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A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JACK MILLER

General Manager at Fairmont Scottsdale Princess 

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"I am so fortunate to have a life filled with a close, engaged family at home and a creative, committed family at work. By nature, I’m a fun guy, so my daily pattern is to take care of the detailed, tactical work in the morning and spend the afternoon enjoying more creative and strategic activities. Each and every day, I am truly blessed." -Jack Miller, General Manager at Fairmont Scottsdale Princess 

Meet our very own Mr. Christmas and one of the Valley's most spiritual men! Miller doesn't just inspire his team at Fairmont to put on the best events all-year-round, but he truly inspires every person who he encounters. 

5 A.M.: Wake up quietly to let my wife sleep, hit the Keurig and have quiet time to read the Bible and meditate.

5:30 A.M.: Off to Performance Enhancement Professionals, a specialized sports training facility, where I work out doing weights, cardio, sometimes pushing a weighted sled and being inspired to go even farther.

6:45 A.M.: Shower and coffee.

7 A.M.: Cook breakfast-to-order for my family of five: my wife, Shea, daughters, Olivia, Anna and Emma, and son, Jack. On the menu is bacon, scrambled eggs, turkey sausage, yogurt, granola, grapefruit and toast—with a protein vitamin shake for me. I was a line cook as a teenager and enjoy doing this for my family every morning. I also serve my eldest, Olivia, breakfast in bed. While Shea is making their lunches, we talk about the day’s activities ahead: school, football,

track and more.

7:50 A.M.: Another favorite part of my day: my walk to work at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess through the beautiful rose garden and lagoons.

8 A.M.: Conference call with the hotel’s ownership, Strategic Hotels & Resorts, to discuss on-going improvements and enhancements to the resort.

8:30 A.M.: Pop my head into the morning briefing with key operating departments of the resort, going over their day, anticipating guest arrivals.

8:45 A.M.: Hop on a golf cart and tour the grounds, looking for any landscaping or engineering needs. Send a picture to the facilities director, recommending replacement of plants near Well & Being Spa.

9:10 A.M.: Visit with the sales managers, then join them in greeting clients in the hotel and welcoming a site tour.

9:40 A.M.: Line of people outside my door—I do love that. Let’s do this! Any new issues or pop-up requests, we hire the right people and empower them to be problem-solvers. My role is to cultivate their talents and also remove any hurdles to get the job done. For our guests and our colleagues, “yes” is the answer—what is the question?

10:30 A.M.: Meet with designers at the casitas. They’re putting the finishing touches on a remodeling project of 119 casita suites, review samples of new materials just delivered.

11:30 A.M.: Meet with the director of sales and marketing, review booking pace, sales production and upcoming promotion of Christmas at the Princess.

12 P.M.: Visit with Princess colleagues in the employee cafeteria, Bistro 7575. I love the time I have to hear colleagues’ ideas, learn about their families and talk about last night’s sports scores. Lunch is a cheeseburger, no bun, and side salad.

2 P.M.: Phone call with Rachel Sacco of the Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau and Kate Birchler at Macerich to discuss upcoming Super Bowl events and Fan Fest.

3 P.M.: Conference call with Michael Mina and Bourbon Steak team to plan upcoming celebrity dinner event with Charlie Palmer during Super Bowl weekend.

3:40 P.M.: Call Shea to see what time I need to pick the kids up.

3:45 P.M.: Cindy, my assistant, rescues me with a coffee complete with a splash of French vanilla creamer.

4 P.M.: Walk the back hallways, visit Housekeeping during their shift change and give many high-fives for a job well done.

4:30 P.M.: Creative meeting at the new Toro Latin Restaurant & Rum Bar with F&B team to discuss grand opening and sample suviche (sushi and ceviche) with Richard Sandoval.

5:30 P.M.: A friend calls, says they are celebrating his birthday at La Hacienda. I stop by for a flaming coffee.

6 P.M.: Take Emma to ballet class; pick up Anna from cheerleading.

7 P.M.: Family dinnertime. Tonight is grilled chicken, one of Shea’s specialties.

8:30 P.M.: Wind down the day with a stroll around the torch- lit lagoons with my beautiful wife, Shea, walking our three dogs: Lord Bixby, a yellow Labrador; two Shih Tzus, Molly and Buddy; and a friends’ dog, a Rhodesian Ridgeback, Bronco.

8:45 P.M.: Walk past the Desert Ice Rink and text a photo to my brother: “Can’t wait to see you here for the holidays! Skating in the desert!”

9:30 P.M.: One last check of e-mails. Respond to questions from Fairmont corporate executives, based in Toronto, so they have Princess information first-thing—East Coast time— tomorrow.

10 P.M.: Go to each kid’s room and say goodnight. 10:10 P.M.: Sound asleep!