Gilbert Santana
Lenox
Summary
Extremely creative, knowledgeable, resourceful and accomplished Hotel General Manager that consistently delivers impactful results contributing to the mission and overall success of the property. Achieves all performance objectives by focusing on revenues, profitability, Owners, guest and associate satisfaction. Fully bilingual, speak fluent Spanish and English.
Overview
18
18
years of professional experience
Work History
General Manager
Miraval Berkshires
2022.11 - Current
- Led cross-functional teams to enhance operational efficiency and guest satisfaction.
- Developed strategic initiatives to improve service delivery and staff performance.
- Oversaw budgeting processes, ensuring financial targets aligned with organizational goals.
- Implemented training programs that increased employee engagement and retention rates.
General Manager
Miraval Berkshires
2022.11 - Current
- Appointed to lead an all-inclusive 121 room luxury wellness resort in The Berkshires. Miraval Berkshires.
- Oversaw Operations: Managed the full operations of a 121-key wellbeing resort in the Berkshires, ensuring seamless guest experiences and operational excellence. Won countless awards and outpaced the brand in growth YOY.
- Business Growth: Achieved a 20% year-over-year growth in business, demonstrating strong leadership and strategic planning abilities. All divisions saw double digit growth
- Service Excellence: Improved all service metrics across the board, enhancing guest satisfaction and resort reputation.
- Team Leadership: Led and developed a high-performing team, fostering a culture of collaboration, care and continuous improvement. Across all departments
General Manager
Hyatt Centric Philadelphia
2019.11 - 2022.11
- Appointed to head the high profile 332 room property opening for the Hyatt brand in Center City Philadelphia. The first full service addition to the city in many years, as well as one of the first purpose built Centric brands in the Hyatt North American portfolio. Surpassed all expectations through opening process and beyond.
- Generated excitement for the Hyatt Brand in Philadelphia, as the first full service opening in the history of the city
- Built high yielding customer focus team, unifying the distinct perspectives of a multifunctional unit with 11 positions being shared with neighboring hotel and all operations managers having cross-functional responsibilities
- Positioned the hotel to surpass breakeven point within 8 months of opening during the height of the pandemic
- Hotel ranked 7th on Trip advisor out of 99 hotels, owing to centric culture built around the hotel
General Manager
Hyatt Regency New Brunswick
2016.11 - 2019.11
- General Manager of a 288-room property with over $24 million in revenue. Managing Leadership Committee members. Driving financial results through effective revenue management and improved efficiencies. Streamlined productivity through shared responsibilities at all levels. Mastered owner relations through meaningful dialogue and interactions.
- Increased Hotel productivity by implementing new staffing models at every level
- Leadership and People Management - attract, motivate, coach and developed team members
- Project Management - manage successful projects, risks, costs and project teams
- Financial Management - budget, forecast, review financial statements and manage business metrics
- Communication - Communicate project voice, speak with ownership on a regular basis and provide recommendations on any current and future projects
- Business Management - understand strategy, decision-making, work flow and vital business function
Hotel Manager
Hyatt Centric The Pike Long Beach
2015.08 - 2016.11
- Hotel Manager of a 138-room property with $10 million in revenue. Managing all hotel activities, with duties including hiring, supervising and mentoring staff of over 80 employees.
- Increased revenues by 9% and guest satisfaction scores by 16% points
- Spearhead conversion and rebranding of first Hyatt Owned Hotel from Hyatt Brand to Centric
- Led and managed full hotel renovation
- Increased associate productivity through consistent training programs that centered on focused job responsibilities
- Achieved highest employee engagement score in the history of the hotel
Director of Operations
Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay
2013.02 - 2015.08
- One of the first DOO in the company, overseeing all aspects of hotel operations of a 445-room property that generated over 42 Million in total revenues.
- Created multiple shared position in hotel operations in both the rooms and F&B division, while maintaining CS scores in the top 10 of the company.
Director of Food and Beverage
Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay
2012.10 - 2013.02
- Led Pre-opening activities encompassing all aspects, which included recruitment, menu engineering, steps of service and daily work flow
- Managed all aspects of the hotel F&B operation, which included three full service restaurants, 5 bars and 40,000 sq. feet of meeting space that generated over $24 million in top line revenue
- Maintained colleague engagement results that ranked in the top 10 of all Hyatt properties
Director of Food and Beverage
Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa & Marina
2009.12 - 2012.10
- Managed all aspects of F&B Operations including 100 associates, banquets and 3 outlets
- Increased F&B revenues by $3 million through maximizing pricing and providing strategic menus for diverse clientele
- Increased service scores in F&B by over 10% points YOY in individual guest satisfaction
- Increased F&B satisfaction for meeting planners by over 4% from the previous year
Director of Food & Beverage
Hyatt Regency Long Island
2007.12 - 2009.12
- Managed daily overall food and beverage operations
- Improved the effectiveness of the operation by focusing on cost effective ways to exceed guest's expectations
- Improved all F&B customer service metrics, while also maintaining a 38% F&B profit
Education
No Degree - Airlines, Hotels And Tourism
Airline And Tourism Academy
Puerto Rico 1991-05
Skills
- Over 30 years of experience, with vast experiences in all areas of hotel management including General Manager, Hotel Manager, Director of Operations, Food and Beverage Director, Operations Manager, Food & Beverage Manager, Executive Steward and Senior Banquet Manager Proficient in all aspects of hotel operations, ensuring compliance with regulatory agencies, budgeting and forecasting of sales and revenue, P&L accountability, monitoring payroll, food and beverage cost controls, analyzing performance trends, scheduling staff and hotel management meetings, and orchestrating all departments, including Sales, Front Office, Reservations, Housekeeping, Convention Services, Guest Relations, Food & Beverage, Banquets, Security, and leading Senior Management
Accomplishments
- Directed all operations for a $46M luxury wellness resort, delivering strong financial performance and elevated guest experience standards
- Increased total resort revenue by 22% year-over-year, driven by strategic pricing, business mix optimization, and enhanced programming
- Achieved 60% flow-through to the bottom line, significantly improving overall operating margins
- Led and developed a leadership committee of 10 senior leaders, fostering a highly engaged, hands-on, performance-driven culture
- Elevated guest satisfaction scores across all key metrics by 10–12 points, positioning the property among top performers in the portfolio
- Drove 25% growth in spa revenue by enhancing wellness offerings, guest experiences, and revenue management strategies
- Reduced labor costs by 5% through disciplined workforce planning and operational efficiencies while maintaining luxury service standards
- Increased occupancy by 7 percentage points, strengthening overall RevPAR and market positioning
- Built a strong internal talent pipeline, increasing internal promotions by 200% through focused development and succession planning
- Established a “ready-now” bench of leadership talent, improving organizational stability and long-term performance
Accolades
Hyatt Corporation F&B Director of the Year 2009 and 2012, Manager of the Year 2002 at Hyatt Dorado Beach
Related fields of study
- Graduate from Foundation for the Future course, Hotel leadership training conducted by Harvard business school
- Brand Leadership Training- Successfully completed brand course conducted by Kellogg Northwestern Executive education
- Academic studies in Airlines, Hospitality, and Tourism, Puerto Rico (1990–1992)
Two time F&B Director of the Year
- Passionate about lifestyle and luxury hotels, with a strong alignment to elevated guest experiences and brand-driven service cultures
- Bilingual: English & Spanish
- Active in leadership development and mentoring, with a focus on building future hospitality leaders
- Strong advocate for employee engagement, culture-building, and inclusive leadership practices
- Experienced in luxury brand standards, including Forbes Travel Guide and LQA evaluations
- Committed to continuous improvement, regularly leveraging guest feedback platforms and operational data to drive results
- Interests include travel, fitness, and wellness programming, staying current with evolving trends in the luxury resort and wellbeing space
Languages
English
Full Professional
Spanish
Full Professional
Timeline
General Manager
Miraval Berkshires
2022.11 - Current
General Manager
Miraval Berkshires
2022.11 - Current
General Manager
Hyatt Centric Philadelphia
2019.11 - 2022.11
General Manager
Hyatt Regency New Brunswick
2016.11 - 2019.11
Hotel Manager
Hyatt Centric The Pike Long Beach
2015.08 - 2016.11
Director of Operations
Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay
2013.02 - 2015.08
Director of Food and Beverage
Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay
2012.10 - 2013.02
Director of Food and Beverage
Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa & Marina
2009.12 - 2012.10
Director of Food & Beverage
Hyatt Regency Long Island
2007.12 - 2009.12
No Degree - Airlines, Hotels And Tourism
Airline And Tourism Academy