. I am overjoyed to see our company grow so quickly in my home state. I think it’s a testament to our culture of openness and inclusivity. But also, I think our brands shine and our team members are proud to say they are a part of. They love telling people they work for our hotels and restaurants, its imperative we keep that momentum.
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Q. Geronimo has a lot of cool people who work hard...Tell us what makes them so cool?
A. Our teams have the freedom to be themselves. To step into work each day and not conform to the job but do the job in their own style. I think that sense of individuality resonates with guests, but also allows our team members to build a connection with each other and embrace each other’s uniqueness.
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Q. What is your favorite saying from the Geronimo Manifesto and why? How do you apply it to your everyday?
A. This is SO HARD because I refer to MANY daily. I think my favorite used to be “Your voice matters, use it” I still like this one, but I think as our company grows, the one that resonates the most for me is “Never compromise on quality, ever.” I think with a rapidly-growing company, sometimes quality can get diluted when there are so many cooks in the kitchen, so to speak. It takes me back to my time at (unnamed company) and when I was asked to merely make as much money as possible. That’s not the reason we do what we do, we are in hospitality, and the definition of hospitality is “the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers”. Key word is generous. I am a believer that whatever you put into the world, it will come back to you tenfold.
Q. In your career, what is the gameplan?
A. I love opening hotels, Bottleworks Hotel was my 5th hotel opening in my career. I love the energy behind it, I love when it gets to crunch time and we are all in rooms making beds, I love the team building of it all. While I also have so much passion for the day-to-day hotel operations, I would love to one day have a position in openings and acquisitions, to share the knowledge and tricks of the trade I have learned with other hospitality leaders, to start them off on the right foot. Further down the line, I have entertained the idea of a career with the CVB on a city and state level. I love being an ambassador for Indy.
Q. If you had to pick a favorite Geronimo brand (other than BOTTLEWORKS) which one would it be and why?
A. First of our hotels I fell in love with was The Delafield Hotel. I love the overall design, I love the food, I love the quaint small town-feel.
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Q. For anyone thinking to get into hospitality, share some words of wisdom.
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A. Don’t take yourself too seriously, but don’t be afraid to be an advocate for yourself and your career. You are in charge of your own future, ask for what you want. Most importantly as a female in business, don’t let anyone “toots” you.