Originally from Jamaica, Rudolph Lawson came to the U.S. as part of the H2B Visa Exchange Program working at the JW Desert Ridge Marriott in Phoenix, Ariz., as a Room Service Busser. While there he met the General Manager who started his own Marriott career as a dishwasher. Rudolph was inspired by his journey and set out to build a career that would help make a difference in his life and the life of his family.

Seventeen years and several hotels and roles later, Rudolph is now the Senior Banquet Manager at the largest hotel in Tennessee, the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville. The hotel has more than 700,000 square feet of meeting space and nearly 400 Gaylord STARS working in banquet operations.

Each day he wakes at 4 a.m. with one mission on his mind: making the day of his co-STARS as easy as possible. He loves to remind his team “it’s going to be an amazing day” and then will follow through with an unfailingly positive attitude and selfless leadership, ensuring every guest receives the flawless service that has become synonymous with the Gaylord brand.

Rudolph is a true team player – whether that’s taking calls at 4 a.m. to answer a STAR’s question about that day’s event or helping another department with the set-up for a smaller meeting – he consistently goes above and beyond for his co-STARS and guests.

Recently, Rudolph volunteered to give children from the local children’s hospital a tour of the Banquets department. He could have simply walked them through the event space and sent them on their way. Instead, Rudolph arranged for the entire Banquet team to applaud the children as they entered the ballroom and then showed them the “behind the scenes” of banquet equipment and processes that go into creating a memorable event.

Throughout his years of service, Rudolph has stayed true to his greatest value: treat every person he meets as though they are the most important person in that moment.