Meet Candace Raines, a Loss Prevention Manager at the Wyndham Lake Buena Vista, and our final lodging member of the CFHLA Leadership Mentoring Program, Class II.

Candace began her career in governmental and industrial security more than 13 years ago. However, with no previous experience in the hospitality industry, Candace wanted to try something new. After making the switch to the hospitality industry, she quickly realized that she loved the interactions with the guests and working with her team to make sure their vacation is a special and safe experience.

Candace recalls several guest experiences that have gone favorably, however the one that stands out is the joy of this holiday season. Lately, she’s enjoyed taking family photos of guests from across the globe, in front of the various Christmas trees and decorations around the resort property. She also loves to share with the guests’ other locations nearby with more Christmas cheer for them to explore.

Candace recommends the Leadership Mentoring Program because it has helped her get out of her shell and learn to ask others for help. Professional networking wasn’t an area that she was particularly fond of, but over time the program has helped to create more opportunities for her to feel comfortable and more natural when networking in the future. Additionally, Candace has taken the time to learn about so many other departments within the hospitality industry and the roles they play. With the industry being so large here in Central Florida, she has made new friendships with other professionals from different brands that she would not normally interact with.

Looking ahead, Candace hopes to continue to advance her career in hotel loss prevention and ultimately become the Director soon. Additionally, by participating in this Leadership Mentoring Program, she has begun to explore other career paths available including Front Office and Human Resources within the region.