PERSONALITIES
taking it into a franchise model , but creating opportunities for independent hoteliers , who wanted a blueprint for the curation of their assets around the arts ,” Sondland said , effectively referring to a collection brand , of sorts .
COVID altered those bestlaid plans . “ I returned from my government service and that changed everything ,” he said .
Provenance ’ s hotels , similar to many others , faced a misty future , hemorrhaging money in the early days as revenue waned . “ We owned assets that needed quite a bit of financial support because we were not in markets that were quick to recover ,” he said , noting Seattle and Portland , which at the time were facing volatile situations from protests . “ Our bread and butter was business travel and our customers shunned both of those markets for a long enough period of time and we had huge mortgages to support ,” Sondland said .
In the end , scale won out , but Sondland isn ’ t one to be marginalized . He still has a holding company that contains additional
The lobby of Hotel deLuxe in Portland , Ore .
Hotel Lucia in Portland , Ore .
real estate , including retail , office , industrial and multifamily . “ We own the real estate , we manage it , we buy and sell and that will continue on ,” Sondland said , while he will also continue to work with Gencom on new opportunities .
For all the things he saw as a U . S . ambassador , he ’ s seen even more as a hotelier , through various cycles . “ Things seem to come full circle , they just come back in a different iteration ,” Sondland said . For example , the hotel industry for more than a decade now has moved further into automation as a means for streamlining the hotel experience . Now , he sees a backlash against it , in what he referred to as COVID isolation . “ I think people want to be greeted at the door ; they want a smile ; they want to be helped to their room with their bags if they ' re traveling heavily .”
Automation and technology aren ’ t going away , they are just complementing personalization . “ There ' s going to be a hybrid of technology and personal touch ,” he said . Total automation , he said , might sound like nirvana for a CFO , “ but I ' m not sure that the average guest wants to interact that way .”
Sondland ’ s book recounts his time with Trump and working as ambassador to the EU . Among many anecdotes , he does use the hospitality industry as a comparison for working under Trump . “ It was like staying at an all-inclusive resort ,” he wrote in the book . “ You ’ re thrilled when you first arrive , but things start to go downhill fast . Quality issues start to show . The people who work the place can be rude and not so bright . Attrition is a huge problem . And eventually , you begin to wonder why you agreed to the deal in the first place .”
Still , he wouldn ’ t have traded the experience . “ I would do it again in a heartbeat ,” he said , before pausing … “ for the right president .”
46 hotelsmag . com Mar / Apr 2023