Boutique Design - October 2018 - 76

SG: What WorrieS you?
DB: I'm scared that the industry is going to
be three major hotel chains and that'll be
it. And there won't be enough room for the
entrepreneur to come in and do something
different. We'll have to push much harder. Then
there's the labor shortage. That's frightening
to me, and that's one of the reasons why the
school is successful. It's bringing people into
our industry. On top of all that, this is a hard
industry. You may have a couple of glamorous
days when you're looking after a celebrity, but
the rest of the time it's really, really hard work.

boutiquedesign.com october 2018

DB: i Get aSkeD frequently aBout What
the BiG BranDS are DoinG WronG.

What'S your opinion on that?
SG: I don't think the major hotel companies

are doing anything wrong. There's always
going to be a customer for every type of hotel
experience. If you or I went to an Airbnb or one
of the big flags, we could find a bunch of things
that we felt were subjectively wrong. That's the
real starting point. The fundamental question
is, "Is there an offering in the market that feels
right for me?"
DB: I think there are so many buzzwords
like "local," and what you, said earlier,
"experience." Brands frequently don't
understand what they mean. When we
created the Asbury, it was about crafting a
truly local hotel for Asbury Park. Every single
tiny detail we had planned was about how it
would make our guests feel and how it would
fit into the culture of this amazing little city
by the sea. A lot of the bigger hotels just don't
think in that way. Local is an after-thought.
They design the hotel first, then they'll
have a local brand supplying the coffee, or
something like that. That's okay, but it can go
so much deeper than that. Again, it's not that
they are necessarily doing anything wrong. I
just think they're missing the point. 

8 Low beds, light
floors, open floor
plans and highquality FF&E and
finishes lend a loftlike residential feel to
MADE's guestrooms.

9 Light filled spaces, even in the
bath area, were must-haves
in MADE guestrooms. Mirrors
feature bright LED lights that can
be turned on and off by a switch
on the side to make it easier for
guests to look their best.

leSter ali

enables us to take incredible people with
different backgrounds and develop them as
part of the school.
We're launching five scholarship programs,
which is part of the continuing education
program. Every hotel, every location, will have a
Salt School. We're already seeing the benefits-
primarily by helping people reach their potential, but also giving them the skills to advance.
Turnover among those who participated in the
program is less than five percent. And in an
industry like ours, that's incredible. A great
percentage of these people are now in leadership roles. Some can afford to own a home for
the first time. Others are performing at our new
Asbury Lanes venue. It's pretty amazing.

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Boutique Design - October 2018

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