2018 Hospitality Professional of the Year Finalist

Mark Mares

Eldorado Hotel & Spa

What was your first job in the hospitality/tourism industry?
Sales Assistant at Howard Johnson Hotel Circle – Albuquerque, NM

Who has helped/mentored you throughout your career?
Jerry Gleason with Hilton Hotels Corporation

What has been the highlight of your career?
Getting to work back in New Mexico, these past few years to spend time with my ailing mother and be close to her in Albuquerque.

Red or Green?
Red Chile

What is one suggestion or piece of advice you would share with young people entering the hospitality/tourism business?
Experience different destinations with work, meet the people, learn different cultures, take our culture and history out there to them.

What is your favorite New Mexico travel experience?
Santa Fe high road and back on the low road, travel through the small villages and stopping at various galleries or just taking in the views, fresh air.

What is your favorite quote or piece of inspiration?
“I find hope in the darkest of days, and focus in the brightest. I do not judge the universe.” ~ Dalai Lama

What does being a finalist for the Top HAT Awards mean to you?
Even in the toughest times, most difficult times, easy times, my co-workers and leadership have been, are there and will be there as a team. We hang together in these times and win or lose together. I wake up, looking forward to being with them, working with them, see them succeed, excel in all they do. Makes me proud to be a finalist for them.

Stay tuned for more Finalist Spotlights as we get closer to the 2018 New Mexico True Top HAT Awards Gala on November 8th!