Maria Paula Chau

Event Services Manager, Hilton Orlando

Distinguished Leader in Events & Meetings

Maria Paula Chau, Event Services Manager, of the Hilton Orlando is the Honoree for the
Distinguished Leaders in Hospitality Awards in the Events and Meetings category. Maria exudes
confidence and remains calm and professional in any situation, regardless of the stress level. A
sentiment that is infectious to those around her. Maria has consistently received compliments from
guests stating that she was always available when needed and even anticipated needs so well that
they hardly had to ask for anything at all.

Additionally, Maria is the type of team member that you’ll never see sitting still. She is extremely
active and consistently goes above and beyond to help other departments when needed to ensure
the success of the property. Plus, her high work ethic and performance consistently exceeds her job
duties, showing a deep commitment to the property and guests, that are treated like family.

Maria has also taken the initiative to be the unofficial trainer for the Event Services Manager role by
updating previous training materials to properly reflect the property today and new procedural
changes, while also implementing new items that ensure the role continues to evolve and operate as
efficiently as possible.

Furthermore, on multiple occasions, the grab-and-go restaurant at the property has accrued very long
lines due to the number of guests heading to a meeting at the same time. Without hesitation, Maria
continues to jump right in to assist with making coffee and restocking the store. This is on top of
another recent example of her ensuring that a bride and groom experienced their vision of a flawless
ceremony, despite a spontaneous rain shower that happened moments before the ceremony began.
While many other team members were pre-occupied with other in-house guest needs, Maria took it
upon herself to pick up the debris and gathered towels to personally wipe down the chairs, so the
wedding would not be delayed and go as planned.

This is the kind of team member and leader who will never let any of her peers or fellow departments
fail. Maria effortlessly prioritizes her workload and client requests, while considering the operational
status around her and the consideration of other departments at any time.