Image: Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa
Operating and managing all Omni’s hotels and activities allows for a faster response time to market trends offering an enhanced level of service.
Congratulations on your new role as Chairman at Omni Hotels & Resorts. What is your vision for the company going forward?
The core of the hospitality industry is to serve others and ultimately impact the lives of our guests and our associates. Omni Hotels & Resorts is in a unique position given we own, operate, and manage all of our hotels, which allows us to be incredibly nimble and efficient in how we run and grow our business. We also have a strong culture and values shared at every level of our organization. My vision is to continue to foster that legacy and continue to create experiences that are not only compelling but memorable for all involved.
How is the experience economy changing the travel landscape?
Post COVID, people are eager for unique experiences and connection. Whether enjoying a meal, a spa treatment, a round of golf at one of our destinations, or exploring something new, travelers want to spend time with their friends/families and create memories. While the travel industry has been offering experiential travel for many years, there is an element of truly connecting that has become paramount, and there is a level of authenticity to that experience that travelers are seeking. Omni Hotels & Resorts operates nearly all of the activities at our hotels, which allows us to respond more quickly to the market demands, create new offerings, and ultimately provide a higher quality experience for our guests by responding to the changing landscape.
What initiatives are you putting in place in your hotels?
One of our hallmark initiatives is our brand commitment to hunger relief. We believe in not just giving back but encouraging our guests to participate first-hand in the hopes that they will take some of that home with them to their communities after their stay.
We launched Say Goodnight to Hunger in June 2016 and since its inception, Omni Hotels & Resorts has donated more than 20 million meals to Feeding America and supporting them in providing nutritious meals for food banks across the U.S. We do this through various programs that include meal donations for room nights booked, and for each guest room that opts out of our housekeeping service, as well as four meals for a family in need for every birdie-or-better made during each PGA TOUR. Most recently, we launched our Omni Junior Chefs program that not only elevates the children’s dining experience but also allows our young guests to learn about food insecurity and actively help fight for hunger relief by decorating a Say Goodnight to Hunger postcard and turning it into the front desk to donate a meal.
All of our Omni properties actively participate by supporting food banks and pantries in their local communities where they live, work, and play. We continue to innovate ways in which we can donate to this cause as well, including special events, such as ground-breaking and ribbon-cutting ceremonies, just to name a few.
What leadership skills do you believe are important to inspire your team?
My leadership philosophy is all about people. What is paramount for our organization, our leaders, and all of our associates is our culture, taking care of our guests and associates, and working in their best interests. The skills that are important in a leader – one that inspires others to be their best – include fostering a warm, friendly environment, practicing servant leadership, and simply being kind and good to one another.
