Executives in the hotel industry say setting time aside to strategize in off-site locations and building a culture rooted in integrity are important pillars in leadership.
Hotel company CEOs spoke at the “Leading With Purpose” panel at the 2022 Hunter Hotel Investment Conference, giving their insights on what it takes to be a strong leader and the decisions that go into being one.
Leadership Strategies
While its easy to assume executives are regularly thinking about strategies for improving their businesses, panelists said they must also set time aside to think of how to get their employees on the same page.
Jonathan Stanner, Summit Hotel Properties president and CEO, said he has tried to foster a culture around making thoughtful efforts at strategizing from top to bottom. He said he wants his team to think about innovating and creating transformative change.
The best method to create that change comes via isolation, Stanner said. The old notion that getting a bunch of smart people together in a room to brainstorm is the optimal way to get results is wrong.
Stanner said he personally prefers to think about strategizing while by himself on a walk or on a car ride with no phone in sight to distract him. While group meetings are still important to talk through the strengths and weaknesses of ideas, Stanner said he’s a big proponent for taking a step back and thinking outside of the conference room.
“There’s value in carving out specific time to be present and specifically think about some of these big-picture strategies,” Stanner said.
Rockbridge CEO Jim Merkel and Aimbridge Hospitality President and CEO Michael Deitemeyer agreed that an important part in developing strategies is to go off-site to narrow the focus and create a more comfortable environment.
Merkel said he sets aside one day per month as “strategic days” in which the company goes out of the office and employees are split into teams to think strategically. He said this takes the pressure off employees worrying about their workload and creates a space that people feel empowered to use as intended.
Intricate details such as where the off-site venue is or what food is available should have a purpose in instilling your employees to think a certain way, Deitemeyer said.
“You’re trying to guide a group towards a way to think, not the answer per se,” he said.
Establishing a Culture
A company’s culture can’t be measured or quantified, but you can feel it, Stanner said. He added it’s the leader’s job to create a shared vision across the board.
While there are some similarities in company culture among the panelists, Merkel said the contrasts should be embraced.
“Cultures are different; that doesn’t mean they’re good or bad. In different cultures, you have to know who you are, what your culture is and be OK with it,” Merkel said.
Deitemeyer said there’s been a heightened awareness of transparency in the hospitality industry today and that he’s stepped away from projects recently due to the other company’s culture not aligning with Aimbridge's culture. It’s important for your employees to see examples of leadership standing up for what’s right, he said.
“If you’re not true to what you believe, it becomes pretty evident pretty quickly,” he said. “There’s a new level of accountability to all that … that requires us to lean in that we perhaps haven’t in the past.
“There was an awakening; in our world today, there aren’t secrets. It’s great that everybody’s got something on their website, but is the organization living it?”
OTO Development President and CEO Corry Oakes said there needs to be guiding principles in place that the whole company is taught through training and onboarding so it’s clearly understood.
Oakes said he made some uneconomical moves over the past few years in order to retain the company’s integrity, which is one of his personal guiding principles.
“When your team sees you doing that, then it’s easier for them to buy into it and do it on their own without having to be reminded of it,” he said.
Shift Back to In-Person Work
Despite the popularity of remote jobs across the U.S. following the onset of the pandemic, the executives were all in agreement that they prefer their employees to work in the office.
Oakes said that “working from home has been a disaster,” and he’s lost some employees due to OTO shifting back to being in-person. However, he said it’s important for everyone to be in the office together to maximize each person’s impact.
“For us, the collaboration that you get at the water cooler, having a drink after work, going to breakfast before work — those personal relationships for us drive much better results,” he said.
Deitemeyer said Aimbridge is allowing some employees to work from home but prefers them to come in. He said he’s been focusing on creating positive human interactions among the office to attract workers to come in.
Most importantly, he said, leadership needs to be in the office to set an example for others.
Summit still gives its employees two days of remote work per week, and Stanner said finding the right balance between in-person and remote work has been difficult.
“Fundamentally, at its core, this is a human interaction business. It’s about building and establishing relationships,” he said. “I’m a believer that it's easier done in person than not.”