Martha Bennett began her career in hospitality in 1970 as the assistant to the Catering Manager at the Hotel Heidelberg in downtown Jackson, Mississippi. Now Martha serves as Director of Catering for Hilton Jackson.
Martha laughs when she says that she has never had a resume or been asked to provide one since she has transferred within the circles of the hospitality business for all of her professional career. Her dedication to serving others and desire to work wholeheartedly each day has allowed her to succeed in a competitive industry.
She knows all too well that the Hilton Jackson provides a special setting for weddings, as she wed her husband in an intimate afternoon ceremony beside the hotel’s pool on October 12, 2011. Martha’s unique perspective as an expert in the hospitality and catering industry and having wed at the Hilton gives her the opportunity to fully meet the needs and expectations of any bride.
How long have you been in business?
My next birthday I will be 65 and I have been doing what I am doing now since I was 19 years old. I have been in the hospitality business for a number of years. I serve now as the Director of Catering for the Hilton Jackson.
Since I have been in the business so long, I actually have done weddings, birth announcements, and even weddings for people’s children that I had helped with their wedding years ago. I step in and do whatever I need to do.
How did you get started?
It really was nothing more than me going from high school to start to work. The time frame when I went to work back then did not require a college education that so many do now. I was very fortunate and I started at a job that I loved doing with planning events. I found out really quickly that if you are in the hospitality business either you will love it or you will hate it and will find our really quickly which one it is.
When I started there was the Hotel Heidelberg. When I came to Jackson I went to work for Tad Rogers who was the catering manager there. At the time we were the largest convention hotel in the state of Mississippi, which was in the early ‘70s. I was there less than 6 months and Tad became deathly ill. My general manager, who was George Albert Wilkinson, told me that Tad was going to be hospitalized. He asked me if I could handle this and I said that I could. I had to learn much more quickly than I would have ordinarily. When she got well enough to come back to work, he also owned Lefleur Restaurant and Jacksonian Hotel and he sent her out there and kept me in my position at the Hotel Heidelberg and hired me an assistant. I was 19 years old at the time. I have just stayed with the hospitality business ever since.
What do you like most about what you do?
I like that my job is different every day. We recently had a tour for Clinton High School’s culinary vocational class. We gave them a tour and I told them that if you find something that you love doing, you do the very best at it that anybody can possibly do. Stay happy with your job and you will be successful.
It doesn’t matter what your job is – it could be digging ditches – but you just make sure you dig the best ditch that anybody could ever dig. The day you go home and you haven’t learned something, think about changing careers because there is something to learn each day.
I also tell the catering managers that we hire that there are no limitations. I said that the only thing that limits you when you look at that room that you are about to put an event into is that you cannot change the layout of the walls, but anything else is up to you.
An event planning job is like a putting together a puzzle. If you like putting puzzles together, you will love being an event planner.
Tell us about you and your company: what you do, special services, products, exclusives, etc.
First off, when you think about the Hilton name, of course you think about quality of service. We have the absolute best banquet staff anywhere. They are committed to hospitality. Our staff has years of experience. I have banquet captains that I worked with when I was at the Hotel Heidelburg who have brought along their expertise and training for the younger staff. In our kitchen, Brenda has been here since the day we opened.
For a bridal party, the Hilton Jackson can be a one-stop shop. We can do the rehearsal dinner, bridal tea, wedding ceremony and reception, and house all the guests in our 276 bedrooms.
What would a bride need to do to book the services offered by Hilton Jackson?
The first thing for a bride to do is to check with us about a date for her event. She would call our sales office to speak with Carrie Kent, at 601-957-2800 ext. 7007, to book her event.
If you could give a bride one tip/one bit of advice, what would that be?
I would tell her that she has choices that she has to make, and the more precisely she can express those decisions to her planner, it will help to make sure they both are on the same page.
The bride also needs to know her budget. If we know the budget and what the expectations are and how much the bride wants to spend, then it gives the bride a realistic look at what we can do for her.
We prefer to sit down and make a personalized package for a bride. We can go so many different ways if you just have the line of communication open and the bride has a good idea what she is looking at with her set budget.
Any funny stories to share (no names please)?
We’ve had a bride and groom leave on a horse right here at the Hilton.
What is your favorite season for weddings?
I would have to say spring. Spring is like a new beginning for the earth and a new beginning for a couple.
What advice would you like to leave for those about to embark on the journey of marriage? Compromise. That’s all I can say.
For more information on the services offered by Hilton Jackson, visit www.hiltonjackson.com. Martha Bennett and her helpful staff can be reached at 601-957-2800.