I’ve mentioned before how much I admire our “Running the Show” series. In case you’re not aware, Running the Show is an occasional series of GM profiles we run. Each of these profiles also comes complete with a sidebar, in which we ask the same series of questions to each person we interview.
While I’m a big fan of the “What’s the weirdest guest request you’ve ever received?” my favorite question we ask each GM is this: “What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?” I love that question because the answer comes from a man or woman who is in the trenches of the hotel industry every day, so they have a unique perspective on what’s most important in life and in business.
With that said, I’d like to present the three best pieces of advice I’ve heard when I was on property interviewing these GMs.
3. Follow your heart
“Do what you love. I don’t care what you go to school for, how much money it is, if you don’t love what you do you’ll be miserable your whole life. I got that advice when I was very young. I live by it, I teach my children that. I tell everyone I talk to, ‘If you don’t love it, no matter how much money you make, you’ll be miserable.’ —Melisa Kennedy, GM, AC Hotel Bourbon/French Quarter Area (New Orleans)
2. Never stop learning
“Remain a student of this business. Don’t ever think you know it all. Always be willing to learn and grow and stretch yourself. And success is never final.” —Erica Qualls, GM, Atlanta Marriott Marquis
1. Do your best and let karma do the rest
“One of the things that has helped me in life: It doesn’t matter what you have done, you just always do the best you can and you just never know where you might go from it. I tell a lot of the staff we brought in, ‘You are starting at the front desk, but I will help you get to wherever you want to go.’
“I worked at a coffee shop in college. And (a customer) said, ‘What are you doing?’ I said, ‘I’m making you coffee.’ He said, ‘Why aren’t you working for me?’ And I graduated and had a job in the mortgage business and doing home loans straight out of college. You just never know where life is going to take you, and you just take every job and opportunity seriously.” —Terra Luthi, GM, Courtyard by Marriott Walla Walla (Washington)
Of course, the wisdom doled out in each and every Running the Show piece (there’s another one running tomorrow, written by yours truly), goes far beyond what you see here. I’m inviting you to take the time to check out our Running the Show page and pick out the pieces of advice that best speak to you.
Tweet of the week
The industry’s tech nerds are gathering this week in Austin, Texas, for HITEC. No doubt, there will be plenty of talk of the sharing economy and disruptors, as this early tweet from the show points out.
Gonna be a sweet @Airbnb 5br home w/ pool for this year's @HSMAI ROC and @HFTP HITEC events in #Austin - just 6 mins by @Uber @PriceMatchCo — Erik Munoz (@erik_munoz) June 13, 2015
Tweet of the week part 2
I’m in a generous mood this week, so here’s a bonus tweet of the week. Continuing on in the theme of this week’s blog, here’s some more advice hoteliers should take to heart. To provide a little context, Adele was responding to a tweet of mine that warned hoteliers Airbnb is hiring a sales manager for business travel.
Now would be a good time to make sure hotels are offering a unique guest experience, not just accommodations. https://t.co/vvBuA81f7o — Adele Gutman (@AdeleGutman) June 14, 2015
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