'Every inch of the property is a playground for guest experiences'
Andrew Casperson has been making waves at Coury Hospitality. Here, he shares with Mint Pillow why partner relationship building and championing the guest experience are key to managing independent lifestyle hotels.
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By Jennifer Glatt | Mint Pillow
Rising from executive vice president to COO to president in less than two years, Andrew Casperson has been making waves at Coury Hospitality. Here, he shares with Mint Pillow why partner relationship building and championing the guest experience are key to managing independent lifestyle hotels. -Jennifer Glatt
Choosing a management company means relinquishing all control—true or false, and why?
False. While you do need to trust your management company’s expertise and allow them to spearhead your operations, maximum impact comes when hotel owners and management companies are true collaborators. At Coury, we prioritize building strong relationships with our partners. They trust our approach and ability to deliver operational excellence and exceptional guest experiences and grant us the autonomy to do so, while we trust their vision for the essence of the property and work to bring it to life.
At what point should a hotel owner outsource operations to a management company?
The best time to outsource operations to a management company for a new hotel is in the development phase. Having an expert management team involved from day one is a game-changer for success in the early days, and will set the stage for the long-term growth and profitability of the property. However, it's never too late for an owner to consider outsourcing operations. If an owner of an existing property isn’t seeing the results they should be, or if they feel like they can do more, it’s time to consider a management company. The hospitality industry faces unique challenges that make it very easy to fail if you don’t have expert partners.
How can boutique/independent hotels stand out?
The benefit of independent, lifestyle hotels is that you have more autonomy to create a truly unique property with diverse offerings that stand out, and both understands and speaks to the local community and travelers. At Hotel Vin in Grapevine, Tex., for example, over 50% of our marketing focuses on food and beverage, with 80% of that effort dedicated to our beverage program. Given that 80% of our guests are locals, we’ve tailored our marketing efforts to resonate with the local community, emphasizing the educational and experiential nature of our wine and spirits offerings.
How do you maximize revenue at your managed properties, especially when demand is low?
Today’s traveler craves unique experiences and unforgettable memories. At Coury, two of our most important pillars to maximize revenue are “activating every inch” and leading with F&B. We believe that every inch of the property is a playground for guest experiences. We turn unused storage rooms into hidden speakeasies, host wine dinners and chef-led pasta-making classes, themed pop-up bars, or live music in our restaurants. We also emphasize our F&B programs—we like to say that we are “restaurants with rooms,” rather than hotels with restaurants—with creative beverage menus focused on wine and spirits education and world-class culinary experiences. When the local community is engaged and coming together into a restaurant or a bar inside of a hotel, that’s how we know our execution is on point.
Answers have been edited for brevity and clarity.
Above: The lobby at Hotel Vin. (Courtesy of Coury Hospitality)
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