Local Legend: Longtime Downtown Bartender Wins Top Service Award

The Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel is thrilled to recognize Rhonda Benston Showman, who just celebrated her 48th working anniversary at the hotel and recently received the top service award from Marriott International, an employer of more than 130,000 people worldwide.

Originally the Adams Hotel, Rhonda began as a cocktail waitress 48 years ago, and her love of people quickly landed her the bartender role, which she continues today.

Now at Dust Cutter, a modern urban saloon inside the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel, ‘Rhonda’s Regulars’ continue to be seen at the bar, more than likely sipping on her popular drink, the Darling Rhonda. Rhonda’s name is also consistently mentioned with glowing guest reviews.

As Rhonda shared soon after she learned of receiving the award, “I want people to remember me for who I am, so I always try to do the same.”

Rhonda carries a love of the Phoenix community and pride in the hotel as evidenced by the thousands of articles and mementos from the past that she has saved over the years. She is an inspiration to the people she works with, her family, and the community. For these reasons and more, we are so thrilled to congratulate Rhonda Benston Showman on this outstanding achievement.

Named after the founder of Marriott International and created in 1987, the J. Willard Marriott Award of Excellence recognizes only ten associates each year. The award honors associates for their exemplary achievements, character, dedication, effort, and perseverance.

Rhonda and the nine other winners of the J. Willard Marriott Award of Excellence were chosen from a pool of 500 submissions for their tireless dedication to making a difference in the lives of our guests, associates, and communities around the world. Rhonda, and the nine others, consistently demonstrate Marriott’s core values and steadfastly serve with excellence.

In October, Rhonda and the nine other award winners will be welcomed to a special awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.

If you’d like to personally congratulate Rhonda, enjoy a good drink, and hear a good story or two, saddle up to Dust Cutter at Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel.