Jacque Woods, Hyatt Regency St. Louis at The Arch

Group Sales Manager
St. Louis, Missouri
Age: 37

Resume: Taking a summer off from her forensics psychology career to decide on doctoral programs, Jacque Woods made a wonderful discovery: the hospitality world. Twelve years and four Hyatts later, Woods says forensics still factors highly into her success, investigating what’s most important to her clients. “I’ve had clients scale back an event to fit into my hotels because they appreciated the time and effort I put into learning about them and their organization.”

Career Highlight: “Having meeting planners recognize me as an authentic hospitality provider.” She was recognized as Sports Destination Network’s April 2012 Short-Term Sales Sensation for “making it all happen” during the NHL playoffs when the St. Louis Blues unexpectedly made the finals.

Inspiration: “A good head and a good heart are a formidable combination.” —Nelson Mandela

Industry Mentors: Vita Epifanio, senior sales manager at Hyatt Regency St. Louis at Union Station; Annette Kaplan, director of sales at Hyatt Regency Louiville; Casey Kruer, meeting planner; and Peggy Riley, multicultural director at the Louisville CVB who took Woods under her wing when she first moved to the Kentucky town

Professional Affiliations: RCMA, NCBMP, FEA
Dream Speaker: Nelson Mandela. Because of his spirit. He’s the epitome of grace. To have gone through all he has and not become bitter; to have that aura around you and take just a piece would be life-changing.
Last Places You Vacationed: Curacao
Worst Industry Buzzword: ROI. “It seems so shallow to always need something back,” says Woods, who thinks sometimes you should just give without expectation.
Professional Pet Peeve: Sleeper concessions. You get everything done and expect to go to contract, and at the last minute some new concessions come out. They sneak in there and hold things up.
First Job: Hostess and soda jerk at Layton’s (spin off of Howard Johnson’s) in high school. Yes, there’s really a job called soda jerk. It’s like a barista, but for sodas, mixing the syrup and carbonation for each drink.