Behind the Scenes, Account Manager


In this new blog series, get to know Innisfree team members who keep our company running behind the scenes. It’s an inside look at the tireless employees who help keep our hotel doors open … from accounting to engineering and beyond.


What’s a typical day in the life of an Account Manager?

I get to work, and the first thing I do is get that coffee brewing. I can’t do the rest of the day without that coffee.


Normally, after that we fire up the computers and we start working on cash flows for the hotels. That’s what we use to project whether the hotel can survive the winter,  to see if there’s enough money to buy another property … things like that. That takes a few hours. We’re really fine-tuning those debits and credits.


Then we deal with hotel issues. If vendors are calling, if they’ve made a mistake in their accounting software. I’m also helping coworkers because we have 8 people in our department who have been there a year or less.


(Note: Rose has been with Innisfree 14 years, the second longest in her department.)


So we’re putting out fires. Helping the newbies. Answering questions. Working on bank racks, processing vendor payments, things that keep the doors open and the jobs going and the company growing.


Depending on the date (the 1st through the 10th are the busiest) we eat at the desk. We do a lot of working lunch, working late, working at home … whatever we have to do to get it done.


Right now, we are learning a new process called Cash Management Reconciliation. It’s quite the challenge, teaching old dogs new tricks. So the 1st through the 10th is sometimes the 1st through the 15th.


Next, lodging taxes for all hotels are due by the 20th. Once we are through with the books, we start working on lodging taxes, and so it goes …


It never stops.


I go home and take care of my pets – two pitbulls and a cat – and generally a lot of times will work at night. WIth so many interruptions during the day, I find it a lot easier to sit there and concentrate on issues I couldn’t deal with.


(The dogs can’t talk, and they can’t call you.)


Tell us why you love your job at Innisfree.

The culture, the laid-back atmosphere, and some amazing coworkers.


What keeps you going?

Challenges. I love challenges.


It isn’t the same thing every day. Accounting is NOT boring. Every day brings something new to us, and I love learning new things.


What are your passions outside of work?

Animal rescue is my main focus. I volunteer with several local rescue groups doing fundraisers and volunteering at events.


If you could swap roles with anyone at the company for one day, who would you choose?I don’t know if I would want to swap, but I’d love to be able to spend a day with these three people:


Nilla Worley, because she’s so fun. I worked the audit one night with her, and I got to see her special way with the guests and it was like, “That’s what hospitality is all about.”


Lori Gordon, because I love her personality. I’m sure she’s the same way.


Anthony Eman, because I’ve watched him grow. He was F&B and now he’s a GM. (Plus, I love his sleeve tattoo.)


These are people providing service to the guests, who stay in our hotels and give us our jobs.


What is something that most of our teammates would not know about the Accounting Department?

Because we are growing so fast, our department no longer has the ability to get in the car and show the new folks our properties. We used to try to get together and do things, but we’re stretched because of the growth. We can hardly meet together as a department we’re so big. With growth comes growing pains. I hope we can get back to that.


Our department is full of FUNNY people. Sometimes people deal with us in stressful situations, so that humor helps. We laugh a lot, sing and dance a lot.


– As told to Ashley Kahn Salley

Lead Storyteller, Innisfree Hotels