Josiah Mackenzie

🏨 Tely Nagle, owner of The Drake Oak Brook, relaunched a historic Chicago hotel into a Condé Nast award-winner. Purchased in 2013, the hotel required extensive renovations to restore its glory. Nagle's personal involvement and partnership with Marriott's Autograph Collection elevated the guest experience. The hotel's new restaurant, COA, celebrates Mexican heritage. Key figures include Gino DiRenzo, original manager since 1961, and First Hospitality Group, the management company hired. 📆 Sept. 28, 2024.

🏨 In San Francisco, hotel workers are striking due to management's perceived lack of responsiveness, reduction in work hours while increasing workload expectations, and insufficient wages amid rising living costs. Despite hotels making profits even during lockdowns, workers argue the current pay is unsustainable in the high-cost city, and accuse hotels of greed for not increasing their pay despite the financial ability to do so. The situation has led to understaffing and employees being forced to handle multiple roles.

👨 Bashar Wali, CEO of Practice Hospitality, has stayed at 249 New York City hotels and numerous others globally, never repeating a stay to better understand the guest experience. He critiques the hotel industry's reliance on shock and awe tactics, emphasizing the importance of meaningful gestures and emotional connections over points-based loyalty programs. He highlights a personal experience at W Hotel Bangkok, where personalized teddy bears created a memorable moment. Wali encourages the hospitality industry to shift from transactional service to creating memorable, emotionally resonant experiences, comparing hotels to theater where the staff's performance is key to leaving a lasting impression on guests.