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‘Talent addict’: Kimpton’s Too on culture, people

In April, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants ranked number one on Fortune’s list of the 25 best workplaces in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2017. Two months later, the company bumped up its workplace culture game a step further by appointing a new senior vice president of its people and culture department (aka human relations) in Ginny Too, formerly IHG’s vice president of HR for the Americas.

HOTELS caught up with Too to talk successful workplace culture, biggest learns and why a sense of humor in this industry is a must.

Ginny Too, Kimpton's senior vice president of people and culture
Ginny Too, Kimpton’s senior vice president of people and culture

HOTELS: You started with Kimpton in June as SVP of people and culture. How does Kimpton differentiate its workplace?

Ginny Too: I’m sure everybody who is close to the Kimpton organization would say that the key differentiator is our culture. And the key to promoting our culture and to sustaining it is to make sure we hire the right people. As Bill [Kimpton] would say, hire the right people and then get out of their way and trust them. Let them do their thing, what they’re good at.

H: You received your undergraduate in psychology and a master’s in counseling. How did you transition into hospitality?

GT: I’ve always loved the industry, and that’s because when I was young, my parents owned a laundry business that catered to hotels, restaurants and bars. I’ve always been around those properties and loved it. If you think about it, a hotel is a place where people from all backgrounds, from all regions and all perspectives kind of converge. It’s such a great environment. That’s when I first started to really be interested. Of course, after I graduated from university, I did not go right into hospitality. Actually, I started off as a social worker and went on to work for General Motors and Delco Automotive in HR. When I was in Asia, an opportunity came up, and I was offered an opportunity to work for IHG, leading the Asia region based in Singapore.

H: What was one of your biggest learns in this industry?

GT: When was at IHG, I had a really great mentor who was an executive level in HR, and what she taught me was – if we don’t love our people, how do we expect our people to love our guests? Actually, I do have one rule in my department that I make sure people follow. It’s called the 15-minute rule. When we make a mistake or when something goes wrong, we’re allowed 15 minutes to feel as bad as we want to, and beyond that, any minute is to be spent on fixing the problem and learning from it.

H: That’s a good lesson across life.

GT: Yes, that’s right. I do that for my personal life, too.

H: How important is having a sense of humor in the hotel workplace?

GT: I don’t think I could work in a place without a great sense of humor. We’re not brain surgeons here, you know. It’s OK to make a mistake. The other thing I think is important about humor is that it connects people, and it creates a bond that shortens the distance between two people wherever they are in life.

You know, you asked me what do I enjoy about being in the hotel industry, and it’s to be able to see people grow. I would describe myself as a talent addict. It’s wonderful to be able to bring people in, groom them, develop them, see them succeed and just give them all they need, mentor them, teach them, train them, and sit back and watch the magic happen. That’s the most rewarding feeling that anybody could have, in my mind.

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