Being the general manager of the Hampton Inn means doing a little bit of everything. Still, John D. Davis likes some duties more than others.

Davis’ job, though, also brings him behind the front desk, before his employees at meetings and even to the garbage can.

Working at a hotel may be glamorous, but somebody has to take out the trash.

A typical day for Davis starts at 8 a.m. He spends about an hour with his employees and ensures everything is running smoothly. From 9 to 10 a.m. Davis can be found going over the books.

After that, it’s anybody’s guess.

Davis said he’s always contacting repair companies, helping his staff and working through the inevitable problems any hotel might have. Earlier this week he spoke with a representative from a satellite television company interested in work completed at the hotel in January. Later the same day he met with the property owners about building a new hotel. &uot;There’s always something to do,&uot; Davis said.

Davis has assisted with the opening of about 250 hotels in 46 states and three countries. He got into the business by working for Holiday Inn. For six years Davis was constantly on the road, traveling to one hotel for about 10 days, assisting the owners with opening the hotel and then moving on to the next.

For the last 18 months of his employment with the company he lived in Phoenix, but worked in Atlanta. Eventually, Davis chose to switch jobs and return to Phoenix where he lived and worked. The road to Alabama opened in February 2003 when a friend contacted Davis about the Hampton Inn in Selma. The owners were searching for a general manager, and Davis came out for the interview.

By March 2003 he had become a Selmian. &uot;I was born in Alabama,&uot; Davis said. &uot;This is close to family. I think there’s a lot of potential here.&uot;

Davis said he enjoys Selma’s history, community and the fact that you can get to the beach in three hours. His future plans include joining civic organizations; he’s already become involved in the Selma-Dallas County Centre for Commerce.