Category: Meet The Lenox

Shanah Tovah!

Posted on by Samantha Sorrin

With the Jewish High Holidays fast approaching we thought it would be informative (and fun!) to serve up a Jewish themed meal for the managerial team at The Lenox. After researching all of the upcoming holidays we decided a break-fast theme’d brunch would be perfect! As the team’s 3 representatives of the Jewish faith, Nick, Jenn and Sam came up with a menu full of their respective Bubbe’s homemade dishes and some lighter bites for people to nosh on. We brought in Mamaleh’s (a new restaurant with a Jewish themed menu in Kendall Square – Cambridge!) for the Bobka, Whitefish Salad, fresh Bagels, Challah and Blintzes. If you are looking for your grandparent’s homemade holiday food, THEY are the place to go! We are still full from eating too much!

Sam made an incredible Kugel with a recipe passed down from her mother. The baked noodles with plenty of butter, cream cheese, cottage cheese and a hint of cinnamon – everyone loved this sweet treat! To further the cultural experience of the brunch, tables were scattered with Yiddish flashcards. It’s amazing how many words have made their way into our modern vocabulary! With such a diverse staff, it’s always enlightening to learn cultural norms that others grew up with naturally. Who knows what culture or heritage we will learn about next?

For those of you celebrating – below are the dates for each holiday (all in October)!

  • 3-4th Rosh Hashana (Jewish New Year)
  • 12th Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement)
  • 17-18th Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles)
  • 24th Shmini Atzeret (Eighth Day of Assembly)
  • 25th Simchat Torah (Day of Celebrating the Torah)

 

Shanah Tovah!

-Jenn Glucklich, Nick Turner, Samantha Sorrin

 

To The Team That Keeps Our “House” Clean!

Posted on by Erin Crowell

If you could think of a hotel as an human anatomy, you could say that the front desk is the heart – the central point to where every guest goes; you could say that sales and marketing team is the brain – thinking of creative ways to fill the rooms; and you could say that the housekeeping team is the backbone – without it, you can’t stand.

For most hotel guests, cleanliness is the number one most important criteria for a hotel. A guest could enjoy the most amazing steak in the restaurant, have a lovely check-in experience at the front desk, have a breathtaking view from the room… but if there is a hair in the sink, will likely not return. This is why Housekeeping is the backbone of our hotel. Our team is comprised of 46 of the most friendly and hardworking and thoughtful folks in the business.

This week, September 11-17th, is International Housekeepers Week, and although it is special for the team, our hope and purpose is to make sure that they know how special they are all the time. Housekeeping is the key to the success of our hotel, and their tireless efforts help guarantee that your stay will be outstanding! So next time you’re here, be sure to say hello to Maura on the 3rd floor, or to Mary in the lobby, or to Ricardo sweeping up outside. We’re so lucky to have them on our team, and keeping The Lenox standing tall!

Blog_BrendanI have unbelievable amount of respect for our housekeeping team. I spent one weekend in college working in housekeeping at the hotel on campus. I have never worked that hard in my life. And it may have been the only Saturday night in my four years at school that I was in bed by 8pm. I’m not sure how they do it. Yet, day-in and day-out, our rooms always look pristine.

Brendan, Director of Operations

Blog_JamieInternational Housekeeping Week is a very special time of the year for us to show the Ladies and Gentlemen of the Housekeeping Department our appreciation and thank them for all of their hard work that they do day in and day out three hundred and sixty five days a year! This is a fun feel week of memories and laughter for all and we look forward to it every year every week should be National Housekeepers week! The Ladies and Gentlemen of the Housekeeping Department bring to The Lenox Hotel a wealth of experience.

Lewis, Director of Housekeeping

Blog_JamieI always loved the quote, “a person who feels appreciated will do more than what is expected” and I find it more and more to be true with our amazing team. It’s truly a way of life here for all of the Lenox Family to ensure everyone feels appreciated but there’s one week of the year that we go above and beyond to shine light on our exceptional team, the back bone of the hotel, Lenox Housekeeping! It’s a fun week full of events that get the staff and managers involved together with tons of laughs and of course lots and lots of food!

Jamie, Housekeeping Manager

Blog_AshleyIf you walk the floors of any hotel you will be able to get a glimpse of those individuals who are working behind the scenes, ensuring the floors are clean and clear, sidewalks are swept, lobby windows are smudge free, sheets are perfectly arranged on the bed, towels are refreshed, and the list continues. These simple tasks are quite standard throughout other properties, but here at The Lenox they only make up a small portion of what our day to day looks like. Housekeeping Week is a time for us to showcase these individuals who are the heart and soul of our property.

Ashley, Housekeeping Manager

Blog_AshleyI can recall my very first National Housekeeping Week like my first Birthday and that’s saying a lot seeing that I celebrated my Birthday for the first time in 2015! I know right! And just like this year, I couldn’t wait to celebrate yet another National Housekeeping Week. Long story short, we challenge each other, respect each other, and believe in one another; I guess this is why some may be confused to why we enjoy waking up early for work. Sometimes the best things uttered are said in the most simplistic fashion; for we may not be blood, but Housekeeping Week is a gathering for FAMILY. One Love.

Umar, Housekeeping Manager

Take a look below to see a quick video of our managers putting on a show for our housekeepers and scroll further down for some photos of our housekeepers appreciation lunch!

https://youtube.com/watch?v=iD_2jwzlha4

 

Executive Chef Sean MacAlpine

Posted on by Lisa Burns

A Brooklyn native and long-time Massachusetts resident, Sean MacAlpine found his calling to cuisine in 2002 when he filled in for a chef at Coastal Passenger Schooners in Mystic, Connecticut. Sean’s experience in the kitchen is quite extensive and includes a cooking gig at Five-O Shore Road restaurant in Ogunquit, Maine, where he worked under his brother, Jonathan MacAlpine. He eventually moved back to the Boston area and opened Main Streets Market and Café in Conord, MA for dinner service.

It was 2006 when Sean met Robert Fathman, the Executive Chef at Azure (now City Table) at an open mic night in Lynn, MA. Sean gave him his phone number in case he was ever looking for cooks and a week later he received a call from Robert asking him to come in and work. From his Line Cook position, he worked up the ranks to Sous Chef, Executive Sous Chef, and eventually to Executive Chef, which is the position he has now held for four years. He strives to focus on healthy, fresh ingredients and wants to implement them into as many dishes as possible.

Azure (City Table) is also the spot where Sean met his wife, Beth. They now have a 3-year-old son named Benjamin.

In his spare time, Sean loves to garden and spend some quality time on the golf course.

Be sure to stop by City Table at The Lenox Hotel and taste some of Sean MacAlpine’s best work!

Click here to learn more about some of our great dining options, including our Farmers’ Market to Table package and our very own rooftop garden!

Ahhhh! Spring!

Posted on by Gerry VonDohlen

The temperatures are climbing, the sun is setting later in the day, the tulips are blooming in the public garden, and soon our olde town team will return to Fenway to play ball!

Like many of us in Boston I developed a great passion for baseball and the Red Sox. I fondly remember as a child my Dad taking me and my brother to Fenway. My first impression was how vast the park seemed to me, I felt I was in another world. All my senses came alive. Hearing the crack of the bat, the cheers and jeers from the crowd, the PA announcer (Sherm Feller’s) booming voice, and the vendors hollering “Hot Dawgs heeya”. Seeing the plush green lawn, the scoreboard on the leftfield wall, the bright neon of the Citgo sign, and a close play at the plate. Smelling and tasting the ballpark fare; peanuts and cracker jacks, Fenway franks, Italian sausage with peppers and onions, and a large souvenir cup filled with ice cold coke. Feeling the emotion of the crowd during a tight contest, the heat during the dog days of summer, and the crush of the crowd trying to enter or exit the park.

I was fortunate enough to attend some special moments and games that I will never forget. There was the 1 hitter Clemens threw against the Indians (he lost the no-hitter with 1 out in the eighth). I saw Ted Williams at an old timer’s game hit a ball to right field that nearly reached the bullpen for a home run (he was 67 years old at the time). I was there when Pedro faced Clemens in the ’99 ALCS. The “Where is Roger? Where is Roger?” game. I saw Big Papi eliminate the Angels in ’04 with a homer in extra innings. There was also a do or die playoff against the A’s in ’03 when Trot Nixon hit a walk off homer about 15 feet in front of where I was seated. I attended the ceremony to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the park’s opening in April of 2012, and I witnessed game 6 in 2013 vs. the Cards the first championship clincher at home in 95 years.

If you’re not able to attend a game, taking a tour of the park is a great experience. The hour long guided tour takes you inside the home and visiting team club houses, you will see the press box, view the field from many vantage points, including above the Green Monstah, and the right field roof deck, which is also a great place to see the Boston skyline.

While in Boston, a visit to Fenway, “America’s most beloved ballpark” should be on your must see list! If you’re staying with us at The Lenox Hotel, that should be easy as your hotel room is just as short walk to the ball park.

Roger Saunders on Diamond Jim’s

Posted on by Daniel Donahue

In 1983 the Boston Herald called the Saunders Family the “Hub’s First Family of Hoteliers” and over 30 years later those words still ring true. Genuine hospitality is something that Roger Saunders, patriarch of the Saunders Hotel group, has been preaching in Boston’s Back Bay long before in-room WiFi, Bluetooth clock radios, and digital room keys. At the Lenox, the flagship property of the Saunders collection, the spirit of a fiercely independent, family run business is still our obsession. More than any brick or chandelier could, the people have made the Lenox a part of the very fabric of Boston. To celebrate this proud heritage, I sat down with Mr. Saunders to talk hospitality. From time to time we will share pieces of this oral history. Sit back and enjoy the first nugget of our past from a legend in the industry.

 

Because Sharing Is Caring

Posted on by Daniel Donahue

Saying I like food is like saying Boston has interesting weather. Nothing could understate my passion more! People are at the very core of my love of food. Actually, eating and sharing are pretty much intrinsically linked for me. I seldom, if ever, will eat alone. Without someone there to share it with, a meal loses most of its meaning for me. While some view food as simply fuel, I think of food as a connector of people. I wouldn’t talk to myself, why would I eat by myself?

I think this all started because I come from a big family. Some of my favorite childhood memories come from hanging around our kitchen table while my Mom entertained aunts or neighbors for coffee and a homemade delectable. I remember vividly the sounds and smells emanating from that kitchen as I waited for all the adults to be served and I would be given my share. (Funny enough, I also remember the ashtray full of butts. Gross to think of now!) Mom used her food as a way of showing her love to her family and friends. Heck, even peanut butter and jelly tasted better when she made it and sat with me as I ate.

Like my Mom, I use food to show my appreciation, care, and love to the people I make it for. For my Mom, no pot was too big because having more food to share just meant more people to share it with. I carry that same philosophy with me to this day. On occasion I’d like to share a few of my favorite things to make. Below is a recipe I stole and remixed to call it my own – Baked Potato Dip:

-3 pints sour cream
-2 bunches fine chopped green onions – not the white part!
-2 bags Oscar Mayer bacon bits – vacuumed packed in the salad dressing aisle
-16 oz fine shredded Mexican blend cheese (Kraft is best)
-S&P to taste – Be careful! Bacon is salty, go lite on that, heavy on the pepper
*This recipe can be halved – it makes quite a bit of dip!

I hope you LOVE this.

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