HSMAI Marketing Review August 2009 - 15

‘business of hotels’ has dramatically changed and has become exceedingly sophisticated given the great interest from Wall Street, private equity, the REIT industry, and wealthy individuals who invest in hotels, “what hasn’t changed since the first person checked into a hotel is the hotel business itself, which is based on the very simple concept of hospitality, of ensuring people that we understand the reasons why they left their own home, be it for business, pleasure, or attending a meeting, and it’s up to us as a hotelier to ensure their stay with us is a success.” As one of the smaller players in the marketplace, creativity becomes all the more important. “At Loews we have used the ability to do things a little bit differently to our advantage, and creativity allows you to get the attention of your clients, your business partners, and the community, and also gives you the opportunity to take chances and think about challenges a little bit differently.” A great example of that is when he dressed in drag for a video he produced to win the bid for the Miami Beach hotel. In the video, Tisch asked people on the street what they thought of the Lowes Hotel, Miami Beach JONATHAN TISCH Recipient of the 2008 HSMAI Albert E. Koehl Lifetime Achievement Award revitalization of the old Art Deco St. Moritz Hotel, the proposed site for the new hotel. To some that may have seemed like risky business, but to Tisch, “the chances I took in presenting the video to the city council was in the interest of showing them that we really cared about coming into town, that we wanted to be their partners and will stop at nothing to make the partnership work.” As the underdog in the competition, the presentation was designed to show not just their professionalism and intelligence, but their heart. “That turned out to be a great opportunity for us because the hotel has been very successful and viewed as a real catalyst for the rebirth of South Beach—it stands out as a moment I am very proud of.” As are his best-selling books. “The writings grew out of an opportunity to discuss some ideas that I think are important.” In The Power of We, Succeeding through Partnerships, Tisch provides a blueprint for achieving enduring success through partnerships that empower employees, satisfy customers, contribute to communities, and improve the bottom line. He talks about putting aside individual concerns and working together towards the greater good. “In today’s complex world, no single organization is capable of mobilizing all the resources required to accomplish everything it needs to do; operating without partners is not really an option for any but the simplest of businesses.” He says the key to success is smart partnerships, six types in fact—partnerships with employees, customers, communities where you operate, other businesses, the government, and owners. Tisch shares a vision for a more unified workplace and articulates how people need to care more about their neighbors. He disagrees with the old school of thought that you can’t do well and good at the same time. “It’s important to always have a sense of responsibility in the community, and we do it to help our neighbors, but also make our coworkers feel proud of the organization that employs them. When you think that hotels are employers of people in the neighborhood, that we are open 365 days of the year, it really is up to us to set a standard for other organizations and businesses to demonstrate that they care.” That’s where Loews Hotels’ longstanding Good Neighbor Policy thrives—a company-wide commitment to community where it has hotels. Launched in 1991, it set a precedent as the most comprehensive community outreach program in 15 AUGUST 2009 • HSMAI MARKETING REVIEW
HSMAI Marketing Review August 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of HSMAI Marketing Review August 2009
