Calling her recent appointment “a major career milestone,” Eugenia Dwyer has hit the ground running as general manager of South Florida’s Eden Roc Miami Beach and adjacent Nobu Hotel Miami Beach.
Dwyer doesn’t shy from big roles. Her appointment follows on the heels of her time as complex general manager of The Gates Hotel and 24 North Hotel in Key West, Florida, where she launched both resorts, then quickly achieved and maintained employee satisfaction scores in the 90s. Before her time in Florida, Dwyer spent 20 years in New York City, holding executive leadership positions with companies including Waldorf Astoria, Weston, Kimpton and W Hotels.
Dwyer credits her success to leading with compassion, which she says has proven especially critical while navigating the COVID-19 pandemic.
HOTELS: What excites you about your new role?
Eugenia Dwyer: So much! The opportunity to lead a hotel as iconic as the Eden Roc is a major milestone in my life and career. I’m very excited to join Pivot Hotels & Resorts, and the growing Nobu Hotels family. Alongside our dedicated team, I’ll continue working to deliver an amazing and memorable guest experience, and further define the guest journey at both Eden Roc and Nobu Miami Beach.
H: You achieved high employee satisfaction scores while managing The Gates Hotel and 24 North Hotel. What advice do you have about keeping employees happy, particularly in difficult times?
ED: My advice is to care — really care — about [your team]. Learn about them, offer support and truly be there for them. In the current hospitality climate, focus on strategies to bring occupancy back to your hotel so you can bring back those on furlough.
H: What are some ways you help others grow professionally?
ED: I’ve worked one-on-one with managers, coaching them to cultivate specific skills needed for a promotion. For some, it’s about providing the technical training needed within their area to get to the next level. For others, it’s more about working toward expanding their self-confidence as leaders, or developing the ability to see the big picture. Developing my team members is always top of mind in all that I do.
HOTELS: How has the COVID-19 pandemic changed your work?
ED: It has made me more hands on than ever, and more creative, flexible and understanding. One big takeaway from [this time] is holding my team to higher standards of efficiency, flexibility and thinking outside the box. Before the pandemic, we always did things a certain way because that’s how it was done in our industry. Those ways of doing things have changed forever.
HOTELS: What does a typical day look like for you?
ED: As I’m new in my role, I’m still learning what a typical day looks like. What I do every day is walk the hotel — I choose a different area of focus each day. One day I will focus on the outlets, another day our pools and beach, and the next day our guestrooms. It’s very important for me to know how our house looks, and for the team to know that I walk and inspect the hotel on a daily basis, including the front and back of house.
H: Who inspires you?
ED: Jeff Toscano, executive vice president of Pivot Hotels & Resorts, has been an inspiration to me. I met him eight years ago and he has been a mentor. He’s somebody I look up to for his immense leadership skills, creativity and his keen ability to grow and develop leaders.
H: Where do you find inspiration outside the industry?
ED: My family. They provide amazing support and believe in me. My children inspire me to achieve great things and to be a role model. Children see the best in people. I also grew up listening to stories from my grandparents’ life experiences in different positions in the hotel business in my native Argentina, which helped shape me professionally.
