SPECIAL REPORT
DEFINING MOMENTS By the early 1990s , Tisch had become president of Loews Hotels , and to date he points to his deal around that time to create the Loews Miami Beach as his crowning achievement – more so because of how much he had to compete to get the deal .
In a hotly contested bidding process against much bigger hotel companies to invest in and build a convention center-focused hotel , Tisch felt the deck was stacked against him . To make a big impression at the final presentation , he called on his experience as a TV producer and created a video to close his hourlong pitch to the city . But what made this video unique was Tisch dressed in drag , pretending to be his mother , taking to the streets of Miami Beach to ask passersby how they would feel about the Tisch family returning to the neighborhood .
His father thought he would be laughed out of the bidding process , and when the video started rolling , there was silence . Finally , one person started laughing , followed by a few more and then Tisch says the entire room was in hysterics . Loews won the bid by unanimous vote .
“ I was trying to make a point that we cared so much about this opportunity that I was willing to do something risky ,” he says . The hotel opened in the late 1990s and continues to this day as one of the system ’ s more successful properties .
Tisch also points to Loews ’ deal in the 1990s with Seagram Co . to develop big resort properties in Orlando , Florida , as a game changer for the company . Today , Loews has five properties there .
If he has any regrets , Tisch says he wishes the hotel company were larger . “ When I think about opportunities where we could have bought hotels in the ‘ 80s , ‘ 90s and the early 2000s that we didn ’ t , I wish we did because we ’ re really good at what we do ,” he reflects . “ But I am extremely proud of this organization as it relates to our 25
Tisch and his wife , Lizzie , at the Jonathan M . Tisch School for Civic Life at his alma mater , Tufts University in Boston
properties and our 10,000 team members .”
That being said , Loews has been active in the past few years , having acquired and opened six properties and injecting US $ 1.5 billion to update the existing portfolio .
Moving forward , Tisch says he wants to continue to grow and deliver on the promises he makes to his team and guests – “ to show that we care ,” he says , “ and that ’ s what keeps me going .”
POWER OF WE
Jonathan Tisch regularly refers to the first of three books he has written , “ The Power of We : Succeeding Through Partnerships ,” recalling lessons learned from his father and uncle over the years , as well as the first two hotel lessons taught by a mentor and his first boss , then head of sales and marketing Arthur Chernov .
The first : When corresponding , never start a paragraph with the word “ I ” because it immediately signals that you are more important . To date , Tisch says he never starts a paragraph with “ I .”
Second : It ’ s a hotel salesperson ’ s job to understand that the client needs to impress the person that they report to – so don ’ t be a pig in negotiations . “ For a business transaction to work there has to be a little something in it for everybody ,” Tisch says . “ You can be a hard negotiator , but don ’ t tip the scales so much that the other person is embarrassed when they report back to their boss .”
36 hotelsmag . com November 2016