The hospitality industry is incredibly diverse as a whole, but not when it comes to the higher up positions. That’s what today’s guest wants to change for the better. Damon Lawrence, the Co-Founder of Homage Hospitality, is working with Howard University to create an outstanding hospitality program at his alma mater, Howard University.  Listen to this week’s episode as he shares #hospitality insights with Dan Ryan today!

Takeaways: 

• There is a labor shortage in the hospitality industry because it’s not an employee centric industry. Employees work long hours and went from seeing no one in a pandemic to being face to face with guests again.
• Hospitality is a feeling you give to your guests. Whether they are in your hotel, restaurant or even your home, it is all about how you treat the guests and put them in a position to succeed.
• It’s important to have conversations regarding race in the country. To make a positive change in the world, it starts with what might be an uncomfortable conversation for most. 
• There needs to be more African American hotel owners and developers. To help achieve this, Damon is working on building up the hospitality program at Howard University.
• The hospitality industry is very diverse as a whole, but most of the diversity is sitting at the very bottom. The low entry, hourly jobs are the most diverse, and the further you go up the more the diversity dwindles.
• If people listen, take notice, and then take action that could cure a lot of ills in the hospitality industry. This could also benefit society at large. 

Quote of the Show:

7:58 “Hospitality really is a feeling. What I've always noticed,whether it's traveling or I'll be working in this space, is how do you make somebody feel when they enter into your space or a space that you have dominion over?

Just because you are a hospitality brand doesn't mean that you wouldn't exude or create a hospitable experience. So hospitality really is how you make people feel. Whether they're dining at your restaurant or dining at your home. Like I said before, understanding what everyone goes through and making sure that you can put people in the best position to succeed, creates that hospitality experience that you want to provide to your consumers.” 

 Links: 

• Damon’s Profile:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/hauspitality/
• Company website: https://www.anewkindofhospitality.com
• Twitter: @hauspitality

Shout Outs: 

1:11 Thompson Hotel

1:34 Jason Pomerantz

1:35 Stephen Brandman

1:57 St. Regis

1:59 Ritz Carlton

2:00 Four Seasons

3:33 Craigslist

10:33 Howard University

10:49 University of Louisiana, Lafayette

11:33 Mardi Gras

12:20 Halle Berry

12:22 Paula Patton

19:27 Independent Lodging Congress

20:14 Arne Sorenson foundation

20:17 Marriott foundation

23:28 ALIS Conference

25:21 Determine by Design

25: 24 Kia Weatherspoon

36:00 LGBTQ

51:39 HDAC (Hospitality Diversity Action Council)

52:58 Bashar Wali

53:00 Nina Grondin

53:03 Aaron Anderson

53:07 Stacy Shoemaker

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
• Podbean:  https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• Youtube : https://youtu.be/k_ETfrerldA