Passion for hosPitality
EDITORIAL Jeff Weinstein , Editor In Chief 1.312.274.2226 E-mail : jweinstein @ hotelsmag . com
Ann Bagel Storck , Managing Editor 1.312.274.2209 E-mail : astorck @ hotelsmag . com
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Brittney Hackbart , Freelance Design
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CONTRIBUTING EDITORs Oriana Lerner , Erin Sund
PUBLIsHING Dan Hogan , Vice President , Publisher 1.312.274.2221 dhogan @ hotelsmag . com
INTERNATIONAL ADVIsORY BOARD
Nakul Anand Executive Director , ITC Ltd ., Gurgaon , India
Stephen Bartolin Chairman , The Broadmoor , Colorado Springs , Colorado
Geoffrey Gelardi Managing Director , The Lanesborough , London
Kirk Kinsell President & CEO , Loews Hotels & Resorts , New York City
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 Culinary Operations , Hyatt Hotels North American Operations , Chicago
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Building culture
While hiring the right people to interact with guests each day is beyond crucial , I am convinced creating the right company culture for those line-level staffers makes all the difference in their delivery , and instilling that culture must start at the very top .
All you have to do is look at the strong leadership of the likes of Marriott ’ s Arne Sorenson and Hilton ’ s Chris Nassetta , as well as smaller groups such as Commune ’ s Niki Leondakis , the Trigano family ’ s Mama Shelter brand , Mike DeNoma at GLH in London and independents like the Ocean House in Rhode Island led by Daniel Hostettler . They seem so cognizant of their company ’ s zeitgeist ; it ’ s actually part of their business mantras . I could go on recognizing many other industry leaders who understand the service culture of the organization is their make-it-or-break-it proposition and are smart enough to realize that putting development of their company ’ s culture at the top of their agendas matters most .
Because company culture has so obviously moved to the fore in managementrelated discussions , this month HOTELS presents the insights of industry leaders who gathered for a roundtable discussion sponsored by the Wall Street Journal to share their ideas about how they foster cultures that thrive in their offices and hotels ( p32 ). In addition to our print story , this multimedia report has online components with video interviews of some of the participants who further reflect on how they best define and
refine their work cultures ( check out hotelsm . ag / culturevideos ).
While there are many takeaways in this report , if I had to make one point it would be to be inclusive in the refinement of your culture , not to count on manuals or handbooks and that the work is never final . Get your teams involved , listen closely and act based on what you hear — not what you think you know or want . Without buy-in , you are nowhere . As Virgin Hotels Vice President of People Clio Knowles said , “ If the team ’ s not living it and making it their own , it ’ s never going to be successful .”
We sat around for more than two hours at the Virgin Hotel Chicago talking about how to create cultures that resonate from top to bottom and how they must reflect the values and essences of the brands and individual hotels . After you soak up our print and online reports , talk to your teams — over and over if necessary — and find out what makes them tick , what they need to help grow the business and the bottom line . From the top down , remember , it must be prioritized to make your organizations and hotels the best places to work , which will no doubt be appreciated by your guests . Culture matters most .
Editor In Chief www . hotelsmag . com September 2015 HOTELs 7