THE BULLETIN
SLOW DOWN , AND OTHER THINGS A DOG CAN TEACH
I
have a dog . A Jack Russell , which , if you don ’ t know , is a breed that requires boundless attention , patience and , above all , exercise . You see , a Jack Russell is not a lap dog ; it ’ s not one to stay sedentary for too long , and requires walks , runs and other assorted play time on a frequent basis . This , typically , manifests itself in exploring and experiencing the outdoors .
Now , the Jack Russell is prone — bred to , actually — to hunt and chase : squirrels , deer , varmints of varying sizes , you name it . When it comes to this world , unlike humans , dogs see with their noses . In fact , it ’ s estimated that dogs can smell 100,000 times better than humans . Consider this : 40 % more of a dog ’ s brain than a human ’ s is committed to smell . While the average person has five million smell receptors , the average dog , depending on breed , has 125 to 250 million smell receptors . Dogs are olfactory marvels .
There is something to learn from this . Each day , I take my dog for three walks . They are her walks , not mine , something I learned over time . See , when I first started taking Olive ( that ’ s her name ) for walks , I ’ d go at my pace , not her own , which , invariably , was brisk ( especially if there was a ballgame on ). Like a lot in life , we try to do things quickly , to get it done with pace , cross it off a list and move onto the next thing . We should be doing the opposite .
What Olive has taught me is to slow it down . At first , I ’ d find myself almost pulling her along , trying to drag her to the next point . But as these walks progressed , I understood , noticed , that she was taking her time , sniffing everything and everywhere , pausing to take it all in . She takes in the world this way , her nose an antenna that processes information and allows her to make decisions — move on or stick around a little longer . It ’ s a mode of operation we can all learn from .
The business of hotels requires decision making , in operations , in investment , in everything . The late , great basketball coach John Wooden is credited with the line , “ Be quick , but don ’ t hurry ,” which can be interpreted as avoid being rash . The slow movement calls for exactly that : slowing down . It ’ s not about doing things at a snail ’ s pace ; no , it ’ s about doing things at the right speed , being calculated , being intentional . We ’ ve all heard the phrase “ slow down to speed up ”— well , there ’ s a veracity to it , working at a steadier , slower pace and taking deliberate actions . It ’ s an efficient approach that can help you become more productive .
I challenge you all to try and slow it down ; to take it all in . Are you in the market to buy a hotel ? Sure , NOI matters , but take a closer look , open the aperture : Is new competition coming into the market ? Is the area population growing or decreasing ? What does the surrounding business environment look like ? Do a SWAT analysis , it ’ s your best feasibility study . And if you are selling , ask yourself why . Is this the best time ? If so , convince yourself by slowing down and looking at all the angles .
An unhurried approach will improve your decisions and , ultimately , lead to a better outcome . Like a dog , you can always learn new tricks .
David Eisen
Editor In Chief
EDITORIAL David Eisen Editor In Chief
Kathakali Nandi Editorial Writer
Tatiana Valenzuela Editorial Coordinator
Juan Cruz del Val Designer
Contributing Writers Harvey Chipkin , Derek Herscovici and Micah Solomon
PUBLISHING Ali Jahangiri CEO
INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD Gilda Perez-Alvarado Group Chief Strategy Officer , CEO of Orient Express , Accor
Arash Azarbarzin CEO , Highgate
Danny Hughes President , Americas , Hilton
Jeanelle Johnson Partner , PwC
Raj Chandnani EVP & CDO , WATG
Mike Deitemeyer President & CEO , Aimbridge Hospitality
Cindy Estis Green Co-founder & CEO , Kalibri Labs
Raúl González CEO EMEA , Barcelo Hotels & Resorts
Alan Fuerstman Founder , Chairman , CEO , Montage International
Patrick Scholes MD , Lodging and Leisure Equity Research , Truist Securities
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