Aaron Duncan, general manager of the Hilton Garden Inn St. Louis Airport, is one of only two African Americans with GM positions at hotels in the region, according to the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission.
When Duncan was hired as GM in May, he received a congratulatory call from Burnell Goldman, general manager at the Omni Majestic Hotel in downtown St. Louis.
“Any time that I have a question or challenge that may come up, he’ll definitely be one person that I’ll call,” Duncan said of Goldman.
Duncan oversees operations and a staff of more than 30 associates at the Hilton Garden Inn St. Louis Airport.
“I do a little bit of everything,” he said. “I have a great support staff with Lodging Hospitality Management. They’re working with me and getting me up to speed.”
The St. Louis-based Lodging Hospitality Management, Inc. currently owns 18 hotels throughout the region, including the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark where Duncan previously served as assistant general manager.
Although the Hilton Garden Inn is a smaller property than the Ballpark hotel, there’s a hidden perk.
“I have my hands in every single thing that happens at the hotel, whether it’s the restaurant, front desk, housekeeping, engineering,” he said. “There’s no decision that’s made at the property without coming through me first.”
Finding an African-American man in charge of their hotel is not what many visitors expect.
“From a customer’s perspective, it’s a little bit of a surprise,” he said. “It’s a pleasant surprise from blacks and more of a curious surprise from others.”
Lodging Hospitality Management is actively working to increase its diversity and inclusion and has solicited Duncan’s help. He was selected to help recruit students from his alma mater, Grambling State University, to enroll in its internship program.
“There looking from the ground up to bring in more diverse leaders,” he said of the company.
Duncan has held a GM position before. In Baton Rouge, La., he was general manager of Crestwood Suites, an Extended Stay Hotel.
He was born and raised in New Orleans and described himself as a “Rams supporter, but a die-hard Saints fan.”
He earned a bachelor’s in Business Management from Grambling State University in his home state and holds a master’s in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix.
After graduating from Grambling in May 1999, he participated in a six-month manager training program with the Marriott Corporation in New Orleans. Then he heard of an assistant manager of housekeeping position in St. Louis at the Marriott Pavilion (now the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark).
“I didn’t even know where St. Louis was located,” he said.
He and his then-new bride, Shanta, hopped in his Mercury Sable and drove to St. Louis in the middle of winter.
“Imagine me going from a 60-degree winter month of January in New Orleans to 30-something degrees,” he said. “It was a major shock.”
He held that assistant manager position until he was laid off after the decline of the tourism industry following 9/11. He re-located his family to New Orleans, but maintained a soft spot for the Gateway City. He came back in June 2010 when he accepted a director of Rooms position at the Hilton St. Louis Airport.
“I knew I wanted to come back,” he said of St. Louis. “It’s like home without actually being home.”
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The Best GM that I know
Congratulations Aaron Continue To Do Great Work 🙏🏽💙