So Scottsdale January 2019
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
Jennifer Hecker<br />
Concierge, Andaz <strong>Scottsdale</strong><br />
Resort & Bungalows<br />
Jennifer Hecker’s road to the hotel industry<br />
is a “whale” of a tale.<br />
“I worked at SeaWorld in San Diego<br />
at 16,” Hecker says.<br />
She initially dreamt of becoming a<br />
veterinarian before seeing firsthand the<br />
profession involved far more than playing<br />
with animals.<br />
At SeaWorld, however, Hecker found<br />
that beyond the animals, she loved helping<br />
people plan their visits to the park.<br />
“In hindsight, it was perfect training for<br />
a career in hospitality,” Hecker says<br />
After five years at SeaWorld, she<br />
moved to the Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines in<br />
1990 and spent the next 10 years working<br />
her way up to a concierge supervisor at the<br />
hotel.<br />
“When I moved on, it wasn’t to another<br />
hotel, per se,” says Hecker, who joined a<br />
San Diego real estate development company<br />
as its in-house concierge for residents<br />
at a luxury housing community. “Think of it<br />
as a concierge, but for guests who never<br />
actually leave.”<br />
While there, she earned her bachelor’s<br />
degree from National University in La Jolla,<br />
just in time for the real estate boom to bust.<br />
“By 2010, developers downsized, so I<br />
moved to Arizona for a new adventure,” she<br />
says. In the Valley, Hecker worked in marketing<br />
and events for local colleges while<br />
earning a master’s degree in hospitality and<br />
tourism management, graduating in 2014.<br />
She then ventured back into real<br />
estate concierge services, this time for<br />
Toscana in Desert Ridge in 2014 before<br />
joining Andaz <strong>Scottsdale</strong> in 2018.<br />
“I was drawn to Andaz, in great part<br />
to its commitment to the local culture and<br />
artisans,” explains Hecker, whose role<br />
is partially focused on creating unique<br />
relationships with the local art community<br />
so she can curate unique experiences for<br />
guests.<br />
One of her favorite artsy offerings is<br />
Andaz's private tours of Cattle Track Arts<br />
Compound, which recognizes and celebrates<br />
<strong>Scottsdale</strong>’s cultural heritage by providing<br />
opportunities – and actual spaces –<br />
for artists, craftsmen and students to learn,<br />
grow and showcase their works.<br />
<strong>So</strong> <strong>Scottsdale</strong>! <strong>January</strong> '19 49
Change language