ALAMOSA — The Alamosa Live Music Association (ALMA) is grateful for the ongoing and long-term sponsorship from the Comfort Inn and Suites of Alamosa, owned by Manish Patel.
The association recently sat down with the General Manager of the Comfort Inn, George Lopez, to discuss the history of this fruitful partnership and his current role with the hotel.
The Comfort Inn has supported ALMA as a corporate sponsor for most of 25 years the association has brought live music to the Valley.
The Comfort Inn has played a key role in ALMA’s Sundays at Six concerts by providing in-kind hotel rooms for the traveling musicians who perform during the summer months. This service allows ALMA to have more funds to put toward performance fees, allowing them to book bigger and more well-known acts.
Comfort Inn has expanded its sponsorship to include in-kind rooms for other concerts throughout the year.
For example, when The Glenn Miller Orchestra played last October, the Comfort Inn provided all 13 rooms free-of-charge. This strong partnership with the hotel helps ALMA to achieve its mission of making quality, live music accessible to folks in the San Luis Valley. The relationship is reciprocal; ALMA regularly recommends the hotel to friends and visitors to the Valley, lists Comfort Inn as its Title Sponsor.
Lopez was born and raised in the San Luis Valley and his family is also from the Valley. His care for the people, places, and organizations in the SLV is at the forefront of his work.
Lopez says, “It’s not just about making money and just owning the business and making money for us. It’s good that we’re giving back. I feel like it helps everybody in the long run.”
He values the ways that partnerships brings people together now they benefit the community overall, “...it’s nice to see our community thrive,” he says.
Lopez has worked for the Comfort Inn for over eight years, starting at entry level. Since then, he has been in almost every role, moving to general manager two years ago. In his role as general manager, he supports other partnerships in the community as well, including sponsorships of Beat the Heat, Summer Fest on the Rio, Early Iron, and the annual Demolition Derby.
Comfort Inn also sponsors Adams State University, working with them year-round.
ALMA is grateful for its partnership with Comfort Inn, which allows it to accommodate the amazing musicians who travel from various locations in the state and region to play at their events.
