with his sister.
“I do,” I say with confidence. “I studied business at the University of Washington while working at Hilton, and then after graduation was hired on at Embassy where I ran the front desk and was in charge of a staff of six. After two years, they transferred me to Bellevue where I led a team of ten. If you call Karen Stein…”
“Oh, I already did,” Marissa interjects. “And she has nothing but the best to say about you.”
I smile and foolishly glance at Marcus. For some reason I want him to hear the praise I’ve earned. His eyes lock with mine and for a moment, I am lost again in the indigo storm brewing beneath his lashes.
“So tell me, why Knight Hotel?” Marissa asks, drawing my attention back to her. “It appears you’ve had a good thing going with your current employer.”
I nod and clasp my fingers together over my knee to keep it from shaking. “I love my job,” I tell her. “But I’m ready to move back to Seattle. And the Knight Hotel is an iconic building. I recognize that. With the transfer of ownership, there is potential for growth and restructuring. I believe my experience could help bring it back to life.”
“Bring it back to life?” Marcus huffs.
We both turn our heads cautiously to look at him. He sits back and crosses his arms over his chest, scowling like a scolded child. “What exactly do you think needs to be changed around here, Ms. Caldwell?”
“Marcus,” Marissa warns, then refocuses on me. “Forgive my brother. He‘s more sentimental about the hotel than I am. Our grandfather built it in the 40’s and my father took it over when we were just kids. We grew up here and we knew that one day it would be ours. But when our father died…”
My head lowers. “I was sorry to hear about that. I had the pleasure of meeting your father on a couple occasions. He was a respected man.”
“Thank you,” Marissa says. “Anyway, I have always felt that Knight Hotel has been, I guess you can say, stuck in my father’s generation, whereas Marcus, he holds attachment to the classic appeal.”
I glance at Marcus who’s staring up at the ornate chandelier. “I think you are both right,” I say. His eyes meet mine. “The Knight Hotel is a legendary landmark that locals and tourists associate with Seattle. You want to respect the classic history of the landmark, while keeping pace with modern times.”
“Exactly,” Marissa says with a bright smile. “How do you propose we do that?”
“I would start with an updated website.” I look to Marcus when I add, “Only your father’s photo is displayed there.” He smirks at me.
Marissa jots down notes on a pad of paper. “Absolutely.”
“It needs to be more user friendly. That will attract the younger crowd, and not just the baby boomers who are more apt to call the hotel for a reservation than book online.”
I swallow and allow my eyes to drift back to Marcus. “You also need some improved staffing.” He lifts an eyebrow as I say, “Particularly in the bar.”
Did I just see a small smile?
Marissa continues writing. “There have been numerous complaints.” She looks up at her brother. “I thought you were going to deal with Trevor.”
“I thought I did.”
I blush.
“Anything else?” he asks slightly bemused.
I sit up straighter in my chair. “The Knight Hotel should not be limited to one downtown location. Once we’ve modernized and made it more appealing to younger clientele, you should look into expanding.”
“A chain?” he sneers. Marissa’s head snaps up. “Marcus!” She turns back to me apologetically. “That is something we’ve discussed. As you can see, I am more in favor of that idea than my brother.”
Marcus leans forward, his forearms resting on the desk. “You sure have a lot of criticism, Ms. Caldwell. Is there anything you do like about our hotel?”
Without missing a beat I say, “The view is exquisite.”
The blood drains from his face. I give him an
“I do,” I say with confidence. “I studied business at the University of Washington while working at Hilton, and then after graduation was hired on at Embassy where I ran the front desk and was in charge of a staff of six. After two years, they transferred me to Bellevue where I led a team of ten. If you call Karen Stein…”
“Oh, I already did,” Marissa interjects. “And she has nothing but the best to say about you.”
I smile and foolishly glance at Marcus. For some reason I want him to hear the praise I’ve earned. His eyes lock with mine and for a moment, I am lost again in the indigo storm brewing beneath his lashes.
“So tell me, why Knight Hotel?” Marissa asks, drawing my attention back to her. “It appears you’ve had a good thing going with your current employer.”
I nod and clasp my fingers together over my knee to keep it from shaking. “I love my job,” I tell her. “But I’m ready to move back to Seattle. And the Knight Hotel is an iconic building. I recognize that. With the transfer of ownership, there is potential for growth and restructuring. I believe my experience could help bring it back to life.”
“Bring it back to life?” Marcus huffs.
We both turn our heads cautiously to look at him. He sits back and crosses his arms over his chest, scowling like a scolded child. “What exactly do you think needs to be changed around here, Ms. Caldwell?”
“Marcus,” Marissa warns, then refocuses on me. “Forgive my brother. He‘s more sentimental about the hotel than I am. Our grandfather built it in the 40’s and my father took it over when we were just kids. We grew up here and we knew that one day it would be ours. But when our father died…”
My head lowers. “I was sorry to hear about that. I had the pleasure of meeting your father on a couple occasions. He was a respected man.”
“Thank you,” Marissa says. “Anyway, I have always felt that Knight Hotel has been, I guess you can say, stuck in my father’s generation, whereas Marcus, he holds attachment to the classic appeal.”
I glance at Marcus who’s staring up at the ornate chandelier. “I think you are both right,” I say. His eyes meet mine. “The Knight Hotel is a legendary landmark that locals and tourists associate with Seattle. You want to respect the classic history of the landmark, while keeping pace with modern times.”
“Exactly,” Marissa says with a bright smile. “How do you propose we do that?”
“I would start with an updated website.” I look to Marcus when I add, “Only your father’s photo is displayed there.” He smirks at me.
Marissa jots down notes on a pad of paper. “Absolutely.”
“It needs to be more user friendly. That will attract the younger crowd, and not just the baby boomers who are more apt to call the hotel for a reservation than book online.”
I swallow and allow my eyes to drift back to Marcus. “You also need some improved staffing.” He lifts an eyebrow as I say, “Particularly in the bar.”
Did I just see a small smile?
Marissa continues writing. “There have been numerous complaints.” She looks up at her brother. “I thought you were going to deal with Trevor.”
“I thought I did.”
I blush.
“Anything else?” he asks slightly bemused.
I sit up straighter in my chair. “The Knight Hotel should not be limited to one downtown location. Once we’ve modernized and made it more appealing to younger clientele, you should look into expanding.”
“A chain?” he sneers. Marissa’s head snaps up. “Marcus!” She turns back to me apologetically. “That is something we’ve discussed. As you can see, I am more in favor of that idea than my brother.”
Marcus leans forward, his forearms resting on the desk. “You sure have a lot of criticism, Ms. Caldwell. Is there anything you do like about our hotel?”
Without missing a beat I say, “The view is exquisite.”
The blood drains from his face. I give him an
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