Passion for HosPitality
EDITORIAL Jeff Weinstein , Editor In Chief 1.312.274.2226 E-mail : jweinstein @ hotelsmag . com
Barbara Bohn , Managing Editor 1.312.274.2209 E-mail : bbohn @ hotelsmag . com
Brittany Farb , Associate Editor 1.312.274.2229 E-mail : bfarb @ hotelsmag . com
Dani Friedland , Managing Editor , New Media 1.312.274.2223 E-mail : dfriedland @ mtgmediagroup . com
Bert Ganzon , Senior Art Director 1.312.274.2227 E-mail : bganzon @ mtgmediagroup . com
Steve Vanden Heuvel , Senior Art Director 1.312.274.2218 E-mail : svandenheuvel @ mtgmediagroup . com
Brittney Hackbart , Associate Art Director 1.312.274.2216 E-mail : bhackbart @ mtgmediagroup . com
Michelle Villadolid , Freelance Design E-mail : mvilladolid @ mtgmediagroup . com
Bill McDowell , Vice President , Editorial Director 1.312.274.2201 bmcdowell @ mtgmediagroup . com
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Oriana Lerner , Erin Sund
PUBLISHING David Wood , Publisher 1.312.274.2225 dwood @ hotelsmag . com
INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD Nakul Anand Executive Director , ITC Ltd ., Gurgaon , India
Stephen Bartolin Chairman , The Broadmoor , Colorado Springs , Colorado
Geoffrey Gelardi Managing Director , The Lanesborough , London
Kirk Kinsell President & CEO , Loews Hotels & Resorts , New York City
Alex Kyriakidis President and Managing Director , Middle East and Africa , Marriott International , Dubai
Christopher Nassetta President and CEO , Hilton Worldwide , McLean , Virginia
Monika Nerger Chief Information Officer , Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group , Atlanta
Paul Sistare President and CEO , Atlantica Hotels International , São Paulo
Susan Terry Vice President Culinary Operations , Hyatt Hotels North American Operations , Chicago
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Carry on
This month , HOTELS presents its second annual People issue . Upon reflection of the change makers we interviewed , all the information we gathered and the stories we tell here based on their inspirations and aspirations , I have renewed confidence in the hotel business cognoscenti and their ability to develop and re-develop products that generate excitement as well as loyalty . While OTAs , sharing economy purveyors and the like continue to carve out their niches and pieces of the pie , I am here to report concept creators and service deliverers who actually touch consumers in the moment are alive and well . Hoteliers still own the opportunity to create affinity for their brands in all of their incarnations , and in many cases are doing just that .
Allow me to elaborate : AJ Capital ’ s Ben Weprin sits in Chicago exploiting a niche that was right under the industry ’ s collective noses for years – the university market . He is doing so by immersing himself and his team to create authentic , if not kitschy , properties that are timely in their presentations yet historical in their roots . Ben , who intelligently uses immersion to inspire creativity , likes to use the phrase “ 100 %,” and I will throw in “ tenacious ” to describe his drive to divide and conquer the hotel world and beyond . He is one of the rising stars .
Then there is Jeremy Robson , an eclectic and charming character who was willing to put his heart and soul , and several years of sweat , into London ’ s Great Northern , an old pile of bricks no one but him could envision becoming a sanctuary at one of London ’ s busiest crossroads . “ People don ’ t always want to work that hard or don ’ t agree with the vision , then you have to agitate and stick with the vision ,” he says . The financier turned operator is now winning acclaim for his
attention to detail , empathy , anticipation and honesty , and next will take his talents to Courchevel in the French Alps and to Barbados .
Throughout this issue we write about dealmakers with dreams , a revenue manager who you might better call a diplomat , a GM caring enough to share his big prize with his team , and a young guest relations manager in Singapore who might well be destined for so much more because hospitality is in her blood – just like the others .
Perhaps all of these stars learned something by reading over the years about our Legend for 2016 – Isadore Sharp , founder of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts , who treated everyone with respect and created an organization with the Golden Rule as its guiding light . The “ father of modern luxury ” was astute enough to give his front-line team members the tools they needed to deliver the exceptional service that can engender loyalty and help build brands that will serve to inspire the next generation of hotel leaders .
Editor In Chief www . hotelsmag . com April 2016 HOTELS 7