Keeping Humanity in Hospitality | Eric Rubino & Ryan Alpert, Extreme Hospitality

Glenn: Hey, everybody, it’s your hospitality. Friend Glenn reporting live. Though you’re not watching this live here on the floor. At the lodging conference, I got myself, Eric Rubino, and Ryan Alpert, both with extreme hospitality. But first, let’s thank our friends over at Unifocal Unifocal comm technology that drives value. Got to ask you guys. We’re here at the lodging conference. What is your big takeaway and how do you implement that into your universe when you get back home? Eric Ryan, whoever.

Ryan: Yeah, I’ll tell you what. This is a conference of collaboration. Right. So we’re here and you’re looking at all the best, smartest minds in the industry. And we’re learning a lot from all of them, but also realizing that you got to be able to move the needle. And I think we’ve been talking to a lot of great vendors and partners to be able to do that. So it’s more of an aggregator for us, and it’s a great opportunity for us to network and also be able to get a chance at what’s going on in the industry.

Glenn: So yeah. So how do you see it as what’s going on in the industry? And maybe let me rephrase it, what did you see and how did it change or not change what you thought was going on before you came here?

Eric: Yeah, I think we see in this this state of the market, it’s a little more difficult to get deals done right. It has to be the right deal. It has to be the right property.

Glenn: And should it always be that way?

Eric: It certainly should. It certainly should. It certainly should. But you know what? When times get tougher, we have to get more detailed. And I think that’s a big takeaway for us is Ryan mentioned move the needle. Right. When we leave a place like this, after meeting with our colleagues and our friends and talking about the state of the industry, what are we doing when we get back to our desks? And I think it’s being that local level practitioner and being able to work with our teams, being able to empower them, give them the resources and the tools and make sure that we’re making actions every day that are back to fundamentals.

Glenn: Excellent. I do want to talk about that human side of it. But first, when we’re in a market that’s so uncertain, how do you pencil out a deal when you don’t really know what’s going to happen in the future, more so than the regular forward looking statement kind of thing?

Eric: Yeah, that’s right, because we’ve never had our crystal ball work just right. Right. But it’s relying on conferences like this, right? Having the ability to meet with our colleagues, see their perspective, see what they’re feeling and seeing in each market independently working with our our data partners to get the insight into how they see it trending. And, you know, doing our best to be conservative and take that forward looking statement without overpricing optimism right now.

Glenn: My theme here at the conference has been controlled, focusing on what you can control and making sure that even though there’s a lot of noise outside, you have a direct strategy. And that’s where that humanity, I think really comes in. Huge, right?

Ryan: Huge.

Glenn: We are. And I may have said this in another video, I think we’re focusing too much on algorithms and not enough on what’s going on in this algorithm in our heads. Right. So how is that how are you expressing yourselves at extreme to make sure that your people are forward?

Ryan: Yeah. And I think when you say that, Glenn, there’s a lot of companies, a lot of great companies that have their playbook. Right. And this is our way or the highway. And I think for us, the improvisation of the nuances of this space changes minute by minute. But I think when you’re looking at talent and you’re looking at putting resources to that talent, the algorithms only work so long, right? You have to make sure that you’re training this new group of leaders that are coming in and telling that journey and telling the story and creating experiences for people, and that’s what hospitality is about. So we have to really get back. I know it sounds cliche, but the small fundamentals every single day, giving the people what they need and the team members the empowerment to be able to execute is key.

Glenn: I don’t think it’s cliche. I think now we need to be reminded more than ever about what’s going on here. I really feel we’re at a at a real tipping point. Are we going to become electronic automatons, or are we going to continue to be people that make emotional connections with other people? Because if we do that, I think it really protects ourselves from being commoditized. And I’ll say, I’ve been in this industry now for 30 years, and that’s always been a worry. How do you make sure you’re staying away from that trap?

Eric: Yeah. That’s right. Right. I think how we differentiate ourselves moving forward is using tech to empower our teams, but not becoming overdependent on it, where we’re no longer giving an experience. I don’t think we want to be in the business of just selling a room and just selling a bed, a place to rest your head. You know, obviously there’s a market that needs that. But more than that, I think people are looking for experiential hospitality, and people want and look for that human connection. And I think in an overly increasing digital world, people are experiencing that and expecting it more when they travel. So we’re really doubling down on that and making sure our teams know how to deliver that human to human interaction and not replacing them.

Glenn: Yeah.

Ryan: And I think it’s getting to a point of be concise, but facts are facts and we talk a lot about that. So if we’re going to have a miss let’s talk through it. But let’s be strategic about that. And it’s not naive to us. It it is choppy out there. But we do know that good fundamentals looking at things every day, small details matter and they add up.

Glenn: So yeah, I just I’ve been a little bit more dour about the overall state of things. And I just don’t want people to be Pollyanna about what’s going on right now. But I also don’t want to be that Chicken Little Sky is falling kind of guy either. So I’m trying to find the right thing. So I like what you’re saying. Focus every day on, you know, on the numbers are and then you can make rational decisions based on what’s happening there.

Ryan: Right. It’s logical management and it’s really getting on top of it every single day. That adds up.

Glenn: So that tells me they’re not operating on fear and none of us should. It’s hospitality. We should be fun. We should be smart. We should have a good time. But most importantly, keep the humanity and hospitality like these guys. So for for Ryan, Eric and myself. Glenn, thanks for watching. Check out Unit Focus. See you later.

Ryan: Thank you.