Hurricane Harvey posed many challenges for the city of Houston, Texas and surrounding communities. ACE Team member, Ulises Montano, Site Manager at the Hilton Houston Post Oak, faced his own unique challenges when he was asked to assist with transporting a hotel guest, who was in labor, to a local hospital during the storm.

Ulises recounts being woken from sleep in the early hours of the morning on Sunday, August 27, by his ringing phone. Due to the extreme weather conditions, Ulises had been staying in a room at the Hilton Post Oak for the past few days. The caller, his colleague on the valet team, requested that Ulises come down to the hotel lobby immediately.

Upon arriving in the lobby, Houston Police informed Ulises that, due to the torrential downpour outside, they were unable to get an ambulance to the hotel to assist a guest who had gone into labor.  Law enforcement requested that Ulises utilize the ACE Mercedes-Benz diesel shuttle to transport the woman to a nearby hospital.  Ulises agreed and immediately set out for the hospital with the distressed guest.

Police SUV escorts flanked the shuttle, creating a clear path for the vehicle and parting the deep flood waters covering the streets to make travel along them possible. On the way, police were informed by dispatch that the local hospital was flooded and access was impossible. The caravan was re-routed to a nearby Houston Methodist Emergency Care Center. Upon arrival, the guest was gratefully transported into the hands of trained medical staff, who assisted with the safe delivery of a baby girl.

“Thanks as always for demonstrating our core values.”
– Lisa Cole, Director of Corporate Communications – Southeast US, Hilton

The Hilton Post Oak management team was extremely appreciative of Ulises’ efforts to assist a guest in need and uphold the Hilton core values of hospitality, integrity, leadership, and teamwork. Ulises was honored for his brave efforts, along with other hurricane and natural disaster heroes, at the Hilton Owners Conference held in Dallas, Texas last week.

ACE believes in being a true partner to our clients by upholding their core values, as well as our own. Ulises accomplished this while assisting someone in need and displaying the ACE values of leadership, exceptional service, integrity and family.

When asked about the event, Ulises replied that on the way back to the hotel from the hospital, he observed a young man rescuing people who had been stranded along the road and driving them to safety. He reflected, “What I saw that kid doing that morning was a minor reflection of Texans helping Texans. I saw this over and over for the rest of the afternoon and for the rest of the week…My actions were not of a hero. They were just one human being helping another. My story is a little grain in the sand of so many Houstonians who were united for a common cause, helping each other.”

On behalf of ACE Parking, Ulises, thank you for your brave efforts.