ELODIE HABASQUE
Hired January 2, 2009

First Evo Position: Group Sales Manager
Current Evo Position: Regional Director of Sales

HOW DID YOU COME TO WORK WITH OUR COMPANY? TELL US YOUR STORY.

I joined Tarsadia as a Group Sales Manager with the Hilton Checkers Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles in 2009. After an extraordinary year, Tarsadia decided to sell the hotel and sadly there weren’t any open positions in Los Angeles at the time. So I continued to develop my sales and leadership skills working as a Director of Business Travel Manager for Millennium Hotels and later as an Assistant Director of Sales for Sofitel Beverly Hills.

In the summer of 2013, I received a LinkedIn message from Gary Spencer, Evolution’s VP of Sales, letting me know Evolution Hospitality had been formed and the Tarsadia crew was back in LA with a newly awarded management contract for Hotel MdR. Gary invited me to Evo’s new San Clemente offices to as he said “catch up.” I was thrilled to reconnect with him and excited to hear about the new company, as well as the new project in Marina del Rey.

Our casual meeting quickly turned into an interview and the idea of joining a young, start-up organization with seasoned and respected leaders was very attractive. Our meeting was the beginning of a wonderful journey that allowed me to lead the sales efforts at Hotel MdR, the Hyatt Regency Westlake and now supporting a portfolio of hotels in my role as Regional Director of Sales.

While our company has grown dramatically since that summer the entrepreneurship spirit is very much alive and so is my passion for the success of the organization.

THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOUR JOB OR WORKING FOR EVOLUTION HOSPITALITY

• Turning a situation around – taking an underperforming asset to the next level and observing the strength and pride the team develops as a result.
• Being surrounded by a group of super, super smart people – the synergy between our Operations, Revenue, Marketing and Sales leaders is incredible.
• We celebrate like no one else! We take the time to recognize a job well done and acknowledge people’s achievements at work and in their personal lives.
• As we expand our footprint, I get to discover new cities and at times play tourist for a bit.

FAVORITE GUIDING PRINCIPLE: ALWAYS GIVE EACH OTHER THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT. ALWAYS.

While following my instincts has served me well over the years, I have also found that relying on my own narrative can be very dangerous. Removing any pre-conceived ideas out of my mind, asking questions, and taking the time to truly listen is something I am constantly working on.

MOST INTERESTING THING ABOUT YOU THAT’S NOT WORK-RELATED

I make the best Boeuf Bourguignon in Los Angeles, hands down. I love to cook and my happy place is sitting around a dinner table with my friends, family… and I’ll take strangers too.