Lavonne Willis, always sporting a smile, does whatever she can to make hotel guests feel like family — so much so that she can call some of the frequent visitors close friends. In recognition of her dedication to the job and her positive attitude, one couple gifted Willis with a car on Wednesday.
Though Mark and Sarah Hyland had known Willis for a while and had a strong bond, it was a coincidental meeting between them recently that led to the couple gifting their 2005 Toyota Camry to Willis.
“It’s the best car I’ve had,” Willis said, noting she’s long had car problems. “I’m just overjoyed and blessed.”
For nearly six years, Willis has been the breakfast host and breakfast manager at the Hampton Inn & Suites Downtown Owensboro/Waterfront. She comes in at 5 a.m. daily to prepare the continental breakfast for guests.
But she goes far beyond simply prepping the food and dining area. Willis gets to know the guests on a personal level.
“Instead of coming and staying in the hotel and feeling like you’re away from home, I always try to make everybody feel like they’re family,” she said.
Sharon NeSmith, General Manager at the Hampton, said Willis “is one of those people that doesn’t know a stranger.” The relationship between the two went back to a previous job at a call center, where NeSmith was a manager and Willis was a supervisor at the desk. NeSmith said Willis displayed great customer service skills there.
“Once she knows you, she’ll know everything about you,” NeSmith said. “She’ll know who your kids are, she’ll know your family. She goes out of her way to make sure you’ve got what you want, always with a smile.”
Willis is dedicated to her job. Even though she had unreliable transportation, she found a way to make it in every day — sometimes walking through rain, snow, or cold weather.
Because she’s there day in and day out, over the years Willis has developed strong relationships with many of the guests who continue to choose the Hampton Inn for their frequent visits to Owensboro. One of those deep relationships is with Mark and Sarah Hyland, who have several family members in the area.
Willis said she was staying at the hotel last weekend because the car she had been driving didn’t have heat, and bad weather conditions were expected.
That same weekend, the Hylands decided to stay an extra night at the last minute. As they were heading out, Willis was entering the hotel. Willis explained that “in order for me to make sure I’m here for breakfast, I’m staying here tonight.”
Willis had also just found out her son had a stroke, but that he was going to be ok. She told the Hylands she was going up to the room to pray.
On Monday, the Hampton assistant general manager called Willis to say Mark Hyland wanted to talk to Willis immediately.
“So I called him and then he told me he wanted to give me a car,” she said. “I was like, who does that? I’ve received gifts from guests — gift cards, birthday cards, flowers, ornaments, boots. I was just shocked, and now this is the nicest car I’ve ever had.”
NeSmith said Mark Hyland told her Lavonne “is always friendly and attentive, she’s industrious, and she’s always cheerful and has something good to say. They just wanted to recognize her.”
When they went to do the necessary paperwork at the courthouse, Hyland further surprised Willis by saying he was going to pay for the taxes and fees.
“I started crying again,” she said. “The world needs more people like this. That’s a very, very sweet family. It really means a lot. Ever since Monday, I just think about it and shed a few tears. Whenever I’m blessed to pay it forward, I will do the same. We just need a whole lot of love and kindness in this world.”
