EDITOR ’ S DIARY
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 Chloe Riley , Associate Editor 1.312.274.2229 E-mail : criley @ hotelsmag . 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 , Freelance Design 1.312.274.2216 E-mail : bhackbart @ mtgmediagroup . com Carolina Martinez , Freelance Design E-mail : cmartinez @ 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 President , Broadmoor Sea Island Co ., 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 of culinary and food and beverage operations , Marcus Hotels & Resorts , Milwaukee , Wisconsin
EDITORIAL AND PRODUCTION OFFICES , HOTELS Marketing and Technology Group 1415 N . Dayton Street Chicago , Illinois 60642 USA 1.312.274.2200 ; fax : 1.312.266.3363 edit @ hotelsmag . com
Subscriptions / Change Of Address For address changes or subscription questions , please contact : Customer Service , HOTELS , 1209 Dundee Ave . # 8 , Elgin , Illinois 60120 USA . E-mail : PrintCirc @ hotelsmag . com or call : 800.554.7470 ( U . S . only )
CYCLES
Our lives , both personally and professionally , go through cycles , and as we grow older , we ' re better able to identify and interpret them .
Hoteliers are living and working in curious times – geopolitically and from a competitive standpoint . Nationalism , conservatism and protectionism appear to be on the rise , generally not a great recipe for travel and tourism growth , nor for increasing hotel demand . At the same time , managers face some of the biggest disruptions to business as usual with the rise of the sharing economy and co-everything , as well as the ever-growing presence of profit-sapping OTAs and uncertainty created by the likes of travel-focused Google .
It can be argued that , if managed properly , the OTAs and the others can have a net positive effect on business . At the same time , some hoteliers are starting to compete directly with so-called disruptors , and one needs to look no further than AccorHotels , which is thinking outside its proverbial hotel box in every way , shape and form . It is investing in new technology platforms and shared economy businesses , creating and buying forward-thinking hotel concepts , and looking under every rock , including its own , for new revenue-generating opportunities .
What we are also discovering – and featuring in this month ’ s People issue – are more hoteliers unafraid to turn existing paradigms upside down , refusing to be confined by the norm or to follow the herd . Perhaps they are reacting almost reflexively to some of the bigger macro and geopolitical trends shaping today ’ s landscape , but thankfully they are not standing still and hopefully serving to inspire others .
Take our Groundbreaker , Cyril Aouizerate
Editor In Chief
( p24 ), whose Mob Hotel “ movement ” is a new experience focused on individual and community wellbeing , as well as on human progress in a somewhat communal environment . The creator of Mama Shelter and former philosophy professor says , simply enough , his nose tells him that something different is needed and can succeed in today ’ s social environment , and that he wants to be a part of it .
We talked to Standard International ’ s Jimmy Suh , whose task to create a hotel app led to the creation of a new and growing distribution business selling distressed inventory after 3 p . m . We also profile two alternative concept creators – one using Airstream travel trailers and the other tapping into the millennial beat in far-off destinations . And then there is Adrian Zecha , once an industry cult figure with his Aman brand , who at age 84 is back with a 3-star-plus brand . Signs of the time , indeed .
While some prefer to refer to current business and political uncertainties simply as headwinds , I urge you to consider the thought leaders profiled in this issue because they would never sit still waiting for calmer weather . Instead , they set new trends and show resiliency , creativity and strength in the face of changing times .
April 2017 hotelsmag . com 7