photo by steed media service

On any given Friday or Saturday night, the W New York hotel is teeming with young professionals and socialites in search of a good drink in a relaxing atmosphere. As the hotel’s general manager, it’s up to Ed Baten to make sure they keep coming back. For Baten, the best part of his job is the variety of day-to-day responsibilities. “You never know what you’re going to encounter on any given day. One day you might be dealing with legal issues, the next with architecture and design, and then the next you may have to be a wine connoisseur. It’s such a multifaceted job,” he explains.

Baten had to really put his multitasking skills to the test when he relocated from Chicago to New York City four years ago. He admits that there was definitely an adjustment period. “There’s a huge difference between the two cities. New York has an intensity that never subsides. In Chicago, you’d have periods of intensity, but then things would subside,” he says.

To keep things running smoothly, it’s important for Baten to be able to interact with the hotel’s guests and employees, and to stay abreast of the hottest trends in the market. “We try to stay current with what our guests experience in their day-to-day lives when they’re not at the hotel, so whether it’s through music, food or design, we try to stay current on those things so that when they do return, we’re like their home away from home,” he says -ivory m. jones

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