Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Henderson.
Hi Jennifer, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
I came to Savannah from Ohio in 2000. I loved the history of the city and had studied to be a tour guide, but I never got my tour guide license. At that time, The River Street Inn had a small Manager’s Reception, and they were looking for a Historian, so I would serve guests wine and appetizers and talk about Savannah’s history. The hotel opened meeting spaces shortly after, and I transitioned there. I also spent time as a Front Desk Agent, Laundry Attendant, Housekeeper, and Inspector. When the Food and Beverage Manager decided to relocate, he recommended me for the job. I worked that for years until my daughter went to kindergarten, and I realized that I needed a more 9-5 M-F job. That’s when I transitioned into doing Accounting and was a Sales Assistant, Revenue Manager, and HR Director along with doing reduced Food and Beverage duties. After Covid, I became the Sales Manager. I call myself the Hotel Administrator since I don’t have one specific title at the hotel. No matter what I am, my goal is the same as it always has been- to provide the best possible experience for each and every guest who walks through our doors.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has certainly not been a smooth road, but it has been well worth it. I have been at the same hotel since before 9/11 and was there watching the towers fall while a group in our meeting room was trying to contact their corporate office, which was in one of the towers. I have been here through 3 General Managers, two ownership companies, one major renovation, and more procedure changes than I can count. I was working when we have had to evacuate the hotel due to power outages, hurricanes, and, of course- Covid. I have had to find a starch in a hurry when a caterer forgot to bring a group’s mashed potatoes and have had to come in late at night when someone didn’t show up for their shift. I have always said, “We will NOT drop the ball,” though, so when things go sideways, I just find a way to get creative and solve the problem a different route. Even if the issue isn’t because of something you caused, you can always try to find a way to fix it or make it better. It seems to me that if everyone just tried to help somehow, problems would work themselves out a lot easier.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I suppose I specialize in hospitality. For years, while I was the Food and Beverage Manager, I was also the manager’s Reception bartender. I would meet our guests, pour the wine, or make them a drink, and chat with them about where they are from, what they can see in Savannah, or whatever they would like (I still laugh about the time two guests got into a Donald Duck speaking contest). Now, being in the Sales department, I try to book groups who want the experience that we provide here at the hotel. Not everyone is a boutique hotel person, and I am going to be completely honest with people that we are not a cookie-cutter hotel. I suppose I’m most proud that guests from years ago still come to see me. They remember me and ask about my daughter. I think that my ability to read people sets me apart from others. I can generally figure out what a guest would like and can help direct them so that they have the best individualized experience possible. After all, we live in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Everyone should be able to find something that is going to make Savannah special for them.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I love the historic buildings and all of the trees. I could sit in a square and just relax for hours. I also love how quirky the city is. You never know what you’re going to come across. For instance, I was a guest at a group dinner last weekend, and in the room next to us walks about 14 people. Most of them were women, and maybe two were men. All of them except for the one man were dressed like colonial Americans (think Hamilton). The one man was dressed as a colonial woman. This is mid-September, so, of course, we had to ask what was going on. It was a bachelorette party (and it was her “Last Declaration of Independence”). Hilarious, but so very Savannah. My least favorite thing about Savannah, quite honestly, is the homelessness. I have been told that we don’t have day shelters where they homeless can stay, so they get kicked out onto the streets in the morning and have nowhere to go until the evening. I don’t pretend to have the answer to the homeless issue, but it breaks my heart.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.riverstreetinn.com
- Instagram: riverstreetinn1817
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RiverStreetInn1817
