From Nurse to Historic Hotel Legacy Builder

What happens when a nurse with no hospitality experience is asked to help run a historic hotel? In this episode of Living Your Legacy, Rowena Salas shares the remarkable journey that took her from nursing, human resources, and marketing into leading one of Illinois’ most iconic hospitality destinations, Hotel Baker. Along the way, she navigates career pivots, business setbacks, economic downturns, and the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19 while preserving a historic landmark built in 1928. Through stories of leadership, resilience, customer service, hospitality management, and team culture, Rowena reveals how every chapter of her life prepared her for a role she never expected to have. Her journey demonstrates the power of adaptability, lifelong learning, and staying committed to a purpose bigger than yourself.

Key Takeaways

• Every career experience can become preparation for an unexpected future opportunity.
• Leadership starts with serving alongside your team, not above them.
• Building a strong workplace culture creates loyalty that lasts for decades.
• Success is about doing what you love and loving what you do.
• You cannot satisfy every customer, but you can always strive to provide your best service.

Notable Quotes

• "Doing what you love and loving what you do is very important."
• "If your goal is to please 100% of your customers, you will go out of business."
• "Hard work, trust, and respect are the foundation of everything we do."
• "I didn't know my past experiences were going to help me in that job."
• "Every time I read something about Hotel Baker, there's always something new to learn."