Mike Deitemeyer doesn ’ t like to get distracted by all the industry chatter about OTA wars , consolidation and the sharing economy , nor is he one to blindly follow the leaders . Of course , it doesn ’ t hurt that as the president of Omni Hotels & Resorts , Dallas , he doesn ’ t have shareholders to satisfy – only the owning Rowling family which , led by patriarch Bob Rowling , holds similar beliefs that help define a company culture that cascades up and down the organization . “ All those distractions just keep coming at you , and there are people out there saying , ‘ You ’ ve got to change or else you ’ re going to get lost .’ To me , those are time
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drains ,” says Deitemeyer , who has been loyal to Omni for 25 years .
Case in point : The big brands are battling OTAs by offering direct booking discounts , which Deitemeyer calls expensive and a move that also “ discounts ” the product . “ We don ’ t want our brand to be known as one to go to for discounts ,” he adds . He prefers that consumers come for engagement , great restaurants and to connect with the community and staff . So instead of discounting , Omni went the value-add and local market leadership route in June , launching “ Say Goodnight to Hunger ,” a program where , with each direct booking , Omni donates food for a local family of four for a week .
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Deitemeyer also prefers to talk about the evolution of the consumer and technology , and how it impacts guest engagement . “ Part of my job is to debunk some of the rhetoric around millennials , consolidation and the sharing economy , and let the team know that we think about these things and this is what we think . My final message is curating experiences and great service means business , period .” It ’ s as simple as that , but it doesn ’ t mean Omni is not evolving .
Deitemeyer says his team is always curious to understand the differences in its customers – be it by age , income , race and how they use the hotel . For example , at the Omni Shoreham Hotel
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“ MY FINAL MESSAGE IS CURATING EXPERIENCES AND GREAT SERVICE MEANS BUSINESS , PERIOD .”
in Washington , D . C ., there ’ s no social lobby space to hang out and drink coffee , and Deitemeyer simply says that is going to change . “ It ’ s about creating some better spaces for people to come and be active and be seen .”
– MIKE DEITEMEYER
In Nashville , the brand has had great success with its 2013 opening that has a big local connection with things like hand-painted guitars on a back wall serving as eye candy and a Lucchese boot outfitter . “ There ’ s
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16 hotelsmag . com October 2016 |