It’s been a big year for Maria Pampafikos, co-owner and vice president of Royal Regency Hotel in Yonkers. In 2015, a multimillion-dollar renovation project was completed at the property her family owns and operates. The makeover—done while the hotel was still open for business—transformed the lobby, ballrooms, 88 guest rooms, five luxury suites, and the reception area. Next up, Pampafikos says, will be a small facelift on another ballroom.“In the hospitality industry, it never ends,” she says. “You’re constantly keeping up with the trends.” To become more competitive in an industry filled with giant brands, the Royal Regency also joined the Worldhotels Organization in July. The affiliation, says Pampafikos, “increases our exposure on many platforms in a more cost-effective way.” As an executive, Pampafikos is heavily involved in marketing, community outreach, and driving an increase in events hosted at the hotel. Those pursuits haven’t kept her from interacting with guests on a daily basis, though. “Hearing that the guests had a good experience, whether in the hotel or catering facility, is the most satisfying thing,” she says. Pampafikos—who works alongside her husband, Royal Regency co-owner Nikita Pampafikos—juggles all of this while raising three children under the age of 6. “If I think about everything I have to accomplish in a week, it becomes overwhelming,” she says. “I tell myself, ‘Don’t think about it. Just do it.’”
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