When Justin Henry walked into the lobby of the Hyatt Regency Sarasota for his first day on the job, he didn’t expect his co-workers to tell him to axe the tie.

Henry, 29, is a well dressed man. He looks great in a pinstriped blazer and floral, pink button down shirt. His tie collection, he says, is pretty important to him.

“I was surprised by the laid back atmosphere here,” said Henry, who works behind the front desk as a front office and guest services supervisor. “The second you walk into the Hyatt it’s like you’re on the beach.”

We sat down with Henry to find out what it’s like to work in the hospitality industry in Sarasota County.

Unravel: Where is home for you?

Henry:  I was an army brat growing up, which entailed me and my family to move around the country quite often. I was born in the Mojave Desert on an Army base called Fort Irwin, Calif. I later moved to upstate New York, and then down to the Richmond, Virginia area before moving to Venice, Fla., for high school.

To answer your question, I call Venice home.

What was it like being a teenager in Venice?

Venice was great! It was, and still is, the epitome of a family beach town. It certainly had that charming small-town feel, but it wasn’t like you knew every single person in your school, so I was constantly meeting new people and making new friends. After class, a bunch of us would walk to the beach, and stop at the Soda Fountain, or Bresler’s for ice cream on Venice Avenue along the way. It’s a great place to be, especially for high school students.

But you moved away for college, right?

I graduated from Venice High School, and went to Valencia Community College and the University of Central Florida in Orlando. I majored in business management and administration. I was so unsure with what I wanted to do with my future, I ended up moving to Siesta Key to take a year off of school and try to get a better understanding as to what I wanted to do with my life.

After a year of being a beach bum, bartender and server at some of the local restaurants, and a Sarasota “staycationer,” I moved to Tampa and transferred to the University of South Florida, and switched my major to psychology (with a concentration in Industrial-Organizational Psychology.) I also ended up with a minor in business management and administration from the years I had completed at UCF.

Justin Henry Photo by Rachel O’Hara

How did you get into the hospitality industry?

While I was working on my bachelor’s degree at USF, I was looking for a job to get me through school. I found a great serving position at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay. All of my experience in restaurants were at free standing restaurants, and the idea of working in a hotel just seemed so much more professional.

Needless to say, I absolutely fell in love with Hyatt. It’s core values for employee engagement made me feel like my position was just as special and important as the Director of Food and Beverage, and the constant encouragement for success from my management team and Human Resources department made me want to grow with the company.

Initially, I wanted to do Occupational-Therapy, but with Hyatt, I just felt like I belonged. Like it was the right place for me. I decided to transfer to the Front Desk to learn a whole new aspect of the hotel, and to better grasp the operation as a whole, and it was the best decision I could have made.

It worked out perfectly that a position was available at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota just months after graduating. I was going through a breakup after a long-term relationship and really needed the positive change in my life. As soon as I discovered that I had received the promotion, I excitedly told everybody I was coming back to Sarasota!

What do you love most about living here?

Sarasota is one of those cities that the living is so easy, that it’s almost easy to forget just how lucky we are to call it home. When I’m at work and I’m talking to hotel guests about the beaches on Siesta Key and Lido, the boutiques and upscale cafes on St. Armands Circle, the many salons, shops, art galleries, restaurants, theaters, and lounges downtown, not to mention the brand new shopping corridor on University Parkway, I tell myself–I truly live in paradise. The thing I cherish most about Sarasota is it’s beauty–both naturally and aesthetically.

Can you take me through a normal day in your job?

I am the Front Office and Guest Services Supervisor. I oversee the Front Desk staff, the Bell and Valet-Attendants, Telecommunications (PBX phone operators) and Reservations. The thing I love most about my job, is that it’s different every single day. I have meetings throughout the day, but I generally spend the majority of my day at the Front Desk with my staff. This means I get to meet or come in contact with sometimes hundreds of people in a day, from all walks of life. It’s very interesting and I love feeling like I have contributed to somebody’s happiness and enjoyment on vacation–like I made their stay a memorable one.

What do you say to people who say Sarasota sucks for young people?

I am always so quick to correct people on this assumption! Working in hospitality, I really have the ins and outs on the local area and the best of everything in town, probably more so than your average resident. Downtown has become chic and trendy and is still continuing to grow. I love to see that Sarasota has become much more diverse in its culture and age groups as well, and is on a huge economic up rise. Sarasota is truly becoming the place to be for people of all ages!

If you could change one thing about Sarasota, what would it be?

If I could change one thing about Sarasota, I would make it a more late-night city. When you go to downtown St. Petersburg, restaurants are open late, people are still out and about enjoying the night. With a younger population and more condo buildings and hotels going up downtown Sarasota, I think this would really enhance the Sarasota experience for the late night crowds. I met a guy in downtown St. Pete one night who told me that he had just moved down from New York City. I said “Wow, that’s a big change, I bet.” His response was “Not really, St. Pete always has something going on, and residents and visitors are always out in a safe atmosphere all throughout the night.” I think it’s just a matter of time.