David Tinsley

Instead of playing in the street with his friends when he was a kid, Detroit native David Tinsley, general manager of food and beverage operations at the C. Baldwin Hotel, would often coerce his friends into catching the bus with him so they could all hang out in the lobby of Detroit's Hyatt Regency, where, while drinking many a bottle of "pop," David and his friends would relish in the cool vistas of the iconic refurbished hotel. It makes sense then that David, who majored in business administration at the University of Detroit Mercy, eventually found his way into the hotel industry.

David's first hotel job was at the Ritz Carlton in Detroit, an experience he recalls as being akin to trying escargot for the first time — a fitting employment hors d'oeuvre to a career that would include much more than just first courses. After taking a short break from hotel employment after his Ritz Carlton days to work in human resources for a bit, David returned to hotel work after discovering that the 9 to 5 lifestyle just wasn't for him and that he wanted to work a job where he could interact with people on a daily basis while being surrounded by food and cocktail culture.

To that end, David, who had spent time working as a bartender, found a management position at a refurbished Double Tree by Hilton in Detroit, where he worked as a food and beverage manager for a year before moving to a Hilton property in Chicago for another food and beverage manager position. In 2018, David made the move south to Houston to become the senior food and beverage manager and department head for a property in the Bayou City.

In 2021, David was approached by Sage Hospitality to become the general manager of food and beverage operations at the C. Baldwin Hotel. A firm believer in the Sage Hospitality mantra of "you belong here," David credits his success in the hotel industry to the mentors he has had along the way and to the upward mobility that is possible in the industry if you work hard at your job.