In late August, Hurricane Idalia wreaked havoc as it moved through Florida, bringing severe damages, including flooding, roof detachments, and power outages. Government officials reported that the hurricane could have had a much more devastating impact if it had hit a more populated area. Fortunately, many of Guest Servics’ operated properties were unaffected and out of the Category 3 Hurricane’s path.

Matt Smith, District Manager, Florida State Park Operations, met with the Insider team to give an update on the effect of the Hurricane.

What Properties Were Most Affected?

As Hurricane Idalia approached, the Guest Services teams at various properties initiated the hurricane preparedness plans, a strategy meticulously laid out to safeguard both infrastructure and the community. Teams worked to ensure vehicles were adequately fueled, generators were in optimal condition, and inventory of essential resources was readied. (Reach out to your managers to get the latest information about hurricane readiness and other natural disaster preparedness plans.)

The properties in the Crystal River and Homosassa areas were most notably impacted, with the offices at the Crystal River Park accumulating sediment deposits and the Homosassa area experiencing significant flooding. Despite the storm’s challenges, the team responded quickly and efficiently, promptly initiating clean-up and restoration operations post-hurricane. The unity of the teams was instrumental in allowing Crystal River to resume operations in a timely manner and ensuring the well-being and continuity of the community and its services.

How Do We Prepare For Hurricanes?

“Staying prepared and maintaining constant communication is key to staying ahead in unexpected situations like the recent hurricane, which took an unusual route from the Caribbean, surprising many of us who typically monitor the eastern paths. Keeping communication open and keeping everyone up-to-date is really the key to staying ahead of the game,” says Matt.

Thank you to all team members who play a critical role in hurricane response!

After another successful year for our Jazz in the Garden season, we’d like to highlight some of the changes and successes experienced in 2023 and extend our appreciation to the Sculpture Garden team. Thank you for another great summer!

What is the Jazz in the Garden Event?

The National Gallery of Art hosts an annual concert series named “Jazz in the Garden” that brings a blend of musical genres to the Guest Services-operated Sculpture Garden every Friday for a few summer months (this year, it spanned from May 19 through August 4). The 2023 series encompassed styles ranging from blues to Latin fusion, zydeco to bluegrass, and everything in between.

Melanie Jones, District Manager, discusses the crowd-pleasing primary product we offer: sangria. “We feature two sangria stations that are a massive hit and have been for years. Parviz, General Manager at Sculpture Garden, is the ‘sangria genius’ and oversees the treat’s production. The process starts on Tuesday when the sangria starts to be brewed in time for the Friday event date each week. Their process has been refined over the years and now includes contingency plans for canceled dates as well as backup inventory for events with especially thirsty attendees.”

What Was Different This Year?

While admission remains free, the National Gallery shifted to a lottery-based ticketing system that was successfully implemented to manage the typically overwhelming crowds. Guests could apply for up to four passes per concert, with each event’s lottery opening the preceding Monday. A limited number of passes were also available at the entrance gates on the day of each show, offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

“This was also the first year an ID-checking machine was introduced that ensured both the safety of our patrons and compliance with alcohol regulations,” says Melanie Jones, District Manager.

Thank you, Sculpture Garden Team!

What remained the same this year, however, was the Sculpture Garden team members and managers who did an outstanding job stepping up to challenges like weather complications and capacity restrictions. “The staff is amazing. Many of our team members have worked at Jazz in the Garden for 15 years. They know what to do, they know how to do it, and they do an excellent job,” says Melanie.

What’s Next?

As we enter the fall and winter seasons, Sculpture Garden will introduce a fall menu, open its famous ice skating rink, and expand its ice skating school’s services to include additional days and 1-on-1 sessions. An opening reception welcoming influencers will be hosted the week before Thanksgiving to welcome the ice skating season. Stay tuned for more updates from this incredible Washington, DC location!

Highlighting Our Sustainability Commitment & Achievements

Recently, the Sustainability Council gathered for their quarterly meeting and underscored Guest Services’ commitment to green and sustainable initiatives. Here is a list of highlights from their discussion.

The Lodge at Wakulla Springs Community Presentation

Jesse Askew, General Manager at The Lodge at Wakulla Springs, was given the opportunity to present on the Lodge’s sustainability efforts for the Women’s Group of Tallahassee. Her presentation (which can be found here) details information on their environmental footprint, natural resource usage, waste production, energy usage, and many of the Guest Services strategies for maintaining green operations. The slides she created are an excellent template for other General Managers to build their own sustainability decks out. Awesome job, Jesse!

Sustainability Signage – Intranet Resources

Units can readily access and print materials that champion initiatives such as “cage-free eggs” and “skip the straw.” There is signage on the intranet as it relates to many of our sustainability initiatives. Go to Purchasing and scroll down to ‘Support Materials.’ Here, managers can print items for their unit!

Mt. Rainier Guest Services Team Eliminates Plastic Bag Usage

We’d like to extend our congratulations to the team at Mt. Rainier for successfully eliminating all plastic bags and instead offering a sustainable and branded bag option. The bags below are sold for $3.99 and are given to customers free of charge upon purchase of an item. They also have unit-specific facts about Mt. Rainier on the back! This is a great opportunity to be sustainable while also providing guests with fun memorabilia.

Culinary Innovations – Toward a Greener Menu

In collaboration with Guest Services executives, the culinary team is working on a review of all menus to ensure our commitment to plant base menu items. A representative from Mercy for Animals will be joining the Sustainability Council’s meeting next quarter to speak more about what our competitors are doing and how GSI can set ourselves apart.