10 quotes you need to read

QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“I might come to work late because of a kickboxing class, and then stay late. By modeling that, I give everybody else permission to find their harmony throughout the day.” – IHG Chief Development Officer, Americas, Julienne Smith on what she is doing today to create work-life balance  Read story

“While I can’t go into greater detail until the deal closes, the European market is a key growth opportunity for Viceroy – with a strong asset already in Serbia and a new asset opening this year in Portugal’s Algarve region.” – Nicholas Mellis, vice president of Acquisitions and Development at Highgate, talking about the owner-operator’s plans for Europe  Read story

“Prior to the pandemic, we were focused on the top 25 travel markets in the United States. Now I’m not so sure San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York or Boston are as rock-solid as they were. I’m not discounting them, but you have to be opportunistic and think about where you can add value.” – Pyramid Global Hospitality CEO Warren Fields at ALIS talking about what is guiding the company’s growth plans  Read story

“We were the ones who had to take the hard decisions about reducing salaries and headcount, whether to close the hotel, when to reopen, et cetera. It wasn’t the choice of operators to say I’m going to close a hotel; they sort of needed someone to take the hard knocks.” – Douglas Louden, principal, Perceptions Hospitality, Hong Kong, on working as an asset manager in Asia  Read story

“I’m a bit of a deal junkie and I want to say, ‘Yes, let’s do it.’ Then I realize I can’t do it right if I do it now. We’re a growing company, but we don’t yet have the infrastructure to manage franchisees in China or monitor development in India.” – John Murray, president and CEO, Sonesta International Hotels, on development strategy  Read story

“Any hotel being developed in the future should be built for locals, not travelers.” – Sébastien Bazin, chairman and CEO, Accor, speaking at ALIS  Read story

“Trying to build a brand around the perceived profile of one generation is a fool's errand.” – Christopher Nassetta, president and CEO, Hilton, speaking at ALIS  Read story

“There is a fork in the road where you consider partnering up with one of the bigger players that has a good alignment with what you’re doing.” – Ken Cruse, CEO and cofounder, Soul Community Planet, talking about further brand development  Read story

“We just bought a Toy Story Hampton Inn in Atlanta with a sky lobby rooftop bar. That’s not your grandfather’s Hampton Inn. The brand community is looking at consumer trends as they evolve the assets and respond to how consumers use hotels today.” – Leslie Hale, CEO, RLJ Lodging Trust, speaking at ALIS  Read story

“Developers are watching the numbers and catching onto the fact that that a lot of people have moved to better and easier ways of life, which are typically outside the mainstream urban markets.” – Chelsea Salamone, senior director, acquisitions and development, Standard International, speaking at ALIS  Read story