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Elizabeth Mullins '89 remembers exactly how she felt that day when she was 5 years old, dressed in her Sunday best, and sitting in The Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Boston enjoying high tea with her dad after watching "The Nutcracker."

Just like a queen.

Afternoon tea at the elegant old hotel was the perfect punctuation to a long day trip from her hometown in Durham, N.H., to the hustle and bustle of the big city during the holidays.

"After that afternoon, I knew that's what I wanted to do the rest of my life. Or, at least in my 5-year-old's mind, that that's how I wanted to feel," says Mullins, who earned a bachelor's degree in hotel management and business administration from UNH in 1989. Mullins decided she wanted to work inside that world someday, too, and help others feel just the same.

So, six days after graduating, she went to work for The Ritz-Carlton in Boston. Eleven moves, 20 years, and many promotions later, she is vice president and area general manager for The Ritz-Carlton in Washington, D.C. Her office is at the heart of one of the legendary chain's most prominent properties, which earned accolades for its work during inauguration celebrations for President Barack Obama. She also oversees four other Ritz-Carlton hotels in the area.

The hotel's behind-the-scenes efforts were featured in a Washington Post slideshow depicting the painstaking lengths the staff took "to cater to diplomats, politicians, CEOs, and the deep ranks of the unfamously successful possessing money and taste to spare," the newspaper reported. Among the perks: Each guest received an inauguration "Survival Kit" in a Ritz-Carlton canvas tote bag embroidered with the inaugural seal, a pashmina scarf with the inaugural seal, a stainless steel coffee mug, gourmet peanuts, mints, detox organic tea, tissues, and chewing gum.

"We're trying to make a memory," Mullins told the Post. "People are here to celebrate this amazing inauguration and we're part of that memory. Everything we do during the four days has to solidify this great experience."

Such attention to detail helped Mullins become a general manager before she was 35, a rare accomplishment within the industry's highest-ranking hotels. Mullins has also been recognized nationally, winning two Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Awards. The award is the only formal recognition for performance excellence for U.S. organizations given by the President of the United States.

"I attribute a lot of my success to the foundation that UNH gave me in all aspects of the industry; not just in the hotel management side of things, but also in the business management side," Mullins says.

Work experiences while she was at UNH also offered a pragmatic footing, she says, and also kept her humble. In addition to an internship with The Ritz in Boston and a second internship with a restaurant supply company, she worked for three summers in a busy Hampton Beach restaurant and bar, where she bused and waited tables, assisted in the kitchen, and pitched in wherever help was needed in serving up to 300 people a night. By the end of her stint, she was the manager, overseeing the staff, ordering supplies, and keeping tabs on the inventory.

Mullins still isn't afraid to roll up her sleeves (and set a good example for her staff in the process). "When things get busy, you'll still find me busing tables," Mullins says.

A typical recent morning saw her coordinating a gathering of diplomats for the United Arab Emirates Embassy and then an event for 50 CEO members of the influential Greater Washington Board of Trade. That afternoon, she was running extra linens up to housekeeping.

Mullins visits Durham often and serves on the UNH International Hospitality Advisory Board. With a 12-year-old daughter and a demanding job with long, unpredictable hours, it's not easy striking a balance day-to-day; let alone finding time to volunteer. But Mullins thrives on multitasking—and says it helps that she has an understanding spouse, Hodson Hussain, whose import and export business allows him a more flexible schedule.

That's a good thing, as Mullins walked into an extra challenge when she accepted her job in Washington in August 2008. The 300-room hotel was in the midst of a $12 million renovation to give the guest rooms and suites, lounge, cafe, and bar a more modern look and feel—and it was Mullins' job to maintain the hotel's high standards with minimum disruption.

Big changes aren't unusual in the hotel industry, where even well regarded icons face increasing demands to renovate, redesign, and offer new amenities to keep up with the competition.

The New England Center in Durham is one such gem whose era is passing, and its pending closure in June comes as newly built and recently renovated hotels in the region present more options for guests and business clients.

While hospitality students may miss the opportunities to work and learn at the on-campus hotel, Mullins notes the region offers many hotel, restaurant, and conference centers where they can hone their skills, learn about the industry, and perhaps gain references and contacts that will boost their careers. Mullins herself has hired UNH students and has referred others for jobs after they've impressed her during internships with The Ritz.

"Get as much experience as you can while you're still in school," she says. "Spend your summers and winters wisely." ~