SPIDER-MAN, BATMAN AND THE SEARCH FOR SIGNIFICANCE

I am convinced that we all have at least one thing in common, the search for significance. We would each like to think that we made a difference with our lives and that we will be missed when we are gone. Most of us are under the illusion that the doing of authentically great things is reserved for a chosen few. Heroes. Martyrs. Saints. But not them.

But what if our greatest thing is not to save the world as Spider-Man did again in the recent movie version, “The Amazing Spider-Man”. Not to go out in a blaze of glory so to speak, but instead to routinely utilize the gifts and talents that we were given? Not to win back Gotham City like Batman did yet again in “The Dark Knight Rises”, but to stay on course with a less than spectacular life that honors God?

It has been suggested that we should think of the 24-hour blocks in each day of our life as bank-fresh bundles of a hundred $1 bills. Our challenge each day is to spend your life. You can't bank it. You can't save it. You get a fresh handful of life currency each morning, and any unspent dollars evaporate before tomorrow comes.

You spend life assets when you mentor a new employee who is struggling, listen to someone who is upset, or volunteer to help someone catch up.

You are honoring God when you are generous with your hard earned income to help someone who has lost their job, a family that is being drained by long-term illness, or by being active in the ministries of your church.

My all-time favorite hero, Jesus, once said: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another as I have loved you. By this, all shall know that you are my disciples, by the way that you show love one for the other” (John 13:34-35 ).

Our earthly reward comes from that distinctly warm and special feeling we get from helping others, especially when we can do it anonymously.

Remember, you have today's life capital in hand. Invest it wisely in small increments of unselfish acts and in doing so, you will find significance.

WHEREVER YOU ARE, BE THERE

One of my favorite Hotel Equities’ value statements reads, “Wherever you are, be there”. In today’s hectic world of electronic over-load, this is easier said than done. Between work and family time, our attention span is constantly under attack by interruptions from cell phones, emails, Facebook, texts, tweets, HD-TV, computer games and other such high-tech attractions.

I confess that on a beach vacation this week to Amelia Island, Florida with my family, I struggled with being torn between answering emails and participating in conference calls and being with the kids as they enjoyed 5 foot waves crashing over their heads. Truth be known, I know where I should have been more.    

Author Tim Connor gives us some helpful insight on how we can “enjoy the ride” a bit better. He says, “Imagine that you have the opportunity to take a trip across country. You can stop wherever you’d like and spend however long you want. Are you going to focus solely on your end target and simply speed there? Or are you going to let go of the need to arrive at your destination at any particular time and enjoy the scenery, the people and places you see along the way?”

Each day you and I have the opportunity to go on a “cross-country” trip, a once in a lifetime, twenty four hour adventure that will never be repeated. How do you wish to spend your time? By enjoying every minute and stopping to savor every unique opportunity, or by simply focusing on your goals and being caught up in trying to achieve them?

Today, we can reach any realistic goal we set for ourselves. But how we do so will determine how enjoyable and memorable today will be. The runner who only looks down at the road will surely reach his/her destination, but won’t have the same experience as the runner who watches the road as well as notices the sights, sounds, and smells around them”.

Today, make an effort to enter into a conversation with a stranger or long time friend, take notice of a formerly unnoticed or not yet studied facet of nature, or join in with family and friends on your journey to tomorrow.

Today’s Goal: Try to be “in the moment”. Enjoy the journey. Be there.

THINGS WE NEED TO FORGET

Did you ever walk into a room and completely forget why you came in there?  I hate it when that happens.

There are some things that we need to forget, that would be healthy for us to forget. Here they are;

1-Yesterday’s Mistakes

In his book "ENCOURAGE ME", Chuck Swindoll has a chapter entitled, "The Fine Art of Blowing It". It begins like this, "It happens to every one of us. Teachers as well as students, cops as well as criminals, bosses as well as secretaries, parents as well as kids…..pro ball players, politicians, and preachers. What? Making mistakes.

If we are not careful, the enemy will remind us of our mistakes to be played over and over thus limiting our capacity for growth.

2-Yesterday’s Hurts

If you deal with people, one thing is certain; they will disappoint you. Sooner or later someone is going to misrepresent you, lie about you, abuse you, slander you or hurt you.  So, what are your options? We actually have 3;

a-We can harbor resentment

b-We can try to get even, or
c-We can forgive and forget

The healthiest thing we can do for ourselves is the latter,

3-Yesterday’s Possibilities

We all have known people who are simply unable to operate in “today” because they have been unable to break ties with what “could have been” or “should have been” in their past. They struggle with an “if only” mentality. If they are not careful they will spend the rest of their life blaming their spouse, parents, business partner, friend, or God.

Too many people are dissatisfied with life because they have had an expectation that just hasn’t worked out .We can’t live on yesterday’s promises or yesterday’s dreams.

4-Yesterday’s Sins

Billy Graham once said that 60% of all mental patients could be released if only they could learn to accept the fact that they had been forgiven. Many people are carrying the burden of guilt from a past mistake, a moral failure, a poor decision or a sin so horrible that they do not believe that they can be forgiven by man or God.

One truth worth remembering is, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”…..[1John 1:9]

THE EASTER BUNNY, THE TOOTH FAIRY AND THE LOTTERY

A JetBlue pilot went “bonkers” on a recent  flight from New York to Las Vegas and had to be kept from re-entering the flight deck. Clayton Osbon is unfortunately one of America’s most famous pilots these days as a result of this incident. He was said to be ranting about religion, 9/11, Iran, Iraq and terrorists prior to having been restrained.  According to JetBlue’s CEO, up until this incident, Osbon had always been a “consummate professional”.

College campus shootings appear to be happening with frightening regularity. It seems that everything is not as it once was. People seem frustrated and stressed out. Is it because our level of trust in our political leaders in this country is at an all-time low? Is our “moral compass” as a nation broken? What is true and who can we trust? Are we suffering from a lack of heroes and role models in our lives? Is it because nothing is sacred anymore?

A few weeks ago three people are said to have won the largest Mega Millions jackpot in history. The odds of winning the prize of over $650 million was estimated to be one in 176 million. Probably about the same odds of being hit by lightning twice in the same day. One of the 3 winners now said that she shouldn’t have to share her winnings with her co-workers, who claim they all agreed to pool their tickets and split any forthcoming bounty.

Have you ever wondered what happens to people after they win the lottery? I have read that for many of them, the story doesn’t end well. I know you’re probably saying to yourself something like, “but if it were me, things would be different, I would be generous with my winnings and I wouldn’t allow myself to be negatively influenced by the money”.

So why is it that for some, winning the lottery may be the worst thing that could ever happen to them? Could it be that their priorities are out of order? My grandfather used to say, “If you don’t take time to set priorities [goals] for yourself, you become susceptible to the priorities [goals] of others and as a result you may end up one day in a place you didn’t intend to be”. Much like the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy, winning the lottery may just be a false perception of reality.

So what’s the answer? Could it be that the bible is still a relevant source of truth and in fact worthy of our time and consideration for our journey through life?

My family and I had the joy of celebrating Easter together recently. I am thankful that the tomb was empty on that Easter morning some 2000 years ago.

LEARNING FROM OUR MISTAKES

Someone once said, “If you are not making any mistakes, you are not trying hard enough”. Truth be known, I hate to make mistakes. I guess it’s the perfectionist or perhaps the over achiever in me.

Everyone makes mistakes. The bible is filled with stories of people’s mistakes. My grandfather used to say, “We should learn from the mistakes of others since there’s a good chance that we will not live long enough to make them all ourselves”.

I recently made an expensive [$278] mistake and got a speeding ticket. To make matters worse, it happened while only ten miles into a scheduled 350 mile car trip. I was upset with both myself and the [over achieving] police officer who informed me that I was going 74 mph in a 55 mph speed zone. For those of you who are familiar with I-285, the perimeter highway which encircles Atlanta, who goes 55 mph on 285?  If you did, you would get run over.

The famous author and motivational speaker Dale Carnegie, is said to have had a file folder in his desk drawer entitled "FTD".  It stood for “Foolish Things I Have Done". Whenever he did something foolish, he would dictate a record of it to his assistant. He confesses, however, that on occasion he was so embarrassed by his stupidity that he was ashamed to have her know it.  He would write it out in longhand and slip it into the file himself.

I just finished a book entitled, “How Do You Kill 11 Million People?”. As you may have guessed, the title refers to the approximate number of people who were killed at the hands of Adolf Hitler and his minions during the Holocaust period. The book asks its’ readers some important questions including how do we prevent a reoccurrence of such a horrendous event. As philosopher George Santayana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

Like most things, learning from our mistakes as well as the mistakes of others is easier said than done, but we all know it’s the smart thing to do.

READ BETWEEN THE LINES

People  are funny.  They sure do have differing opinions when it comes to making choices.  Someone once said, “Opinions are like belly buttons; everyone has one”.

As a youthful GM, I once made the decision to allow my staff to select their own style and color of uniforms.  After numerous attempts at a consensus, to no avail, I ended up having to make the choice of uniforms myself.

Some years prior to that, when I was a young and inexperienced management trainee at the Sheraton Boston Hotel, I was given the assignment to help solve a lingering problem.  [As a side bar, management trainees at a hotel are like the “Mikey’s” of the management team…..remember the “let Mikey try it” commercials?].  There was a Quality Assurance [QA] Committee at the hotel which was comprised of several representatives from all employee groups, including at least one from each department and each shift.  It was determined that the number one complaint, according to the employee suggestion box, was that the food in the employee cafeteria was not satisfactory and was impacting employee morale.

With my new assignment freshly in hand and with a somewhat naive but enthusiastic approach to my new challenge, I proceeded to poll the vocal rank and file.  I had created what I thought was a well- prepared questionnaire and asked as many of the associates to complete it as possible.  I made it a point to receive input from associates from each of the three shifts as well as from participants of each meal period.  Finally, after two weeks of polling and close to 300 opinions out of a pool of 650 associates of the 1012 room hotel, it was time for the compilation of comments and for the report of my findings to the QA Committee.  I’ll never forget the confused look on their faces as I reported the two top employee comments:  Number one was  “the food stinks” and number two was “the portions are too small”.

After much deliberation and discussion, I made my recommendation to always allow associates the choice of having hot dogs, hamburgers and peanut butter & jelly sandwiches available as a food offering at any time throughout the day or night.

Negative comments declined by 30% following the implementation of the new menu choices.

I guess the moral of the story is…When you ask for people’s feedback and get conflicting comments, read between the lines.

THE GLOBAL SOAP PROJECT

I am very proud of the efforts Hotel Equities and its associates have put forth in giving back to the communities in which we operate hotels.  Samaritan’s Purse, InStep Global, Habitat for Humanity, the Children’s Miracle Network, the Salvation Army,  the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy and Life Lessons over Lunch are some of the ways our team has contributed to name a few.

I would like to bring your attention to another worthwhile cause which HE participates in and contributes towards, the Global Soap Project. I met Derreck Kayongo approximately two years ago at a fundraiser event at Georgia State University. Since that time, I have had the pleasure of introducing Derreck and his ministry to several HE groups including at our General Manager’s Quarterly Meeting, our monthly Coaching Staff meeting and our annual Chief Engineers Conference. Each of these groups has embraced Derreck and his ministry and remain committed to help him reach his vision.

The Global Soap Project [GSP] takes used soap from hotels and re-manufactures it into new bars of soap which are then distributed throughout less fortunate countries and to under privileged people to help prevent death from disease. Derreck and the GSP were recently recognized on television as one of CNN’s Heroes. You can go to www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cnn.heroes/ to learn more.

I am hopeful that you have had the opportunity participate in the act of giving recently and that you have experienced a sense of joy which is beyond normal.

ABE LINCOLN AND HOPE

I must admit that I get discouraged sometimes. My discouragement typically comes from within, from my fears. Fear of failure and fear of letting others down are often the stimulants. I gain strength and wisdom from reading about how others handle their fears. The bible and in particular the book of Proverbs, is often the source of my strength. I don’t think that it is a coincidence that the book of Proverbs has 31 chapters. I try to make it a point to read one chapter each day.

Another source of solace comes from reading biographies. Someone once said, “We ought to learn from the mistakes of others since there is a good chance that we are not going to live long enough to make all the critical mistakes ourselves”.

I love reading about Abraham Lincoln. Mr. Lincoln lost more elections than he won. Can you imagine his discouragement? He was known to suffer from severe, incapacitating and occasionally suicidal depression. Before he was elected president in 1860, few would have predicted that he would become one of the best chief executives in our country’s history. Similarly, few would have guessed that his two minute Gettysburg Address would become the most famous speech in American history.

The one word most often used to describe Lincoln’s life was persistence. Why is persistence essential to one’s success? Perhaps because the old adage, “Quitters never win ; winners never quit” is true. What is the secret to persistence? Hope. If we believe that future rewards outweigh current sacrifice, we will pay the price to persevere. “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” [Galatians 6:9].

TEBOW MANIA

Tim Tebow, the former University of Florida and current Denver Broncos quarterback, has been nothing short of phenomenal since winning the starting job several weeks ago. Tebow, the son of missionaries has seen the sale of his jersey soar in recent weeks in a show of affection from his fan base. However, not everyone is a Tim Tebow fan.

Tebow’s delivery of the football to his receivers does not conform with more traditional, successful quarterbacks. He has been widely criticized for his unorthodox throwing style and his recent success has been labeled by some sports commentators as nothing more than a fluke.

Tebow is as known for displaying his faith in public as he is for his football prowess. He often kneels after touchdowns and points to heaven. He glorifies God at every opportunity, particularly during interviews held immediately after games in which his team has been on the winning end. It is then that when first given the microphone that he professes, “I would first like to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ”. Most interviewers become extremely uncomfortable and are quick to change the subject to focus on game related topics.

Critics such as former Denver quarterback and  current football commentator Jake Plummer, consider such public demonstrations of his faith to be inappropriate.

I am a Tim Tebow fan. Not because he is such a great quarterback nor because I particularly like the Denver Broncos, but because he has become somewhat of a “lone warrior” who is a fellow Christian who has become a faithful “servant underdog” deserving of my support.

I find it interesting that with all of the problems that our country faces today, that a follower of Christ who wishes to publicly show his affection to his God, would come under such attack.

I pray that the God of our founding fathers continues to show us His grace instead of His wrath, which we more readily deserve.

NEW YEAR'S EVE 2011

As 2011 draws to a close amidst the lights and gala of the holiday season, I would like to acknowledge and thank each of you, our associates, coaches,  team leaders and participants, board members, vendors, franchise partners, family and friends who have helped make this year extra special.


In spite of one of the worst economies in many of our lifetime Hotel Equities saw our portfolio grow by more than thirty percent. Thank you for your continued dedication and support.

May the beauty and memories of the holidays inspire gratitude for yesterday, joy for today and hope for the New Year to come.

Coach Fred

WOW, WHAT A RIDE!

As we close out another chapter in the life of Hotel Equities [HE] entitled 2011, I wanted to take a moment to thank you for the many accomplishments and milestones which our team realized this year. Here is a brief summary of some of our achievements:

We added 19 hotels and will close the year with 42 hotels in our portfolio. Our revenues will top $61 million. HE will close the year with approximately 1,000 associates in our growing HE family.

We added another state and now have hotels in the six states of GA, FL, NC, VA, AL, and LA.

HE held our first annual Maintenance Chief’s meeting at The Lodge at Simpsonwood which was a huge success according to all attendees. This event was hosted by Phil Bullard, our Facilities Coach.

We hosted 30 classes with approximately 900 students in attendance at Hotel Equities University. We renamed and re-launched the Foundations Class [formerly known as Culture Class] and will hold 7 classes this year.

With the help of our Training and People Development Coach, Nancy Curtin Morris, we re-launched our Management Development Program which will see its first class graduate in July of 2012. Eleven extremely talented individuals qualified for the first class. A new class will begin every 6 months in order to keep pace with our forecasted growth plans.

We saw one of our hotels, the Hampton Inn in Okeechobee, Florida receive the Connie Award, named after Hilton founder Conrad Hilton. The Connie Award is the highest award a hotel can receive within the Hilton family of hotels. Our Okeechobee hotel was one of seven honorees out of a total of 2100 hotels in the Hampton franchise system.

Hotel Equities received its 10th General Manager of the Year award this year when Troy Moser walked across stage as the recipient of this prestigious honor at the annual General Manager’s conference held in Indianapolis, Indiana. Troy is the GM of the Fairfield Inn in Lumberton , NC.

We completed another successful year of operating three training hotels for Marriott: the Fairfield Inn and Suites by Marriott in Dunwoody, GA; the TownePlace Suites by Marriott in Kennesaw, GA; and the SpringHill Suites by Marriott in Alpharetta/Milton, GA. Kudos to our training hotel GM’s Kenny Silvia, Cailin Riddell and Mike Poe and their staffs as well as to our Training Manager, Ken Ramsey.

We successfully completed the renovation of our corporate offices which included the addition of 10 new work stations to accommodate our projected growth plans.

Our coaching staff completed another year of hosting Life Lessons over Lunch [LLOL] which included a career transition training opportunity for those individuals who are unemployed in our neighboring community of Dunwoody, GA where our corporate office is located. LLOL hosted approximately 1500 people who were in work-place transition this year.

InStep and our corporate chaplain, Rev. Greg Smith, conducted mission and leadership training trips to China, the Philippines, and Costa Rica. InStep and other non-profit organizations continue to receive support from the corporate tithes of Hotel Equities. Greg also hosts the 24-hour prayer line which is available to all guests and associates of HE. Greg visits our hotels regularly, prays for our guests and associates, and is available to those who may be in need of spiritual counseling. Through our Chaplain’s program HE has distributed more than 10,000 Purpose Driven Life booklets and Journey Books. HE is one of ten sponsors for the Atlanta Hospitality in Ministry Prayer breakfast which saw 400 in attendance this year. 

HE GM’s and Coaches packed more than 150 shoeboxes for the Samaritan’s Purse organization’s Operation Christmas Child.

In 2012 HE will serve as a doctoral study program in corporate chaplaincy for New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.

This year we hosted approximately 850,000 guests in hotels either owned and/or managed by Hotel Equities, many of whom heard the often stated HE-favored phrase , “Thank you for staying with us. We know you had a choice. Thank you for choosing us.”

HE sponsors a weekly on-line Bible study for HE women hosted by Ruth Kornegay with 36 participants. Ruth continues to host the HE e-mail Prayer Chain with approximately 50 HE associates participating.

We donated hundreds of pounds of used soap to The Global Soap Project, a ministry which accumulates used soap bars from hotels and re-manufactures them into new soap bars which are then shipped to countries with under privileged people to help prevent disease. The Global Soap Project was one of 10 finalists of CNN Heroes in 2011.

Several of our hotels will end this year ranked among the top 10% of their respective brands. Two of them will end the year amongst the top 5 hotels of their entire respective brand.

HE associates continue to be invited to serve on several hospitality boards throughout the industry.

Thank you for your continued dedication, support, and efforts on behalf of our company. You inspire me to want to grow more and to continue to attempt great things for God. May He receive the honor and glory. Coach Fred

CHARACTER AND THE TRUTH

Honesty recently cost a family $50,000. Eleven-year-old Nate Smith shot a hockey puck 89 feet into a 3.5-inch hole in a board laid over the mouth of the goal. For this remarkable feat, he won $50,000 from contest organizers. However, his twin brother Nick was supposed to take the shot; his name was on the ticket that Nate used. No one but the family knew. They could have pocketed their money and kept their secret. But their father, Pat Smith, chose instead to notify contest organizers. The promoters then decided not to give the money to the Smith family, donating $40,000 instead to youth hockey leagues in Minnesota. What was Pat's motivation? He wanted to teach a lesson to his sons: "They learned that honesty is always the best policy, and you can never go wrong telling the truth." His strategy apparently worked, as Nate responded, "Some people wouldn't tell the truth, so it's cool that we did." By contrast, consider the story of a frontier preacher and his two sons who found a stray dog and decided to keep it. The dog was coal black except for three white hairs on his tail. One day they saw an ad in the local paper for a lost dog that fit their stray perfectly, including those three white hairs. With the help of his boys, the preacher carefully pulled out the three white hairs. A few days later the owner heard that the preacher had a dog like his and came by. But he couldn't find the three white hairs, so he had to give him up. Later the preacher wrote, "I kept the dog, but I lost my boys." Their names were Frank and Jesse James. Character has consequences. Attitudes become thoughts, which become words, which become actions, which become habits, which become character, which determines destiny. Ralph Waldo Emerson believed that "character is higher than intellect. A great soul will be strong to live as well as think." Abraham Lincoln agreed: "Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing." What would others say about the fruit growing on the tree of your character?

I MISS BOBBY COX

It is rare to find leaders who are consistent winners. Bobby Cox is one of those rare finds. He was instrumental in the Atlanta Braves winning 14 consecutive National League Division Series titles {excluding the MLB strike year of 1994]. Yogi Berra, one of my favorite baseball player’s and philosophers once said, “You can observe a lot by watching”. We can learn a lot from a leader like Bobby Cox.

Here’s what I observed by watching Bobby;

1-Nice guys make great leaders……Bobby was considered a player’s coach who always “went to bat” for his players. In doing so, he also won the distinction of being tossed out of more games than any other Manager in MLB history. I think it’s a good thing to want to protect your player’s and to want to take the heat and suffer the consequences for having taken that stance. It has been said that “nice guys never win”. Bobby has proven “them” wrong since according to most of his player’s, Bobby was a nice guy. And in being such, he was rewarded by extra effort from those who played for him. His teams benefited and they won.

2- Not everyone wants a boss, but who doesn’t want a coach…….No amount of abuse can make an ordinary employee/player into a terrific performer. Just because you carry the title of boss, doesn’t mean you have to be demeaning and act like you have all the answers to all of the questions. You can ask for and listen to the opinions of others and then make a decision because you have to, because you are the boss, and that’s what bosses must do. But in doing so, you can make a decision that is properly balanced on behalf of all key stakeholders and one that is in the best interest of the team.

3-If you believe in the people you lead, they will believe in you……If your employees are doing their best, always back them and let them know you believe in them. Bobby, in my opinion had one of his best years as Manager in his final year in 2010. After the team suffered several injuries to key players and everyone thought the season would become a total lost, Bobby and his team fought on throughout the season nearly overcoming the impossible to compete for the Division Series title right up until the very end.

4-Extraordinary leadership can inspire ordinary people to do extraordinary things……On paper, Bobby didn’t always have what appeared to be the best team in the division. But their performance on the field left people scratching their heads since they performed beyond everyone’s wildest imagination.

5-If you look for the best in others, you will often find it…..Bobby was a positive person who brought others up, unlike many managers who are negative people who bring others down. He could see the good in most situations. He had remarkable fortitude to succeed and the proper amount of patience in order to see things “play out”. He was a great communicator who was friendly to everyone he came in contact with. And, his door was always open to his players, coaches and anyone else who needed to chat.

If we treat our employees like Bobby Cox treated his players, we too can be a treasure and be remembered as someone special. And be missed, just like him.

WHAT IF STEVE JOBS HAD NEVER EXISTED?

"America lost a genius who will be remembered with Edison and Einstein" said New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg in his tribute to Steve Jobs.

As you know, the 56-year-old founder of Apple died this week. President Obama paid tribute: "Steve was among the greatest of American innovators - brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it." Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg thanked Jobs "for showing that what you build can change the world."

A colleague who worked with him for 17 years picked up that theme: "Try to imagine today's society if Steve didn't exist." What would be different? Technologists have composed a list of his unique contributions:

Making computers accessible to non-technical people with MacIntosh
Reinventing the music industry with iPod and iTunes
Revitalizing animation with Pixar
Reinventing the personal communications industry with iPhone
Changing the way we consume media with iPad
Changing the way software and hardware are sold
Forever altering the language of computer interfaces
Building Apple from nothing into the second-most valuable company in the world.

If he were responsible only for the MacBook, or the iPod, or ITunes, or the iPhone, or the iPad, his death would be global news. That he led in the creation of all five justifies the consensus that Steve Jobs was a true genius.

Reading these tributes sparked this question for me: What if I had never existed? How would the world be different? If I died today, what headlines would the event generate? Have I done anything unique, or significant, or lasting? Have you?

Absolutely. We exist for a reason. God didn't make us because the world needed another human. Our planet is home to 6,966,778,621 people as of this moment; it didn't need one more. I'm not here because we were running short on hoteliers. You and I exist because the Lord of the universe wanted us to exist. We are his unique creation. We possess gifts and capacities which no other person has been given in precisely the same way. We have a calling and purpose which no other person can fulfill.

The world will miss Steve Jobs. One day it will miss us as well. In the meantime, let's run our race well.



Excerpts from the Denison Forum on Truth and Culture by Dr. Jim Denison

SWIMMING NAKED

These are tough times. In spite of its sustained attempts at recovery, the U.S. economy is still struggling. Unemployment remains close to 9.5%. Consumer confidence remains shaken by the continued weakening of housing values which represents much of the wealth accumulation of the middle class.

As for the hotel business, we are trying to get traction and to return to a state of normalcy. The challenge in this recovery is in trying to grow rate. Demand is attempting to come back and, in some markets, we are beginning to get traction with our mid-week business travel patterns. Leisure still remains “iffy” due to the uncertainty of gas prices and continued pressures on spendable income. We are hoping to avoid $4 per gallon gas prices this summer which some areas have already seen for a few weeks in late spring/early summer. We remain hopeful that people will not again “stay-cation” this year but, will instead, venture out and enjoy a much-needed vacation break.

As for Hotel Equities, we have been extremely fortunate. We have managed to stay buoyant and have added 15 new deals so far this year through mid June. Some of those deals are new development projects which we will not see come out of the ground until financing loosens up and the money supply is more plentiful. Construction prices are creeping up as material costs continue to climb. Many of our new deals are third party management assignments as the demand for our award winning management services remains high. During this time of uncertainty, owners and lenders seek quality hotel operators with proven management systems and solutions to help them weather the storm.

I love what Warren Buffet said about what occurs when inexperienced management teams face turbulent times… “ You can tell who is swimming naked when the tide goes out”.

As for the hotel business in particular, all boats float similarly during various tides. In other words, all hotels are impacted by similar economic swings. The reason why we are busier than most companies is, in my opinion, due to a “flight to quality” which we are experiencing in our industry. These times of turbulence and uncertainty have given Hotel Equities an opportunity to excel and be recognized for its award winning approach to operational excellence, while consistently delivering on our commitment to exceed the expectations of our three key stake holders; our guests , our associates and our investors.

To all of our great Hotel Equities’ team members……Thank you for helping us not swim naked.

IT'S A PLANE

As I write this, we are in the midst of celebrating Memorial Day weekend 2011. I can't help but be reflective of the sacrifices of our veterans in order for us to be free. I have come to learn in my life that freedom is not free, in fact it is costly.

As mentioned in an earlier blog, I was the Resident Manager of a 744 all suite hotel in Miami, Florida during an interesting time in our country's history, the late 60's and early 70's. In addition to hosting the major candidates of both the Democratic and Republican party's national conventions in 1972 [see earlier blog entitled "The best room in the house"], and having a red phone on my desk which went straight to the White House [see earlier blog entitled "Answer the phone"], our hotel played a major role in the re-indoctrination process following the release of the U.S. POW's at the end of the Vietnam war.

The "red phone" rang in early March of 1973. The coordinator at the other end asked if I could do our country a favor. Of course I said yes, wouldn't you? He said he was in charge of transporting some American POW's back to the U.S. and that he wanted them to have a period of re-indoctrination back into civilian life before they were released to visit with their families. Since I had recently completed my 6 year military stint in the USMCR, he asked if I could gather some trusted staff and friends to play "host" to the recently released former prisoners of war. He said the assignment would include some engaging conversation, some recreation [golf], and some dining and social event gatherings.

With only a few days notice my staff and I immediately went into "emergency event" mode. For you non hoteliers, that means "do everything you possibly can to avoid a major crisis while pulling off the nearly impossible" mode.

The first night we hosted a cocktail party out at the large pool deck which surrounded our salt water pool [there was a fresh water one as well]. Things appeared to be going well as the former POW's enjoyed specially prepared "light on the alcohol" cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. Then, all of a sudden all heck broke loose as a gigantic 747 airplane filled the sky which had just taken off from Miami airport took a flight path which led it to fly directly over the hotel at a climbing but still lower than usual altitude. As its engines roared overhead, I heard shouts of "it's a plane"! I then couldn't believe my eyes as almost all 22 of our honored guests dropped glasses, plates, food and whatever else they were carrying at the moment and dove under the tables and chairs which surrounded the pool deck.

I was certain that we had thought of everything, the music, the specially prepared food and drinks, the hand-picked guest list, the casual conversation rehearsal, the "private party" atmosphere but not this.

Unbeknownst to us, the former POW's were apparently quite used to this routine and practiced it regularly whenever unidentified aircraft flew over their prison camp. Amidst a few muffled chuckles they gathered themselves. Each wore a rather sheepish and somewhat embarrassed facial expression as everyone tried their best to get things back to a normal, less awkward state.

Well, all of our guests survived. The rest of the evening and the following two days were rather uneventful and our VIP guests left the hotel having had a slight taste of how the world had changed during their time in captivity. Are you thankful for your freedom?

THE DASH

Have you ever visited a cemetery for the sole purpose of reading the tombstones?

You can tell a lot about a person by his or her tombstone. Jim Denison tells about one of his favorites in a recent blog. He read an inscription on a tombstone while he was visiting in New England which said, “I told you I was sick, Elizabeth.” Above a grave in Burlington, Vermont reads these words: “She lived with her husband for fifty years and died in the confident hope of a better life.” Another reads: “Here lies an atheist; all dressed up with no place to go.” And yet another one from Springdale, Ohio reads: “Here lies Jane Smith, wife of Thomas Smith, marble tomb stone cutter. This monument was erected by her husband as a tribute to her memory and as a specimen of his work. Monuments of the same style are $350. For more information call 515-5155”

Christine and I went to Italy for the first time in 2009. While we were there we made an attempt to look into my family heritage. We learned that the records of the town of Isle de Liri, where my grandfather was born and raised, were destroyed in a flood back in the late 1920’s. Since my grandfather and grandmother had come to the U.S. in 1906, their recorded information had been destroyed as well. The young man at the town hall office suggested that we visit the cemetery which was located high above the town in a remote but dry place. We found numerous tombstones bearing my family name. It was an experience which was both emotional and heartwarming.

Have you ever noticed that virtually all tombstones have the year of the person’s birth and the year of their death. Between those dates sits a dash which when you think about it, represents their time here on earth or in essence their life.

One thing we all have in common is the desire to have made an impact during our life. I don’t think anyone cares to leave this place without believing that they had made a difference. Some people are more intentional about that than others, but the fact remains that we all only have a rather short time to make our mark.

People living now have the benefit of modern medicine and as a result are living longer. I read a story recently about a centenarian who was asked about the benefits of living to be a hundred years old. She smiled and said, “There’s very little peer pressure.”

Regardless of your longevity, what’s your dash going to say about you?

MY WORST NIGHTMARE

Did you hear about the thieves who reported themselves to the police? They were trying to break into an office building a few days ago in Cologne, Germany when their elevator became stuck. They couldn’t get out, so they finally used the elevator’s emergency phone to call the authorities. Firemen freed the two men and they were immediately arrested.

I know the feeling. When I was working at my first hotel, a high-rise hotel of 29 stories, I found myself stuck in the elevator on the 25th floor. I remember having to talk myself into remaining calm. Since I was the Assistant Manager [MOD} on call at the time , I didn’t think it would be too cool if I lost my cool. I too was rescued by firemen, but fortunately not arrested.

Have you ever been stuck in an elevator? If so, perhaps you had a similar experience.

I’m not a big fan of all the seemingly frivolous laws that our state and national representatives enact for us to live by but, whoever decided on making it a law to have phones in elevators did good by me.

I sleep pretty well most nights but when I do have a nightmare, it is most often about being stuck in an elevator in a really tall building.

I’m glad hotels don’t have a 13th floor. That would just add to my weirdness about lifts.

THE MIAMI CHAPTER - WHERE AM I GOING?

There are both advantages and disadvantages to living in a hotel, particularly one you manage. The good is that the commute is quite tolerable, in this case an elevator ride. The bad is that you are “available” 24/7.

My wife Christine reminded me one day that I had gone 21 straight days without going out of the hotel. You might ask, how is that possible? While we were based in Miami and with The Sheraton Corporation and we lived in a hotel that was like a small city. The Sheraton Four Ambassadors Hotel contained 744 suites, 7 restaurants, 3 bars, men’s and ladies shops and salons, 2 large ballrooms, a 522 foot lobby [the largest of any hotel in the world], a spa, a yacht club and employed 450 associates. It was easy for me to become distracted for rather long periods of time and caught up in my work as there was plenty of it. We lived in the hotel on the 21st floor of tower two [there were 4 towers] overlooking Biscayne Bay.

In October of 1971, I was still a non-commissioned officer in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve and had been on reserve training all weekend. I had completed my duty around 6pm Sunday night and came home for a late dinner with my wife and two young daughters. I left our suite about 9:30pm to check in with all the various outlets and departments of the hotel. I returned to our suite after completing my nightly rounds around 11:30pm. Christine and the girls were already asleep, so I tried my best to not disturb them while I crawled in to bed. At 12:45 am the phone rang. Christine answered it as usual since it was located on her side of the bed. I knew a phone call couldn’t be good news at that early hour of the morning but when I heard her say, “Oh my God!”, it was confirmed that it was not going to be a fun day.

I leaped from bed and dressed hurriedly. Christine paced nervously as I finished dressing. When I asked her where I was going, she replied, “There has been a shooting in the North Ballroom and several people have been shot”. As I raced to the elevator from our suite, I heard her faint voice say, “Be careful”.

When the elevator cab reached the first floor lobby level, there were already several employees anxiously awaiting my arrival. They filled me in as best they could as I raced towards the ballroom. They had assured me that the police had already been called and were on their way. As I approached the north end of the lobby, I could hear shots still being fired. My adrenaline was racing as all I could think of was, “How dare someone hurt my employees and guests”. And then, I witnessed the bloodiest, most chaotic scene I had ever encountered in my life. I thought I had seen a lot between my Marine Corps training and my years in management of large full-service hotels, but none of that had prepared me for this.

People were screaming and frantically running everywhere. Several had been shot and were slumped over in lobby chairs and sofas either in shock or in pain. I did the only thing I knew to do since I didn’t know exactly what was going on, I yelled at the top of my lungs for everyone to get out of the area and to seek cover. When I ran into the ballroom, I found two of my bartenders curled tightly inside one of the portable bars in a corner of the room. I asked loudly, “What happened”? They said that two men had come in to the ballroom and just started shooting at members of the wedding party. I then saw a very large man who was crawling on the floor on all fours one minute and then leaping abruptly the next, knocking over tables and chairs alike as he lurched up and forward with each effort to stand up. I determined that he had been shot in the back.

As I returned to the lobby, I encountered another man who had been shot in the neck and as I approached him he went running out the front door of the hotel. I watched as he ran down the well lit, elevated and lushly landscaped main entranceway to the hotel. I could hear the sirens getting closer and see the flashing lights now and calculated that the police would surely encounter him as they approached the scene. I remember thinking how surreal this all was and how time seemed to be moving at a slowed pace. I couldn’t wait for the authorities to get there to help the injured and to help me sort out what had happened.

Get there they did, and in full force . There were 10 police cars , 3 fire engines, 4 ambulances and an assortment of other official looking vehicles.

After the police had captured one of the alleged shooters and completed questioning of him as well as numerous members of the wedding party, it was determined that the wedding party had consisted of several members of the “Cuban Mafia”. According to the authorities, they had apparently overstepped their boundaries in to the drug territory of the “Puerto Rican Mafia” and as a result had been targeted for assassination.

Once help had arrived and all of the injured were attended to, I proceeded to assess the physical damages to the hotel. The hotel lobby and ballroom looked like a war zone. There was blood everywhere. Authorities counted 21 bullet holes in the walls of the lobby and ballroom. A total of seven people had been shot, one had died from his wounds.

I remembered that we had a large convention checking in that afternoon and it was now just after 2am. We had a lot of work to do to get the hotel ready for our arriving guests as well as those already in house who would be wanting to go about their business in a few short hours. I asked all of the major department heads to report to work immediately. Our Executive Housekeeper also lived in the hotel and was quickly on the scene. She contacted a contract cleaning company to assist with the work load. The Chief Engineer went into immediate action as well. He played the role of a general contractor as he arranged for dry wall and wall vinyl repairs, painters and an army sized clean-up crew. The goal was clear. We had to turn a major crime scene back into a fully functioning convention hotel in a few short hours.

At approximately 7:30am the army of workers had completed what was nothing short of a miraculous feat. The lobby was pristine clean, the bullet holes were repaired and all wall surfaces were recovered in vinyl and repainted.

What a night! I now knew where I was going. I was headed upstairs for a few hours of much needed sleep.

THE MIAMI CHAPTER - ANSWER THE PHONE

Answer the phone!

One of my pet peeves is to be in a hotel lobby and to hear a phone ringing numerous times. When I was the Resident Manager of the Sheraton Four Ambassadors Hotel in Miami, I used to remind our desk staff that the guest who was standing in front of them could tell if they were busy but the person on the phone couldn’t. After several rings the guest on the phone is left to assume that we are either too busy, poorly trained or just not interested in their business.

As you will recall, Richard Nixon won the Presidential election in 1972. While he was in office, his “Summer White House” was located on Key Biscayne just over the Biscayne Causeway Bridge east of the Sheraton Four Ambassadors Hotel and the city of Miami. Whenever President Nixon visited Key Biscayne, members of the Secret Service, FBI, White House Press Corps and other dignitaries would stay at our hotel. The typical room block request was between 125 and 150 rooms. As you can imagine, it took no small effort to coordinate the arrangement of accommodations for everyone involved. A tremendous behind the scenes coordination effort was put forth by the advance team of the White House as well as the hotel staff. This included the selection of specific highly trained staff members who underwent frequent background checks and screening prior to each official visit.

The coordination of arrangements, some of which included the blocking of parking, meeting and banquet space, special food selection and preparation, pre-blocking of room accommodations and numerous security related issues were time consuming and required intense diligence. In order to help facilitate the process, a specially designated phone was installed in the hotel with a direct line to the White House. The phone sat atop my desk and was the topic of many interesting conversations amongst my staff. Some of them would stand at my door and stare at the phone as if it was an antique Cuckoo Clock about to engage in its mid-day chime. I have to admit that things got pretty exciting around the hotel when that phone rang.

A specially trained and pre-screened staff was designated to service the needs and requests of the foreign Heads of State and other dignitaries. During my four year stint as Resident Manager of the Sheraton Four Ambassadors hotel, we hosted Presidents, Governors, Senators, Congressmen, Kings, Queens, Princes, Foreign Ambassadors, Movie Stars, Rock Stars, Sports Stars, famous singers, entertainers, bands, the Secret Service, the FBI, military officials and other dignitaries from all around the world. It was an “all hands on deck” occurrence whenever “the phone” rang. I’ll never forget those words, “Mr. Cerrone, it’s the White House calling”.

For those of you who are reading this and are in the hotel business, think about this. What other business could you be in that would offer a similar mix of famous and interesting people that we get to host on a daily basis. Wow, just answer the phone!

[The Miami Chapter….to be continued]

THE MIAMI CHAPTER - BEST ROOM IN THE HOUSE

Have you heard the one about the guy who went into a hotel in New York City knowing that it was completely sold-out due to a major city-wide convention? He walked up to the desk clerk and asked if there were any rooms available, to which the clerk said, “Sorry sir, but we are completely sold-out”. The man asked the clerk, “Do you by chance have a Presidential Suite”? The clerk responded by saying, “Why of course sir, every fine hotel in this city has a Presidential Suite”. To which the man responded, “Well young man, I just spoke to the President and he told me he wouldn’t be using his suite tonight and so I’ll take his room’’.

My career in the hotel business has now spanned 40 plus years, seven moves and five states [Boston, Miami, Orlando, New York, Orlando, Shreveport, Atlanta]. It seems like just yesterday that I was driving my 1962 red Volkswagen “beetle” through the snow covered streets of Boston on my way to my first job in the hotel business at the Sheraton Boston Hotel. I started as a mail and information clerk of this 1012 room hotel, about as low as you can get on the totem pole. In hindsight I’m glad I had an opportunity to start at the bottom and “learn my way up the ladder” so to speak.

After completing the Sheraton Management Training Program which was a two year, three property tour of duty, I was promoted to the position of Resident Manager of the Sheraton Four Ambassadors Hotel in Miami, FL. The Four Ambassadors was the flagship Sheraton property at the time. A 744 all-suite hotel with 2 ballrooms, 5 restaurants, 3 bars, two swimming pools, a spa, health club, men’s and woman’s salons, shops, 4 towers of 22 stories each and the longest lobby [522 feet] of any hotel in the world. As Resident Manager, my wife Christine, our two daughters and I lived at the hotel in a suite on the 21st floor overlooking Biscayne Bay. As an aside, there is good and bad about living in a hotel. The good is the commute. The bad is your 24 hour availability to your workplace.

My family and I lived in Miami from 1970 to 1974. Two historic events happened in Miami in 1972. The first was the Miami Dolphins became the first ever [and still only] NFL Football team to go undefeated and then go on to win the Super Bowl. Also in 1972, Miami was the host city for both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions. Because of the size and stature of our hotel, we were the host property for all of the leading Republican and Democratic candidates for President.

Of course, each candidate wanted to stay in the one and only Presidential Suite. Atop each of the four towers were the Presidential, Governor’s, Senatorial and Congressional Suites, in towers one through four respectively. They were each well appointed and of similar size [2 bedrooms]but each had a separate and distinct outstanding view of either the Biscayne Bay or the city skyline of Miami.

I have a public confession to make.

Knowing each of the major candidates’ desire to stay in the Presidential Suite and not wanting to play favorites, I asked my Chief Engineer to have 3 additional Presidential Suite signs made up. For a “hold my breath and cross my fingers” 4 week period of time, we became the only hotel in the world with four Presidential Suites. It certainly was a gamble that could have turned out to be a public relations disaster, but fortunately it paid off and all the candidates left satisfied with their special accommodations, the “best room in the house”.

{The Miami Chapter….to be continued]

WHAT IS IT?

What weighs about the same as a fully loaded Boeing 747, requires 2 acres to park it, costs $10M, takes 10 months to construct and requires roughly 27,000 different things to be placed inside of it before it can take off?

You guessed it, a 100 room new construction Hotel Equities select service hotel.

When we built our first hotel, I was amazed to learn about all of the FF&E [furniture, fixtures and equipment] as well as other operating supplies and material that needed to be purchased and then placed into a new hotel before opening [I admit that I guessed at the number 27,000 but I bet I’m close]. I had managed numerous hotels, but my mind had been on operations of the existing asset and not on the attention to detail that is necessary to develop, construct and then open one.

Our first hotel was the Alpharetta, GA Fairfield Inn and Suites which opened on May 17, 1995. I remember that date well because May 17th is my oldest daughter Rachael’s birthday.

I recall my conversation with the General Contractor about how long it was going to take to build and how many rain days he had built into his assumptions. He said that it would take approximately 10 months to construct and that he had allowed for 29 “rain days” in his projections. We broke ground on July 1, 1994 and it proceeded to rain in Alpharetta for the next 29 days straight.

I thought at first that we had been jinxed, but have since come to learn that we had indeed been blessed. The FFI&S-Alpharetta has been one of Hotel Equities’ most successful hotels in corporate history. In fact, a number of our current Coaches and General Managers received their start with our company or have spent some time working at this great property. With an approximate employee to room count of I to 4 and a far lower than industry standard of management and associate turnover, this property has seen its share of talented hotel people.

Dolly Parton once said, “If you want to see a rainbow, you have to put up with some rain”.

I’m thankful for the rain.

WHAT JUST HAPPENED?

Well it happened again. As hard as I tried to not get caught up in the commercialization of Christmas, I have to admit that I once again did. I don’t have a real good excuse especially since my wife Christine does most of the Christmas shopping. I did do a little better, but it was my goal this past year to be more intentional about enjoying each day leading up to the holiday while focusing on the true meaning of the season. It doesn’t help that the department stores begin advertising Christmas shortly after Halloween.

In 2011 I plan to do better. I’m going to try to focus more on our family traditions. One of which is the placement of the 29 cent star that has sat atop each Christmas tree since Christine and I were first married. Like most young couples we didn’t have a lot of money. I earned 77 cents an hour at my first job as a mail and information clerk at the Sheraton Boston Hotel. If you have been to our home during the holidays, perhaps you have seen the green and silver tin-foil star on top of the tree. Having survived six moves and untold packing and repacking abuses, the star has taken its share of dings. In fact it is now hard to get it to sit straight and so this year in particular it leaned hard right, similar to most of my drives in golf. In spite of its lackluster appearance, the star will be out this year as well, just like it has the past 43.

Another tradition we started a few years ago is the “ tree envelope gift drawing”. Here’s how it goes. Christine and I have six grandchildren, so we take six envelopes and fill them each with a different dollar denomination from one to one hundred. So, one lucky grandchild wins $100 while the others win 50, 20, 10, 5 and 1 respectively. The kids choose numbers from 1 thru 6 out of a hat which determines the order in which they retrieve an envelope. This year our youngest grandson Jake won. You may have heard his shouts of joy. He did a good job of withstanding the harassing chants and offers to trade envelopes from his sister and cousins.

My grandfather used to say, “the older you get , the faster time goes by”. That never used to make sense as a kid, but it sure makes sense now. So, with that thought in mind, why don’t you join me this year in committing to be more intentional about Christmas. I know it seems a long way off but it will be here before you know it. And even faster for some of us, depending on our age.

CHRISTMAS 2010

As 2010 draws to a close amid the
lights of the holiday season,
I would like to acknowledge and thank our associates/teammates,
team leaders, coaches, board members, vendors, franchise partners,
and friends who have helped make Hotel Equities
light shine so brightly throughout this year.

May the beauty
of the holidays inspire
gratitude for yesterday,
joy for today and
hope for the new year to come.

ARE WE THERE YET?

I remember when our kids were young and when we would go on a road trip the typical and consistent question after 2-3 hours into the drive was, “Are we there yet?” Having been in the worst recession of our lifetime for the past two years, that is an appropriate question regarding the condition of our economy.

Most of the economic prognosticators that I respect are saying that this will be a slow steady climb out and not a “hockey stick” type recovery where we go into a steep, steady and sustainable climb out of the recession.

Here’s some good news. For the first time in over two years, Hotel Equities has achieved two consecutive months of double digit year over year revpar growth. Are we out of the recession? I don’t know for certain but that is certainly a strong indicator that things are improving.

Unemployment rates continue to hover around 10%, consumer confidence levels remain low and housing starts are still extremely sluggish, all primary indicators for our industry. However, it does in fact appear that the worst may be behind us. I sure hope so. I am looking forward to year over year numbers remaining in the black and a positive trend turning into a new period of extended growth.

As we go into a new year as well as a new decade in 2011, my hope is that you don’t stop dreaming and that all your dreams inspire you to new personal triumphs.

No, we are not there yet, but I think we are getting closer.

IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT MAKES A GREAT LEADER?

I think a great leader can be defined as a person who has found their purpose in life, does what they do with great passion and helps as many people as possible while in pursuit of their goals.

I forget who said it, but I heard a great line that goes something like this; “Success isn’t defined by how many times you cross the goal line but instead by how many people you carry with you across the goal line.”

Life is a matter of priorities. We should make people a top priority in our life. How many people you carry with you is the truest factor in determining your success as a leader.

WHAT IS THE BEST ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER GIVEN TO A TEAM MEMBER?

The best advice I think I have ever given to a team member was probably, “If you don’t enjoy what you are doing, go do something else”. I am a firm believer that life is too short for you to not be doing something that you like. I have the great pleasure of teaching a “culture class” to all new associates bi-monthly. One of my favorite things about teaching that 2 hour class is when I get to look them in the eye and suggest they leave if they don’t like what they are doing. You should see the look on some of their faces. It is combination of surprise and shock but in the end I see an expression which seems to say, “that makes sense”.

I obviously don’t do it to run people off from our company, but more out of a sense of caring for their well being and wanting team members who care about their job enough to want to do it well.

I usually make the statement just prior to our mid-class break time. I then get the opportunity to invite them back with a statement like, “I guess you like your job well enough to have come back for part two”.

I love my job and therefore have a keen desire to see others share a similar experience. I think it is healthy for us to be occasionally reminded about the brevity of life along with the realization that our choice of workplace is important to our quality of life. This is particularly true in that we spend most of our waking hours at work.

What are you doing with the rest of your life?

TRICK OR TREAT?

As I write this, we are in the midst our first weekend of October, 2010. Finally the heat of the summer is behind us and those 90+ degree sweltering days with high humidity are a thing of the past. Football is now in full swing and my favorite sport is beginning its post season race next week with eight teams in pursuit of the coveted title of being named World Series Champions of major league baseball.

Also, we will soon be buying candy and getting things ready for Halloween. My wife and I have the pleasure of living in a rather large family friendly neighborhood so, I get a chance to dress up and behave like a kid at least once more this year. Another reason I enjoy Halloween so much is because I get to experience the joy of giving out baseball cards to excited little boys [and sometimes girls]. We give the kids the option of getting candy or playing a dice game. If they choose the dice game, they get to roll three dice and get to win the baseball cards which lie on the corresponding square numbering from 3 to 18 [for those of you who have never played or don’t remember dice games, each dice has six sides and each side is numbered one through six]. Of course I place the most expensive, highly coveted baseball cards on numbers 3 and 18, which are the most difficult number combinations to roll [you have to roll either three 1’s or three 6’s]. Almost every year a small child has gone home with a valued baseball card prize in the $40-$50 price range. I wonder how many of them end up in the trash along with some of the candy that parents have to destroy in order to keep their dentist bills in line with their budget.

As for the hotel business, we continue to struggle with our roll of the dice called the economy. Budgeted revenues and room rate growth have been difficult to achieve even though we have begun to see some slight improvement in weekday occupancy. The pundits say that it will be 2012 before we are able to get our room rates back up to 2008 levels and more likely 2014 or 2015 before we are at CPI adjusted room rate levels of that year.

This has been a long tough road. We each have felt the sting of the worst economic downturn in recorded hotel history. However, as we approach the holidays, let’s each be mindful of our blessings and not dwell on the inconveniences of the belt tightening that we have all had to endure. With unemployment at or near 10% and underemployment close to 9%, that combination means that nearly one out of five people are suffering significant lifestyle changes.

Please remember to tell people that Hotel Equities hosts “Life Lessons over Lunch” each Wednesday at noon at our corporate office in Dunwoody, GA. We provide lunch as well as career networking opportunities for all people who are in between work assignments. The career networking portion begins each week at 10:45am and concludes with a complimentary lunch and the showing of a DVD series lesson featuring Andy Stanley, pastor of Northpoint Community Church in Alpharetta, GA. Andy is an excellent communicator who each week delivers a very relevant spiritual message that is typically a blessing to all who attend.

After the difficulties of the past year or two, I don’t know about you but this Halloween I’m going for the treats, I’m tired of all the tricks.

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE ASPECT ABOUT BEING A HEAD COACH?

I get great enjoyment and satisfaction in seeing others do well. As a company we have had nine winners of the Marriott General Manager of the Year award. Most of the winners are not only still with the company, but have advanced their careers and have themselves gone on to become coaches.

Like most people, I get greater joy out of giving a gift than receiving one. One of the most fun parts of my role as Head Coach is when we meet quarterly to celebrate the extraordinary efforts of our managers and associates. To me, they are the true heroes of this company. They go above and beyond to see that our three key stake holders [our guests, our associates and our investors] expectations are being met.

What a thrill it is to be living my dream as Head Coach of this team and to see people growing and reaching their goals as well. It doesn’t get any better in my book.

SHOULD PETE ROSE BE IN THE BASEBALL HALL OF FAME?

Wow! What a controversial question. As a huge baseball fan [Red Sox and Braves……..real die-hard fans have to have both an AL and NL team], I love the purity of the game not the shady side……the sex, drugs and alcohol [and in this case, gambling]. As in just about all sports today, you have to look beyond the human character flaws [and we all have them] and focus on the game itself. There is nothing more exciting in sports than to watch an athlete who has special physical skills and who has an extra level of charisma and energy, compete in a sport which you enjoy watching. Pete Rose was that sort of athlete. In fact, his nickname was “Charlie Hustle”. People would go to games that they otherwise wouldn’t just to watch him play.

He holds the record for the most base hits by a major league player in baseball history [4,256], having broken Ty Cobb’s record of 4,191 hits. Just think of it, only a few great hitters [maybe a handful of players per year] will achieve 200 hits per year. To break the record, Pete Rose had to accomplish that for 20 plus years. He had a lifetime batting average of .303, was Rookie of the Year in 1963, finished in the top 25 in MVP voting 15 times, was the MVP of the National League once, and was an All-Star 17 times during his 24 year career. Wow, what an accomplishment! What a career!

In spite of his unbelievable feats, Pete Rose disgraced the game of baseball by gambling on games in which he had influence on the outcome. Even more importantly [and in light of the fact that we Americans are a very forgiving society, so long as forgiveness is asked for and remorse is shown], he has remained angry and arrogant about his judgment, being banned from baseball for life.

Some of you may be saying, “but what about showing Pete some grace?”. I’m all about grace, in fact I consider myself the benefactor of God’s grace. I read an article recently by Max Lucado who is one of my favorite authors, in which he talked about grace. He made a statement that I think is worth repeating here; “I am never surprised by God’s judgment but stand in awe of his grace”. I wish Pete could read that and grasp the reality of it.

In summary, you cannot deny the outstanding playing ability and on field accomplishments of Pete Rose but, based upon his current attitude towards baseball’s judgment of his actions , I think he should reach the Hall of Fame posthumously.

WHAT WERE YOUR THOUGHTS BEHIND THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE TEAM LEADER PROGRAM?

The Team Leader program was designed and implemented as a means to build leadership depth within Hotel Equities as we grow the company. One of the biggest challenges regarding the growth of a management company is the delicate balance between talent depth and pace of growth. In addition to the pace of growth, other critical factors include geographic location, size, type, and franchise affiliation of the properties that are added to the portfolio.

With this in mind, it was felt that the TL program allowed HE the most cost effective and flexible approach to growth. It has been a policy of HE to promote from within whenever possible and therefore this process allowed talented single unit hotel manager’s an opportunity to experience multi-unit management. I am of the opinion that the transition from single unit to multi unit management is one of the most challenging management paradigm shifts a leader will experience in their hospitality career.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO IN YOUR SPARE TIME?

My favorite thing to do in my spare time is to spend time with family and friends. I especially enjoy watching my grandchildren play sports. I had one of the most enjoyable weeks I have had in a long time last week while watching one of my grandsons play baseball. My 2nd to the oldest grandson Eli is an exceptional baseball player. He was recently honored by being selected to play on a statewide [South Carolina] All-Star team called the Blue Chip Bulls.

The Bulls just finished a week long tournament here in Atlanta sponsored by the East Cobb baseball program in which 192 teams from all across the country competed. The Bulls finished the tournament with a 3-1-1 record tied for first in their bracket. Unfortunately, the one loss they had was to the team they ended up tied with which meant that the other team got to advance and we didn’t. I was so proud of Eli who was the starting SS and lead-off hitter for the Bulls. He batted .451 for the tournament and played errorless ball in the field. I’m hoping he’ll have his own baseball card one day.

OTHER THAN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY AND YOUR BELOVED RED SOX, WHAT IS YOUR REAL PASSION THAT WE MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT?

Teaching. I think if I was not in the hotel business, I would be teaching in some capacity, probably at the college level and, more than likely, in the hospitality arena. I enjoy utilizing my experience and sharing my passion about the hospitality industry with others. I do a fair amount of teaching presently in my Head Coach capacity – just enough to “scratch my itch” in that area. I love it when I’m able to see audiences respond to information or knowledge that they were not aware of, and I particularly enjoy sharing about the history of the hotel business. It is not only one of the oldest professions, but it’s also one of the most interesting and rewarding. We in the hotel business often talk about the fact that once the business “gets in your blood”, it’s hard to get out. I believe the secret to success is finding something you are passionate about and then finding someone who’s willing to pay you to do it. I hope you enjoy this great business as much as I do.

WHO WOULD PLAY FRED CERRONE IN THE MOVIE ABOUT YOUR LIFE?

Matt Damon – First, because he’s from Boston and is a huge Red Sox fan! Secondly, I have enjoyed a number of his movies, including The Bourne Identity series. Not that I picture myself as a James Bond type, however, I have indeed enjoyed an exciting ride by being involved in the hotel business.

IF YOU HAD A CHANCE TO CHANGE ANY LAW OR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

Tort Reform. Because of our litigious society and the prevalence of lawsuits, basically anyone can sue anyone else without worrying about the consequences. I believe that in England, if you sue someone and you lose, you must pay their attorney fees which keeps down the number of frivolous lawsuits. That would be a good change of law that would positively impact our society and make us more prone to want to help each other without the risk of being sued for “doing the right thing.”

WITH THE ECONOMY CHANGING, DO YOU SEE YOURSELF CHANGING HOW YOU MAKE DECISIONS?

The short answer is “yes”. The longer answer is that we are in the midst of the worst economic crisis in the history of our nation. You can’t get around the fact that unemployment is at 10% and, by the way, the real number is probably closer to 20% when you include those who are underemployed. Today, it’s almost impossible to get business loans. The thing that makes this downturn stand out from others that I have experienced in my 40+ years in the business is that all sectors – hotels, office, retail, and apartments (basically the entire real estate sector) have been impacted similarly. I am thankful that the majority of our hotels carry top-tier franchises and that this allows us to weather the storm better than most. You have probably heard the saying, “All boats float during similar tides” and I believe this is true. However, if you have a well-located hotel with a top-notch franchise, you are going to enjoy more buoyancy and, in fact, recover at a faster rate than other hotels affiliated with lesser franchise flags. Our investors are currently under tremendous financial pressure and we must do our best to help them make their debt service payments. Therefore, we have to be sensitive to their needs and the urgency factor therein. Having said that, we as a company have done a great job of preserving jobs for more than 700 people. I personally am focused on growing our business in a manner which will not only save jobs, but provide employment opportunities for others that might not otherwise be able to find gainful employment. The fact that we have identified our three key stakeholders as our guests, associates, and investors has served us well during these difficult times.

GROWING GAINS

This is an exciting time for our company. As we approach our goal of 50 hotels in our portfolio, it is important to remember that we are a company of champions with a storied and distinguished track record.

At Notre Dame, each football player touches a plaque with the inscription “Play like a Champion.” prior to stepping on the field before each game. At HE, we must employ the same dedication and discipline to maintain our edge. I challenge each of you to adopt this type of mentality before stepping onto your workplace in order to continue to perform and be perceived as champions. Our reputation is on the line whenever a guest enters the lobby of a Hotel Equities’ hotel.

We have established an excellent reputation with each of our company’s stakeholders: guests, associates and owners. As we continue in our tradition of excellence, remember, we’re a team and together we can accomplish great things.

WHO IS THE COOLEST PERSON YOU EVER MET AND WHY?

The coolest person I ever met was by a long shot, my grandfather. His name is Alexander [Alex] McKean and he was a janitor at an elementary school for 47 years. He taught me the importance of consistency along with many other things. “Grampy”, as I would call him, was a kind and gentle giant. He knew everyone in his home town of Revere, Massachusetts and everyone knew him or so it seemed to me. As a young boy of 5, my parents became divorced. It was a difficult time for me, not having my Dad living with us and giving me the guidance and direction that a young boy requires in order to “figure out life”.

I used to spend summers with Grampy and he would take me to work at the Pembrook Pines Elementary school in Revere. I would help with odd chores around the school, which was of course closed for the summer except for a few “summer school” classes for those kids that had fallen behind in their studies for one reason or the other. Of course Grampy knew them all by name, both the teachers and the students. I used to wonder how he was able to remember all their names. It would amaze me how their faces would light up when he called their name one by one. All those faces and all those names.

It wasn’t until several years later that I would fully realize the impact he had had on those people.

It was the day of his funeral and as my mother and sister and I drove close to the funeral home. I remember asking my mother about the long line of people that surrounded the funeral home and extended for a block and a half. She said, you’ll see son once we get inside.

I stood amazed in the infamous “receiving line”, as what appeared to be hundreds of people in single file, walked past us, my grandmother, my mother , my sister and me. One after another recounted how much “Alex” had meant to them. Teachers, students, parents, school board members. “He always had a kind word for me” was the most common phrase I heard. Wow, what an impression he made. What a difference he had made in their life. Not only on me, but on nearly everyone he met. A janitor, at an elementary school! He was cool. I miss him to this day.

WHERE IS THE ONE PLACE THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO VISIT THAT YOU HAVE NOT YET BEEN?

I would love to visit Israel. As I write this, we have recently celebrated Easter and I am mindful of the traditions and reality of my Christian faith. I would love to have the opportunity to travel and visit some of the same places Jesus did. It would be an extra special treat to have a guide who could bring the bible to life as we walk the paths where some of the best stories ever told originated.

This past year I had the pleasure of visiting Italy for the first time which is the birthplace of my paternal grandparents. That experience was very moving for me. We found the small town of Isle de Liri which is about 90 miles south of Rome. We met several townsfolk but were unable to complete the trace of our heritage since most of the towns records were destroyed in a major flood which took place in the early 1900’s. The town name which means the land of two rivers is one of the most quaint spots I have ever visited.

In preparing for the trip we did some ancestry research and learned that my grandparents immigrated to this country in 1904. My grandmother was pregnant with my father during the voyage from Italy and my father was named after the ship they sailed on which was the Frederic de Grosse. So, I guess you could say I was named after a floating hotel.

WHERE DID YOU VACATION AS A CHILD?

We lived in Boston, not too far from the beautiful beaches of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, however we used to vacation in Miami Beach each summer. It would take us 4 days by car to get there and 4 days to get back which left us 6 days at the beach. It was my mother’s favorite place and therefore became the family’s destination of choice each year. Each night as we stopped to rest along the way, it was my job to inspect the motel room alongside my mother, before finally selecting where we were going to spend the night. Specifically it was my job to look under the beds for any foreign creatures. I guess that is where I got my first glimpse of what would eventually become my life long career in the hotel business. In a sense, I guess the OA process was born here.

HAVE YOU EVER WOKEN UP ONE DAY AND WISHED YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO GO TO WORK?

I think I can count on two hands the number of days I have dreaded going to work in my 42 years in the hotel business. Most of those happened when I was sick or under the weather so to speak and yet I pushed myself because I had a deadline to meet or a jam packed day that I thought required my involvement.

I am not naïve here in that I understand how rare it is to have been in one industry virtually my whole life and to have had the good fortune to have enjoyed my work so much. I think it was Earle Nightingale, one of my favorite motivational speakers and authors who said, “The key to success in the workplace is to find something you enjoy doing and then find someone who is willing to pay you to do it”. Now that is good advice in my opinion.

WHAT HISTORICAL EVENT HAD THE BIGGEST IMPACT ON YOUR LIFE AND WHY?

My parents were divorced when I was five years old. Back in the 50’s, this was much less common of an event than it is today. I remember my best friend’s mother saying, “He can’t play with you anymore since I learned that your parents were divorced.” Since I did not live with or near my Dad, I only got to see him every other weekend. I remember it was tough not having a father figure around my house to help me “figure life out”. Fortunately for me, my grandfather stepped up and became a very important role model in my life. In addition, my Little League coach became a very influential person in my life. He taught me the fundamentals of the game of baseball and told me I was going to be “alright”. Later on in my life, I found it very rewarding to coach Little League and teach young boys about the wonderful game of baseball which helped encourage me at a time when I needed it the most. I was always on the lookout for the kids who were living with a single mother and who were in need of a word of encouragement.

HOW DO YOU BALANCE YOUR LIFE EACH DAY?

I think we find balance in our lives in three ways.

The first is to find your purpose in life. We each have strengths and weaknesses. We also each have gifts and talents. To find our purpose we must first determine what our gifts and talents are and then we can, from a position of strength, begin to find our purpose.

The second is to have goals in our lives. I feel that goals are an important part of the lives of most every successful person. I don’t think anyone who has ever been successful did so by mistake or by chance. I believe they set targeted goals which helped them make decisions along the way towards their achievements.

And the third is to set priorities for your life. If you fail to set priorities for your own life, you become susceptible to the priorities of others and you may mistakenly end up somewhere you did not intend to be.

I have found that by finding my purpose, setting goals and having priorities in my life, I am able to help keep my life in balance.

Also, I would be remiss if I did not mention the fact that my faith is an important part of my life. It provides me with balance by recognizing that a higher power is in control and not me [thankfully]. The bible says it best, “Man determines his path, but God directs his path” [ Proverbs 16:9 ]