Challenged to describe his boutique hotel brand, which he founded to celebrate Black culture and cater specially to Black travelers, Damon Lawrence says Stay Homage is "soulful and heartfelt hospitality."
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Lawrence began his hospitality career as a front-desk agent at the Thompson Hotel Group’s Donovan House Hotel in midtown Washington, D.C. From there, he moved within management ranks with companies such as Ritz-Carlton, IHG Hotels & Resorts and Dusit International. More recently, he owned and operated Hausotel, an innovative vacation rental brand that managed a $3 million portfolio of properties in Southern California.
In August 2014, he founded Homage Hospitality, which had as its first hotel The Town Hotel in Oakland, California.
To mark Black History Month, the conversation in this latest episode of the Next Gen in Lodging Podcast centers on what Black culture contributes to the economy, particularly in the lodging space.
Host Omari Head asks Lawrence to "pay homage" to others who have helped to highlight and advance Black culture in the hospitality space.
"What I love about our culture, when you go from city to city, and you look at what exists culturally in each city, that’s the beauty of our people is that each city has its unique history that you can pay homage to, and that you can appreciate and its unique figures as well," Lawrence said.
For more, listen to the episode at the top of this article, and follow Lawrence (@hauspitality on Twitter and @stayhomage on Instagram). The Next Gen in Lodging Podcast is also available to download on Apple or Spotify, where you can also subscribe to future podcast content.
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