The Heart of Hospitality: People First
A positive culture, such as that of Ashford Acres, is one that stays with you creating a comparison for all future endeavors and a love that never leaves.
Culture: The Competitive Advantage
One of the most amazing creations I have ever witnessed is how the body reacts to a foreign
being. It first identifies if that being is a threat or an ally. Threat: it works and works until that
being is expelled from it in its entirety, except for the new antibodies that have formed to make
the body stronger and protect it from such beings in the future. Ally: it works in mutualism, both
working toward the same goal - a healthy, thriving body. Thus, it grows stronger and healthier
with both its threats and its allies.
Ashford Acres, even as a young business, has a way of attracting the most viable candidates
from near and far for a trial on its team. And those candidates are quickly identified as beneficial
or harmful for the “body,” not by a person, but by the culture. Those that are symbiotic with
Ashford Acres thrive, and often grow to their greatest potential, gleaning more from their
experience than they could have hoped. They may even be “lifers” with Ashford Acres, staying
in a career field they may not have even known they were interested in BECAUSE of the
culture. It’s the root of Ashford Acres’ competitive edge. Those that are not symbiotic may leave
Ashford Acres never knowing what they have missed. This is not to say that everyone who is no
longer with Ashford Acres was harmful to its being. I, myself, worked at Ashford Acres for years
in most positions offered by the business and loved every minute of it until motherhood pulled
me away for another great joy in my life. I still love Ashford Acres to my core and that is why I’m
writing to you today. To share how significantly I have been impacted by the culture of Ashford
Acres and how grateful I am to be part of the Ashford Acres family, currently employed or not.
The Heart of Hospitality: People First
Should you have the privilege to be part of the Ashford Acres family, you will hear repeatedly
how important “the Disney Experience” is to a successful business. Creating magical moments
for guests from Cynthiana to Sri Lanka is no easy feat, but it is made easier by a culture that
supports hospitality from the inside out. Annastasia and the management team, that once
included myself, consistently put people first, knowing them as humans; their interests, their
motivations, their needs, and their goals. As part of the team, you are not just an employee but
truly part of the family. I know how cliche that sounds and I’ve been a part of entities that use it
without meaning, but Ashford Acres is not one of those entities. It is no uncommon experience
for employees to want to stay beyond their shift to help a coworker or to simply be present in the
culture that has been built for them and by them. That internally experienced hospitality is
reflected in how each guest is treated when they visit Ashford Acres and it is why they return. A
culture that fosters hospitality for its team breeds hospitality for its business. It is this high
standard for hospitality that first drew me to its doors.
Growing Together
As aforementioned, there have been plenty of “ally” employees come and go from Ashford
Acres who feel as fondly about their experience as I do. Some in culinary school, others in
retirement, and some, like me, doing the mom thing. From top to bottom, that’s not because
there is anything so significantly gratifying about waiting tables or planning an event (aside from
the obvious gratification of seeing people experience the joy from their momentous occasions of
course), but rather because you are truly part of the beating heart of the business. There is no
position too small to be significant. Each position from the bottom to the top has meaning and it
is felt (trust me, I’ve done them all). When you are able to buy into the business as I did, it is
easy to go to work and feel as though you are simply at home, doing what you love, valued for
the work that you are doing, however small it may seem from the outside looking in. You may
ask ‘how much growth can really happen if I’m a dishwasher?’ But it isn’t necessarily the tasks
you complete that foster growth at AAI. The atmosphere you are working in where leaders are
motivating you, encouraging you, and pushing you forces the growth required to maintain the
Ashford Acres culture, one of value shown for each team member. I stepped away from
teaching when my position was being cut and took on a larger role with Ashford Acres and I will
never forget someone saying to me, “you’re going to leave teaching to be a manager?” And my
immediate thought, having already been working with Ashford Acres part time was, “No, I am
leaving teaching for Ashford Acres.” The leadership experience with AAI (Ashford Acres Inn)
was exceedingly beneficial, and I owe that to the culture that was so carefully crafted to help
you grow alongside the business, but more importantly as an individual.
Faithful Partnership
It was never lost on me that I was working at, first and foremost, a wedding venue, where each
weekend people pledged themselves to another for a lifelong commitment. In so many ways I
feel the same love for Ashford Acres. In the last 7 years I have been employed by AAI in some
capacity for 4 and a half. But for all 7 I have been faithfully committed to supporting them in any
way I can. Not because I am some great, ‘yes man’ employee who just buys into anything, but
because that is what you do when you love something and that love is reciprocated. You
support it, challenge it, help it grow both when together and when apart, and it does the same
for you. AAI has never been just a place to work but a mutual, faithful partnership since the
moment I turned in my application. I’m not one to easily feel comfortable in a new setting or to
open myself up to others but they make you their business. They take you on and help you grow
as much as you are willing to grow with them. Their unwavering trust in you, your abilities, and
your success makes for a culture of faithful partnership that continues well beyond the
paperwork of employment.
To my point: culture is either a killer or a competitive edge. It either makes people leave or gives
them the space to move on but never let go. A positive culture, such as that of Ashford Acres, is
one that stays with you creating a comparison for all future endeavors and a love that never
leaves. What better place to get married than the place that is the love story itself?
-Chelsea Hill
