SAMUEL HUTTO

Oceanside, California

(303) 990-3304 – sam@samhutto.com

Highly skilled and dependable hospitality professional with 8+ years of experience across upscale restaurant, wine service, and luxury hotel environments. Proven leader in driving revenue, training teams, and elevating guest experience in high-volume settings. Strong background in front-of-house operations, inventory management, and team development, with a track record of influencing performance and building client loyalty. Known for taking initiative, thinking operationally, and contributing to a culture of accountability, service excellence, and continuous improvement.

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EDUCATION

Bachelor of Science - Hospitality & Tourism Management – San Diego State University | Graduated May 2026

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PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

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ESTANCIA LA JOLLA HOTEL & SPA (LA JOLLA, CALIFORNIA) 

Front Desk Associate – May 2025 – Present

• Welcome and check in/out guests with a warm, professional demeanor, ensuring a seamless arrival and departure experience.

• Maintain adherence to Forbes Five-Star service standards across all front office interactions.

• Assist in daily tasks including room assignments, billing accuracy, amenity requests, and service recovery.

• Collaborate cross-functionally with housekeeping, engineering, and F&B teams to ensure aligned execution of the overall guest experience.

• Deliver anticipatory service and tailored recommendations, contributing to consistently high guest satisfaction scores and positive online reviews.

• Upsell resort packages, amenities, and room upgrades.

  • Spearheaded a 45-day upsell initiative, leveraging historical benchmarking (2022–2024) to drive measurable YoY revenue growth and improve ADR through front desk sales execution.

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MONSERATE WINERY (FALLBROOK, CALIFORNIA) 

Lead Members Lounge Restaurant Server – April 2024 – Present

• Help manage daily operations for a 200-seat restaurant, ensuring smooth service flow and member guest satisfaction.

• Act as a floor leader during service, assisting team members, maintaining pacing, and ensuring consistency across guest interactions.

• Handle $2000+ in daily personal sales, consistently meeting revenue goals with high service standards.

• Oversee wine inventory and assist with ordering and tracking supplies.

• Responsible for end-of-day cash reconciliation and closing duties.

• Maintain a 92%+ wine club member retention rate, the highest in the company for 12+ months running.

• Consistently ranked “most requested server” during weekends and holidays due to engaging personality and product expertise.

Tour Director – August 2022 – April 2024

• Led educational wine tours, covering vinification, history, and estate-grown wine pairings.

• Managed group experiences ranging from 2–30 guests, balancing engagement, timing, and service flow.

• Drove brand loyalty and incremental sales through storytelling, product knowledge, and personalized guest interaction.

Wine Bar Server – June 2022 – August 2022

• Served an average of 200+ guests daily while promoting wine club memberships (~20+/month).

• Trained staff, managed inventory, and handled shift cash-outs.

• Built strong rapport with returning guests and wine club members.

 

CRANELLIS ITALIAN RESTAURANT (LONE TREE, CO) 

Server/ Assistant Manager – November 2017 – September 2019

• Supervised 8-15 FOH employees per shift while serving in a 75-seat restaurant.

• Maintained 5-table section with 3–4 nightly turns and high guest satisfaction.

• Closed POS system 3 days/week, overseeing $5000+ nightly sales.

 

Busser/ Expediter – November 2015- November 2017

• Provided flexible support across front-of-house needs, jumping between bussing, expo, and service support roles depending on team demands

• Assisted with takeout and curbside orders, handling 20+ orders per night

CERTIFICATIONS

Certification in Hotel Industry Analytics (CHIA), Completed March 31, 2025

San Diego County Food Handlers Card- EXP- March 2028

LEADERSHIP & CAMPUS INVOLVEMENT

SDSU Center for Surf Research- STOKE Certified
General Funding & Event Coordinator (Sept 2023 – Present)

• Plan and execute fundraising events for sustainability-driven nonprofit.

• Coordinate student engagement and educational outreach on surf tourism and eco-certification.