Delivering Business Results Through People-Centered, Skills-Based Training

Mary D’Argenis-Fernandez grew up practically living in hotels. Her family spent their summers traveling around the United States and staying at different properties, sometimes for weeks on end. While their father worked, Mary and her sister, Katrina, would pass their time people watching in whatever hotel they were staying at. “We would sit for hours in the lobby and watch the action around us,” says Mary. “We noticed how the staff greeted guests when they checked in and interacted with guests in general.”

Her love of being immersed in the hotel industry was born from these annual trips, but her career in hospitality started when she was 16 and worked at Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland making ice cream cones. “I loved my job and the company in general,” she says. “I had fun every day. I went to work, laughed with my co-workers, and had a blast.”

Although Mary originally intended to pursue a law degree, she never forgot her experience at Disney. She decided to follow the path that she knew would ultimately make her happier and give her the most professional satisfaction.

She was re-hired by the Walt Disney Company immediately after graduate school as a restaurant manager in Magic Kingdom and was promoted to area manager soon after.

In that first year on the job, Mary applied and was picked to be a facilitator for Traditions, the company’s legendary training program. “In that role, I realized I could make an impact in the way employees interacted with guests and how they felt about their jobs,” she says. “By helping them feel connected to their work, there was the potential to increase retention, guest satisfaction, and profitability.”

Subsequent roles Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, and Fairmont Hotels followed the 15 years she spent at Disney. On January 1, 2015, Mary launched MDA Hospitality Solutions and counts some of the world’s most prestigious hotels as her clients, including Conrad properties in New York, Washington D.C., and Cartagena, the Waldorf Astoria in Orlando and Beverly Hills, and the historic Arizona Biltmore.

Based in Orlando, Mary holds a Bachelor of Arts from the College of the Holy Cross, a Master of Education from Worcester State University, and a Master of Business Administration from Webster University in Orlando.

Although South Florida is home, Mary spends more than half of her time on the road. However, she cannot complain about the nonstop travel. “It’s just like when I was at Disney,” she says. “I love my job and never feel like I’m actually working.”