Leading through a
HURRIC
PROFILE
hree days after Hurricane
T
Maria struck Puerto Rico in September 2017 , Wyndham Grand Rio Mar General Manager Nils Stolzlechner called his staff together and challenged them to reopen a pool and a bar within five days .
The resort was hosting 178 stranded guests and , indeed , five days later visitors were sipping cocktails and floating in the pool .
“ That was one of the most important things we did ,” Stolzlechner says . “ There was devastation , but our people saw that you can get back to normal pretty fast .”
As the stranded guests cleared out during the next three weeks , construction crews ramped up , rebuilding the lobby ceiling , renovated water-damaged rooms and replaced broken windows . The first paying guests checked in in February 1 , 2018 — “ a milestone for our employees ,” he says .
The ordeal confirmed Stolzlechner ’ s instincts about leading in a crisis . “ You need to have everyone understand the situation , what needs to get done ,” he says . “ The worst thing is to sit and do nothing .”
Stolzlechner was raised in the Austrian Alps , where his family operated an inn . After competing on the U . S . national ski jumping team during the 1980s , he found a career in hotel management and held
THE CRISIS MANAGER NILS STOLZLECHNER
36 hotelsmag . com April 2019