NEWH - Winter 2015 - 26

Q&A

One-on-One with
Hope Quintanar-Case
President of the Las Vegas chapter and vice
president of strategic accounts at Shaw
Hospitality Group
How did you become involved in NEWH?
I became involved with NEWH to get connected to the
hospitality industry. I have always found great value
participating in local industry organizations, so naturally I did
the same when I moved to Las Vegas. I liked that NEWH fi lled
a need through helping students, and especially women, with
scholarships. Being fully engaged with NEWH also provides the
opportunity to mentor others and give back, which is important
to me. My fi rst role with NEWH was serving on our HOSPY
committee-our chapter's big fundraiser-and I moved into
several director positions after that.
What has NEWH done for you, both personally and professionally?
The people on our NEWH Las Vegas team are some of my best,
most endearing friends. We are not just business colleagues. We
live life together and we have tons of fun, all the while raising
money for a worthy cause. The personal growth I have gleaned as
a leader has fi ltered into my professional role. It is a place where
I can expand upon my gifts and talents, and I've learned how
to better lead and guide others in a team environment. I can be
pretty serious, and the interface with the people in our chapter
has helped me look at things from a different perspective-to
lighten up and focus on one of the most important things in life:
cherishing people.
In your role as the Las Vegas chapter president, what are you most
looking forward to?
The HOSPY Awards, of course. It is our annual fundraiser,
gala, and design competition, equivalent to the Academy
Awards. Th is year, we are partnering with Hospitality Design
magazine to bring to Las Vegas an Owners' Roundtable before
the awards. We seek to give back to our local design community
by providing connections through the roundtable event. The
HOSPY Awards is a celebration of the projects that our design
and architecture fi rms have worked on in the past two years.
In addition, we will honor CLEO Design for its contribution to
the local design industry. In the past few years, we have raised
$50,000 to $70,000 from the HOSPYs. I am looking forward to
doing the same this year.
What were the highlights from the beginning of the year?
We have always sought to embrace the culinary aspect of
hospitality, and this year, we hit the ball out of the park. A
Glamping-glamorous camping-weekend and Dining Under
the Stars were new events to our chapter this year, and rousing
successes. Glamping incorporated several unique aspects-a
26 www.newh.org

tent design competition between a general contractor, Forte
Construction, and a design fi rm, Tandem. Th ree of our
scholarship winners from Le Cordon Bleu prepared the meals
for our group of 30-plus people alongside Italian chef Adrian
Venturi. Last month, we offered Dining under the Stars, A
Florentine Renaissance, also with chef Venturi and guest chef,
Michelle Ortiz, a project manager with TAL Studio, who
showcased her personal passion of cooking.
Tell us a bit about Shaw Hospitality Group and what's new.
Shaw Hospitality Group has been busy this year with numerous
on-point design trend collections. Recently launched, Cell
Theory is a collaboration with Rockwell Group for corridors
and public spaces. Being the largest carpet tile manufacturer
in the world, our latest collections offer carpet tile alongside
our broadloom patterns. For instance, Studio Painting-a
collaboration with Farmboy Fine Arts-and the Park were both
fashioned for corridors and public spaces. We also have an
array of LVT/LVP products, including Collective Time, Surface
and Strand, and Grain + Pigment. We are experiencing an
abundance of specifications and standards for resilient flooring
in guestrooms, and to support the increased demand, we're
opening a new luxury vinyl manufacturing facility in Ringgold,
Georgia, within the next year.
Latest travel highlight?
Earlier this year I visited friends on the island of Kauai. I
love moments that take my breath away, especially in nature.
Experiencing the vistas of the Napali Coast was one of those
moments, as well as soaking in the magnificent waterfalls,
intimate beaches, and beauty of the island. It was unforgettable!
Trend you are paying attention to in the industry? One you'd wish
would go away?
I love the mobile apps that let me pick my room at the property
before I arrive, allowing me to simply grab my key and head to
my room immediately upon arrival. I wish the trend of focusing
on Millennials for design elements would go away.
When you aren't working or at an NEWH event, where can we find
you?
You will fi nd me at my children's sporting events. My son
Will plays club baseball, football, and basketball; my daughter
Hannah plays volleyball and club volleyball. I also relish
spending time with my best friend, Joe. ❙❘❚
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NEWH - Winter 2015

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