00:02.008 –> 00:02.969
Big week, Anthony.

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We’re recording this interview because I’m going to be on a plane for my last trip of the year.

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Oh, my God.

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I know.

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I’m Anthony.

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Welcome to No Vacancy Live.

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That’s my friend, Glenn.

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You’re watching the number one show in hospitality.

00:27.438 –> 00:29.399
Everybody, welcome to No Vacancy Live.

00:29.559 –> 00:31.619
That right there, that’s Anthony Melchiorri.

00:31.699 –> 00:33.140
Right here, I’m Glenn Hausman.

00:33.240 –> 00:34.360
It is so great to see you.

00:34.640 –> 00:35.740
Thanks so much for joining us.

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If you’re listening to us on our audio feed, boy, we really appreciate you sharing your time with us.

00:41.662 –> 00:43.382
Anthony, so great to see you.

00:43.783 –> 00:45.063
Another week, another hotel, huh?

00:45.725 –> 00:47.206
Another week, another hotel, my friend.

00:47.226 –> 00:54.774
I’m very, very happy to get the opportunity to work in two jobs.

00:54.854 –> 00:55.154
Yeah.

00:55.254 –> 00:56.515
I mean, that is really the best.

00:56.555 –> 01:02.221
And you are a super lucky guy to be able to do that and help working, craft a company’s destiny over there.

01:02.261 –> 01:02.881
That’s pretty cool.

01:03.342 –> 01:03.662
Yeah.

01:03.722 –> 01:07.465
I’m actually working on a different project today, but the listen,

01:08.266 –> 01:24.154
i’m uh you know i heard something not too long ago when we get when we’re overworked or we got we’re working on something and sometimes you get overwhelmed we say instead of saying oh i have to do this it’s like i get to do this and if you say that uh your day gets better

01:24.594 –> 01:49.869
yeah it sure is anthony i suspect that our day is going to get even better than better because we have we have a wonderful guest on it i’m excited for this one because uh i feel like anthony we’ve not been doing our fair share of interviews with the great folks over at hyatt and i’m trying to make up for that right we had a javier cole on on the november 22 show he’s the gentleman who runs the inclusive collection so today

01:50.689 –> 01:58.973
we are going to have ourselves Miss Katie Johnson, VP and Global Brand Leader at the Hyatt Independent Collections, because there’s more than one.

01:58.993 –> 01:59.814
How are you, Katie?

02:01.435 –> 02:03.976
You know it’s going to be a good interview when she claps for herself.

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I know.

02:04.776 –> 02:05.537
Yeah, I love that.

02:05.557 –> 02:08.378
She’s raising the roof for the people who are just listening on over here.

02:08.738 –> 02:10.419
Katie, I love the enthusiasm.

02:10.459 –> 02:14.902
It’s about time someone on this show had some positive energy.

02:14.942 –> 02:15.562
So thanks for that.

02:16.722 –> 02:17.343
Glad to be here.

02:17.763 –> 02:18.363
Thanks, Glenn.

02:18.463 –> 02:19.424
Anthony, nice to meet you.

02:20.165 –> 02:20.665
Nice to meet you.

02:20.725 –> 02:21.806
All right.

02:21.846 –> 02:39.093
So tell us a little bit about just to orient us because, you know, again, to be fair, Hyatt has been doing an amazing job, but they’ve been doing it very quietly, going ahead, building these different collections of brands, making some key purchases, doing some other types of projects as well.

02:39.594 –> 02:45.196
And now you’ve got so many incredible brands out there and you are in charge of thousands

02:45.316 –> 02:46.717
three of them, I believe.

02:46.797 –> 02:47.077
What is it?

02:47.318 –> 02:52.081
Destination by Hyatt Unbound Collection and JDV.

02:52.141 –> 02:53.442
Did I get that right?

02:53.462 –> 02:54.262
Glenn, you got it.

02:54.282 –> 02:54.823
You got it.

02:54.863 –> 02:58.345
All right, now I’m going to erase the roof for myself over here for knowing that one.

02:58.966 –> 03:00.067
Just a little point.

03:00.427 –> 03:03.349
JDV used to be Joie de Vie Hotels back in the day, Anthony.

03:03.389 –> 03:11.855
That was Chip Conley’s company, one of the original boutique-y companies after the Kimpton kind of era.

03:12.175 –> 03:12.896
So, Katie…

03:13.953 –> 03:19.234
What’s it like Ron getting to have all of these distinct collections under your stewardship?

03:19.915 –> 03:21.455
Well, there’s never a dull moment.

03:21.615 –> 03:22.435
That is for sure.

03:23.355 –> 03:25.916
I’ve been in the industry for a long time, about 20 years.

03:26.516 –> 03:31.277
And I will say the best is yet to come specifically for these brands being a part of Hyatt.

03:31.358 –> 03:36.979
So I’ve had the pleasure of working in this industry, starting at the hotel level, always in marketing and branding.

03:37.680 –> 03:40.282
And came to Hyatt by way of acquisition.

03:41.003 –> 03:47.429
So I have a long love history with Schwada V, now JDV by Hyatt, Destination Hotels, which is now Destination by Hyatt.

03:47.750 –> 03:52.454
And then obviously Hyatt had their own collection brand, which is the Unbound Collection by Hyatt.

03:52.494 –> 03:55.457
So lots of growth, a lot of exciting things happening.

03:55.698 –> 03:57.940
We’re like the silent rumble, so we might be quiet.

03:58.260 –> 03:58.400
Right.

03:58.420 –> 04:01.342
We’re going to come out with a bang and there’s a lot going on.

04:01.382 –> 04:04.924
That’s a whole point because there are a lot of companies out there that spend a lot of time.

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Look at me.

04:05.824 –> 04:06.364
Look at me.

04:06.805 –> 04:13.028
You folks out there are getting things done and really making a huge difference in the hospitality industry in general.

04:13.595 –> 04:19.120
Yeah, I like to think that we’re playing the game a little bit different, especially in the independent lifestyle space.

04:19.160 –> 04:26.046
So obviously we know customers, members, travelers in general, love our big brands, our hard brands, whether Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt.

04:26.486 –> 04:34.513
But I think what’s fascinating is the shift in mindset to really experience a location, a destination, a neighborhood in a very unique way.

04:34.993 –> 04:41.679
So I think that’s why we’re seeing this growth in this independent lifestyle, because it really gives guests the ability to explore

04:42.199 –> 04:47.241
and have personalized experiences in these amazing locations at these independent hotels, right?

04:47.281 –> 04:49.362
They don’t read and go by the script.

04:49.402 –> 04:50.863
They can do things outside of the box.

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They don’t even have Hyatt in the name, you know?

04:52.424 –> 04:59.167
So I think there’s just this shift in like what customers and members and guests want and having those unique experiences.

05:00.108 –> 05:07.511
Yeah, and Hyatt’s always been that brand that’s kind of been that middle child where they did whatever they wanted to do.

05:07.591 –> 05:11.373
And yeah, they’re kind of competing with all the big boys, but

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They don’t really look over their shoulder.

05:13.123 –> 05:14.424
They believe in their DNA.

05:15.724 –> 05:20.365
And also I want to just mention that I will accept your apology for making me feel old.

05:22.506 –> 05:28.147
You said, wow, I’ve been in the business yourself for a long, long time, 20 years.

05:28.767 –> 05:30.047
I’ve been in business for 40 years.

05:30.127 –> 05:31.648
So apparently I’m a grandpa.

05:33.508 –> 05:33.668
Yeah.

05:33.968 –> 05:35.529
I mean, that was pretty obvious.

05:36.049 –> 05:36.289
What?

05:37.421 –> 05:39.442
I’ve been doing this for 38 years.

05:39.462 –> 05:39.983
Oh, my God.

05:40.543 –> 05:41.944
I know for sure.

05:42.465 –> 05:43.645
So, Kenny, that’s pretty cool.

05:44.266 –> 05:51.931
You know, one of the things that I know Anthony likes to talk about, it’s really important for us to show how folks kind of came to be and got to this role.

05:51.951 –> 05:55.874
You said you started off at the property level in sales and marketing positions.

05:56.514 –> 05:57.575
That’s really cool.

05:57.615 –> 06:03.719
Before we get back into talking about some of the things you do now on a day to day basis, share a little with us about that, that journey.

06:04.439 –> 06:10.642
When did you first discover that, oh, maybe this is going to be a whole career for me and not just a job in a hotel?

06:11.423 –> 06:11.983
Sure, sure.

06:12.043 –> 06:14.084
No, it’s an interesting past that I have.

06:14.364 –> 06:17.646
And I’ll say that I’ve survived and thrived through it all.

06:18.106 –> 06:22.348
So I started at Destination Hotels in 2004 at the corporate level.

06:22.848 –> 06:26.790
And my boss told me, if you want to go grow, you’ve got to grow.

06:26.830 –> 06:28.911
You know, that whole saying, like, if you want to grow, you’ve got to go.

06:28.931 –> 06:29.711
Who’s your boss?

06:30.152 –> 06:30.772
Who’s your boss?

06:31.252 –> 06:37.634
Curtis Bova, who’s still in the industry, really well respected guy, just absolutely adored him, great mentor.

06:38.074 –> 06:42.836
But he was the one that said, you know, if you really want to grow, go get experience at the hotel level.

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So that’s what I did.

06:44.016 –> 06:47.738
And I had one position at a hotel in Vail.

06:47.858 –> 06:52.519
Ironically, it was Vail Cascade, Hotel Talisa, part of the luxury collection.

06:52.759 –> 06:54.140
And now it’s Grand Hyatt Vail.

06:54.180 –> 06:56.781
So it’s, you know, a very incestuous world that we live in.

06:56.801 –> 06:57.121
Yeah.

06:57.478 –> 07:03.104
worked in Vail and then in Denver, and then slowly worked my way back into the corporate landscape.

07:03.985 –> 07:15.639
At Destination Hotels Corporate, we actually merged with Commune Hospitality, created Two Roads Hospitality, got bought by Hyatt in 2018, and now here I am today overseeing the independent collection brands

07:16.440 –> 07:22.067
And I’m super passionate about it because I think in this space in particular, you know, again, we’re not reading scripts.

07:22.107 –> 07:23.249
We’re not giving playbooks.

07:23.469 –> 07:25.632
Each of our hotels have this creative spirit.

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And that’s what I love is building us community around unique experiences, high level service.

07:31.480 –> 07:33.041
and just flexibility, right?

07:33.081 –> 07:36.824
Like we’re adapting as travelers needs and behaviors change.

07:36.844 –> 07:41.568
And I think that’s what makes me passionate and excited is just to see what our hotels are doing today.

07:41.608 –> 07:46.231
So that’s what I’m guiding is these brands, but more importantly, the hotels that embody them.

07:47.372 –> 07:47.612
Yeah.

07:48.053 –> 07:48.213
Yeah.

07:48.233 –> 07:56.719
You can, you can tell it’s in your DNA and it’s, uh, I love, I love just, just, just, you can, you can sense and hear your passion when you worked at destination.

07:56.739 –> 07:57.800
Did you work with Mark Hickey?

07:58.450 –> 07:58.830
Of course.

07:59.151 –> 08:02.054
Actually, Mark Kickey is with me here in Orlando at our GM Summit.

08:02.434 –> 08:03.996
So I’ve worked with him for a long time.

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Yeah.

08:05.617 –> 08:06.658
What is Mark Kickey doing?

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He is now in operation.

08:08.500 –> 08:13.445
So he oversees, I think, like 20 plus hotels within our timeless and independent collection.

08:13.485 –> 08:14.887
So super smart guy.

08:14.927 –> 08:16.808
Great guy.

08:16.889 –> 08:18.250
Tell Mark Kickey, if you remember.

08:19.093 –> 08:23.395
That Anthony got off the train track so he wouldn’t get hit by the train.

08:25.015 –> 08:27.016
Just quote, just, just do that quote.

08:27.616 –> 08:27.896
Okay.

08:28.236 –> 08:29.077
And he’ll understand.

08:29.097 –> 08:32.818
I will see him in a couple hours.

08:32.838 –> 08:36.280
Katie, are you at the fabulous Hyatt Regency on international drive right now?

08:36.820 –> 08:38.040
I sure am in Orlando.

08:38.300 –> 08:39.501
Yeah.

08:39.781 –> 08:42.202
I love him and he’s one of the greatest mentors I’ve ever had.

08:42.622 –> 08:42.982
Agree.

08:43.162 –> 08:43.442
Agree.

08:43.542 –> 08:44.483
I will absolutely do that.

08:44.903 –> 08:45.143
Yeah.

08:45.720 –> 09:02.709
So, Katie, how are you thinking about pulling together all of these different brands in a collection that explains to everybody that it is the way that you want to travel, but still have some sort of understanding and consistency so people understand what the brand is?

09:04.537 –> 09:05.277
Yeah, no problem.

09:05.297 –> 09:09.198
So I think within this space, we offer the best of both worlds, right?

09:09.238 –> 09:19.021
We really celebrate and encourage our independent hotels to think outside the box, really understand their market and who their consumers are and their travelers are.

09:19.301 –> 09:20.681
So that’s really at the heart of it, right?

09:21.462 –> 09:26.043
But for me and my role, overseeing three collection brands is a challenge and an opportunity.

09:26.083 –> 09:26.483
And I think

09:27.003 –> 09:31.804
you know, if you know this space, the collection brands are only as strong as the hotels that comprise them.

09:32.264 –> 09:42.026
So with three, you know, we have to make sure they’re truly unique and unique from one another, but also from a competitive perspective and also relevant to today’s traveler.

09:42.066 –> 09:43.887
So we’re constantly listening.

09:43.927 –> 09:53.749
We’re constantly looking at consumer insights and travel trends, looking at our competitors, really understanding what is at the heart of our hotels and how we can really support them.

09:54.229 –> 09:54.869
And we’ve created

09:55.229 –> 09:57.871
clear swimming lanes for each of the brands.

09:57.951 –> 10:01.814
The Unbound Collection by Hyatt is comprised of story-worthy hotels.

10:02.054 –> 10:11.140
A lot of them have history, really enriching experiences, truly high-level service that’s elevated and customized.

10:11.600 –> 10:16.344
For Destination by Hyatt, it’s our collection of resorts, vacation rentals, and residences.

10:17.004 –> 10:23.609
And these hotels really embody a sense of place, very immersive experiences, and very genuine service.

10:24.070 –> 10:25.971
And then Joie de Vivre, now JDV by Hyatt.

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We love this brand and we want to give homage to what Chip Connelly created.

10:30.454 –> 10:31.575
So it’s all about the neighborhood.

10:31.635 –> 10:35.919
It’s all about the greater good of the community, uplifting vibes and tribes, welcoming all souls.

10:36.519 –> 10:42.344
we kind of created these three different positioning around the brands to attract future development, right?

10:42.364 –> 10:48.769
And so we have a lot of growth across the three, but we’re really excited about where they are today and where we’re going future forward.

10:49.029 –> 10:57.516
And one of the things is, even though I’m not as familiar with all of your different brands that you have, it is very clear.

10:57.556 –> 10:59.458
A lot of companies out there,

10:59.898 –> 11:06.862
Their idea of swim lanes is geared specifically at the developer, and they don’t really have that clearness with the consumer, right?

11:07.162 –> 11:10.084
They’ll be like, well, developer, this product is $102 to $107 per night, where this one is $108 to $112.

11:10.124 –> 11:11.525
So obviously, it’s a completely different brand.

11:11.545 –> 11:13.366
But the consumers don’t see that at all.

11:19.890 –> 11:36.885
all right so you really have to get in there and think about how the customer is going to be purchasing that stay experience and then kind of frame everything around that so that being said um where are we now with what consumers are looking for and how are they really changing these days

11:37.864 –> 11:38.805
Yeah, it’s a great question.

11:38.845 –> 11:40.506
I think it comes down to a couple of things.

11:40.546 –> 11:51.936
I think it comes down to stay occasion, who you’re traveling with, what the purpose and intention is, whether it’s for leisure, whether it’s a romantic experience, whether it’s for meeting and events, things like that.

11:51.996 –> 11:57.020
So we’re really trying to meet customers, members, guests, travelers where they want to be in what markets.

11:57.380 –> 12:03.826
But more importantly, how do we deliver these experiences that’s going to tap into their hearts and minds and really deliver on what they’re looking for?

12:04.386 –> 12:05.527
And I think that’s really important.

12:05.547 –> 12:17.234
And I think for Hyatt in general, what I’m excited about and how we support our hotels is building a community around training and resources and education to hotel level, right?

12:17.274 –> 12:23.498
So making sure they understand who their target audience is, how they’re positioned in the market, what their brand stands for.

12:23.538 –> 12:30.303
Because at the end of the day, each hotel within the collections has their own name, logo, visual identity, guest experience, design.

12:30.902 –> 12:32.543
they’re driving that guest experience.

12:32.603 –> 12:38.044
So we’re trying to create that community around the independent lifestyle space and just doing something different.

12:38.084 –> 12:43.566
And again, it all comes back to the customer and what they’re trying to accomplish when they travel.

12:43.646 –> 12:50.388
So I love that we have such a variety of hotels and different markets, different locations, but they’re all unique and unduplicated.

12:50.428 –> 12:53.829
And I think that’s where travelers really wanna engage with these brands.

12:54.660 –> 13:03.643
Katie, one of the issues that I seem to see is that if a hotel company understands me, they only understand me for a very specific type of travel, one lane.

13:03.983 –> 13:11.065
But as you just said, people are traveling for a lot of different reasons, and each personality might be traveling for different reasons at different times.

13:11.125 –> 13:23.368
So how are you thinking about that holistically in order to get somebody who needs to be in a downtown location but then wants to have that getaway kind of some other time and then may want to rent a house for friends and family?

13:23.988 –> 13:25.289
Yeah, that’s a great question.

13:25.309 –> 13:32.035
I think what we’re doing is just really listening and learning what our members want.

13:32.455 –> 13:34.837
So for Hyatt, we have the World Hyatt Program.

13:35.378 –> 13:37.920
That’s our loyalty program, and that’s really like the umbrella brand.

13:37.940 –> 13:39.902
That’s what pulls all these brands together.

13:40.562 –> 13:50.234
And really is targeting guests in a way that is relevant to them and means that are relevant to them, whether it’s technology and how they want to engage with us online or offline.

13:50.915 –> 13:55.240
But just really finding what’s at the heart of what they’re looking for and then catering to that.

13:55.320 –> 13:56.922
So I also look at it like,

13:57.502 –> 14:04.984
We know our customers and members love to go to our hard brands, Park Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Grand Hyatt, Thompson, OnDots, those hard brands, right?

14:05.004 –> 14:08.664
They’re all very similar in nature, no matter where they’re located.

14:08.784 –> 14:21.387
But I think what’s really fun is now this independent space offers something unique and it can be applicable to meeting planners, travel agents, social gatherings, leisure, I mean, friends get away.

14:21.487 –> 14:25.968
So I think at the end of the day, if you deliver a superior guest experience,

14:26.528 –> 14:29.571
That guest is going to come back to Hyatt no matter what brand.

14:29.891 –> 14:30.832
They’re going to search for us.

14:30.872 –> 14:31.974
We’re going to be top of mind.

14:32.554 –> 14:37.939
And we’re going to build that relentless loyalty that drives those repeat stays, regardless of stay occasion.

14:38.740 –> 14:38.900
Right.

14:39.080 –> 14:39.661
Anthony, you’re muted.

14:42.501 –> 14:46.985
And one of the things that you said is, you know, the flavor of the brand, the flavor of that hotel.

14:47.565 –> 14:54.350
And what’s really difficult is to find people that understand that this is different.

14:55.271 –> 14:58.814
And this is you really bring your spirit to this hotel.

14:59.234 –> 15:00.335
It’s that cookie cutter.

15:00.715 –> 15:05.019
As long as you understand the history, understand the flavor of this hotel, understand the environment.

15:06.259 –> 15:09.760
Come as you are and just kind of really bring that out.

15:09.780 –> 15:18.822
Because one of the things I find in my travels is you have these hotels, whether it be privately labeled, but it’s part of a big brand.

15:20.282 –> 15:28.004
They still have that same cookie cutter service, but you’re in this unbelievably historic property or really cool boutique property.

15:28.644 –> 15:34.866
And people spend millions and millions of dollars on these hotels, but then forget to really understand it’s about the spirit.

15:36.311 –> 15:36.471
Yeah.

15:36.831 –> 15:37.651
About the personality.

15:37.712 –> 15:37.912
Right.

15:37.972 –> 15:41.413
Like each of these hotels has such a unique, distinct personality.

15:41.713 –> 15:44.374
And I think that’s what travelers are looking for.

15:44.414 –> 15:46.455
We almost see it as social currency.

15:46.995 –> 15:52.697
You know, they want to be able to talk about this amazing experience that they had and the hotel in which they stayed.

15:52.777 –> 15:52.977
Right.

15:53.017 –> 15:57.398
And a lot of times it’s like we know travelers are targeting a certain destination.

15:57.478 –> 15:58.279
I want to go to Paris.

15:58.339 –> 15:58.639
Right.

15:59.099 –> 16:01.100
But I think what’s interesting is they’re looking to.

16:02.200 –> 16:05.903
experience something that’s a little bit different and then they like to talk about it.

16:05.983 –> 16:08.986
So great examples, Hotel Deluve, which is in Paris.

16:09.146 –> 16:12.749
It’s a part of the Unbound collection by Hyatt, but they have picnic in the park.

16:12.849 –> 16:19.915
They actually have a tour that you can go on to see the museum because they’re adjacent to the Louvre, but you know that they love to talk about it.

16:20.055 –> 16:27.461
So there’s a lot of social currency, a lot of social engagement, a lot of talking about these experiences because they are so unique.

16:27.501 –> 16:30.464
The hotels themselves have stories written within the walls.

16:30.504 –> 16:30.864
So I think

16:31.329 –> 16:53.549
kind of been fascinating to see not only what our hotels are offering from an experiential standpoint but what guests are saying when they leave and those memories that are created that are unlike anything else i love what you said social currency right i think that’s fantastic because i used to be like when i do keynotes and stuff i’m like they want to come home with bragging rights but social currency really says it a lot more you know it’s more of a humble brag

16:53.809 –> 16:54.830
than anything else.

16:54.910 –> 16:55.571
That’s right.

16:55.611 –> 16:57.953
Like I got to do this sort of thing in this cool place.

16:58.314 –> 17:05.081
Now, a year ago, October 20th, 2022, go check our database show 697.

17:05.141 –> 17:11.147
We did a live show from the Hotel Nyack, which just recently switched over to a JDV at that time.

17:11.187 –> 17:13.129
I think it was a couple of few months.

17:13.430 –> 17:15.172
And talk about experience.

17:15.192 –> 17:16.333
And this is why I love

17:16.693 –> 17:20.096
for independently minded types of properties.

17:20.336 –> 17:25.841
They sit outside New York City and kind of have to compete in a little bit of a different sort of way.

17:25.881 –> 17:36.250
And they did this by having an incredible adaptive reuse building that used to be an industrial center, also overlooks the relatively numeric Cuomo Bridge, which is a beautiful piece of architecture.

17:36.650 –> 17:47.220
but also made a lot of critical partnerships with the community for some food, spirits, and music, and art as well.

17:47.340 –> 17:55.167
So they’re really looking to become a focal point of what the NIAC community is for people coming in.

17:55.187 –> 17:57.790
And I think that’s the sort of thing that really wins people over for the long term.

17:58.373 –> 17:59.794
Yeah, I do, too.

17:59.974 –> 18:00.574
So J.D.V.

18:00.694 –> 18:08.357
by Hyatt, which is the brand you’re talking about, that hotel I joined, you know, I love this brand and the ethos of it in all of our hotels.

18:08.677 –> 18:10.077
You know, each one of them is independent.

18:10.117 –> 18:10.317
Right.

18:10.397 –> 18:15.079
But then what I love, what ties them together is this connection to community.

18:15.139 –> 18:16.659
And that’s why I love Chip Connolly.

18:16.700 –> 18:18.020
He was a pioneer, like you said.

18:18.621 –> 18:20.342
and kind of a disruptor in the space.

18:20.502 –> 18:31.370
And a lot of our hotels within the JDB by Hyatt collection, they really do have this inclusive mission, which, you know, invites all unique tribes, unique souls.

18:32.090 –> 18:38.194
We kind of see these hotels as like the local hotspot, but also they do care about the community, right?

18:38.234 –> 18:39.715
It’s a reflection of the neighborhood.

18:39.735 –> 18:42.517
So they have art installation, they have food programming, they have

18:42.977 –> 18:47.640
special events that cater to not only hotel guests, but to the local community.

18:47.660 –> 18:52.583
And the one thing I love about this brand, we describe the service as being joyful.

18:53.164 –> 18:56.025
And when people ask me, they’re like, what is joy driven service?

18:56.065 –> 18:57.826
And I’m like, go to these hotels and you’ll see it.

18:57.907 –> 19:02.149
And it’s because our colleagues live, work and play in those communities.

19:02.369 –> 19:03.310
And they’re a reflection.

19:04.165 –> 19:05.807
of that local neighborhood.

19:05.887 –> 19:09.290
And they want to embody the best of that neighborhood.

19:09.530 –> 19:10.711
So they really care about our guests.

19:10.751 –> 19:11.832
They care about the community.

19:12.333 –> 19:14.535
And Hotel Nike is a great example of that.

19:14.575 –> 19:19.720
But just a really cool brand that I think cares about the greater good of those that enter the door.

19:20.360 –> 19:20.560
Right.

19:20.640 –> 19:23.623
And Anthony, I’ll let you ask this one.

19:23.683 –> 19:24.464
All right.

19:24.644 –> 19:35.032
So I was going to say, I think that hoteliers really understand that engaging the local community is really essential to long-term bottom line success of your property.

19:35.072 –> 19:41.818
If you’re ignoring the folks that live right there and can support you most frequently, you’re really missing out.

19:41.858 –> 19:49.123
That’s why I love what like JDV does by focusing on that Uber local and the programming aspect of it to bring people in.

19:49.904 –> 19:52.727
That’s great, because then they’ll say, oh, maybe I’ll do a meeting over here.

19:52.927 –> 19:56.470
Or when my mother in law comes into town, I’m definitely going to put her up here.

19:56.730 –> 19:58.692
That sort of a that sort of a thing, right?

19:59.193 –> 20:00.314
Yeah, absolutely.

20:00.814 –> 20:14.647
Anthony, if we can go back a little bit, we’re talking about your previous career and what is because usually going from like a destination hotel company and kind of more independent mind hotel company and then going to kind of a corporate environment.

20:15.567 –> 20:20.672
And again, when I know about Hyatt, it’s corporate, but not corporate, meaning it has a different feeling.

20:20.692 –> 20:22.373
I don’t want to give you the answer because I think I know.

20:23.554 –> 20:31.561
But so how has that been going from this independent kind of management company to working in a corporation?

20:32.352 –> 20:33.353
Yeah, it’s a great question.

20:33.853 –> 20:40.377
And coming from an independent hotel previous to joining Hyatt, there’s always one thing missing, you know, or it was a challenge, right?

20:40.417 –> 20:46.821
When you’re independent, you don’t have that backbone, you don’t have the distribution, you don’t have the resources, the technology, all of that.

20:47.382 –> 20:50.704
And I remember going through the acquisition process and

20:51.484 –> 20:54.866
never in my mind thought Hyatt would be the one that would acquire Two Roads.

20:55.346 –> 20:56.707
But honestly, there’s beauty in it.

20:56.767 –> 20:59.388
And I think it’s because Hyatt is a purpose-led company.

21:00.269 –> 21:03.050
Their mission is to care for people so that they could be their best.

21:03.350 –> 21:08.373
And they had alignment to what we were doing at a smaller level at Two Roads Hospitality.

21:08.433 –> 21:17.378
But it’s been a fascinating path because you really get the best of both worlds because our independent hoteliers, our owners, our operators,

21:18.098 –> 21:21.560
property leaders, they want to have that creative expression.

21:21.600 –> 21:28.143
They want to have the flexibility to do what they need to do to drive that guest experience and capture hearts and minds of their guests.

21:28.723 –> 21:30.044
And we love that, right?

21:30.084 –> 21:31.845
We want to celebrate that.

21:31.985 –> 21:46.252
But now they get the best of both worlds because they remain independent, but they can leverage everything that comes from a bigger company like Hyatt, whether it’s systems, tools, technology, resources, the distribution and again, the world of Hyatt, right, which is

21:47.072 –> 21:51.613
a great platform, a great engagement with our members and our customers.

21:51.693 –> 21:53.934
So it really does offer the best of both worlds.

21:54.334 –> 22:04.777
And we saw exponential growth over the pandemic specifically because we saw our owners, our hotels, they really needed to have that support to weather the storm.

22:04.917 –> 22:09.919
And now I think we’re just seeing huge opportunity because we’re driving impact, we’re creating this

22:10.659 –> 22:14.320
connection to community and we’re allowing flexibility within the space.

22:14.360 –> 22:16.061
So they really own their own destiny.

22:16.081 –> 22:16.761
And I love that.

22:17.161 –> 22:22.103
So how do you find the right balance to make all stakeholders happy?

22:22.663 –> 22:27.065
You folks, the ownership operations group, and of course, the customer.

22:28.155 –> 22:53.716
think it comes back to the vision of the owner um and that’s what i love i love working with owners and operators but specifically owners and investors who have an asset or an opportunity and they say you know we want to build this dream we have this opportunity to do something different right and i love working with them um we have a lot of stakeholders but owners really drive the vision of what that that property could be and we support them from a brand positioning standpoint

22:54.176 –> 22:57.398
understanding their market and where there’s opportunity to drive RevPar.

22:57.819 –> 23:01.761
We help them with the guest activation and how their brand comes to life.

23:02.562 –> 23:04.223
So I think it’s like a community, right?

23:04.263 –> 23:05.684
We’re really building something different.

23:05.744 –> 23:10.487
And I’m really excited because we have a team that’s dedicated to the independent collection.

23:10.987 –> 23:13.429
And we’re creating these best practices series.

23:13.769 –> 23:16.091
We’re doing training and culture training.

23:16.691 –> 23:40.152
series we’re doing quarterly brand calls again giving the tools and resources for our property leaders to drive the vision of the owner to life and that’s really important because it’s their asset they own it and we want to help support them and really bring it to life and make it profitable but more importantly really driving that you know very memorable guest experience so that’s what i’m excited about yeah anthony i know you got to respond to that you’re on mute

23:40.752 –> 23:42.495
No, no.

23:42.575 –> 23:47.302
Everything she said is, you know, you hear a lot of these companies talk.

23:47.342 –> 23:50.006
You can see it’s authentic and, you know, how it’s proven that.

23:50.587 –> 23:53.432
And again, they don’t they don’t really.

23:54.082 –> 23:55.302
look at what other people are doing.

23:55.342 –> 23:56.343
They just stay in their lane.

23:56.383 –> 24:01.484
And that’s why when you think of Hyatt, you’re like, a lot of people are like, oh yeah, I’ve stayed in the Hyatt.

24:01.524 –> 24:02.544
It’s really, really nice.

24:02.964 –> 24:07.405
Whereas some of the other brands, there’s, you know, there’s a little different opinion.

24:07.845 –> 24:10.706
So I’ve really never heard anybody say a bad word about Hyatt.

24:10.806 –> 24:15.907
And I think it’s that spirit of you could be an entrepreneur within being a corporate structure.

24:16.970 –> 24:18.511
and have those entrepreneurial spirit.

24:18.771 –> 24:23.333
I mean, your brands, the brands that you’re talking about, talk about it came from the entrepreneurial.

24:23.553 –> 24:25.013
Who’s more entrepreneurial than Chip?

24:26.354 –> 24:27.234
Right, he’s a pioneer.

24:27.414 –> 24:28.775
I mean, love it, yeah.

24:29.895 –> 24:34.737
So when you’re thinking about expanding now, what are your growth engines right now?

24:34.777 –> 24:35.838
Is it new development?

24:35.938 –> 24:37.278
Are you looking at conversions?

24:37.358 –> 24:39.739
Some sort of obvious combination of both.

24:40.199 –> 24:46.162
Considering that interest rates are climbing and it’s harder to get loans, how are you thinking about 2024 and beyond right now?

24:47.287 –> 24:49.108
So we’re looking at a couple different ways.

24:49.269 –> 24:52.631
We look at organic growth or non-organic growth.

24:52.931 –> 24:59.576
And we probably will see the most growth within the independent collections, specifically in Europe and Asia.

25:00.157 –> 25:01.558
And we’re looking at a couple different ways.

25:02.859 –> 25:05.020
Organic growth is really the one by one, right?

25:05.040 –> 25:07.342
Like a hotel coming in and it could be a conversion.

25:07.782 –> 25:08.543
It could be a new build.

25:09.187 –> 25:13.910
And we have new builds and conversions, adaptive reuse for all three of our collection brands.

25:14.390 –> 25:19.153
But then another thing that we’re really excited about is portfolio acquisitions.

25:19.673 –> 25:21.534
So that’s the non-organic growth.

25:21.814 –> 25:26.036
A couple examples of- Which has been an incredible growth mechanism for Hyatt

25:27.057 –> 25:27.517
Incredible.

25:27.537 –> 25:27.918
15 years.

25:28.178 –> 25:28.398
Yeah.

25:28.758 –> 25:29.098
Yeah.

25:29.238 –> 25:29.478
Yeah.

25:29.558 –> 25:31.499
And especially in this independent space.

25:31.559 –> 25:37.122
So we actually have introduced a new collaboration with Lindner Hotels and Me and All Hotels.

25:37.603 –> 25:39.544
It’s over 40 hotels in Europe.

25:40.184 –> 25:42.305
They’re a part of the JDV by Hyatt portfolio.

25:42.665 –> 25:44.607
We have Story Hotels, three of them.

25:44.827 –> 25:46.167
It’s a part of JDV by Hyatt.

25:46.448 –> 25:50.970
We have Seven Pines Resorts, two locations, Sardinia and Ibiza.

25:50.990 –> 25:53.011
It’s a part of the Destination by Hyatt portfolio.

25:53.331 –> 25:56.593
So we’re seeing a lot of these organic, you know, one by one growth.

25:56.940 –> 26:14.089
but then non-organic through portfolio acquisitions where we’re looking at certain portfolios that have the same values and experiences and elevated quality and expectations that really align with who we are at Hyatt and actually going after them and having conversations of,

26:14.565 –> 26:16.286
You know, we can help you and vice versa.

26:16.386 –> 26:16.566
Right.

26:16.886 –> 26:19.547
I think that’s that’s going to be an interesting growth for us.

26:19.567 –> 26:21.647
And I think we’ll see a lot of it in the next year or two.

26:22.088 –> 26:29.550
How do you how do you stick to your guns and only take properties on that you know will work as opposed to, you know, having that temptation?

26:29.630 –> 26:32.351
Well, it’s just a little bit off and that sort of thing.

26:32.850 –> 26:41.973
Yeah, it comes through a lot of conversations with owners and investors, understanding what they’re trying to drive, and then sharing where our values are.

26:42.013 –> 26:50.695
And at Hyatt, at the end of the day, even though there’s flexibility within the independent collections, we still have standards and we still have expectations that our customers and members want.

26:51.196 –> 26:52.456
So it’s a conversation of,

26:52.896 –> 27:09.505
you know if you’re going to join this portfolio or one of these brands and here’s what they stand for right each of their swimming lanes whether you’re upper upscale all the way to luxury and then really understanding how do we get there if if they don’t really fit or they’re not in line with what we expect from a service or product standpoint

27:09.932 –> 27:22.139
It’s a conversation of, you know, you’re going to have to do a pip or renovate, or you’re going to have to really invest in your brand, which is really important because again, there are hotels of one, at least on the independent side.

27:22.199 –> 27:33.665
So it’s a conversation because at the end of the day, we want to make sure we’re aligned, you know, with that other owner investor, but also the product and quality and experience lives up and delivers against what we stand for.

27:34.352 –> 27:34.492
Right.

27:34.753 –> 27:36.975
There’s one brand that I always tell Glenn.

27:37.356 –> 27:39.378
I think I missed my date.

27:39.458 –> 27:44.904
I think I said the year this brand will be picked up by one of the big one of the big companies.

27:44.984 –> 27:47.988
And no one’s picked it up yet, but I’m sure you guys are all talking to them.

27:51.171 –> 27:51.992
I’ll give you a hint.

27:52.253 –> 27:54.856
It’s something you do when you leave college.

27:55.868 –> 27:56.248
Yeah.

27:56.789 –> 27:59.070
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

27:59.130 –> 28:00.831
Is there a brand called Alumni?

28:00.851 –> 28:00.891
No.

28:01.672 –> 28:03.253
I don’t know.

28:03.273 –> 28:03.513
Katie.

28:03.553 –> 28:06.815
I know exactly who you’re talking about.

28:06.915 –> 28:10.717
Before we let you go, right, I just saw a headline.

28:10.737 –> 28:15.320
Ed Bashan, the CEO of Delta, and I’m still upset at him for changing the frequent flyer program.

28:15.520 –> 28:23.603
That being said, they just said they had more people fly over Thanksgiving with Delta than ever before.

28:23.843 –> 28:25.544
How incredible is that?

28:25.564 –> 28:31.607
What does that make you think about the future of travel and how you fit into the whole travel puzzle around the world?

28:32.287 –> 28:38.692
Well, that’s fascinating to hear about the demand with Delta after that loyalty debacle.

28:38.832 –> 28:41.634
Anyway, I think what really is important is listening.

28:41.794 –> 28:42.014
Right.

28:42.214 –> 28:45.216
And and also being OK with failure.

28:45.396 –> 28:45.596
Right.

28:45.636 –> 28:48.939
Like so we’ve tested and learned many, many things and we’ve tried many things.

28:49.459 –> 28:53.362
At the end of the day, what matters is the perception of what we offer.

28:53.402 –> 28:53.622
Right.

28:53.682 –> 28:57.585
And making sure whoever is engaging with our brands is successful.

28:58.015 –> 29:06.677
happy and can share feedback and can guide us down the path to driving that memorable experience and that relentless loyalty that we all want.

29:06.737 –> 29:09.537
So I think being grounded and listening and data.

29:09.937 –> 29:17.039
And then for me, you know, I want to make sure we’re competitively marketed and really finding the right type of guests who want these experiences.

29:17.099 –> 29:23.680
So I think it’s that listening and learning and adapting and just being relevant, you know, being relevant because things are changing.

29:23.800 –> 29:24.160
Things are

29:24.640 –> 29:25.801
crazy in this world right now.

29:25.881 –> 29:33.607
So I think that’s the whole way to get around it is just really understanding your guests and what they want and making sure you exceed their expectations.

29:34.008 –> 29:35.189
Yeah, that’s awesome.

29:35.209 –> 29:38.131
Katie, any final words before we let you go?

29:38.531 –> 29:41.453
I just hope you all come and check out our amazing hotels.

29:41.514 –> 29:44.816
Definitely check us out at Hyatt.com and would love to see you both in person.

29:45.136 –> 29:50.521
I will say hi to Mark Hickey, but thank you so much for joining or for letting me join your call today.

29:50.561 –> 29:50.921
It was awesome.

29:51.201 –> 29:52.362
Katie, where are you located?

29:52.402 –> 29:53.822
Are you in Colorado?

29:54.123 –> 29:55.864
I’m in Denver.

29:55.884 –> 29:56.924
I’m in Denver.

29:57.324 –> 29:58.965
Different city, different, you know, week.

29:59.065 –> 29:59.786
So I’m all over.

30:00.026 –> 30:00.386
Yeah.

30:00.426 –> 30:03.968
Well, maybe we’ll be in Denver the same week and we could do a show together.

30:04.748 –> 30:05.328
I’d love that.

30:05.488 –> 30:05.769
For sure.

30:05.829 –> 30:07.389
Anthony, anything else that you want to add before?

30:07.409 –> 30:11.231
Remember, Mark Anthony said he got off the train track.

30:11.652 –> 30:11.772
Okay.

30:13.263 –> 30:13.683
You got it.

30:14.524 –> 30:16.645
Katie, thank you so much for being here.

30:16.665 –> 30:17.886
We really appreciate you.

30:18.466 –> 30:20.647
Anthony, that was a lot of fun today.

30:20.667 –> 30:23.649
And I want to request that everybody just follow us.

30:23.709 –> 30:24.729
Follow us on the socials.

30:24.809 –> 30:25.430
You know what it is.

30:25.850 –> 30:27.091
You want social currency.

30:27.311 –> 30:29.092
That’s the way to get it right there.

30:29.472 –> 30:31.973
Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram.

30:31.993 –> 30:37.636
And, of course, socials are at NoVagancyNews.com and at NoVagancyNews on the YouTube.

30:37.956 –> 30:38.437
All right, everyone.

30:38.457 –> 30:39.117
Thanks for being here.

30:39.597 –> 30:40.378
We really appreciate you.

30:40.398 –> 30:41.879
And remember, you’ve got one life to blaze on.

30:42.740 –> 30:44.531
be kind to yourself see you later