{"id":410177,"date":"2024-06-28T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-28T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=410177"},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-29T14:00:00","slug":"Thanks-for-the-memories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/Thanks-for-the-memories\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Thanks for the memories’"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Hyatt Regency Saipan has touched the lives of many people near and far. But, just like the \u201cunsinkable\u201d Titanic, the unthinkable is happening as the hotel is going to shut its doors down for good on June 30, 2024, after 43 years of service in the CNMI.<\/p>\n

Ahead of the permanent closure, more than 100 current and former Hyatt employees gathered for a \u201cWalk Down Memory Lane\u201d\u2014a reunion with food, laughter, and sharing of memories at the Micro Beach pavilion behind the hotel last June 8.<\/p>\n

In the air hung a feeling of dread and inevitably, but at the same time, gratitude and nostalgia as the sunny summer day brought generations of Hyatt staff together for a moment of recollection and appreciation.<\/p>\n

The event was organized by former director of Human Resources Josephine Mesta, who sent out invites via social media and word of mouth.<\/p>\n

She said of the event, \u201cthe celebration was really a success. We invited everybody from the past and present to come and join us and celebrate our years with the Hyatt and walk down memory lane and talk about our favorite or worst memories. I think with everyone here, we\u2019ve all expressed that Hyatt has been a part of their lives, and if there\u2019s anything we got out of it, it\u2019s that it\u2019s made us better people and also more confident in what we do in life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe look forward to the future of what will happen with the rest of us in Saipan,\u201d she said. \u201cWe want to thank the Hyatt for being a part of our lives, a part of our children\u2019s lives\u2014and that\u2019s something we\u2019re very grateful for and we\u2019re sorry to see them go.\u201d<\/p>\n

For former employee of 40 years Barbara Sablan, or affectionately called \u201cMs. Bobbie,\u201d who worked at the Hyatt from 1983 to 2023, she said, \u201cit\u2019s overwhelming. We saw new faces and also old-timers from the \u201980s.\u201d With a crack in her voice, she said, \u201cHow I feel with Hyatt closing, it\u2019s so sad and heartbreaking. It\u2019s very hard to let go. Almost my whole life was there. My kids and grandkids grew up there and it\u2019s just so sad that they\u2019re closing up.\u201d<\/p>\n

To the community and guests who patronized the hotel, she said, \u201cI want to say thank you to the community and all the guests that stayed at the Hyatt, because without them too, we wouldn\u2019t have been there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Penelope Jones, current Human Resource assistant manager, who\u2019s been there since 2007, said, \u201cFirst of all, I want to thank Mrs. Mesta and the team for putting this event together. It\u2019s very somber, but I\u2019m so grateful for the friendship and the family we\u2019ve built during our years at the Hyatt.\u201d<\/p>\n

She added, \u201cOnce a Hyatt employee, you\u2019ll always be a Hyatt employee. I\u2019m so grateful for the people who have nurtured me and made me the person who I am today. I also want to give thanks to the former management, current management, and the owner of Hyatt Regency Saipan for withstanding the storms and COVID\u2014and for supporting and helping us during those challenging times.\u201d<\/p>\n

Author worked as a supervisor at Hyatt Regency Saipan from 2015 to 2022.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Former and current Hyatt Regency Saipan employees pose for a group photo at the Micro Beach behind the hotel in a “Walk Down Memory Lane” reunion and celebration last June 8, as the hotel bids goodbye to the CNMI on June 30.<\/p>\n

-LEIGH GASES
<\/figcaption><\/figure>

<\/p>\n

Former and current Hyatt Regency Saipan employees pose for a group photo at the Micro Beach pavilion behind the hotel towards the end of the “Walk Down Memory Lane” reunion and celebration last June 8, as the hotel bids goodbye to the CNMI on June 30.<\/p>\n

-LEIGH GASES
<\/figcaption><\/figure>

<\/p>\n

Former Hyatt Regency Saipan employees pose for a group photo during the “Walk Down Memory Lane” reunion and celebration last June 8 at the Micro Beach pavilion, as the hotel bids goodbye to the CNMI on June 30.<\/p>\n

-LEIGH GASES
<\/figcaption><\/figure>

<\/p>\n

Former Hyatt employees from the 1980s pose for a photo during the “Walk Down Memory Lane” reunion and celebration last June 8 at the Micro Beach pavilion, as the hotel bids goodbye to the CNMI on June 30.<\/p>\n

-LEIGH GASES
<\/figcaption><\/figure>

<\/p>\n

Former and current Hyatt Regency Saipan employees, including former Human Resources director Josephine Mesta, third left, pose for a group photo during the “Walk Down Memory Lane” reunion and celebration last June 8 at the Micro Beach pavilion, as the hotel bids goodbye to the CNMI on June 30.<\/p>\n

-LEIGH GASES
<\/figcaption><\/figure>

<\/p>\n

Current Hyatt Regency Saipan housekeeping staff dig into the food prepared for the “Walk Down Memory Lane” reunion and celebration last June 8 at the Micro Beach pavilion, as the hotel bids goodbye to the CNMI on June 30.<\/p>\n

-LEIGH GASES
<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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