Desiree Dayhoff poses with her award.

 

A hotel housekeeper in Naples, Fla. has earned Hilton Family of Brands CEO Light & Warmth Award — the company's highest individual recognition.

A company announcement says Desiree Dayhoff, a housekeeping supervisor at Doubletree Suites, is the 2014 award recipient. Dayoff was chosen for the award because she has "as much heart as hard work, plus big doses of integrity and innovation," says Jennifer Wallace, general manager of the Doubletree Suites by Hilton Naples.

As the saying goes, “good things come to good people.” 

Throughout her life, Dayhoff has persevered and worked hard for everything she has earned, including her right to become an American citizen. The Cuban-born Dayhoff arrived in the U.S. in 2006 through refugee service providers, and with the assistance of Catholic charities was hired at Doubletree as a housekeeping supervisor. Ultimately, Dayhoff earned citizenship.

The announcement says Dayhoff participates in many empowering activities, including:

— Providing general employment orientation for job seekers;

— Teaching English at her workplace to newly resettled refugees;

— Providing financial orientation to understand banking tools and more to one day achieve home ownership;

— Assisting with Citizenship test preparation;

— Developing Doubletree’s H.E.L.P. (Hospitality Excellence Learning Project) training program for refugees; and

— Participating in company community outreach programs, such as Autism awareness and Earth Day’s Cleaning the Beach, among others.

"Desiree strives daily to enrich her work team members’ lives with genuine care and compassion," the statement adds.