EDITOR ’ S DIARY
PASSION FOR HOSPITALITY
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 Carolina Martinez , Freelance Design E-mail : cmartinez @ mtgmediagroup . com Bill McDowell , Vice President , Editorial Director 1.312.274.2201 bmcdowell @ mtgmediagroup . com
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Oriana Lerner , 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 Geoffrey Gelardi Managing Director , The Lanesborough , London 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
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Staring you
IN THE FACE
Hoteliers today face yet another interesting conundrum ( is it ever easy ?). The cost of doing business is going up more so than in recent years , with labor often playing a significant role . At the same time , RevPAR increases are starting to slow down in many markets , which means maintaining levels of profitability becomes an even bigger job .
You also keep hearing that your ascending , better managers want more work-life balance , more attention , equal pay when disparities exist and , of course , greater opportunity . All of these
Editor In Chief complex layers only make managing a cohesive , happy team that much more challenging and generating greater profitability that much more elusive . But you ’ d better not ignore the changing needs of team members in the name of profit – no matter how heavy that asset manager is breathing down your neck . It is a short-sighted strategy that will only serve to come back and bite you .
Me talking about it here isn ’ t going to help much , either , but we recently queried 20 rising stars – the next generation of hotel leadership – to give you some insight about how to better manage under increasingly difficult circumstances and in a quickly evolving environment with new rules of engagement ( see p20 ).
Next-gen leaders gathered for a roundtable with HOTELS in Los Angeles in January just as the Americas Lodging Investment Summit was about to begin , while several more talked to our reporters on the phone or via email to express their thoughts on what motivates them , what they want from their leaders and how they feel about some key issues of the day , ranging from glass ceilings and the # MeToo moment .
Among other things , it ’ s clear they want transparency , recognition and mentoring . Maybe you can ’ t give them that raise or promotion just yet , but you can give them your time and share your expertise and positivity . While that may sound trite , more attention and fair criticism can go a long way to rallying a team .
Yes , you can be more efficient by using more technology and smarter systems , but think about how impersonal the world is becoming and how much of a difference you can make by showing you care and backing it up with simple attention . Make the rounds , shake hands , ask about issues and opportunities , listen to their opinions , build confidence and simply be present . Pair more senior leaders in your organization with up-andcomers and formalize a process for mentorship . These are things our next-gen leaders told us loud and clear , and they only require you to do a better job of budgeting your time .
Think about how your guests are gravitating toward experiences , personalization and the like . The same things apply to your team members who can tangibly impact the bottom line when properly motivated . Take your eyes off your screens and more often focus them on your most important assets .
May 2018 hotelsmag . com 7