Boutique Design - March 2019 - 20

THE MOOR, NEW ORLEANS

THE TRAILBLAZERS
Homage Hospitality is what happens when two
young entrepreneurs have a dream, quick-study
business skills, a high DIY tolerance and no Plan
B. Millennials Marcus Carey and Damon
Lawrence may not have grown up fantasizing
about being the next Bill Marriott or Ian Schrager,
but once they had their first encounters with the
hospitality industry, they knew they'd found the
right vehicle to give them the scope to test drive
new ideas as well as equip them with an engine
that could rev up social change.
Lawrence, a Pasadena, California, native, met
his future by chance. "I had every intention of going
to law school," he says. His college career started at
the University of Louisiana, but he transferred
when Howard University offered him a football
scholarship. He lost a year's worth of credits in the
process, was deemed ineligible to play because of it
and found himself looking for jobs (yes, more than
one) to cover his academic costs. The luxury lifestyle brand Thompson Hotels was in the process of
opening Donovan House as its first Washington,
D.C. outpost. Lawrence "was fortunate" to be hired
to work on the front desk.
"Being on staff at the Thompson, especially
during the pre-opening and opening phase, taught
me so much about the industry. I was hooked," he
says. Even the 24-hour workday leading up to Presi20

boutiquedesign.com MARCH 2019

dent Barack Obama's first inauguration didn't deter
him. "I remember seeing Thompson Hotel
cofounders Jason Pomeranc and Stephen
Brandman (Pomeranc's brothers Michael and Larry,
also cofounders, weren't present) that day and they
knew everyone. I told my manager, 'I want to be
them.' I imagined what a hotel would look like
during the inauguration of our first black president
if the hotel was also owned and operated by a black
person. I never believed that there was anything
else that I could do that would be as rewarding. I
looked at the hotel landscape nationally and
thought I should be able to have at least one and
that, once I proved my concept worked, I could
grow a portfolio. It's been that simple for me."
Carey, who was raised in Detroit, became
focused on hotels through the filter of the financial
side. He was already a man on a mission when he
decided on a finance major at Howard University
(the pair's paths never crossed on campus; they
met serendipitously at a dinner party in Oakland,
California). "I chose my major because I saw the
reality that capital access has been a fundamental
barrier to upward mobility for people in the
communities I hold dear," he says. "Relative to other
assets, hotels have an interesting mix of upside and
challenges that have always piqued the creative
side of my personality. The potential for diverse

outlets inside of the building and affiliation with a
brand represent massive upside while providing
enjoyable creative experiences for our professional
lives. The day-to-day operations, the sheer importance of human capital, the interpersonal interactions and the preservation of physical spaces for all
to enjoy represent the types of challenges that
these assets have to face head-on."
Like many ambitious newly minted grads, Carey
and Lawrence knew their path wasn't going to be
easy. It wasn't just a question of putting in the time
needed to gain experience and move "up the
ladder." There weren't many role models. "(Black)
hotel ownership is, in fact, very low in proportion
to our contributions to the industry," says
Lawrence. "Part of the reason for that is, to date,
hotel ownership and brand building haven't been
exposed to our community as an exciting opportunity. Prior to our launch, African American hotel
ownership has been uninspired and over-indexed
on the brand side, less on the boutique side." So,
they decided to pave the way themselves. Lawrence
spent 10 years climbing the industry's career ladder,
taking on positions in every department from sales
and marketing to F&B and seeking out jobs with a
range of major brands-The Ritz-Carlton got high
marks for "empowering employees to become the
best versions of themselves."

I M O T O.C O M ( T H E M O O R ) ; K I M DAVA L O S ( C A R E Y, L AW R E N C E ) ; I M O T O.C O M ( T H E M O O R )

MARCUS CAREY AND DAMON LAWRENCE
COFOUNDERS, HOMAGE HOSPITALITY

http://www.IMOTO.COM http://www.IMOTO.COM http://www.boutiquedesign.com

Boutique Design - March 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Boutique Design - March 2019