EDITOR ’ S DIARY
NEW
HABITS
A job in hospitality can be all-consuming , leaving little time for honest reflection on your career and how it affects your life . The COVID moment , however , has caused us to take a pause – either deliberate or forced – and potentially can lead to much-delayed positive change .
Take Amar Lalvani , CEO of boutique operator Standard International , who has been working from his New York City home since COVID-19 hit the U . S . He recently told me how , among other things , the Black Lives Matter movement caused him to take a more critical look at his company ’ s inclusion record . Because of the brand ’ s more open-minded nature , he was expecting to find that his
Editor In Chief
teams reflected inclusiveness , and they did to a degree , with strong LGBTQ representation .
But there are not enough people of color in the management ranks , he confessed . He has used the moment to reflect and recognize how mentorships and new recruitment efforts could improve Standard ’ s inclusion record . Now , a task force led by President Amber Asher is addressing this shortcoming .
Lalvani also said he has recognized how much the hotel business is impacted by the actions or inactions of governments . As a result , he has become even more active in the campaign of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden , as he believes it aligns more with what he thinks should be done to provide social safety nets for , among others , the thousands of hospitality workers who have lost their jobs .
“ We all need to be more politically active and engaged , as well as socially active . We can encourage our communities to do that , as well ,” he said .
More personally , Lalvani said he plans to make fewer yet lengthier business trips when he starts to roam the globe once again , citing how it ’ s personally healthier and allows him to spend more time with people on the ground . He wants to empathize taking better care of his teams instead of constantly getting on and off airplanes every other day for new cities . “ I think those are some of the changes that will be lasting for me .”
Back in January , HOTELS hosted eight U . S . -based corporate hoteliers at a roundtable to talk about work-life balance , life hacks , career inspirations and motivations . We went back to them in July before we published the highlights of the event ( p30 ) to ask those same questions again now that they have a COVID-informed perspective . Their answers did not change too much , but they did use the word “ collaboration ” more often and mentioned how they , too , are spending more time caring for themselves . I encourage you to read about how they managed their lives before and during COVID-19 .
My point is don ’ t let this moment pass you by without some introspection to bette understand what matters and might be overlooked in your worlds . Before we know it , life will again be overwhelmed by new requests and the old headaches , and we might revert to some bad habits . See if you can create some new ones that benefit you and the people around you who matter most .
PASSION FOR HOSPITALITY
EDITORIAL Jeff Weinstein , Editor In Chief 1.312.274.2226 jweinstein @ hotelsmag . com Barbara Bohn , Managing Editor 1.312.274.2209 bbohn @ hotelsmag . com Bert Ganzon , Senior Art Director 1.312.274.2227 bganzon @ mtgmediagroup . com Steve Vanden Heuvel , Vice President / Creative Director 1.312.274.2218 svandenheuvel @ mtgmediagroup . com Brittney Hackbart , Associate Art Director 1.312.274.2216 bhackbart @ mtgmediagroup . com Carolina Martinez , Freelance Design cmartinez @ mtgmediagroup . com Bill McDowell , Vice President , Editorial Director 1.312.274.2201 bmcdowell @ mtgmediagroup . com
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Judith Crown , Megan Rowe , Juliana Shallcross , 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 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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4 hotelsmag . com September / October 2020