HOTELSIGNS.com can’t get enough of its clients and customers, but helping them through the signage ordering process would be impossible without our loyal Sign Artisans. One of these is Crystal Simpson, our V.P. of National Accounts. She’s worked with signs for years, and throughout it all, her passion and goals have remained rooted in helping her customers get the exact signage that they need, whether it’s for their hotels or a clients’. We asked her to take a few minutes to talk about herself, as well as share some of her vital knowledge about the ins and outs of the signage industry.
Where are you originally from, and where do you live now?
I’m from North Georgia, near the Lookout Mountain area in a very rural county.
Now, I live in Chattanooga, TN, which is basically the closest major city to where I grew up.
How long have you been in the sign industry and/or with HOTELSIGNS.com?
I’ve been involved with sales for 21 years and with HOTELSIGNS.com for 16 years as of this month!
What’s the most rewarding part of your job?
I love getting to work with all of the really great people in this business. I’ve worked with many of my clients for the past 16 years, and you get to learn a lot of details about each others’ lives. It’s great seeing those that you work with progress in their lives, get married, have babies, and even retire!
What’s something you’ve learned since being in the industry?
Hoteliers forget about signage! It’s usually one of the last items to be ordered for a project. And often times, many assume that someone else is ordering it, so we tend to get a lot of last minute orders with quick turnaround times. This can be difficult since signage is completely custom to that property, however, we’ve come through for quite a few properties by helping them get their signage so they can open after they forgot to order signs!
What’s one thing hospitality professionals don’t often know about signs?
A lot of people don’t realize that to be ADA compliant, certain signs must have a minimum of .625” text, have Grade II Braille, and raised text. Most of our clients think that just having Braille makes a sign compliant. Of course, this isn’t the case with all signs, which is another thing that a lot of clients are unaware of.
If you could turn one of your skills into a superpower, which would it be and why?
Well, I have a superpower already – my memory – and it’s a very valuable skill and asset. Whenever I have a project working, I remember the project number, the internal job number, and the customer number, keeping myself efficient by holding every detail in mind. This allows me to catalogue all of my projects and draw from them whenever I need to. My friends call me Rain Man due to my crazy good memory!
If you had unlimited money and could go anywhere for a week: where would you go and why?
I would go to French Polynesia, particularly Bora Bora in one of the hotel rooms built over the water. The solitude alone would be amazing, and the experience is definitely on my bucket list.
Trade shows are back! Why should hoteliers consider attending?
I attended BDNY in New York this past November, which was the last trade show I attended back in 2019. I was thrilled by the feeling of so many people excited to see colleagues again. We would also discuss the state of our business, the previous two years, and how we are working to get back to some sort of normal. I can definitely say that attending these shows is rewarding as a sales rep and personally.
Outside of helping clients get the best signs ever, what do you enjoy doing?
I have a couple of dogs that my boyfriend and I love and enjoy spending time with. Besides that, you can usually find me hiking, biking, and enjoying our local pro-soccer team ‘Chattanooga Football Club’ games. On top of that, world travel is, and always has been, one of my favorite past-times.
What is your favorite restaurant in the world, and what’s your go-to travel meal?
My favorite restaurant would have to be Alleia in Chattanooga, TN of all places. It’s authentic Italian with a flare and simply delightful. My go-to travel meal is whatever the American Airlines Admirals Club happens to be offering, which for breakfast is a boiled egg and oatmeal, and if you’re lucky, avocado toast.
What travel accessory can you not do without?
I always have a book and my AirPods for music & podcasts.
What was your best inflight experience?
I’ll never forget leaving Maui on an overnight flight to Dallas and getting upgraded to First Class, where there were lay-flat beds. I slept through the majority of the 8 hour flight.
What’s your favorite travel destination?
Obviously, I’m a huge fan of Maui. It’s simply magical and I would live there if traveling to and from the mainland wasn’t so time consuming.
What’s your favorite TV show or movie?
Favorite TV show of all time? The Wire. Favorite movie of all time? Tombstone.
We want to thank Crystal again for sharing more about herself, as well as for all of her hard work at HOTELSIGNS.com. Thanks to dependable Sign Artisans like her, you can always be assured to receive next level customer service as you traverse our many sign lines.
Still need help getting the right sign for your hotel walls? Contact Crystal or one of our other sales reps on the Contact Us page. Better yet, apply now for one of our open positions to work directly with Crystal and become a leading Sign Artisan.