Justin Williams is settling into his new role as general manager of The Alfond Inn but is not unfamiliar with the property. “I’ve watched this hotel from the sidelines for a long time,” he said, “it was my biggest competition for six years.”
Williams, who was appointed in August, previously served as general manager for the Grand Bohemian Orlando from 2017 to 2023. His resume includes positions with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts and most recently with Atlanta Evergreen Lakeside Resort. But the career he chose wasn’t exactly the one his family envisioned or him.
“Growing up in Atlanta, all my mom and my grandmother wanted for me was to work for Coca-Cola,” he said. “To work in the refrigeration department and learn refrigeration repair, I would have made it in their in their eyes.” But a passion for connecting with people and a part-time job at Westin Atlanta Airport hotel helped open new doors that led to 26 years that included hotels in Michigan, Illinois, and California.
While at Grand Bohemian, Williams offered mentorship to local high school students and worked to increase inclusivity and diversity in the Central Florida hotel community. Since his return, he is making a point of building relationships in his new city that he understands are key to the success of his company and his community.
“Winter Park is its own ecosystem and to be successful, you’ve got to connect with all the individuals and businesses,” he said. “I get to know the owner of the smoothie shop. Guess where I’m going to refer someone who wants a smoothie? The owners of other businesses get to know me, they’re going to refer people to the Alfond Inn. Everyone has to thrive in order for the whole of Winter Park to thrive.”
Williams sat down with the32789 to discuss his career, his new company, and how he hopes to build on the success of both.
What drew you to the hotel business? I started in housekeeping while going to school. It was a part-time job at Westin Atlanta Airport in 1996, and I did all the jobs; cleaning, making beds, doing laundry. I got to meet so many people from all over the world, I had my whole own little globe within that hotel and that intrigued me. I saw everyone flying in and flying out and realized that they spent more time with us than anybody else. That was something I just wanted to delve into, and that’s how it grew; it was a passion for people.
Who was your mentor? Someone who really inspired me was Jim Haughney. He was my general manager at the Westin Atlanta Airport. I watched how he engaged with people and conducted his business. He was my mentor for years without even knowing until I finally found the courage to say, “This is what I want to do.” He was from New York, so he taught me how to use my voice, to be commanding, but also to listen. That’s why I tell my mentees, you need to use your eyes and your ears. You have to be an observer and learn your business or you’ll never be successful.
What’s on your to-do list as general manager? Before the upgrades, this hotel was beautiful. Since the upgrades, it’s been elevated. It is literally a space where people can just come in and connect, and yet it’s luxury on its own terms. So, now what do you do? You grow awareness. We could be more than the living room of Winter Park, I think we are the living room of the world. They just don’t know it yet. We have very strong marketing efforts; social media is huge for us and we’re creating promotions. My chef has her own seasoning and we’re going to offer that seasoning with a hashtag so people can create a dish at home and post it; they can get engaged with us in a way they probably haven’t before. And we do a Wine Down Wednesday event at The Café with music and entertainment by local artists who have their own social media reach that can bring more people into this space. We also reactivated our Sunday brunch with live entertainment and refreshed offerings in our food and beverage menus. And we’re going to start engaging Winter Park residents with a tasting event for our new menus. We want them to feel a part of the entire process of how we develop.
Are you planning to resume the work you did with the local community? There are several opportunities to work with local organizations, but I also want to be very intentional about the boards I join and the work that I take on so that it does not take too much time away from our mission at The Alfond Inn. I was gone for a year and a half, and I love that the relationships I established at the Grand Bohemian continue and are going strong, whether it was with Jones High School or the African American Chamber of Commerce or other organizations. What is so exciting about my new opportunity with The Alfond is that it’s a business model built on giving back, on education, and the arts. Service is literally embedded in its DNA, and when you stay here, you’re doing it with purpose because it all goes to the Alfond Scholars Program. I cherish the opportunity to be part of all of that.
What advice would you give to someone considering hospitality as a career? If you’re going to be in this business, you have to love it. Ask people who have been in it for a very long time; once you get into it, it pulls you in. It’s like the famous Godfather line, “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.” It is just infectious. I tell my mentees that you’ve got to work harder and be smarter than everyone else. But being smarter doesn’t mean being the smartest person in the world. It means being smart enough to work with people who are smarter than you and doing what you have to do to achieve what you want to achieve.