The Richmonder 25: Shuttle driver Sean Hackney makes visits memorable

Repairing an air stewardess’ boot. Installing a new battery in a guest’s dead engine. Preparing a congratulatory certificate for a couple who visited their last state capital. 

These are just a few of the many interactions Sean Hackney has had with guests at the Omni Richmond, working as a shuttle driver for the downtown hotel.

“If I’m gonna do something to make their day better, (I’ll) do it,” he said. 

Hackney is tasked with transporting visitors between the downtown property and nearby hubs, but he realistically does more than just that, which is apparent from the many stories shared by his riders.

That was the case for a guest staying at the hotel last Christmas who was diagnosed with stage four cancer. The guest was in town to undergo an emergency procedure at the VCU Medical Center, and Hackney took him there. During the procedure, Hackney went back to the hotel to work with the culinary team to prepare the guest’s favorite meal – a seafood crab soup – and left the hotel’s restaurant open for the guest when they returned. 

“He started crying, and he said, ‘This is the best Christmas I've ever had,’” Hackney recounted. “That makes me feel good when you can make a change in somebody's life.” 

“I treat people the way I want my family to be treated,” he added.

Hackney’s passion for serving people has been recognized before, with the Guest Service Award from Richmond Region Tourism and a national award from the Omni company. Hotel leaders shared that he has been the most mentioned associate in guest surveys.

If it’s not through surveys, guests have directly shared their gratitude for Hackney’s help through letters and mail sent to the hotel for his attention. One letter came from a lady who chaperoned a group of 13 students attending the National Speech & Debate Tournament in Richmond last month. On their last day in town, another shuttle van did not arrive to get the group to the airport, and they were going to miss their flight. 

At the last minute, Hackney was able to get the group to the airport in time for their flight, even though it was outside of his allowed five-mile radius.

The 53-year-old first served in the U.S. Army shortly after graduating from high school. He later worked as a police officer in Albemarle County for 28 years before retiring in 2024. 

Hackney was inspired to apply for the job after staying in a hotel while on vacation in Orlando, Florida and being well received by the shuttle driver there.

“I said, ‘That just seems like a cool job,’” he recalled telling his wife, Melissa.

Those experiences have extended to what he does now, which additionally includes helping as a banquet server, bellman and concierge, usually the first and sometimes last person guests see when staying at the Omni. 

“That man has literally his own tool kit. He has a go bag and he has a box of stuff for guests, just ready to assist,” said Kelsey Bradley, the director of housekeeping at the hotel. 

Since working for the company beginning last year, Hackney has been deemed the “ambassador” and sometimes is mistaken as owner of the hotel, knowing particular details of the 18-floor, 359-room building and the majority of its 125 employees by name. While walking around the hotel, he frequently greeted and pulled guests into side conversations, bonding over police work, countries travelled or World Cup games. 

Employees also pointed to Hackney’s ability to connect and build relationships in and out of the hotel. During a brief drive around the city, he pointed out local businesses and owners who have helped him with guest mishaps and waved to other shuttle drivers from other companies.

In one instance, he helped a shuttle driver bring an elderly woman using a wheelchair down from a bus and into the nearby Greater Richmond Convention Center. 

Bradley also shared a situation where red dye got on a guest's shirt while she was steaming it, and she knew to call Sean because he would find a neighboring dry cleaning service.

“I knew that he’s made so many connections around the city already in just the interactions he has,” she said. “Because he had built that relationship all on his own. No one told him to go do that.”

Hackney has also worked alongside his father in the restaurant industry, where he said he got the best examples of seeing how his father interacted with those who dined and those he hired.

“I saw him go out of his way, not only professionally, but even in his personal life,” he said.

Hackney wasn’t quick to give himself credit for the extra mile he goes in giving guests an elevated experience, saying that Omni as a company empowers employees to do so. 

“There were times where I didn’t agree with the law (as a police officer), but I took an oath,” he said. “What I like about Omni is that everyone here is heard.”

And while Bradley says that’s true, she also said that Hackney does the most on his own. 

Ultimately, Hackney knows what it means to be in a different city or country, relying on hotel staff to get answers while experiencing a new place. And he wants to continue being part of that experience, saying that he doesn’t plan to retire at all. 

“I just like helping people,” he said. 

Contact Reporter Victoria A. Ifatusin at vifatusin@richmonder.org

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