Irma was Pablo Torres’ seventh hurricane. But the general manager of the Hilton Caribe, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, still feels lucky and blessed that the Category 5 storm gave a narrow miss to the island, compared with the devastation it is wreaking elsewhere in the Caribbean.
The 652-room hotel didn’t sustain much damage, he says – mostly landscaping, with trees and palms down, debris in the swimming pools and on the beach, and water in some of the rooms. “That was really it,” Torres said. “We are focusing right now on cleaning the whole property so we are able to accommodate all our guests.”
Irma, the most powerful Atlantic hurricane on record, did its share of damage to the U.S. territory, killing several people and leaving a million without power. The far southeastern U.S. is bracing for the storm, which is expected to hit Florida by Sunday.
Torres said the hotel and its 600 staff members started monitoring the storm last week, setting plans in place to account for water, food, power and guest protection. “Every year we kind of have to go through this, and so we have great contingency plans in place to do that,” he said. The hotel has a generator and enough diesel for several days. About 80 staff members volunteered to stay at the hotel to weather the storm.
On Wednesday at 9 a.m., about 350 people, including guests and hotel team members, gathered in a common area on the hotel’s second floor. Hotel staff accounted for all the guests and then checked the rooms “to make sure everyone was accounted for, including team members,” he said. They stayed in the area all day, playing board games and Bingo, resting and eating meals and snacks. A doctor was on site as well.
“Just before midnight, we ensured that all the rooms were safe and we started allowing guests to go back to their rooms,” Torres said. “Some of the guests decided to leave the property, some of the guests couldn’t leave the property so obviously we needed to take care of them. To do that, we provided a shelter and in that shelter we tried to make it as comfortable as possible, but the main priority was always safety and security of all of them.”
We are thrilled to see that the historic @CaribeHilton weathered Irma and is open for business. This #HistoricHotel is ready for you! https://t.co/mvXyLgoUDn
— Historic Hotels (@HistoricHotelAm) September 8, 2017
Despite being hunkered down during the worst of the storm, there were some festive moments to help break up the fearful conditions outside: “We identified a couple of guests that were having a birthday, so we managed to celebrate with them,” Torres said. “There was a honeymooning couple as well.” As soon as it was safe, “we managed to bring some goodies and Champagne and celebrate with them, and the feedback we are getting with that is really heartwarming.”
Even smokers and the four pets on property were accounted for, being led – when it was safe – to a receiving dock to relieve their anxiety (and themselves).
Another piece of luck: “We had internet throughout the storm, and I tell you that was key for the guests to be able to connect through social media and to loved ones and let them know where they were and the conditions,” Torres said.
Getting positive feedback from the guests buoyed hotel employees, concerned as they were with their own homes and families.
“Let’s put ourselves in their shoes,” Torres said. “They have to decide whether they stay with their families or if they want to come as a volunteer and take care of our guests.” A hotel engineer was a case in point, he said. “He got a call from his wife saying they were having some challenges in his own home, and he was smiling with all the guests. To handle that anxiety is not easy,” said Torres, who was working in New Jersey when Hurricane Sandy hit in 2012 and has experienced storms elsewhere in the Caribbean during his career.
Concern for the team continues today: “We are in the process of calling all our team members and ensuring they are OK. And obviously we want to make sure that we take care of them,” Torres said. That includes sending volunteers home with a bag of ice and food, providing places to shower if they don’t have water, and taking the extra step last week of paying them in advance in case the storm created a need for ready cash. “We are physically calling team member by team member to ensure they are doing well,” said Torres, who calls his staff “heroes.”
“Considering all the contingencies, deciding whether to stay here or stay with their own family, being present and really being hospitable and putting their heart and genuine hospitality into it, and managing their own energy – for me, all of them are true heroes, and they really represent our hospitality. And the long hours…”
As for himself, he said, “This is the time to step up and raise the standards to ensure the safety and security of everyone, so my whole energy has been concentrated on that. I would say that I’m very lucky and blessed to be surrounded with so many talented people that they have supported me throughout this peculiar event. I’m sure that I’ll have some time to rest later on.”
This afternoon, he is focusing on making sure team members are accounted for and that guests are finding a safe way home – and that operations return to normal. Even as he keeps his eye on Hurricane Jose, making its way across the Atlantic and expected to reach Puerto Rico on Saturday, he is maintaining his humor and perspective.
“It’s sunny and we are the birthplace of the pina colada,” he said. “And we are making sure that our guests in the pool that we just reopened are getting some of them.”