EDITOR ’ S DIARY
PASSION FOR HOSPITALITY
Here ’ s
HOPING
The hotel industry seems to forget too often that it is a people business . Its leaders publically say all the right things about the importance of personal service , but from my perspective , I still read way too often about automation , battles over wages that would help housekeepers earn a living , harassment charges and how execs increasingly worry about recruiting and retaining the next generation of workers .
I know the people side of the hotel business is , and will forever be , the biggest challenge . But current realities are not
Editor In Chief inspiring my confidence in leadership to make a hotel career look appealing . I would like to see the dialogue shift beyond PR sound bites to something tangible that places the industry in a more positive light . Otherwise , negative headlines will only continue , as will your worries . Rant over .
That said , this month HOTELS celebrates in profile some of the industry ’ s thought leaders who , in fact , do inspire hope for the future with what they have accomplished and by the trails they still aim to blaze . They have disgarded old dialogue with new thinking . Take Anne Larcade , an industry veteran in Canada who launched a consultancy and asset management firm . We turned our attention on Larcade because she also started an international initiative for women in hospitality called WITHorg ( Women In Tourism and Hospitality ), a platform that provides resources , networking and advocacy to help women progress in tourism and hospitality . She has broken down barriers and wants to help the next generation do so even more often . Not unlike me , what she says she really wants is less talk and more action .
Then there is Jeff Smith , Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas vice president of sustainability , who is working for an organization still small enough that he can actually point to specific , environmentally focused activities that have effected real change – such as science-based fisheries management and conservation work in the Maldives . He and his team also work to support local villages , and Six Senses property-based sustainability experts are on the ground turning ideas into realities each day . Smith truly lives the sustainable lifestyle , loves his job and advocates that sustainability should not be a subset of the marketing department . No PR speak there , either .
We hope to inspire you this month with a profile on the legend that is Adrian Zecha and the ideals he lives by to cater to guests in the very best way he can . Then we feature trailblazers like Sydell Group ’ s Andrew Zobler ( NoMad and Freehand brands ) and write about the potential we see in Rami Zeidan and his emerging Life House concept . Both of these men are breaking traditional molds and creating concepts that will be copied to drive the greater industry forward in the years ahead . They are among the industry ’ s internal disruptors with messages to share and different approaches to consider .
Throughout the pages of this issue , we hope the profiles serve to reinforce that the future of the hotel industry is full of bright lights and that different can be better .
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 , 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 Judith Crown , Megan Rowe , Juliana Shallcross , Erin Sund
PUBLISHING David Wood , Publisher 1.312.274.2225 dwood @ hotelsmag . com Bill Kinross , Vice President , Group Publisher 312 / 274-2214 bkinross @ meatingplace . com
INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD Nakul Anand Executive Director , ITC Ltd ., Gurgaon , India Stephen Bartolin President , Broadmoor Sea Island Co ., Colorado Springs , Colorado 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 ; edit @ hotelsmag . com
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6 hotelsmag . com April 2019