Defining Hospitality

Today’s guest began his journey through hospitality working in a small property on the California coast and then built the number one hotel marketing blog in the world. He’s the publisher of Hospitality Daily, which is dedicated to helping hoteliers provide better guest experiences. Josiah Mackenzie is the Principal at Benchmark Research Partners, and he joins host Dan Ryan to share his experiences and passion about #hospitality and what it all means to him.

Takeaways: 

• Hospitality is a gift that you can give to others. It is the feeling of safety, of being creatively free and being inspired by others and what is around you.
• The hospitality career path is more steep than it has ever been now and that makes it a perfect time to join this industry.
• People who work in the hospitality industry have a desire to meet new people from across the world and serve these people. 
• Hospitality is something that you learn from observation and seeing how the professionals handle themselves and clients.
• When designing a great guest experience it is important to focus on the F&B moments as those can allow you to create moments to surprise and delight guests
• Hospitality isn’t just welcoming people to your hotel. There is a lot of behind the scenes work that goes into getting everything.
• Real estate is becoming a better environment to work in and it is worth investing your money into hospitality.

Quote of the Show:

2:21 “I think hospitality at its core is really a gift. It's a feeling of being safe, of being free, of being inspired.”

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josiahmackenzie/

Shout Outs:

1:00 Skift

1:28 Andrew Benioff

1:30 Independent Lodging Congress

3:55 Aaron Richter

3:58 Equinox

13:34 Adele Gutman

15:41 The Grand Hotel

16:47 Remington Hotels

20:56 Horst Schulze

35:25 Sweet Green

37:26 Hoxton Hotels

38:14 Sharan Pasricha from Ennismore

38:52 IHG

38:58 Kimpton

40:45 Zoku

Ways to Tune In: 

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
• Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• Youtube : https://youtu.be/XSWERxaustQ

Today’s guest has more than 14 years of experience in the lodging industry. She also has a passion for people and pineapples. Davonne Reaves is Founder/Hospitality Strategist at The Vonne Group. She is also the author of How To Buy A Hotel - Roadmap to Hotel Ownership. Davonne joins host Dan Ryan to talk about her journey in hospitality and what it all means to her. 

Takeaways: 

• Owning a hotel requires a lot of work, you have to keep up with the land and raise capital and hire staff among many other things. 
• When starting your own business, you want to start small and work your way up to becoming a bigger company. 
• When looking at buying a hotel, you want to know the surrounding community and have them feel comfortable with you.
• People are what make the hospitality industry so special and unique, most people will stay at a hotel for the human connection and interaction.
• You need to know your purpose, if you don’t have a clear purpose for your business that it will not last.
• Knowing how to invest the right money into the right places for buying a hotel can help you to financially be all set. 
• There will always be people who don’t believe in your dream or help you along the way, so it’s important to have thick skin and move past it. 

Quote of the Show:

18:52 “You could automate the hospitality industry as much as you possibly can, it's the people, it's even some people who would prefer to stay in a hotel over an Airbnb, just because of the human connection and that human interaction.”

Links:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/thevonnegroup
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davonnereaves/
• Website: https://thevonnegroup.com
• Book Link: https://www.amazon.com/TIDBITS-EMERGING-PINEAPPLE-PROFESSIONAL-DEQUAN/dp/1791966365

Shout Outs:

3:50 ACS

4:05 Hyatt

4:42 Jessica Meyers

31:30 Shannon Steel

31:45 Dr. Mina James

31:58 Andre Arbrieten

57:35 Skift

57:39 Highgate

57:41 JLL

58:43 Swiss Hotel

Ways to Tune In: 

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
• Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• Youtube : https://youtu.be/ZLMSqY07U2Q

Today’s guest has extensive global experience in designing mixed use developments. He has a passion for design and uses that passion to create beautiful spaces. Host Dan Ryan is joined by Aaron Richter, The Senior Vice President of Design for Equinox Brands at Equinox to talk about hospitality and what it all means to him 

Takeaways: 

• Having a good sleep cycle is incredibly important to having a productive day and keeping you on track.
• Building a community around your hospitality center and making it all in a walkable area is one way to feel a sense of community. 
• People don’t go to hotels to drink at the pool anymore. Now, people are considerate of their health and want to travel to a place where they feel healthier and get a better experience. 
• Being social is an important part of your well being. You want to be a part of the community that you are in.
• You don’t need to have your hospitality space be the “cool new thing” or be a different space for everyone. Instead, just build your space to the people you want to attract to the space.
• Make sure that you are showing appreciation for all the members of your team so they feel recognized and their hard work is being noticed. 
• When designing a hospitality space, you want to keep the guests on the property and part of that is by having everything be visible to the guests as they are more likely to engage with something if they can see it first.

Quote of the Show:

13:34 “People are waking up again to the fact that oh I should take care of myself. My health is important. My immunity is important. This is all very topical and germane at the moment. People are saying I want to live a different way.”

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-richter-7b7b45/
• Website: https://careers.equinox.com/

Shout Outs:

0:40 Starwood 

3:39 Barry Sternlicht

3:42 Park Lane Hotel

3:46 Patrick Jwuan

3:51 Vespa

11:09 Eurov

20:43 Josiah McKinsey

22:47 Dina Lamanna

22:49 HOK

23:00 Nike

23:09 Pottery Barn

24:30 “Rookie Smarts” by Liz Wiseman

25:07 John Hoke

32:18 Johnny Ives

32:19 Steve Jobs

46:23 Whole Foods

46:26 Trader Joe’s 

50:43 Seattle Mariners

51:00 Tiki Barber

1:00;18 Lone Tree Scout Reservation

Ways to Tune In: 

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
• Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• Youtube : https://youtu.be/54p3A9mNfFA

Dina Lamanna is the Principal, Director of Hospitality Interior Design at The HOK NY Studio. She is a seasoned veteran in the design and development of international hotel projects. Her passion for guiding the next generation of designers is evident in her work as an adjunct professor at New York School of Interior Design. Dina joins host Dan Ryan to talk about her journey through #hospitality and what it all means to her.

Takeaways: 

• There’s a visual aspect to learning and teaching design, and it doesn’t always come to people naturally so you have to get creative with it.
• There’s a stigma against being a designer that tends to scare people away but it is very different from what people would expect it to be.
• Hospitality is providing guests and patients with an experience and a feeling when they enter a certain place. 
• People spend 90% of their time indoors, so designers have a responsibility to create spaces that are unique and feel different from other places.
• If you can make a space feel familiar and comfortable, then the stress level for that person will go down.
• The last two years have actually opened up a tremendous opportunity for design to create the next space of buildings and environments that define our future.
• Collaboration with others can help to unlock a new potential or opportunities for the design space.

Quote of the Show:

7:26 “We want to bring a return on investment that isn't always measured in a spreadsheet, that there's an instant impact that our guests or our patients feel when they enter these spaces.”

Links:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/HOKNetwork
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dina-lamanna-aa827430/
• Website: https://www.hok.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hok_nyc/?hl=en

Shout Outs:

9:52 Aaron Anderson

25:46 Rudy Ruettiger

Ways to Tune In: 

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
• Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• Youtube : https://youtu.be/7KtOlKYME8k

Jim Looney is the Owner and Founder of Looney & Associates. With over 35 years of experience in the hospitality industry, he’s an industry leader and a mentor to many. His passion for hospitality is obvious in how he carries a tradition of integrity, quality and service in all of his projects. Jim joins host Dan Ryan to talk about his journey though #hospitality and what it all means to him.

Takeaways: 

• You want to make sure that you are always meeting your deliverables and that you are keeping the clients and your employees happy.
• Gaining the trust of a client is a big responsibility. It is your responsibility to make sure that trust is rewarded.
• Hospitality is making others feel comfortable in your presence. You want others to feel comfortable around you.
• Travel is something that can inspire people and help them come up with new and innovative ideas.
• It’s important to sit back and take time to yourself occasionally and disconnect from all the technology around you.
• The pandemic allowed people to explore hospitality and the world around them in a different lens.
• A design has to feel immediately comfortable. You want guests to feel welcomed by the design and enjoy being where they are.

Quote of the Show:

11:01 “Hospitality to me is making people feel comfortable in your presence.”

Links:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/looneydesign
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-looney-209a15a/
• Website: https://www.looney-associates.com/
• James D. Looney Award at Fay Jones School of Architecture at University of Arkansas - https://uark.academicworks.com/opportunities/22004

Shout Outs:

4:36 Michael Bedner

4:41 Lenny Parker

4:51 Trish Wilson

12:38 Dallas Independent School District

22:12 Museum of Modern Art

23:52 Marriott Wailea

24:39 John Stobbe

34:28 James Dunlop

29:24 Jim Romelspa

43:40 The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

43:43 Ayn Rand

Ways to Tune In: 

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
• Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• Youtube : https://youtu.be/qC4W3Ta10lw

Staci Patton is a Principal of Hospitality Interior Design Director at DLR Group. She's a passionate and creative designer who creates indigenous and authentically curated spaces. Staci joins host Dan Ryan to talk about her journey through #hospitality and how she brings her southern hospitality charm and collaborative effort to a wonderful industry.

Takeaways: 

• Leadership in the hospitality industry is incredibly important and it can lead to new ideas in the industry.
• Innovation can bring different perspectives to a project and can help separate you from others in your field.
• Hospitality is the soul and spirit of how we welcome people in. It’s not limited to just hotels and restaurants.
• Southern hospitality is a big influence for the meaning of hospitality as it provides people with a sense of feeling welcomed and at home.
• You want to make others feel like you are working together, especially with clients. You want them to feel like it’s a collaborative effort.
• As a leader, it is your responsibility to teach others and have them reach their highest points so that they can become a leader themselves and continue the cycle.
• Putting others first is a key trait in this industry. You want to make sure there is space to grow for others and have their ideas heard.
• A lot of people have left the hospitality industry during the pandemic, and now with things returning to normal there is a staffing shortage and it makes it more complicated to work on a project.

Quote of the Show:

16:35 “It's the soul and the spirit of how we welcome people in. It doesn't have to be a hotel. It doesn't have to be a restaurant. it's really about how you welcome someone in and what are those delights that you want them to receive?”

Links:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/DLRGroup
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/staci-patton-107bb726/
• Website: https://www.dlrgroup.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/staci_patton_sp/

Shout Outs:

5:56 Joe Chikora

8:28 Ed Williams

9:07 Concord Hospitality

30:26 Hilton Hotels

33:06 Sherman Associates

42:37 Joanna Abrams

42:38 Mindclick

Ways to Tune In: 

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
• Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/jwXFEb93iGM

Will Meyer is the Owner and Co-Founder at Meyer Davis Studios Inc. He believes that great design works on multiple levels and designs seamless physical experiences tailored to his clients individuality. Will joins host Dan Ryan to talk about his journey through #hospitality and what it all means to him.

Takeaways: 

• When working in a partnership, it’s important to have respect for the other person's ideas and recognize that it doesn’t matter where the idea comes from as long as it is good.
• Residential and hospitality projects have similar demographics which can make for interesting design options. 
• Hospitality is an elevated sense of home. You want people to feel comfortable and connected to the elements in hospitality and have it feel welcoming.
• It’s important to encourage people and make a special environment that allows them to grow and flourish. 
• The work that is done in the hospitality world tends to look like it is based on where it is and who it is about rather than being about the designer themselves.
• Using the environment as inspiration for your design in hospitality is something that creates an even better experience for guests and the community.
• Use design as a way to connect with guests and the surrounding areas. 

Quote of the Show:

21:37 I look at hospitality as an elevated sense of the home. A heightened sense of residential comforts and elements that create a new space within the hospitality world that make people feel comfortable, make people feel inspired that create a new turning of the dial of their experience in hospitality. But grounded by that sense of residential home feel that makes people feel comfortable.”

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-meyer-7685677/
• Website: https://www.meyerdavis.com/

Shout Outs:

1:01 David Gaddie

1:02 “A Beautiful Dreamer” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVCNh6_YpI8 

3:30 HD Summit

3:57 Michael Bedner

3:59 Trish Wilson

5:55 “Rookie Smarts” by Liz Wiseman

7:35 Auburn University

8:42 David Raleigh

14:24 V Bar in Las Vegas

14:31 David Raybin 1

4:32 Will Regin

15:21 Venetian

17:10 Moss Farmhouse

28:30 Four Seasons

28:31 Mandarin Oriental

28:32 Rosewood

28:36 W Hotels

34:50 Baccarat

Ways to Tune In: 

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
• Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• Youtube : https://youtu.be/phYIUjTnxwQ

Jennifer Barnwell is the President of Curator Hotel & Resort Collection. She can see through the maze of real estate economics and is passionate about hospitality. She is also a member of and also on the Board of Advisors at the Boutique Lifestyle Leaders Association. Jen joins host Dan Ryan to talk her journey in #hospitality and what it all means to her.

Takeaways: 

• You want to surprise and delight your guests. You want to make them feel welcomed and at home when they stay at your hotel.
• Sometimes a switch in products or a switch in systems is something that can really help drive your bottom line. 
• Make sure that your team is being used efficiently. You don’t want to overload them or put them on tasks that aren’t their strong suit.
• Having the owner's finger on the pulse helps to make decisions and changes run smoother. 
• Hospitality is about the experience. You want to peak the senses of your guest and make them feel interested and excited about where they are. 
• You want to create memories for your guests and have them be positive and something they can take with them when they leave the hotel. 
• Independent hotels have the ability to connect to a place in a very powerful way. It feels authentic and natural. 

Quote of the Show:

22:12 “For me, it's all about the experience. I step inside, how does it make me feel, what catches my eye, what do I see? That's interesting. What kind of peaks my curiosity, what about all my senses? That's how I tend to define it, because that is what is memorable to me.”

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-barnwell-a8689ba/
• Website: https://blla.org/

Shout Outs:

0:48 Pebblebrook

0:50 CapEx

1:09 Independent lodging Congress

8:49 Bill Kimpton

9:34 Sir Francis Drake in San Fransico 

28:16 Death & Company

28:17 Dave Kaplan

28:59 Bashar Wali

41:33 Cameron Sperance

Ways to Tune In: 

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
• Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• Youtube : https://youtu.be/4J-0t8VjsqE

Ian Rolston is the Founder of Decanthropy and the President at Interior Designers of Canada He knows how huge of a role that community and diversity play in hospitality and design, and he wants everyone else to see that. Ian joins host Dan Ryan to talk about his journey through #hospitality and what it all means to him.

Takeaways: 

• Hospitality is a great opportunity to serve humanity. It allows you to connect with others and the world around you.
• Interior design really speaks to the guests as a whole. It brings a sense of community to the guest and makes them feel welcomed and at home.
• You want to try and collaborate with other professionals who are not like you or think differently than you, as that brings a whole new perspective to your work.
• Align with other great organizations and community leaders so that you can better solve issues within your community.
• It’s important to shift the conversation around diversity to how it really is a fantastic business approach for companies and organizations
• You need to have the confidence to stand up if you are being overlooked but also some vulnerability as well.
• Part of hospitality is about sharing. Everyone can benefit from sharing and it can help shorten other people’s journeys.

Quote of the Show:

5:40  “There's just something about interior design that I think really speaks to the heart, body, mind and soul of end-users that provides this real sort of connective tissue to both the community of users and how they're interacting with space.”

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-rolston-51180215/?originalSubdomain=ca
• Website: https://decanthropy.com/

Shout Outs:

2:04 Yabu Pushlberg

2:07 Hirsch Bedner

31:51 AiLun Ku

31:53 Opportunity Network

35:26 Chief Robert Joseph

45:24 John Doyle

47:27 Alice Stanky

47:30 Anne Garis

47:47 Talking Heads

Ways to Tune In: 

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
• Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• Youtube : https://youtu.be/6uzJeu-P6MQ

Clodagh is the Founder of Clodagh Design. After suffering a horrible accident, she found her passion for being a designer. Her Irish heritage gives her a unique perspective of design, which she approaches with love and reckless abandon. Clodagh joins host Dan Ryan to talk about her journey through #hospitality and how she got to where she is now.

Takeaways: 

• Approach design with love and reckless abandon. You need to be brave and bold to create something new and innovative. 
• At the age of 17, Clodagh opened her first business. She used her determination to persevere through all the challenges.
• The BBC made a documentary about Clodagh called The Fashion Designer. She has been all over the world and met many interesting people during that time. 
• Hire people that are better than yourself. That way you can surround yourself with people who can make you better and teach you more. 
• Focus on trying to design the irritations out of people’s lives. You want to bring them joy and make the furniture feel like it is giving them a hug.
• Everyday, take a breath of the new day and appreciate where you are. Taking a moment to sit down and just focus on your breathing brings you a calming sensation.
• Take some time to get outside and enjoy your surroundings. 

Quote of the Show:

22:00 “All of my learning comes from observation really, since I haven't had any formal training of any kind, just observing what makes people happy…I'm trying to design the irritations out of people's lives.”

Links:

• Website: https://clodagh.com/

Shout Outs:

9:43 Irish Cancer Society

9:48 Hibernate Hotel Ireland

9:59 Irish Times

10:26 Henri Bendel

10:29 Lord and Taylor

11:56 The Fashion Maker documentary by BBC

19:43 Ashford Castle

28:07 Cranwell

29:15 Robert Kennedy

30:46 Sarah Klymson

30:47 Hyatt

34:45 Brickell Miami

35:39 Caledonia

45:45 Edward DeBono

45:59 Dr. Richie Davidson

49:38 Coretta Scott King

49:39 Martin Luther King Jr

Ways to Tune In: 

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
• Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• Youtube : https://youtu.be/H9AuinR_CrU