T H E O F F I C I A L M A G A Z I N E O F T H E C A L I F O R N I A H O T E L & L O D G I N G A S S O C I A T I O N C A L I F O R N I A September/October 2022 LODGINGNEWS
2 M essage from the President & CEO 4 C hanging the Career Calculus 8 California Hotel Conference Recap 10 SAFE Seminar Recap 12 From Bus Boy to Boss 16 How to Tackle and Thrive in an Uncharted Post-Pandemic Hospitality Industry 21 CHLA Marketplace 29 CHLA Partners OUR MISSION CHLA is the indispensable resource for communicating and protecting the rights and interests of the California lodging industry, for providing educational training and cost-saving programs for all segments of the industry, and for supporting strategic alliances to promote the value of California tourism and travel. 8 10 4 LODGING NEWS TABLE OF CONTENTS
2 CALIFORNIA LODGING NEWS 414 29th Street Sacramento, CA 95816 916-444-5780 www.calodging.com EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE CHAIR Tom Patton, CHA Ramada by Wyndham Santa Barbara VICE CHAIR Hee-Won Lim Pacific Palms Hotel IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR Bijal Patel, CHA Coast Redwood Hospitality SECRETARY/TREASURER Dhruv Patel Ridgemont Hospitality GOVERNMENT & LEGAL RELATIONS CHAIR Javier Cano JW Marriott at L.A. LIVE AUDIT & INVESTMENT COMMITTEE CHAIR Laurenne Douglas Pacific Plaza Hotels, Inc. 2022 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Kristi Allen Ensemble Real Estate Solutions & Investments Bhupen Amin Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Justin Boutwell Pebblebrook Hotel Trust Javier Cano JW Marriott at L.A. LIVE Vipul Dayal Days Inn San Francisco Airport West Laurenne Douglas Pacific Plaza Hotels, Inc. Ross Gimpel Encore Terri Haack Lowe Enterprises Investors Jon Handlery, CHA Handlery Union Square Hotel Niles Harris InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown Nic Hockman Disney’s Grand Californian Matt Humphreys Hyatt Regency San Francisco Daniel Kuperschmid Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego Mark LeBlanc Aimbridge Hospitality Hee-Won Lim Pacific Palms Resort RJ Mayer The Mayer Corporation Michelle Millar University of San Francisco Cormac O'Modhrain Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc. Michael Pace InterContinental Mark Hopkins Hotel Bijal Patel, CHA Coast Redwood Hospitality Bimal Patel, CHA Hotel Zico Perry Patel BPR Hotels Pragna Patel-Mueller Samata Management Joe Piantedosi Park Hotels & Resorts Chip Rogers American Hotel & Lodging Association John Spear Hotel Drisco Jeffrey Thurrell Fisher Phillips Wes Tyler, CHA Chancellor Hotel on Union Square Mike Tweeten Ace Parking Management Bobby Walia Marriott International Corporation ADVERTISING & DESIGN LLM Publications 503.445.2220 | 800.647.1511 www.llmpubs.com Design & Layout Sales Representative Stephanie Pendell Grandt Mansfield grandt@llmpubs.com Copyright © 2022. All Rights Reserved MANAGING A HOSPITALITY BUSINESS at a time of dynamic change is a real challenge for owners, general managers, and department heads alike. In fact, the past couple of years have probably brought more and more complex changes to our business than any other time in memory. That’s why we’re devoting most of this issue of Lodging News to the theme of Hotel Management. There are a few areas where we’re seeing the most dramatic changes, ones that have led to a host of new and creative solutions. The combined effect of the pandemic and the “great resignation” decimated staffing, especially for supervisory and management positions. Like every other industry, we’ve lost both long-time and younger employees during closures and the falloff in travel. Finding great people to take their places and become the next generation of leaders hasn’t been easy. It has often put hoteliers into competition with other industries, including retailers, gigeconomy positions, and even warehousing positions for talent. It also has led properties to look to a new generation of candidates who look at work very differently than the traditional hospitality professional. As you’ll read, some companies have decided to adopt new approaches to the workplace and work/life balance to make careers in hospitality more attractive—even to people who may never have considered hospitality as a career. At the same time, the great resignation provided the opportunity for many of those who remained to move up the ladder and bring their expertise and dedication to bear as the industry continues its recovery. And the good news is that the industry is on a steady ramp upward. While we’re certainly not back to pre-pandemic levels, in places like San Francisco, summer tourism has come back to levels not seen since 2019; San Diego is likewise looking up, and baseball’s All-Star Game gave a July boost to LA. The even better news is that ours is both a very adaptable industry and a place where anyone with the drive to succeed and a motivation for service can build a great long-term career. It’s inspiring to read the profiles in this edition of two of the leaders in our industry who started at entry-level jobs and have risen to the top. Their paths—and their learnings along the way—can help all of us better appreciate the many opportunities we provide for our people and communities, in addition to supporting tourism, on which so many California communities depend economically. As you work to overcome your own challenges and welcome back the ever-increasing numbers of visitors to our state, CHLA is here for you, with resources and partners that can help you manage your way to success. MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT & CEO Lynn Mohrfeld CHLA President & CEO
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4 CALIFORNIA LODGING NEWS www.calodging.com FINDING AND KEEPING QUALIFIED HOTEL employees is a conundrum in the best of times. It challenges a property’s viability in the worst of times. Today, many hoteliers are confronting the lasting effects of the “great resignation” spurred by the global pandemic and the extended closures of California hotels. They are learning to adapt to changing expectations and attitudes of a fresh-look generation of workers, many of whom seek careers defined less by pay and hours and more by greater diversity of colleagues, a variation of tasks, and a detailed work/life plan that puts concerns for the individual’s needs on par with those of the hotel. This emerging view of the workplace, of career paths and of staffing hierarchy seeks greater flexibility, a greater voice in job scopes, and to work for an employer that “walks the talk” about diversity and respect for the individual. It comes just when hotel owners and top managers are eager to make up for the “lost years” of the pandemic when they were closed or had little to no business, yet continued to incur expensive maintenance, tax, and regulatory costs. It also comes when the public is eager to resume travel after two years of being “cooped up”—adding more pressure to managers to increase occupancy even when their hotel may not have a full complement of staff to support all their guests. This dynamic is fueling discussions at many California hotels that range the spectrum of “just get back to work” to finding and embracing solutions to this workplace cultural shift that may, in some cases, pit old-school managers against self-absorbed Generation Z-ers. Fulfilling the 24/7 needs of guests and adapting to employees’ re-envisioned view of work can be difficult in hospitality where there are long-established management norms and inescapable daily must-do lists. Fairmont Hotels from the San Francisco Bay Area and West Coast are tackling this challenge head-on with what is believed to be a first-in-the-region approach that upends some of those long-standing traditions and reframes working life for managers and leaders around flexibility, communication, and individual needs. The shift has its roots during the depths of the pandemic when hotels were closed to guests and maintained only a skeleton management staff. “It started for us when there were only a dozen of us working,” said Markus Treppenhauer, General Manager of the historic Fairmont San Francisco hotel on Nob Hill. “Every afternoon, we would have an informal get together, just
www.calodging.com September/October 2022 5 sitting on the couch for 30 minutes. But that created a real connection with the people who were there.” That connection turned out to be more important than they first recognized. When the pandemic eased enough for the hotel to re-open and the informal sessions gave way to the busy life of the hotel, the team realized they missed the time they spent with each other and hearing each other out. So they formalized the process, and now spend 30 minutes every Friday as a management team on relationship building. Those meetings are one part of an overall program the hotel developed for its team, many of whom were hired just before or just after the pandemic. A new manager is invited to start a conversation with their supervisor about what motivates them about the work, how they feel about their career, what would help them create a work/life balance that works for them. The conversations are considered a “safe space” where the supervisor’s job is to listen and try to understand what truly motivates the individual and how to help them best use their talents on the job. The program seeks to connect with each person as an individual, to discover what gives them the sense of purpose that is a hallmark expectation of this generation of workers. “We knew we would be looking at hiring a very diverse set of people, from different backgrounds, experiences, ages, who identify differently, disabilities, LGBTQIA+,” said Jackie Dacanay, Director of Culture & Belonging at Fairmont San Francisco. “It’s very complex. So, the big question became, how do you build a cohesive team, recognize and build talents, help them identify their purpose, and keep them connected?” It became clear that the answers were different for everyone. Some people wanted to continue to work remotely; others wanted to spend more time on site. Some people wanted greater flexibility in working hours—being able to leave work during the day to go to the gym or tend to family issues, for example, and to make the decision themselves about when to do it. So, the Fairmont instituted flexible schedules for colleagues, encouraging them to take advantage of the policy without feeling guilty about it. “The hotel industry has a reputation for unruly schedules, for people staying late, looking for the boss’ car parked in the garage or the lights on in their office, trying to prove how hard they worked,” said Paul Tormey, Fairmont’s regional vice president. “Those were success metrics, but those days are over. I want to wipe that stuff out.” In the past, the company might have tried to deal with an unhappy employee or keep them from jumping to a competitor with a raise, that’s no longer enough. Hotels are competing for talent not just with one another, but with tech companies and employers in other industries where flexibility and work/ life balance are well-established and attractive to employees. “Collectively we’re being courageous and going to people who have come up in this industry where face time was the measure of your success and not taking vacation was a badge of honor and we’re having conversations with these same people about changing all that,” said Jose Zarate, Regional Director, Talent and Culture, Claremont Club & Spa and Northern California Region One of Fairmont San Francisco’s most visible commitments to evolving its workplace culture occurred in July when it named Dacanay to be its first Director of Culture and “We knew we would be looking at hiring a very diverse set of people, from different backgrounds, experiences, ages, who identify differently, disabilities, LGBTQIA+,” said Jackie Dacanay, Director of Culture & Belonging at Fairmont San Francisco. “It’s very complex. So, the big question became, how do you build a cohesive team, recognize and build talents, help them identify their purpose, and keep them connected?” continues
6 CALIFORNIA LODGING NEWS www.calodging.com Belonging. “I’ll be focused on connecting more deeply with our people and in turn, colleagues with each other,” Dacanay said. “Understanding each individual’s purpose will also allow us to best structure the work environment, positively impact hotel performance and create stronger ties within our community.” Much of what Fairmont has created, although informed by research on diversity and job satisfaction and with the help of consultants, is still a bit of an experiment for leadership— and sometimes it can feel a bit odd to people who have been in the business for decades, like Treppenhauer, who started his career in European hospitality and said “martyrdom” in working endless hours was the expectation. “We don’t know, and we have never known, what comes next. But we’re OK with that because that’s the culture we’re building,” he said. “The hardest thing Jackie and I learned is that, if we’re insufficiently comfortable with something we’re doing, we’re probably doing it right, because it’s something new.” Instead of people racking up vacation time they never use, people are actively encouraged to take time off. There is a clinician on site to help people address their mental and emotional well-being, deal with the effects of stress, and in San Francisco, managers are given “vitality days”—an optional day each month outside of sick time and vacation time that people can use for wellness, however they define it. “Some people want to go to the spa, or others want to hike or take a class, to do something they didn’t do before,” Dacanay said. “Some people just want to sit on the couch, eat a bag of chips, and watch Hulu. There’s no shame in what you choose.” While other Fairmont properties in the region are adopting some of the programs developed in San Francisco, they are likely to implement them in different ways, depending on the staff and the property. “It’s still a process,” Zarate said. “We’re all on the same road, but at different points.” Because the program is in its early stages, it’s difficult to measure how it’s doing in keeping people motivated, attracting new talent and improving the guest experience. The goal is to keep listening to the team, trying new things, and checking in with people to see what’s working for them and what isn’t. “I feel like, if this were a baseball game, we’re in the fourth inning,” Tormey said. “In our third month, the emotional quotient of this is working. Our KPIs are exceeding all expectations. But I can’t link them together yet.” Even so, this new approach of true inclusion where everyone has a voice and feels valued for who they are is working for leaders who see it as a chance to redefine the Fairmont experience and to create a program that can be exported to the rest of the company. Fairmont is measuring progress using anonymous surveys and one-on-one conversations and expect the process to continue to evolve to meet the new priorities of its colleagues. Although it’s a different way to manage, it’s a welcome one. “The pandemic gave me the chance to go home in seven hours, and to build friendships and loyalties that will never go away,” Tormey said. “I am never going back to 2019.” Rory J. O’Connor is a long-time Bay Area journalist and consultant who wrote this article for The Lodging News.
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8 CALIFORNIA LODGING NEWS www.calodging.com On August 4 at the Argonaut Hotel, CHLA and AHLA hosted the California Hotel Conference. Pictured here is Lynn Mohrfeld, CHLA President + CEO, Mayor London Breed, and Chip Rogers, AHLA President & CEO.
www.calodging.com September/October 2022 9 Lynn Mohrfeld, CHLA President + CEO updated the attendees on state legislative issues. Mayor London Breed welcomed everyone to San Francisco and shared how important tourism is to the city.
10 CALIFORNIA LODGING NEWS www.calodging.com CHLA hosted a SAFE Seminar at the Argonaut Hotel in San Francisco. One of the highlights of the morning was the “Hotel Security Best Practice Panel” which included Harold Harris, CLSD, Director of Security, Grand Hyatt at SFO; Deputy Chief David Lazar, San Francisco Police Department; Philip Farina, CPP, Vice President of Loss Control and Loss Prevention, Aimbridge Hospitality; and was moderated by Todd Seiders, CLSD, Director of Loss Control, Petra Risk Solutions.
www.calodging.com September/October 2022 11 Attendees enjoyed a morning of security training. Edgar Castro, CPP, Protective Security Advisor, San Francisco District for the Department of Homeland Security spoke to the group on Active Shooter Preparedness and Response. Vincent J. Latigue, CLSDA, Campass360HS presented a session on De-escalation Training Tools. Lynn Mohrfeld, CHLA’s President + CEO welcomed everyone to the SAFE Seminar.
12 CALIFORNIA LODGING NEWS www.calodging.com FROM BUS BOY TO BOSS The Stories of Robert Gleason & Vania Rojas-Earp
www.calodging.com September/October 2022 13 HOTELIER PROFILE PRESIDENT AND CEO, EVANS HOTELS, SAN DIEGO Robert Gleason ROBERT GLEASON HAS BEEN ON A nearly four-decade journey to the top of the hospitality profession—all starting with a summer job in high school. Back in 1983, Gleason went to work in the reservations department at Evans Hotels, a family-owned business in San Diego. He didn’t know it then, but that would be the start of a career that would see him become the company’s President and CEO—the first person outside the Evans family to hold that position in the 60-plus year history of the company. From high school through college, he continued to work part-time for Evans, moving from reservations to the front desk, the switchboard, and eventually into training as a management intern. Still, while he had worked his way up quickly, Gleason had his sights set on a very different path. “Hospitality was never something I considered as a permanent assignment—I actually wanted to have a career in theater or arts management,” he said. “But I’m a curious, life-long learner, and my early assignments provided intense opportunities to learn and grow.” So, instead of the theater, he went back to Evans when he earned his degree in 1987, now as a full-time employee in management. Rather than working at one property, he was involved in aspects of finance, transactions, and development for the company’s properties, including hospitality, commercial, and residential. As he continued to gain more experience, he also became more convinced that this was the industry for him. “I realized there was more than enough in our industry generally, and in our company specifically, to keep me interested and engaged,” he said. “As I added more responsibilities, there were challenges aplenty and also unlimited opportunities to continue learning.” After the economic downturn of the early 1990s, he moved into operations, becoming the company’s CFO, handling duties from contracting to compliance and managing outside counsel. The latter responsibility sparked his interest in the law, so to his already busy schedule he added the evening law school program at the University of San Diego, earning his law degree in 1998—and then added the title of General Counsel to his CFO role. In addition, Gleason formerly taught a course in Hospitality Law and Policy at the Payne School of Hospitality at San Diego State University. During that time, he recalled his most challenging assignment was serving as Renovation Project Manager during the redevelopment of the company’s luxury property, The Lodge at Torrey Pines. He described the experience as “a grueling 18 months,” but well worth it because of the result. Gleason said his long experience in the business has been essential to shaping his perspective on his colleagues and employees, and his approach of engaging them through a combination of personal and professional support, recognition, and growth. “The most important lesson I’ve learned is that employees are central to everything we do,” he said. “Sometimes leaders think their job is to manage the bottom line. But it’s really to take care of employees, because employees in turn take care of our guests, and if we’re all doing our jobs properly, our guests take care of the bottom line.” It’s also the reason he believes in “hiring for attitude and training for skill,” something that comes through when he interviews prospective hires. “I always ask in interviews about people’s first jobs, those early experiences that aren’t on resumes,” he said. “You learn a lot about people by understanding what motivated them early in life and the lessons they learned from those experiences. Nearly everyone in this industry has worked their way up and that perspective is critical to managing with equal parts empathy and rigor.” His success, and his drive for lifelong learning, led to his being offered the job of President and CEO in 2014. And while that comes with its own unique set of responsibilities, Gleason views it more as a continuation of what he’s been doing since that summer job 39 years ago. “In some sense, I’ve only had one job, although I have had many different duties,” he said. “In many ways, my career has come full circle to my theater days. As with directing, I have the chance to lead a team responsible for creating an experience that leads to lasting memories.” “In some sense, I’ve only had one job, although I have had many different duties,” Robert Gleason said. continues
14 CALIFORNIA LODGING NEWS www.calodging.com ...the most important thing she has found is that with opportunity comes loyalty. HOTELIER PROFILE GENERAL MANAGER, OCEAN PARK INN, SAN DIEGO Vania Rojas-Earp GROWING UP IN THE SMALL Mexican town of Escuinapa near Mazatlan, Vania Rojas-Earp found a taste for travel and for meeting and interacting with people. She didn’t know then that it would lead to a career in hospitality, one that started with a job as a hostess in Mexico and led to her becoming a general manager in San Diego. Rojas-Earp was one of five children with a father, a mechanic, who was determined to send them to college. But there wasn’t money for her to go to a private university, or a school far from home. So instead, she enrolled at the University of Sinaloa and entered its then-new school of tourism. After five years, she earned a degree in Tourism Administration, working as a restaurant hostess and then a country club receptionist along the way. After graduation, she moved to the resort town of Cabo San Lucas, where she did a short stint in timeshares, but soon left for a very different kind of tourism job: working for a sport fishing operator. “I have a lot of wonderful stories about that,” she said, but discovered that it was not a longterm career for her. “I went out on the boat with a couple who had rented it for an eight-hour fishing trip,” she remembers. “I was sick from minute one, for the whole eight hours. I decided not to go out again.” Fortunately, she was asked by an acquaintance to move to San Diego for an office job. While that “wasn’t for me,” she said, it did finally connect Rojas-Earp with the hotel business. She began working in a small hotel in the city, as a receptionist at first and, shortly after that, a manager. That was when she got her real hospitality education. “The owners would often leave, sometimes for months, so I did everything,” she said. “I had to do inventory, I had to do scheduling, I had to make sure cash was where it needed to be. I was in charge of purchasing, night audit, and even hiring.” The property also catered to a range of different guests, some of whom were not the easiest to manage—an experience that prepared her for almost anything that could happen. “When you work in a small property and you get to see all the departments, and work in the location I did, it toughens you up,” she said. While working at that property, she met the man who would become her husband. He had visited the hotel and struck up a conversation, and from then on “kept visiting and brought me food.” It also turned out that he was from a hotel background with a lot of hotel local connections. From those connections, she learned about a downtown San Diego hotel that needed a front office supervisor, and put her name in. Two weeks later, she got a call and was asked instead to apply for an assistant GM role at the Ocean Park Inn. “The next day, they called me and said, ‘We’d like to have you here,’” she recalled. It was a game changing call; within a year, the existing GM decided to retire, and a year later she became the GM. Rojas-Earp pointed out that in the entire time she has worked in hotels, nobody asked her about her education. While her degree set her on the path to her job today, what counted more was to put in the hours, learn the ropes, and prove herself. So, when she looks to hire, she prefers to bring in people who have no previous experience with hotels. In particular, for a smaller property, it’s important for staff to understand the financial realities of the hotel. But the most important thing she has found is that with opportunity comes loyalty. “We didn’t lose many people to COVID, and those people that stayed worked hard,” she said. “Three of our housekeepers did the work of six. We hired students as temporary help for the summer, and now some are working the front desk.” Even when her employees have to move on to move up, she’s still proud and happy for them. “I had a great employee, started as a house man and then worked the front desk and became a supervisor,” she said. “We didn’t have any place else for him to go, so he moved on to the Marriott Marquis downtown, and he’s doing great.” What Rojas-Earp learned along the way is the importance of working with people who want to be part of the business, want to learn and want to grow within the industry. “Working in hotels is a noble career and you can grow if you work hard,” she said. “I’ve been there, and once you hear my story, you’ll know it wasn’t the degree, but more the experience I had. That’s the part I sell to other employees, who didn’t have the luck or luxury of going to college.”
T H E O F F I C I A L M A G A Z I N E O F T H E C A L I F O R N I A H O T E L & L O D G I N G A S S O C I A T I O N C A L I F O R N I A LODGINGNEWS One Step Beyond G U E S T A M E N I T I E S One Step Beyond → ISSUE DEADLINE Nov/Dec Oct 2 Advertise in California Lodging News! California Lodging News is the official bi-monthly magazine of the California Hotel and Lodging Association. With a readership of 9,000 viewers per issue, your advertising will reach members of a booming industry in California— all of which are the owners, presidents, and key decision makers of their respective companies. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to brand your business to those that need your products and services most. ADVERTISING RATES STARTING AT $470! • CHLA members receive special discounts. •
16 CALIFORNIA LODGING NEWS www.calodging.com How to Tackle and Thrive in an Uncharted Post-Pandemic Hospitality Industry AS CALIFORNIA HOTELS BEGIN TO recover from the global pandemic, it is more important than ever that the industry recognize and adapt to the evolving needs of guests and employees to ensure the continued success and resilience of their businesses. However, it’s not always clear how to best address these needs. So we’ve gone directly to some of the leading hotel management experts to help answer our most pressing questions about how to tackle and thrive in an uncharted post-pandemic hospitality industry. What is the most challenging management issue hotel owners or managers face in the current hospitality environment in California? Without a doubt, staffing is the most challenging issue we face. While it has been an issue for years, the problem has only been exacerbated by COVID…The problem has grown to such levels that some hotels are not even able to remain fully open for business because they don’t have the associates to staff for guests.” “ Amanda Hawkins-Vogel EVP, Operations Twenty Four Seven Hotels
www.calodging.com September/October 2022 17 The most challenging management issue that owners and managers face in the industry can easily be identified as our shortage with labor. A more critical factor of the labor shortage is finding great talent that understands the need to help support the goals of their leadership and team.” “ Without a doubt, margin pressure. We continue to see the cost of doing business accelerate. Driven primarily by wage inflation and cost inflation on goods and services we provide… We are also in an extremely challenging environment to obtain insurance such as work comp, GL, umbrella policies, and fire in certain regions. All of this combined with a rising interest rate environment will make for a challenging next few years.” “ Sunny Patel CEO Aelius Management Group Dhruv Patel President and COO Ridgemont Hospitality Dhruv Patel President and COO Ridgemont Hospitality How should hotels respond to and overcome that challenge? Because there are so many different reasons people have left the industry there is no one magic bullet to fix the issue. We are all exploring new employment pipelines, as the traditional searches are no longer working. Recently, we have found that more high school students are deciding to head straight to work and forgo a traditional college education, so being able to find those students as they make that transition to a work environment could be helpful for long term employment development.” “ Efficiency is key, learning how to do more with less has been the story of the last three years. We have tried to streamline offerings and operations, brands are starting to push forward on initiatives that would make cost reduction more difficult. The single biggest hurdle to overcoming margin pressure in California is legislation. Cities continue to adopt policies that dismantle our business model and scrap any efficiency we can gain to make up for gaps in RevPar…This will create little incentive for owners and developers to deliver jobs and tax revenue to cities that desperately need both.” “ Kristen Phillips Owner/Partner Waterford Hotels and Inns continues
18 CALIFORNIA LODGING NEWS www.calodging.com After the “great resignation,” many hotels are having difficulty finding good people to fill management jobs. Beyond trying to match wages with the tech industry, what could help attract good people? We must understand that entry-level positions will have a constant turnover rate if there isn’t any room for future development and growth in the industry. Even as individual owners, we should acknowledge that employees entering the field can be educated and nurtured in a way that promotes opportunity, which is an incentive for them to stay with the company. In this, we as owners and operators can forge a collaborative relationship with employees that not only magnifies the potential for success as a team, but also grooms future leaders who can take on more responsibilities in other business endeavors, such as new asset acquisitions. Focusing on synergy within the team, investing in the development of new team members, and opening the dialogue for employees to provide input on their tasks can assist any company with scaling as they expand their asset portfolio.” “ Sunny Patel CEO Aelius Management Group We have extremely strong managers still interested in the hotel business that have been giving every ounce of themselves the past two-plus years to keep the hotels they love enjoyable for the guest and successful for the owner. It is the hourly staff positions that are proving much harder to find and retain, in part because they may not see a hotel job as their long term career. Using more flexibility in hours, job sharing, departmental cross-training, or offering hours to work at multiple properties can help, but at the end of the day this is a 24-hour business that will never be for someone that wants a work-fromhome environment. You have to find that type of person, and right now it is a needle in a haystack.” “ Kristen Phillips Owner/Partner Waterford Hotels and Inns
www.calodging.com September/October 2022 19 Once those good people are there, how can hotels keep them, especially younger managers who may have different expectations about work and work/life balance than previous generations? By offering ongoing training and mentoring— not only in their own disciplines, but also the other verticals, we demonstrate that we want our employees to grow with us as a company. Another key to this—ask them! Ask them what they want to do, how can we help them grow and actually help them realize their goals. We at Twenty Four Seven Hotels are implementing a Manager-in-Training (MIT) program that is going to take our rising rock stars and put them into a robust training program across all departments so they can really ‘touch and feel’ what it is like to be the General Manager.” “ Amanda Hawkins-Vogel EVP, Operations Twenty Four Seven Hotels Dhruv Patel President and COO Ridgemont Hospitality It is not always about the compensation— company culture remains key. We must create a positive environment where people love coming in everyday and continue to provide team members with opportunities for growth. The #1 thing we hear from our younger managers is they really want to feel supported; they want to know that we are all pulling the rope in the same direction for the same goal and when they get into a bind, corporate will have resources to help remove barriers and do so quickly with little red tape and bureaucracy. One of the bigger shifts over recent years has been flexibility, the days of expecting managers to be at the hotel for 10 hours straight are behind us, as long as the productivity is there, we allow flexible schedules where they can balance family and personal time.” “ continues
20 CALIFORNIA LODGING NEWS www.calodging.com In the wake of the pandemic, what has changed about guest expectations that will require hotels to rethink their strategies? How should they change those strategies? Guests’ expectations are always changing and will continue to change with the times. The key to this challenge is something we have always maintained in this industry: innovation. Technology and sanitation are going to be the key components moving forward in retaining and acquiring new guests. With the impact of COVID-19, levels of cleanliness are expected to be at a higher level than ever before. Most of the industry standards in that area have already adapted. For example, we are constantly wiping down high traffic areas and touch points as well as providing guests with sanitizing products to make them feel more comfortable. We have also received praise for creating an experience that makes our consumers feel like they haven’t left home, or entered an even better place. Guests want to be able to stream their entertainment from right where they left off or even jump onto a hotel Peloton and take a ride with their favorite instructor. The amenities we provide aim to serve guests in a way that prioritizes comfort and convenience. Paying attention to what consumers respond to and focusing on the details allows us the opportunity to seize higher ADR and Occupancy with simple adaptations and offerings to our current operation standards.” “ As we begin to see business levels return and, in some cases, exceed pre-pandemic levels, guest expectations around cleanliness and guest service and experience are top of mind. For some of our guests, their visit to one of our hotels is the first trip they’ve taken since pre-pandemic times, and we, as a company, want to ensure that they have a sense of comfort and caring when they are staying with us. We strive to continue to impress upon our staff the need for going above and beyond with our guests, making sure that we always are available and “in the moment” when we are speaking with them, as well as a high level of focus on continual cleaning and monitoring of all areas— both guest room and, of course, public areas.” “ Sunny Patel CEO Aelius Management Group Amanda Hawkins-Vogel EVP, Operations Twenty Four Seven Hotels
www.calodging.com September/October 2022 21 ACCESSIBILITY/ ADA COMPLIANCE ADA Compliance Consultants, Inc....................................916.608.0961 ACCOUNTING SERVICES Nimble Accounting, Inc................. 866.964.6253 ACOUSTICAL CONTROL/ SOUND MASKING Sound Solution Group.....................916.256.4207 AIR CONDITIONING/ HEATING DMG North...............................................650.280.3141 Indoor Air Hygiene Institute...... 442.216.1735 AMENITIES/ROOM & HOTEL AMENITIES Chadsworth & Haig.......................... 843.675.8250 APPLIANCES Panasonic Life Solutions............. 510.203.3630 APPRAISERS HVS.................................................................415.268.0351 ASSOCIATIONS Hotel Council of San Francisco.........................................415.391.5197 Visit California Caroline Beteta 916.444.0410 cbeteta@visitcalifornia.com www.visitcalifornia.com Visit California is a nonprofit organization with a mission to develop and maintain marketing programs that keep California top-of-mind as a premier travel destination. AUDIO/VISUAL California Commercial Satellite (ComSAT AV)......................................... 619.795.9444 Encore Ross Gimpel 530.559.0700 ross.gimpel@encoreglobal.com www.encoreglobal.com Encore is a leading provider in the global event technology services industry delivering creative production, advanced technology, and staging to help customers deliver more dynamic experiences. BANKS/BANKING SERVICES Provident Credit Union...................650.801.7141 TMC Financing...................................... 415.989.8855 BANQUET SEATING/ TABLES & EQUIPMENT Southern Aluminum.......................... 870.234.8660 BARTERING/TRADING IMS Barter................................................ 800.287.3874 BATHROOM ACCESSORIES & SERVICES Green Suites Hotel Solutions..................................... 909.334.4004 VersaTraction, Inc............................... 714.973.4589 BEDS/MATTRESSES Ortho Mattress..................................... 310.844.4860 BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION Hotel Effectiveness Solutions.................................................... 678.325.1150 BEVERAGES/BEVERAGE DISPENSING SERVICES Twinings North America, Inc..... 973.574.2228 CARPET & FLOORING SALES & SERVICE Embassy Carpets................................800.366.7847 Marketplace CHLA
22 CALIFORNIA LODGING NEWS www.calodging.com CHLA MARKETPLACE CLEANING SUPPLIES/ SYSTEMS HD Supply Facilities Maintenance........................................... 800.431.3000 Innovative Building Energy Control...................................... 949.267.9095 Makita U.S.A.......................................... 657.345.9073 No Slip Trash Bags........................... 949.837.1494 Renegade Brands USA, Inc...... 216.789.0535 COMPUTER HARDWARE Dell.................................................................. 512.723.6063 CONSTRUCTION - NEW Milanco Building Group................. 310.817.3555 PENTA Building Group.................. 213.500.8120 RC Strong Construction, Inc..... 775.901.2630 Shawmut Design and Construction................................ 323.602.1000 CONSULTING & TRAINING Accurate Ergonomics...................... 707.894.4544 Businesses Ending Slavery & Trafficking (BEST)........................ 206.905.6843 Filigree Training Solutions, LLC....................................... 646.233.7769 Grant Associates................................ 303.330.7154 Hogan Hospitality...............................415.331.1061 Hotel Financial Coach.................... 949.791.2739 KML Hospitality....................................925.212.0701 Petra Risk Solutions..........................800.466.8951 Singer Associates, Inc.................... 831.227.5984 STR................................................................. 615.824.8664 Wallace Hospitality Solutions.................................................... 800.450.0082 CREDIT CARD SERVICES Casablanca Ventures...................... 203.253.7259 CASHDROP Ben Vear 253.987.6787 ben@cashdrop.biz https://cashdrop.biz Get all the premium features of ecommerce platforms like Shopify and Square with none of the monthly subscription costs and zero seller fees. CASHDROP is the easiest way for retailers, restaurants, and event organizers to start selling online through a custom link or in-person with a QR code. Chase Faheem Khan 800.288.9295 faheem.khan@chasepaymentech.com https://merchantservices.chase.com Chase Merchant Services offers CHLA members the best service and competitive rates. They are the global payment acceptance and merchant acquiring business of JPMorgan Chase & Co. and a leading provider of payment, fraud management, and data security solutions. Heartland Payment Systems...................................................... 530.415.6850 Soar Payments, LLC........................ 888.225.9405 DIRECT TV PROVIDER Commercial Connect Television, Inc......................................... 877.789.7995 Just in Time Technology Solutions.................................................... 909.280.5169 MTV, Inc...................................................... 818.772.4200 ECO-FRIENDLY Evolve Charging Corp USA........ 604.314.6022 Zero Impact Solutions..................... 424.401.8074 EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS CA Community Colleges - Retail/Hospitality/Tourism.........415.758.1077 California State Polytechnical University - Pomona......................... 909.869.3105 California State University - Chico............................................................. 530.898.6016 California State University - Long Beach............................................. 562.985.4493 San Diego State University........ 619.594.4964 University of San Francisco........415.422.2581 EMPLOYEE RELATIONS/ BENEFITS Petra Risk Solutions..........................800.466.8951 EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES/SITES Instawork................................................... 512.903.2579 Staff Pro Workforce Solutions.................................................... 800.315.2219 ZipRecruiter, Inc................................... 877.252.1062 ENERGY EFFICIENCY Franklin Energy.................................... 312.940.9552 ENERGY MANAGEMENT Vector Energy Group....................... 818.600.4348 ENTERTAINMENT Sonifi Solutions.................................... 888.563.4363 Union Square Business Improvement District....................... 415.781.7880
www.calodging.com September/October 2022 23 CHLA MARKETPLACE ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTING APTIM........................................................... 720.234.2093 Shred City, LLC................................. 844.50.SHRED FINANCING/FINANCIAL PLANNING Hallmark Funding Corporation.............................................. 916.784.2614 Hospitality Funding........................... 650.740.9875 Pinnacle Bank....................................... 408.637.6030 Ygrene Energy Fund......................... 415.261.7578 FLOOR COVERINGS/ EQUIPMENT Gemeni Flooring.................................. 559.356.9920 FOOD SUPPLIERS/ DISTRIBUTORS Acme Hospitality..................................805.456.4291 BruxMix....................................................... 714.803.9060 Just 'N' Case Essentials, Inc........................................ 866.636.8225 Single Serve Solutions................... 707.532.0884 FRANCHISING Choice Hotels International....... 301.593.5600 Red Roof Franchising..................... 713.576.7459
24 CALIFORNIA LODGING NEWS www.calodging.com CHLA MARKETPLACE FURNITURE/FIXTURES & EQUIPMENT (FF&E) A-1 Hospitality........................................888.383.0391 Case Goods Refinishing............... 757.430.9663 Cassone...................................................... 415.329.4932 ERS Hospitality.....................................415.863.7191 Hospitality Designs.......................... 604.248.1806 Interia............................................................ 619.205.4489 GUEST SERVICE SOLUTIONS Akia................................................................. 650.644.8073 Hospitality Wellness Group............................................................ 310.339.9042 HEALTHCARE MedExpert International, Inc.................................. 650.224.2288 HEATING Pro Star Mechanical Services...................................................... 714.261.1044 HOTEL BROKERAGE NewGen Advisory - The Bowman Group...........................818.667.0627 HOTEL MANAGEMENT Aelius Management Group......... 559.595.1500 BPR Hotels.............................................. 650.424.1400 Concept Hotel Group...................... 650.839.6274 Crescent Hotels & Resorts................................................... 703.279.7820 Davidson Hospitality Group............................................................ 678.349.0909 Destination Properties, LLC..... 760.250.0998 Edward Thomas Collection........ 310.859.9366 Ellis Hospitality..................................... 415.775.8116 Ensemble Hotel Partners............ 562.257.1005 Four Sisters Inns................................. 831.649.0908 G6 Hospitality, LLC.......................... 972.360.5916 Global Vision Hotels, Inc.............. 650.504.4119 Hotel Managers Group, LLC.... 858.673.1534 Hyatt Hotels Corporation............ 301.380.3000 Interstate Hotels & Resorts....... 949.783.2500 Johnson Hospitality.......................... 925.730.4930 K&K Hotel Group............................... 281.530.1500 Loews Hotels......................................... 212.521.2000 Noble House Hotels & Resorts....................................................425.827.8737 Pacific Plaza Hotels, Inc............... 510.832.6868 Pacifica Hotel Company............... 805.957.0095 Park Hotels & Resorts....................571.302.5757 Reneson Hotel Group..................... 415.883.4400 Ridgemont Hospitality.................... 510.569.4400 Service Properties Trust............... 617.964.8389 Sonesta Hotels..................................... 800.766.3782 Springboard Hospitality................ 818.905.8280 Stonebridge Companies............... 303.785.3100 Storey Hospitality............................... 650.880.1000 The Mayer Corporation...................949.759.8091 HOTEL/RESTAURANT EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES Frank & Ron Hotel-Motel Supply, Inc................................................. 510.568.4072 HUMAN RESOURCE SERVICES Carrera Lee Enterprises, Inc..................................... 310.375.6033 Heartland Payroll Rodney Biggs 858.886.9440 rodney.biggs@heartland.us www.heartland.us Balance your business’ time and attendance, human resources administration, tax reporting, and more in one online, integrated suite. Whether you’re looking for an easier way to pay employees or maintain compliance with your state’s HR laws, Heartland provides payroll services to businesses large and small with our customization solutions. Endorsed by CHLA. Hireology................................................... 844.337.0422 Hotel Employee Rate BV............................................... 31.062.787.8043 Infinity HR................................................. 623.455.6234 Seasonal Connect..............................617.716.6491 The Crew, Inc.......................................... 630.780.0320 Workstream............................................. 801.472.3953 WOTC Planet..........................................800.655.5281
www.calodging.com September/October 2022 25 CHLA MARKETPLACE ICE MAKERS Western Pacific - Manitowoc Ice Scott Haag 2953 E Hamilton Ave Fresno, CA 93721 559.266.9505 scott@teamwpd.com www.teamwpd.com Ice machines, water filtration, disinfection devices, refrigerators and freezers, cooking equipment, and more. Six locations in California and Nevada. INSURANCE SERVICES/ BROKERS Calvista Insurance Agency, Inc............................................... 831.637.7766 DiBuduo & DeFendis Insurance................................................... 805.545.5016 Heffernan Insurance Brokers........................................................ 650.842.5246 Petra Risk Solutions Ida Gonzalez 800.466.8951 idag@petrarisksolutions.com www.petrarisksolutions.com Petra Risk Solutions specializes in insurance, risk management, and employee benefit solutions for the hospitality industry. Petra is offering CHLA members exclusive discounts and access to their industry-leading Hospitality Risk Management Program, P3. Sandin Insurance Group............................................................ 503.381.8583 Suitelife Underwriting Managers.................................................. 877.409.8069 UnitedHealth Group Alliah Sheta 763.361.6963 alliah.sheta@optum.com www.optum.com The California Hotel & Lodging Association (CHLA) is part of a strategic alliance program to help address the diverse needs of the hospitality industry. The Hospitality Associations Alliance, a strategic alliance platform created by UnitedHealth Group, offers exclusive discounts and solutions that benefit CHLA members and their employees. INTERIOR DESIGN Boston Trade.......................................... 510.623.9999 INTERNET SERVICES Cyberweb Hotels, LLC................... 949.331.4925 KITCHEN HOOD/ EXHAUST CLEANING Action Duct Cleaning Company, Inc.......................................... 626.791.7870 LAUNDRY DESIGN & INSTALLATION Western State Design.................... 800.633.7153 LAUNDRY EQUIPMENT/ SUPPLIES Aqua Systems, Inc.............................. 805.489.9250 Bestway Laundry Solutions.................................................... 951.734.9430 PWS Commercial Laundry Systems................................ 650.871.0300 Taylor Houseman................................ 925.432.0323 LAW FIRMS/LEGAL SERVICES Berding and Weil................................ 800.838.2090 DCap Claims........................................... 702.334.5705 Fisher Phillips Jeffrey Thurrell 949.798.2158 jthurrell@fisherphillips.com www.fisherphillips.com Fisher Phillips is a national law firm specializing in labor and employment law and committed to providing practical business solutions for employers’ workplace legal problems. Fisher Phillips attorneys help clients avoid legal problems and are dedicated to providing exceptional client service. The firm has over 400 attorneys in 36 offices. Hirschfeld Kraemer...........................310.255.1821 Holland & Knight, LLP................... 214.964.9500 Miller Law Group................................. 650.566.2290 Murchison & Cumming, LLP..... 213.623.7400 San Diego Biz Law............................ 858.964.0625 Snell & Wilmer....................................... 858.434.5003 Stokes Wagner, ALC........................ 213.618.4124 Thomas P. Sayer, Jr., Attorney at Law.................................... 858.335.9590 LIGHTING & FIXTURES CalSun Energy, Inc............................ 626.688.2038
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