PERSONALITIES
Not surprisingly , staffing is the other big challenge facing Standard International as it ramps up growth .
“ Wages are going up , which they should . However , going after a certain person for a role is a lot more challenging than it used to be ,” Asher says . “ There are bidding wars on individuals . So , growing a team , developing a team and mentoring the team to grow from within has been a big focus for me .”
Standard International is also gaining a reputation as having a female-driven leadership team . While Bunkhouse has a 100 % female leadership team which was completely organically driven , according to Asher , the Standard International team is probably only 50 % women , which still says a lot in comparison to its comp set .
She calls the Bunkhouse team “ a force .” “ They ’ re very effective and great working with our owners and developer , as well as operations and design . They move mountains very quickly and collaboratively ,” Asher says .
Having that diverse set of voices at the table is what matters most for Asher . “ Our guests are diverse . So , we need to have a team that reflects that . Otherwise , we ’ re not serving the people that keep us going every day .”
Success is all about “ team ,” Asher concludes . “ Teams that we have at our properties , at our corporate offices , that take care of our guests – we need to take care of them , and they ’ ll take care of our guests . And I ’ m certainly not the first person to say that . But I think we saw that really come to life during COVID . So , we need to develop people from within … Recruit , train and show them that hospitality is a wonderful business to be in .”
The Magdalena in Austin , Texas , is part of the Bunkhouse portfolio
Rendering of the 169-room Peri Hotel , Bangkok Sukhumvit , slated to open in 2025 .
46 hotelsmag . com July / August 2022