Joel Wilcott
Owner/General Manager
Ramada Plaza Hotel

What are your daily responsibilities as an Owner/General Manager of the Ramada Plaza?

At a full service hotel like the Ramada Plaza it is necessary to employ departmental managers in all major areas such as front office operations, sales, housekeeping, accounting, human resources, security/lifeguards, maintenance, food and beverage, and other functions. Each departmental manager reports directly to me as I am responsible for the efficient and effective operation of the entire property.

Guest satisfaction is my primary concern at the Ramada Plaza. I am responsible for making sure that the accommodations and service provided to guests meet or exceed their expectations. I'm often directly involved in solving problems, overseeing personnel, staffing decisions, and many other tasks necessary for the property to operate smoothly and efficiently.

Did you go to school for Hospitality?

I began my studies in Green Bay majoring in Health Care Administration and transferred to Harvard University where I studied Liberal Arts with a minor in Public Health. I was able to find many similarities between health care and hospitality so it was fairly easy to transition into this field.

How long have you been running this hotel and how long has the property been in operation?

I started with National Hospitality Services in December 2007. The property was built in the 70's where it was employee owned. The property has a long and distinguished record winning several awards and being honored as "Hotel of the Year" twice. The property is located on Ramada Way which is now a street that houses many hotels in Green Bay's Entertainment/Stadium District.

How many rooms does the Ramada Plaza Hotel have? What else can you find at the Hotel?

The Plaza is made up of 145 rooms, including 8 two-room whirlpool suites and 8 poolside rooms that walk out into the water park. The Ramada Plaza Hotel is a full service hotel and Conference Center. Big D's is a full service restaurant and bar offering their famous 2-4-1 drinks all day, everyday. Castaway Bay Water Park is a 15,000 square foot indoor water park featuring a recreational pool, plunge pool with two waterslides, zero access entry wading pool, Jacuzzi, sauna, and game room. The Plaza also offers 8 conference rooms totaling 8000 square feet of meeting and banquet space. The Grand Ballroom has been a popular wedding venue over the past 30+ years.

What do you like or dislike about your position?

I generally do not spend the entire workday sitting in an office. Rather, I have the opportunity to actively observing how staff interacts with hotel guests and check the grounds daily making sure everything is functioning well and no repairs are needed. It's also my duty to ensure the hotel's exterior and interior are being maintained and initiate or approve decor improvement work as long as it fits in with the budget. The department managers handle problems and complaints and keep me advised of everything that occurs. A daily log book is a record book that our hotel department heads communicate in to keep me informed of the important events that occur in all departments each day. If a problem or complaint is too large for them to handle, or it can't wait, I am notified and try to deal with it as soon as possible. One downside is I may be called in the middle of the night at home during non-working hours if there is an emergency but this is fairly uncommon as our staff does a great job dealing with almost situations.

What makes a great hotel GM?

A great general manager takes responsibility for revenue production, whether or not he/she has a separate sales team. The general manager is the true sales leader at the hotel, involved in every aspect of generating business. They lead morning sales meetings while displaying their personal involvement. The best managers know their top producing clients and contribute to servicing them. For hotels with a sales team, the general manager must take on specific hotel sales accounts; both, to be involved in larger accounts, and to be an example to the sales team. Sales leadership is the most important general management role.