HSMAI Hospitality Recovery Hero: Elena Sacco

As part of the 2021 Adrian Awards program, HSMAI Hospitality Recovery Heroes is honoring hospitality professionals working toward recovery at the local and front-line levels, supporting hotels, destinations, safety measures, and charitable programs that have helped make a difference for their companies and in their communities. Nominations are open.

HOSPITALITY RECOVERY HERO: Elena Sacco, operations manager for Staff Pro Workforce Solutions/LEGOLAND, based in San Diego

CONTRIBUTION: Sacco has worked throughout the pandemic to recruit and train staff and support the reopening of four properties: LEGOLAND Hotel, LEGOLAND Castle Hotel, LEGOLAND New York Hotel, and Embassy Suites By Hilton Temecula. Her efforts have been crucial to ensuring that these hotels’ housekeeping departments can operate — and that the Staff Pro employees working there have the tools, training, and support they need as they clean and disinfect hotel rooms during one of the most challenging times in the history of hospitality.

RESULTS: Thanks to her contributions, not only did the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce recognized Sacco as one of its “Young Leaders in Carlsbad,” Staff Pro also received the prestigious Diamond Award – Platinum Tier from the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) for its efforts to transport more than 130 cleaning employees to various hotels in San Diego every day during the pandemic.

NOMINATED BY: Eduardo Moya, area vice president, Staff Pro Workforce Solutions — “Despite the long hours and all the barriers and adversity Elena had to deal with, her positive and can-do attitude along with her leadership skills helped her get her team over one of the most difficult years our industry has ever seen.”

The HSMAI Adrian Awards recognize travel marketing excellence. This year’s competition will focus on capturing the great work done by hotels, destinations, and their agency partners to get the country moving again, showcase safety and security, and welcome those traveling for the first time in more than a year. The 2021 Adrian Awards competition opens on Oct. 1. Learn more.