The Icons of the Industry, We all know the names, however I was recently asked how many of them did I actually Meet? When you ask meet, It refers to having said hello, and shook hands at a meeting or convention. since I am from the old guard the Icons of my time are different from todays Icons. I have shook hands twice with J.W. Marriott, Julian Bartels at the time head of what is now Westin hotels. John Q Hammond's actually sat at the luncheon table with him in Springfield MO. Opryland Hotel G.M Jack Vaughn, The man that I call Mr. Hotel, for he was the soul and heart of the hotel industry.
Those were some of the icons back then that I remember, They started the hotel revolution of today, the new concepts that started in their infancy, and have taken root in todays industry.
Tomorrows icons will determine where the industry will go. It might even be you, the hotel intern sitting in the third row. Someone in this room of hospitality students will become an Icon in the industry, maybe another Steve Wynn, Sheldon Adleson,
or just John Doe. Time will tell. It will be up to each and everyone of you to forge your own destiny. If you learn well, and become a thinker outside of the box you might become the next Icon, hotelier of the year, or the hotelier on the next cover of the hotel industry magazine. It is up to you how much you are willing to put in to the industry. I have a consulting firm, that has operated for over 20 years, and yes I am expensive, the reason I say this is because I a very good at what I do. J.W. Marriott is very good at what he does, The company consistently wins award for the best hotel company to work for, that is not an accident, it takes a lot of hard work to achieve those honors. So go out and start your journey to become the next Icon.
Good Luck
The Hotel Guy
Those were some of the icons back then that I remember, They started the hotel revolution of today, the new concepts that started in their infancy, and have taken root in todays industry.
Tomorrows icons will determine where the industry will go. It might even be you, the hotel intern sitting in the third row. Someone in this room of hospitality students will become an Icon in the industry, maybe another Steve Wynn, Sheldon Adleson,
or just John Doe. Time will tell. It will be up to each and everyone of you to forge your own destiny. If you learn well, and become a thinker outside of the box you might become the next Icon, hotelier of the year, or the hotelier on the next cover of the hotel industry magazine. It is up to you how much you are willing to put in to the industry. I have a consulting firm, that has operated for over 20 years, and yes I am expensive, the reason I say this is because I a very good at what I do. J.W. Marriott is very good at what he does, The company consistently wins award for the best hotel company to work for, that is not an accident, it takes a lot of hard work to achieve those honors. So go out and start your journey to become the next Icon.
Good Luck
The Hotel Guy