Graduating into a Corporate Career

June 25, 2025 | Careers

He walked into Lumina on Wrightsville Beach in Spring 2022, a college sophomore in search of summer work. What Cole Guill ultimately found was the start of his corporate career.   

“What I say now is ‘Wow, THAT turned into a lot more than just a summer job!’” says Guill, who began his OTO journey as a host and server at Lumina’s Solstice Kitchen + Cocktails and recently relocated to the company headquarters in Spartanburg, South Carolina, as a human resources generalist. “When I joined OTO, while studying at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, I wasn’t thinking long term. Lumina had just wrapped up its major renovation, and I thought it would be cool to spend my summer break working at the best new hotel on the island.”

Once hired, this self-described extrovert was hooked on hospitality. He stayed with Solstice for the remainder of his UNC Wilmington years and — as a business major concentrating on human resources management — he arranged to spend his senior semester shadowing Assistant General Manager Alex Brissette, who handles many of Lumina’s HR functions.

“Potential employers value hands-on experience along with education, and Lumina provided the perfect opportunity to apply my classroom learning in a real-world setting,” Guill says. “It was the hotel’s busy summer hiring season, so there was plenty for me to do.”

While assisting with TalentReef and onboarding new Lumina and Solstice employees, Guill began to realize he might not need to change companies when he completed his degree.

“I saw the many HR opportunities within the hospitality industry,” he says. “When people asked about my post-graduation plans, I started to say — only half-joking — that maybe I’d sneak my way into OTO’s human resources department.”

He didn’t even have to sneak. Guill was recruited by the corporate office earlier this year and, as an HR generalist, he now manages background checks, employee onboarding, and job postings while also assisting with talent acquisition. His work today is positively influenced by his nearly three years of on-property experience. 

“I understand how hotels operate. I know why certain processes work as they do,” he says. “I’ve worked alongside all the various property-level roles on a day-to-day basis, and that informs what I do now on the talent acquisition side.”

Early in his corporate career, Guill is focused on learning as much as possible about the human resources field.

“I feel fortunate to have such a knowledgeable and supportive leadership team,” he says, “and I’m excited to continue developing under their guidance.”  

Away from work, Guill is a movie buff and fitness enthusiast who especially loves being in the water and on a Jet Ski. Working at Solstice brought out his inner foodie, so he’s eagerly exploring the culinary scene in Spartanburg and across Upstate South Carolina.

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