What is soul-making hospitality? Today, Rob Blood, Founder and Chairman of Lark Hotels and Principal at Elder and Ash, joins Dan to talk about the importance of creating genuine hospitality experiences. Rob shares his journey from an innkeeper to managing nearly one hundred hotels and over thirty restaurants. They discuss the core principles of hospitality, the significance of soul-making in hotel design, and the innovative approaches Lark Hotels brings to the industry. The conversation includes insights on scaling businesses, retaining top talent, and tech advancements impacting the sector.

Takeaways: 

• Understand that hospitality is about creating genuine, memorable experiences for guests, extending beyond just the service provided. Balance the needs and wants of guests to create personalized, eye-to-eye connections.
• Foster a culture where employees feel like stakeholders and collaborators, thereby increasing their emotional investment in the company.
• Develop a flexible and scalable operational model that maintains the unique qualities and culture of the brand as the company expands geographically.
• Ensure that technology streamlines operations, making transactional processes smoother so that staff can focus on guest interactions.
• Emphasize the soul or essence of the hospitality experience through thoughtful design and service culture, making it an integral part of the guest experience.
• Cross-train staff to give them a well-rounded understanding of all operations within a hotel, which can enhance retention and career growth.

Quote of the Show:

“ We believe that every project has an essence or soul that needs to be drawn out.” - Rob Blood

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-blood-13b53452/ 
• Website: https://www.larkhospitality.com/ 
• Website: https://www.larkhotels.com/ 
• Website: https://www.elder-ash.com/ 

Shout Outs:

• 1:53 - Independent Lodging Congress https://ilcongress.com/ 
• 6:19 - Hampton Inn https://www.hilton.com/en/brands/hampton-by-hilton/ 
• 6:30 - Scott Hopps https://www.linkedin.com/in/scot-hopps-40015711/ 
• 6:38 - Amanda Wallace https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-flanagan-wallace/ 
• 8:19 - Peter Twachtman https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-twachtman-b152143b/ 
• 8:49 - Saunders Hotel Group https://saundershotelgroup.com/ 
• 12:43 - Abraham Maslow https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html 
• 16:58 - Henry David Thoreau https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_David_Thoreau 
• 20:31 - Lifehouse https://www.lifehousehotels.com/ 
• 31:38 - Hyatt https://www.hyatt.com/brands/hyatt 
• 31:40 - Hilton https://www.hilton.com/en/ 
• 31:40 - Marriott https://www.marriott.com/default.mi 
• 40:46 - Bashar Wali https://www.linkedin.com/in/basharwali/ 
• 43:20 - Cambridge Common https://cambridgecommonrestaurant.com/ 

🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/ 

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
• Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/