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PrintI am Tulsa - Macy Snyder
Director of Public Relations and Social Events for the Mayo Hotel and member of Tulsa's Young Professionals
Macy Snyder is not your typical 27-year-old downtown entrepreneur.
Instead of sitting behind a desk and answering phones all day, she’s walking around 18 floors of hotel space and speaking into a walkie-talkie as she goes. For more than four years, she’s worn a hard hat to work, scuffed several pairs of high heels and spent weekends away from her friends so that one of Tulsa’s most famed hotels reopens in all its grandeur.
“Once you spend so much time in something, you want to finish it,” she says. “You want to see it completed, and for Tulsa, it’s so important that the Mayo Hotel gets completed.”
Snyder says her family obtained the historic property in 2001 for a mere $250,000.
“We did not buy this building planning on doing any of this with it,” she says. “That wasn’t the plan. That was a dream, but a very far-fetched dream. We never thought it would end to where it is today. We’ve come a long way.”
Originally from Houston, Snyder and her family moved to Tulsa in 1995 when her father received a promotion. The elder to two sisters, she says they spent many family dinners discussing business with their parents.
“My parents are the biggest influences in my life,” she says. “They both came from nothing and worked to where they are today. They are the hardest workers ever.”
After she graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor’s degree in marketing, she moved to Tulsa to assist her parents with the demand for weddings held at the Mayo. The Monday following her Saturday graduation was her first day on the job.
“I learned how to run a business without planning to,” she says.
Late last year, Snyder trained for three months at the historically renovated Hilton President in downtown Kansas City to prepare her for the hotel business. She says she worked with every department so she could learn how to run the Mayo.
Now, as director of public relations and social events for the Mayo, she books space for galas, weddings and events while also leasing the 76 apartments and reserving rooms for hotel guests.
“A lot of customer service is involved in my job on a day-to-day basis,” she says. “… It’s important that on my side everything is done perfect so that they have a memory of a flawless event or wedding.”
She says her favorite rooms are the Crystal Ballroom and the Penthouse because the Ballroom hosts weddings and galas, while the Penthouse has rooftop access. Both rooms feature spectacular, high-rise views of the river and downtown Tulsa.
When she’s away from work (which isn’t too often), Snyder stays close to downtown. She says she spends her time supporting the restaurants and nightlife in hopes that downtown prospers.
“We can’t be successful if they’re not successful, so I’m a big promoter of downtown Tulsa and a big promoter of Tulsa,” she says. “Anywhere I go, I brag about Tulsa.”
Snyder stays active with Tulsa’s Young Professionals (TYPros) as a member of its Special Events Crew. In fact, her closest friends are fellow TYPros members.
“TYPros is a great way to meet people who have the same interests as you, and they care about Tulsa,” she says.
She also says the organization teaches its members how to give back to the community and support one another’s projects and businesses.
“I’ve learned so much about different organizations, businesses, jobs and industries just from talking to people,” Snyder says. “It’s also a great way to hear other people’s ideas.”
As the Mayo Hotel debuts this month, Snyder says she looks forward to bringing an architectural icon back to Tulsa.
“I feel like I’ve become such a part of the Mayo,” she says. “I never planned on being where I am today, and I never thought we’d redo the whole building. Ever. It’s like a dream, even right now … But we did it right. It’s done like the Mayo should be done.”
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I am dedicated to Tulsa because it is my home! Also because of the people … The people here really make Tulsa what it is!
I am a member of Tulsa’s Young Professionals to stay in tuned with what is going on in my city, to learn about how I can help to improve my city, to learn ways to help promote what others are doing to better Tulsa, and of course, to meet new people.
I am passionate about the redevelopment of downtown Tulsa! Downtown Tulsa is a treasure to our city, and it would be a shame to let it all go. The architecture is absolutely beautiful and unique to Tulsa. Tulsans really have something to be proud of.
A city can only strive and move forward if its core is successful and that core is our downtown. It is so important for downtown Tulsa to be renovated in order for Tulsa to continue to grow and improve!
I am looking forward to more people living, working and playing in downtown Tulsa! Also, I look forward to downtown development attracting new businesses and people.
I am proudest of being a crucial part in the renovation of the Mayo Hotel.
