Master of Moments
JEROME MILLER, BANQUETS LEAD CAPTAIN
At The Broadmoor, no two days are ever exactly alike, and nobody knows this better than those working in our dynamic, fast-paced Banquets department. High-pressure environments, tight deadlines, and large crowds are characteristic of this arm of Operations, but the payoff for belonging to this elite group comes in the form of endless opportunities to create memorable moments for our guests and a direct impact on their experience here.
Hi Jerome! What is your role here at the resort, and how long have you worked at The Broadmoor?
Hi! I’ve been working at The Broadmoor for 15 years now, and I am a Banquet Lead Captain...and I’m very passionate about what I do — I love what I do! I started off here as a Dishwasher at the hotel, and I’ve worked in Housekeeping, as a Lobby Attendant, in Valet, and I’ve even helped out in Security. I’ve worked in Banquets now for twelve years, and I am lucky enough to be one of only five Lead Captains on property. As a Lead Captain, my main responsibility is to order all of the supplies for the events taking place in the buildings that I oversee. I am responsible for what are known as the “off-property” buildings, such as Cheyenne Lodge, The Cottages, The Fish House, and right now, I am working with Broadmoor South. I also take care of the events for Seven Falls. I make sure that the next supervisor coming into those events has everything that they need and are set up for success.
What is the main focus for you during each shift, as we know there are a lot of moving parts to the position, so you probably don’t have a “typical day?”
Yes, each day for me is very different, but one of the main components of every event is that everyone gets treated like a VIP. We get guests that come from as close as downtown for a birthday party, and we get guests from out of the country arriving for a wedding, but they all get treated like VIPs—it doesn’t matter what function they are here for. And I’m a “people person,” so I truly enjoy working with everyone. Every day there are different guests, and with those, come different tasks. I’ve been lucky enough to work with repeat groups and sometimes they request to work again with me specifically.
Can you describe what a BEO is...how is it used and how does it impact your role?
BEO stands for “Banquet Event Order,” and it’s really like an internal roadmap that describes everything that happens at an event: food, serving times, the set-up, etc. We receive one of these for each event from our Conferences Team (I usually see it about a week before an event so that I have time to order items such as linens, etc.), and we go through it with our staff, during a line-up, and explain everything so that we can avoid mistakes and things like that. It really is all about paying attention to details.
What other departments do you work closely with?
Honestly, I work with all of the other departments here in some way. Let’s say, for instance, I am doing a buffet event and we need to do a “power drop,” which is basically the need for electricity at different action stations at the event, like a carving station that is using heat lamps, for example. I go into HotSOS (an internal communications tool) and reach out to Engineering so that they can come in and set up that component for us. Another example is that maybe one of my team checks the restrooms for/during an event and notices we need some additional supplies; then I reach out to Housekeeping to get that taken care of. It really is a team effort.
You must know all the venues around property extremely well! Is there a site you particularly like working and why?
Well, I like to think of myself as a Jack-of-alltrades, LOL, so I don’t really have a specific building that I favor. Wherever my managers place me, based on the events coming up, is good with me!
Is there one that you find particularly challenging?
If I had to name one, it would be West Tower Lawn, because you have to transfer all of the equipment and supplies out to the lawn, and then it all has to go back once done. But I’m a team player, so no venue is ever a problem for me. I just jump in and lead and everyone follows, so it’s really not a problem.
Banquets can be involved in events at all hours of the day—what are your hours like, and how do you manage big groups with busy event schedules?
My hours can get crazy. For example, I had a breakfast service just the other day, so I needed to be here at 3:00am for the event that began at 6:00am. When the larger groups like Space Symposium and CIAB are in-house, a lot of events are in the evening. This means that I am scheduled according to what is going on and where I am needed the most. Sometimes during those events, I will have a split shift. For me, I really do like those bigger events, and I do like working in the evenings at the dinners. I consider myself a bit of a night owl anyway.
You’ve mentioned that every guest who comes to stay at The Broadmoor is treated like a VIP...but what about those events with super-VIPs?...How do you handle the pressure of those?
I think I’ve been doing this for so long and know what to expect that it’s like a walk in the park. I’m confident and I have confidence in my team. And I believe that you have to love what you do, because it shows. A lot of it comes down to leadership. If you have a good leader, then your staff will follow. We will execute whatever direction they give us with pride and passion.
Do you adhere to a certain management style in order to deal with working amongst so many other people and high-pressure situations?
I like to lead by example and I’ve been told by several of my staff that they consider me their mentor. I will take the extra time at the end of the night or the end of a shift to show them how I do things, even if those things don’t fall under their current role. I remember, and tell them, that I was in their shoes at one point. I want them to know that they can one day be in my current position; they can do it. I like to motivate when I can and I love to coach my employees.
What would you consider the most difficult part of your job?
Probably dealing with last minute changes that come up. My team can plan everything accordingly for a buffet, for example, and then a request can come in to move the entire buffet right at the last minute. It means that we might have to work right up to the wire to accommodate that request, but it gets done. It is part of my job to not only handle these situations, but also show the team that yes, we are going to take care of this as a crew and it will be fine. I just dive in, everyone follows, and we accomplish what we need to. Our goal is always to make the client happy.
Conversely, what part of your position do you enjoy the most and why?
I don’t have one specific task that I like the most, but I do enjoy being a leader. I love having new employees join the team, because then I can give my more senior staff an opportunity to train them and give them some experience doing that. It makes them feel valued, and it gets them motivated for the next step in their journey. Plus, it is a great reminder for them of where they started and how far they’ve come.
What is an unusual or surprising experience that has left an impression on, or happened to you, while on a shift?
We had a wedding take place at Cheyenne Lodge, and the reception the day before the wedding party didn’t go as smoothly as hoped. I rallied my team, along with the chefs and the Conferences Team, to try to do something extra special to compensate for it during their actual wedding. We decided to do a procession out onto the dance floor that evening, with one of the chefs holding the cake, and we were holding small lights and just having a good time as we all came out. The bride and groom were really surprised and had fun, so it helped to erase that subpar situation with the reception from the day before. We got some really nice compliments and comments, so I felt like we succeeded in flipping the narrative and making the guest happy.
We notice that you look very sharp today...is this your typical ‘uniform’?
Yes...I wear this tuxedo every shift, because I am leading almost 200 people. They look up to me, and it’s all about how you present yourself. One day they can be in my position if they are motivated enough. Plus, I do love to dress up...LOL.
There is an accent, too...Jamaican?
Yes, you are right! I didn’t come here directly from there, though. I was living in Florida, working at Marco Beach Ocean Resort down by Naples.
Did you get recruited to come work at The Broadmoor?
No, actually, my mom was working here and she brought me out. I ended up staying, and she eventually went back to Florida. But I got her to come back out again and I was able to get her to work in Banquets with me. I also met my wife here (she works in Conferences) at The Broadmoor and we have two kids.
Is there anything else that you’d like to share about your role or that you feel is important for other staff to know?
Leadership is so important...and I’ve worked here long enough to experience different managers, so I have to take my hat off to both Laszlo and Cynthia. They fight for us, listen to us, encourage feedback, and push us further so that we can be great supervisors and managers ourselves. I have great bosses. Also, if you are coming from another country and want to work here at The Broadmoor, you can absolutely do it. The standards are high here, but if you work hard and put your best foot forward, you can achieve great things. You will feel love and be respected here, regardless of where you are coming from. We work hard in banquets and the hours are a little different than some other positions, but we have a lot of fun, too. You need to be a people person; we see so many different faces each shift, but we have a direct impact on guests and that’s an amazing part of working here.
If you would like to learn more about Jerome or our Banquets Team, please reach out to leadership in the department: Laszlo Bodoczky, Director of Banquets at [email protected] and Cynthia Harshaw, Assistant Director of Banquets at [email protected]
