THE INTERVIEW : MIKE DEITEMEYER
As a result , Deitemeyer says Omni delivers results that prove its big-box , convention-hotel mentality is a myth . In fact , Deitemeyer relishes in the fact that Omni ’ s 600-room convention hotel is also the top leisure hotel in the market .
The one-time self-proclaimed frustrated accountant who transitioned to operations in 1999 has an obvious passion for the business , prefers to hang out with chefs and has become very comfortable with the company ’ s natural rhythm that comes with an understanding of the types of assets it is buying and the company ’ s strategy around real estate .
Most recently , Omni made its biggest splash to date when in June for an estimated US $ 900 million it acquired five resorts from KSL Capital Partners . Then , in August , Omni took management of the famed King Edward in Toronto , and Deitemeyer says more deals will be announced before the end of the year .
HOTELS talked to Deitemeyer , 49 , about his role in the private , stable organization led by billionaire Robert Rowling , the challenges it faces competing with bigger brands and what
The rebranded Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad , California , part of the KSL deal
the future holds for this once smalltime player that now has the attention of developers across the country and might be on the verge of making a move into Europe .
HOTELS : How do you have a profound cultural influence on the company when you come from accounting ?
Mike Deitemeyer : At the end of the day , I went into accounting because I didn ’ t have a lot of mentorship , I didn ’ t know what else to do and I understood accounting . I have always been a big F & B guy , always appreciated and respected the experiential component and how places and organizations can distinguish themselves through that .
When I first moved into operations , I spent a lot of time learning more about what made other respected hotel companies unique . It all evolved , and I surrounded myself internally with a creative group , and we all grasped on to that .
I have been with the company since 1992 , and what happened along the way was this creative energy and thought around how to define our brand as the anti-brand . We spent time thinking about what makes a hotel in
this market and city different . It turned out to be easy to get a lot of organizational passion around this .
Some of it is just common sense and understanding what is going on around you , but what we learned probably eight years ago is when a lot of hotels were taking F & B out , we were putting more F & B in that would be typically normal for hotels . We found that in hotels where we weren ’ t expecting a leisure component , there was huge leisure demand . Fort Worth , Texas , was the first hotel where we saw that approach go off the charts . We built a 600-room convention center hotel that we don ’ t call a convention center hotel and created a lifestyle center . Now it is the top leisure hotel in city , and it steamrolled from there in further developments .
H : What are some of the things you do to foster different thinking ?
MD : We have a small team here , and originally it started based on the reality that our marketing budget wasn ’ t as big . To get reach , PR and social media have to be more valuable and important to us , and we need to get more than our fair share in those spaces . As we plan , we try to be different . We roll out programs now and see other brands following six or nine months later . Innovation leads to brand awareness growth and demand . And TripAdvisor is the biggest equalizer for Omni , as with no gamesmanship people are talking about their Omni experiences making us the top box in our class segment .
H : How do you keep that cultural momentum going ?
MD : I feel like it feeds off itself . People in our organization get recognized for unique ideas . We also work hard not to be themed or overdone , because that can be just as bad as being overly consistent . But we also want every salesperson to have something unique to sell about our hotels . For example , in Nashville the wood behind the front desk is designed to look like the veneer on a guitar , but it is not a guitar , and you wouldn ’ t know it other than the polished wood . When
44 HOTELS December 2013 www . hotelsmag . com