When someone is hospitable, they can take unfamiliar environments and make them so warm and welcoming that they feel like home. Hospitable people know how to make “homes” where there wasn’t one before.
Samantha Hall, the Assistant General Manager at Laurel Brasserie & Bar, knows a thing or two about this.
Not only has she created homes for herself in numerous cities, but she’s also created the feeling of home for guests in hotels and resorts since she was 14 years old, when she was a server in a traditional English pub in her native Northwest London.
She crash-landed—almost literally—in Los Angeles in 1983, the plane from London plummeting 1,000 feet mid-air before eventually touching down safely. Samantha was 16 and came to the United States to travel after graduating high school.
Within moments of entering the city of angels, she remembers seeing Linda Evans of Dynasty and Dallas fame cruise by in a sleek Mercedes. It was a movie moment that kicked off her American adventure. From LA she went to Las Vegas, then onto Utah, Idaho, and up through Montana.
Settled in Tucson, Arizona, in 1988, she returned to hospitality as a housekeeper, cleaning 16-18 rooms each day.
Her manager at that time—a South African man—had the idea for Samantha to do some voiceover work for the hotel, her British accent being a marker of high class to American ears.
From there, she moved into the hotel’s restaurant, first as a hostess, then as an assistant manager, eventually taking on the general manager position for the hotel’s dining program.
By 1990, she was a mother of two sons—and single—with a budding career in hospitality. A career that would take her to 13 hotels and resorts from coast to coast.
“Zipping Around:” From the West Coast to the East & Back Again
A hotel in Beverly Hills that had no check-in and no check-out times, that allowed long-term guests to redecorate their personal villas. Luxury resorts in the painted desert foothills of Tucson. Glamorous fine dining rooms. In the years that followed, Samantha brought her expertise in hospitality to hotels and restaurants around the West.
While living in Phoenix, Arizona, directing brand standards and leading banquet training for Marriott’s Southwest region, she applied for a job out on the East Coast on a dare.
She was about to head to the White Elephant Resort in Nantucket for a holiday. Her friends suggested that she apply for an open role before their break.
Her vacation then turned into an all-day interview, which turned into a job offer. Accepting the role, she moved her life to the island.
Of this time in her life, Samantha recalls “zipping around the island like a crazy person.” She managed the private events for four different properties that were scattered around Nantucket.
When the island was in its off-season during the winter months, she lived around the East Coast. Sometimes in the West Village of Manhattan. Sometimes in Upstate New York.
“I’m an East Coast girl at heart,” she says, “even though I keep landing in the desert.”
It was 2011 when she did land back in the desert—this time in Utah. Her children were having children of their own, and she was ready to spend more time in her role as Nana.
This was the year she came to The Grand America Hotel, starting nearly a decade of leading the hotel’s banquet team.
She expresses immense pride in this period of her career. From bright and elaborate Indian weddings to full-fledged, multi-day conventions, Samantha’s team brought dreams to life under her direction.
Her pride speaks to her love for this work, and for this hotel.
But when the world shut down in 2020, Samantha took a step back and spent a year relishing her home life. She gardened and she was “Nana,” dedicating her time to the other loves in her life.
Not a Tough Sell: On returning to The Grand America
She was at The Grand America one afternoon for a hair appointment at The Grand Spa, when someone in hotel leadership spotted her.
The hotel’s newly reimagined dining concept, Laurel Brasserie & Bar, was just opening, and he wanted to take her on a tour of the beautiful new private dining rooms.
A few months later, when her former boss called her up and asked if she wanted to manage those beautiful rooms, she did not hesitate. Samantha came back to The Grand America to bring new dreams to life in the artfully designed private dining rooms in Laurel.
She’s quick to say it herself: “These rooms are not tough to sell.”
In her mind, the private dining rooms in Laurel are a testament to the difference a family-owned company can make. Not only does she see the freedom to create unique and really special events, but there’s also a specific kind of care for the community.
From her perspective, which she admits is still “very European,” American cities are new and have relatively shallow histories. But places like Laurel build a city’s culture, which, in turn, shapes the city’s future.
In the last 2 years, Samantha has already watched a community flourish around Laurel, especially through the special events hosted in the private dining rooms.
She’s seen brides who book in for their wedding showers and return for baby showers. She’s seen families who gather in the Willow Room point to the Olive Room and say next time we’ll meet in there.
Samantha remembers each one and welcomes them back when they return. Because she is herself a part of this hotel’s legacy, in that, she pays attention to the little details.
She knows how to be truly hospitable and makes a new home for many in Salt Lake City, one special event at a time.