Front-of-House Hospitality Employee of the Year

Leo Granados

La Fonda on the Plaza

About Leo Granados

Leo Granados has worked at La Fonda on the Plaza for 26 years, beginning in laundry part-time while he was still in high school. After graduation, he worked banquets and maintenance. He then became a bartended 10 years ago, a role he has held since. To quote one of his supervisors, who refers to Leo as a Hospitality Rock Star:

“I’m so impressed by his loyalty to La Fonda and commitment to the guests. He’s such a great ambassador for La Fonda. With his sense of humor, he makes people comfortable and makes La Fonda look good. And he’s fun to work with and brings joy to other people’s lives.”

Leo personifies hospitality in action. Earlier this year, Leo personally drove some out-of-town guests back to their hotel - despite staying at a different hotel. In another case, Leo went to visit a regular at the hospital who had experienced a medical emergency - bringing gifts and meeting with the family during his visits.

Economic Impact
As a hospitality professional who works in Santa Fe County, Leo Granados contributed to $955.8 million in visitor spending in 2018 - which includes $392 million visitor spending on accommodations and $230 million in visitor spending on food & beverage. (source: Tourism Economics)

Employment
Leo Granados contributes to a leisure and hospitality job market in Santa Fe that currently employs over 11,000 people. Earlier this year, leisure and hospitality employment for Santa Fe peaked at 12,600, setting a new record for Santa Fe. (source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Leo received this honor on Nov. 6, 2019, at the 2019 Top HAT Awards, hosted annually by the New Mexico Hospitality Association. For more information on this event, click here.