Meet Leila Ginsburg | Sales and Marketing Leader/Gourmet Home Chef/Mom

We had the good fortune of connecting with Leila Ginsburg and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Leila, what do you think makes you most happy? Why?

I’m happiest when I’m with my family. In fact, the times that bring me the most joy are when we are engaged in an activity — whether we’re at the beach trying to surf on our boogie boards or visiting an animal preserve and feeding the goats. Pretty much any time we’re together and laughing and smiling is awesome.

For the past couple of years, I’ve worked hard to not take anything for granted. As a result, I try to recognize and appreciate little bits of joy whenever they appear. Simple things like stirring my risotto right before I plate it, completing Wordle in two rounds, listening to my favorite playlist, and playing badminton in my backyard.

Those moments give me such energy and spark joy; finally taking the time to recognize this has given my life new meaning.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

Since my father worked in hotels for 40 years, living and working in hotels literally became a way of life. Because of these experiences, I have a true love of hospitality that is embedded in my DNA. My first job in a hotel was when I was 11; my dad had me helping out in housekeeping folding sheets and helping stock the carts. I loved being in the hotel and playing even a small role in creating a wonderful experience for the guests (although in the early days I am not sure of how helpful I truly was).

Throughout my adolescence, I held a variety of jobs which ranged from handing out towels at the pool, answering the phones using funny voices — much to the amusement of the guests and to the horror of my father — to working at the front desk. It was while working in reservations I realized I had a knack for selling when I became one of the top up-sellers in the company. Since I believed in the product I was promoting, I was able to show the customer the hotel-experience through my eyes and get them excited. In fact, not only did they want to come and stay at the hotel, they were also happy to spend the extra money to upgrade their accommodations to a suite (or say a room with a view).

I took a break from hotels when I went to Syracuse for college and I discovered I also loved broadcasting. After spending a few years as a professional radio deejay, producer, and even an airborne traffic anchor, I found my way back to hospitality. However, timing wasn’t exactly perfect — I began working as a corporate sales manager less than eight weeks after September 11, 2001 at a period when the last thing anyone wanted to do was travel. While it took some time, I hit my stride and found great success; winning accolades and industry-wide awards. From that moment on, I knew that I had found my calling and never looked back.

Over the next two decades I worked hard to build a career and make a name for myself in the hotel world. This was something that was not always easy, as I was the daughter of a hospitality icon and his legacy cast a big shadow. I persevered and over time people began to realize that while my father was a legend, I was pretty awesome too.

Then COVID-19 happened. My life as a successful hotelier came to a grinding, screeching halt. For the first time in my adult life, I did not have the career that I had worked so hard to build. The hospitality business was decimated by the pandemic and I found myself grappling with the prospect of having to reinvent myself and find a new path.

Thankfully with the support of my husband Josh — who I married literally 20 minutes before the state of California started sheltering in place — I didn’t completely fall apart. With Josh’s love and support, I was able to use the time to focus not only on our family, but on myself by studying digital marketing within hospitality (something I always wanted to learn more about).

Going back to school after 25 years was the most intense thing I have done — not including childbirth. This was certainly “school” — but not in the traditional environment I was used to — and it threw me for a loop. I was the “kid” who relished knowing the answers, raising my hand and feeling the pride of getting it right. It was a great feeling and was a primary motivation to shake off the shyness I experienced as a child.

However, I was suddenly at a loss as to how I was going to be successful in a virtual academic environment where I didn’t have classmates to bounce ideas off of, or a teacher to let me know if I was on the right track. The first day we had an introductory Zoom class and I did the simplest thing possible — I showed up. Turns out I was only one of three students who did that. As a result, I was able to connect with the professor and some of my classmates to build rapport and create a support system.

One of the things I did in an effort to keep my skills sharp while I was not yet working was to create themed weekend agendas for my children. When you work in a hotel, you put together a document called a “group resume” for your in-house groups which tells our hotel team what the clients are expecting during their stay. Now every Friday my kids would get an agenda packed with fun activities to do. We did all kinds of things: hiking, cooking, hunting for Pokémon. Basically, anything I could think of to keep our kids (and ourselves) entertained when most businesses were closed and money was tight.

I even found a way to incorporate our family’s favorite solo-pastime — TikTok — into the mix by creating my own “Cap or Fact” item on our agenda. And in case you’re wondering, blowing into an Oreo does not expand the cream. I found my kids thrived knowing what was going to come next; especially when living in an environment where everything was suddenly so uncertain. Those silly little agendas helped keep us all grounded, but also hopeful about what was to come.

I also had the opportunity to be interviewed about my employment situation for Psychology Today magazine, where I talked about the emotional impact of losing my career through no fault of my own. It was a truly cathartic experience to share my story. And the support I received from family and friends was amazing.

But guess what? Turns out though I didn’t really lose my career. I was fortunate to go back to work the day after our long-awaited honeymoon. I came back with a new appreciation for my job. And a new appreciation for being around other people — especially helping them create opportunities to get together for a meeting or to celebrate one of life’s special moments.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

If someone was coming to San Diego for a visit and I didn’t have the space to host them at my house, I would want them to stay at the hotel where I work, the beautiful Hilton San Diego Mission Valley. They would absolutely want to eat in our Polanco Kitchen and Bar where my friend and executive chef, Luis De Leon serves up amazing fish tacos, and my personal favorite our Polanco Churros. If I got the opportunity to cook for my guests, I would probably make them an asparagus risotto topped with grilled shrimp seared to perfection by my husband Josh. We would definitely take them to meet the sea lions up at La Jolla Cove, and then over to Scripps Pier to watch the sunset.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My husband Josh is extremely supportive and having him by my side makes me believe that anything is possible. I’m grateful for his love, kindness, humor, and most of all his patience. I have learned a lot from my husband, but slowing down and appreciating all the little things we have to be grateful for has been the most impactful.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leilaginsburg/