What goes on behind the scenes of hotel restaurants and bars? At our Aloft Hotel near the Raleigh-Durham Airport, Elise Bero has it covered. Elise holds the role of food and beverage outlets manager, from which she’s learned a lot in only a few short months on the job.

No stranger to the hospitality industry, Elise studied event planning in school. Her passion for working with people brought her to Aloft as a front desk agent in June of 2021 after a friend from a previous job had told Elise about an opening with Narsi, eventually connecting her with VP of Operations Chris Ardolino. 

Once hired at the front desk, Elise proved herself to be truly passionate about providing exceptional service. She came to work everyday with the goal to do her best for not only the company, but for guests as well. This work-ethic was clearly noticed by leadership in promoting Elise to her current position.

The Food and Beverage Management Role

Before Elise undertook Food and Beverage Outlets Management, the position was vacant due to Covid-19 Restrictions. With the world recently opening back up, it was time to prioritize food and beverage again with Elise running point.

From planning new menu items to ordering inventory, Elise is in charge of all food and alcohol at the Aloft. Her current focus is bringing in new ideas during this post-covid refresh. She enjoys workshopping ideas and sampling potential menu items to determine what guests will love. One exciting activation is a new cocktail specials list, including a vodka lemonade spritzer that Elise especially recommends. 

As a host with the most, Elise pays great attention to fine details. One fun fact is that she loves glassware and dreams of owning a large personal collection of barware and glasses. With that kind of passion, could we find a better fit for managing food and beverage hospitality?

Meaningful Interactions in Hospitality

Growing up very sociable, Elise loves the way food and drinks can bring people together. She surprisingly interacts with more guests now than she did at the front desk. Whether it’s having guests sample new items or striking up a conversation in the bar area, she enjoys meeting new people from all walks of life. 

In addition to guests, she also enjoys the relationships she’s made with fellow team members. Elise feels that everyone truly cares about each other, which is rare for a workplace. She truly enjoys the family mentality, flexibility, and care for employees at Narsi.

“This is the first job I’ve had where I can make my own schedule,” she shares when asked about her work-life balance. According to Elise, it is easier to be productive and passionate about her job while working for a company that cares about her personal time.