MANAGEMENT
Holiday Inn to the country ' s top-rated luxury properties , and the successes in all of them has been establishing a strong esprit de corps . In recent years , there has been a trend for managers to become desk bound . Hotel managers must discipline themselves to spend at least equal time on face-to-face interaction , both in the front of house and behind the scenes .
H : What must hoteliers do to foster the development of leadership and entrepreneurship ?
JONATHAN TISCH , chairman , Loews Hotels & Resorts , New York : It is important that we as senior managers create an environment where we give young managers the tools to learn and grow . At the same time , we must listen to the issues that are important to them . Today , we truly need to listen and teach .
H : What is one management trend you are watching and why ?
WALI : In the name of efficiency , hotels are increasingly making efforts to remove human interaction from the equation . The “ shiny object syndrome ” reached its full expression earlier this year with the launch of the first robot hotel in Japan . It ’ s not just a novelty ; they ’ re planning on launching 1,000 similar hotels around the world . We want to give technology its healthy place in our hotels ( and in our own lives ), but this trend should be a little bit disturbing
Stay ahead , keep asking , keep listening , keep learning , keep moving , keep changing , adapt , adopt , evolve , improve , repeat indefinitely .
for any hotelier . Because we are , and always will be , in the people business .
WOOD : More than a trend , it ’ s more of an evolution with human resources . Specifically , the young professional coming into the industry today has been brought up in an era of instant gratification . Too often , people are promoted too quickly , before they are ready , and this can create labor issues when they are not managed well due to inexperience .
H : What cultural imperatives are required today and going forward to succeed as a hotel manager ?
WALI : Finger on the pulse , ear to the ground , hip like a piston , take your mark , make your mark , hurtle down the straightaway with a fury both beautiful and terrifying .
Stay ahead , keep asking , keep listening , keep learning , keep moving , keep changing , adapt , adopt , evolve , improve , repeat indefinitely .
— BASHAR WALI
ERIC DANZIGER , CEO , Trump Hotels , New York : I often say that we are in the people business . Our industry is built on service and experience , not just on the rooms we have at our hotels . Today , more than ever , given all of the choices travelers have , it is critical that hoteliers focus on making guests feel connected and engaged with the on-property team , with the location and with the overall experience . This is , of course , in addition to understanding guest needs and preferences , and making their experience from start to finish as effortless , flawless and meaningful as possible . We have to listen to our guests and do our best to exceed their expectations . That ' s been true from the very beginning , and it remains so today .
H : How do you make operations attractive again to budding hoteliers ?
DANZIGER : I saw tremendous opportunity in this business as a young man just starting out and I continue to see the opportunity today . There ’ s incredible room for innovation ; we are in need of creative new minds to lead our industry . First , we must work to ensure that young people are aware of the opportunities that exist for them in hospitality , and second , we need to make the experience rewarding in every way . Too often , our business is a “ me-too business ,” and I still hear “ that ’ s not how we do it .” There are fundamentals in our industry of course – people , service , experience – but there is tremendous opportunity to work differently and better .
WALI : Operations will never provide the attraction . This industry either connects with your soul or it doesn ’ t . If it does , it takes you over . It becomes your calling and drives everything you do – including operations . If hospitality is just a job for you , you won ’ t last . And you certainly won ’ t be working for me . We may not be curing cancer , but we are elevating the human experience , if only for one night . Real hoteliers understand this .
24 hotelsmag . com September 2016