LODGING just lately spoke with new AHLA Vice Chair and Marriott Worldwide’s Group President, U.S. and Canada, Liam Brown, who shared his historical past with the affiliation, management finest practices, partnership with AHLA Chair Mitch Patel, and trade outlook.
What initially attracted you to the hospitality trade?
It began one summer season in school once I was supplied a job at an upscale, high-end restaurant. I had been engaged on the eating automobiles of the Irish railway system when the maître-d’ of that restaurant known as my supervisor and mentioned, “Hey, I want man for the summer season.” He employed me, and I went. I ate meals I’d by no means had in my life and realized a ton; he was an awesome instructor. He knew each buyer and each buyer’s preferences. And all people who walked out the door shook his hand and gave him a pleasant tip. So, on the finish of the summer season when he requested what I needed to do with my life, I mentioned, “I need to be you, sir. You’ve obtained an awesome job, and also you do an awesome job.” He replied, ‘You don’t need my job. I left college at 12. I’ve exceeded all my expectations in life. However you,” he continued, “you should go into resort administration. I believe you’ll do properly there.’
And so, I transferred out of College Faculty of Dublin—the place I used to be learning to be a instructor—to review hospitality at Cathal Brugha Avenue, which had a hospitality program with Trinity Faculty Dublin. In 1989, I obtained the chance to come back to the US to work for a small New England resort firm known as Appleton Inns. Six months after I began working for them, they have been acquired by Marriott. Since then, Marriott has given me numerous alternatives to be taught and develop, and I couldn’t be extra grateful.
How and why did you determine to take an energetic position inside the AHLA?
I’ve at all times had a deep appreciation for the associates who do the arduous work of working our lodges each day, and I imagine their contributions are the cornerstone of the hospitality trade. The AHLA is an impressive group that advocates for our trade and highlights its many optimistic features, benefiting folks, company, and house owners alike.
Moreover, I’ve had the immense privilege of witnessing the AHLA’s large work first-hand, since becoming a member of the AHLA Government Committee as a member in 2021 and the AHLA Board of Administrators as secretary/treasurer final yr. I’m so proud to have had a task in supporting the affiliation’s targets of enhancing the visitor expertise, creating extra hospitality jobs, and empowering employers to foster worker coaching and profession development, and I can’t wait to proceed supporting these targets in my new position of vice chair in 2025.
What are your high management finest practices, and the way do you count on they’ll come into play in your new position?
One finest apply I’ve picked up via the years is that any time you’re with an affiliate or colleague, you must ask your self, “What does this particular person want?” That’s adopted by, “How can I give it to her or him to the very best of my means politely and respect?” On the finish of the day, management is straightforward. You simply must assist your folks, make your collective mission identified, and make sure that each group member feels supported and valued. That is what I plan to do as vice chair—uplift my fellow Board of Administrators members in addition to AHLA’s devoted members so we are able to uplift the hospitality trade collectively.
As vice chair, how do you propose to assist Mitch’s mission in 2025?
Mitch and I are a group, and I believe our respective backgrounds as a model govt and proprietor/operator complement each other properly and might be an asset to AHLA and its members. Because the identify of his firm, Imaginative and prescient Hospitality Group, implies, Mitch excels at setting a imaginative and prescient for a corporation and making that imaginative and prescient come true. I sit up for sharing insights and concepts to make sure we’re taking full benefit of each alternative to advertise and shield our trade.
What’s your general outlook on the lodging trade going ahead?
Waiting for 2025, I’m cautiously optimistic that regular progress around the globe and right here in the US will assist continued demand for journey. Certainly, the journey that comes with journey—from exploring a brand new nook of the world to see your favourite artist dwell in live performance to redeeming loyalty factors to expertise an thrilling new property—has confirmed itself to be a permanent precedence for shoppers, which bodes properly for hoteliers in addition to present and potential resort associates.
After all, there are at all times obstacles to fret about. However I strongly imagine that we’re privileged to work in a vibrant and rising trade that gives nice profession alternatives and an avenue for exploration.
