NEWH - Fall 2014 - 26

Q&A

One-on-one with
Adrienne Pumphrey
Director of sustainable hospitality for the
NEWH Sustainable Hospitality Committee,
and global head of adoba ecotel + suites
Why did you become involved in NEWH?  
I was in a new place in my career after 20 years. My business
partner and I had just started our fi rst management company,
Atmosphere Hospitality Management Services, in tandem
with launching the new adoba ecotel + suites brand. In this
new role as an owner and operator, I felt the experience and
diversification of the NEWH organization would allow me
an opportunity to meet and grow with a new community of
professionals through their various events, tradeshows, and
nationwide chapters.  
  
What has NEWH done for you personally and professionally? 
Professionally it has allowed me to greatly expand my business
and sustainable network and given me an opportunity
to connect with several new business partners that have
assisted with improving our eco-initiatives with the adoba
brand. Additionally, the philanthropic objectives of the
organization to promote scholarship and education in the
interest of the hospitality industry aligned perfectly with our
company values. Personally, I have had the good fortune of
serving on the NEWH Inc. board of directors and that allows
you to experience fi rst hand the operations of an organization
at a high level. Th is is an organization that is driven to stay
fresh and meet the needs of the changing landscape of its
membership. I can't say enough about the current board
members and Inc. office and their professional business acumen.
I believe they have offered me an opportunity to truly develop
new leadership skills and provided me with exposure that I
necessarily would not have gained. 
 
As the director of sustainable hospitality, what do you have
planned for the rest of 2014?
We have a strong marketing calendar to further expose the
NEWH Green Voice Conversations and brand this educational
program to share at a number of new hospitality, design, or
sustainable tradeshows outside of the NEWH community. 
Additionally, thanks to our sustainability vice president,
Dina Belon, we are piloting a sustainability plan with a select
number of chapters in an effort to assist them in reducing their
overall carbon footprint at their chapter meetings, with the
intention to roll the strategy out to the entire organization
in 2015.
 

26 www.newh.org

What is new at adoba?
As the environmental preservation climate continues to
evolve, and eco-awareness grows stronger from generation to
generation, so are we. I am very happy to announce we have
introduced a new name: adoba ecotel + suites, to illustrate and
affi rm our commitment to eco-friendly initiatives. The brand
has also developed a fresh new logo, designed to capture the
attention and interest of the next cohort of eco-responsible
consumers, while maintaining the integrity that we are
known for.
  
How is business?
Business is great. One of the reasons for our success is that
our business model is a huge departure from the traditional
franchise fee model. We designed a pay-for-performance model
for ownership and investment groups, which has been very
successful for us. Another key to our success has been our
technology strategy. We've figured out how to make guests
happy-while providing owners and investors the very same
benefit. Each adoba offers service-centric technology providing
a robust framework of connectivity for guests' various devices.
We put the spotlight on engagement and connectivity to
build loyalty. The brand's technology solutions offer real-time
distribution, placing each hotel on more than 250 booking
shelves, mobile apps, and a global worldwide booking platform. 
  
What is your latest travel highlight?
We recently implemented a Boxed Water program that
eliminates the plastic water bottle from the guestroom. They
have been a huge hit with our customers. However, I had not yet
seen the product anywhere else, and during a recent West Coast
trip I was pleased to see it was part of our meeting setup. It's
fantastic to see that meeting planners are asking for hotels to up
their green quotient.
 
When you aren't working or at an NEWH event, where can
we find you?
Living my mantra that life is about adventures and small
indulgences. So you could fi nd me in my garden on my personal
time, or during summer travels to various cities for business
taking in a major league baseball game. Hot dogs and baseball
hats required.   ❙❘❚
http://www.newh.org
NEWH - Fall 2014

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