Jad Shamseddin, COO of Aleph Hospitality, explains why offering support and opportunities to the next generation of industry players is key to keeping hospitality relevant and sustainable in the years to come
By now, we all know that it’s not enough for hotels to offer accommodation only, and that a range of well-appointed rooms and food and beverage outlets will not be enough to keep hotels relevant today, let alone sustain growth into the future.
Most of us in hospitality also know that to safeguard their relevance and existence, hotels need to adopt technological innovation, personalise the guest experience, keep up with global trends and cater to new tech-savvy generations of guests with evolving expectations. But beyond these new standards, how can we ensure that the industry stays relevant into the future? In my humble opinion, what will truly reshape the future of hospitality is the upcoming generations of young hoteliers, entrepreneurs, and startups.
To futureproof the industry, we should be creating empowering and flexible company cultures and structures which attract young team members. We should also be investing in programmes that mentor and nurture startups – from the ideation stage all the way to launching robust business models. By offering entrepreneurial environments that act as a springboard both for individuals and businesses, we can help cultivate new generations brimming with initiatives and innovative solutions for the industry.
A springboard for startups
The hospitality industry is such a competitive space, and honestly a bit scary, for startups. But if we let startups tap into insights from our long-term experience and support the development of their budding businesses, we could be nurturing the entire ecosystem of the industry to the future benefit of us all. It’s a win-win, really. A couple of examples of tangible mentoring actions could be providing physical office space, offering advisory support, giving access to our network of connections, and introducing potential opportunities for investment, seed funding and venture capital.
In my experience with The Innovation Lab, the backing of a dedicated startup programme gives entrepreneurs the confidence and validation to commit to executing their business to its fullest potential. Feedback from our first mentee company, Burnt, an intuitive back-of-house operating software that reimagines how chefs and suppliers work together, confirms that early support is invaluable. Whether this is in the form of regular meetings with senior management to bounce off ideas, support in building financial projections, or by connecting your mentee to key industry professionals, and have them join you at industry events, every action will act as a springboard for their progress.
Entrepreneurial company culture
An entrepreneurial company culture doesn’t suddenly spring into life because management brainstormed some catchy Millennial and Gen-Z values and published these on the website. The values have to be ingrained into all parts of the company, adopted by all team members, and allowed to grow organically.
As part of the senior leadership, I firmly believe that empowerment and flexibility foster an entrepreneurial company culture. Based on values such as innovative, agile, collaborative, authentic, and accessible, team members, both in the office and in our hotel portfolio, are encouraged to take initiatives and come up with ideas on their own. I have found that this empowerment leads to a can-do-attitude where cross-functional teams rally around a project and come up with original solutions.
Keeping an open mind and leading by curiosity enables a better understanding of the values and aspirations of the younger generations. As does open and transparent communication across all levels of a company, promoting confidence, trust, and a sense of belonging. With confidence built through empowerment, our team members get all possible chances to shine and excel publicly at events, speaking opportunities, media interviews etc.
Finally, a down-to-earth and friendly vibe goes a long way in attracting the younger generations. Ours is reflected in our social events, our Friday lunches, our casual office design and even our dress code – at industry events our management team members are the only ones in white sneakers.
Pioneers driven by passion
Environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) is not only a key focus area for hoteliers, but also an opportunity to foster true innovation by engaging younger generations that are actively seeking out workplaces and organisations with a stated purpose of sustainability.
I have seen passion and excitement fuel a corporate sustainability programme across a diverse hotel portfolio. Instead of imposing corporate control, success has come from empowering young team members to take ownership. It’s mind-blowing what can be achieved when you build an internal culture which is self-driven by passion.
Allow me to give you an example. In each hotel in our portfolio, we ask for a volunteer – a Sustainability Pioneer – who is inherently passionate about ESG, and who is committed to raising awareness of these issues. Taking on this responsibility, each pioneer researches and initiates viable solutions at their respective hotel, working closely with the local team to develop and implement best practices.
From corporate side, we teach the pioneers about ESG issues in detail. Armed with knowledge, the pioneers drive the initiatives independently at their hotels, with corporate functioning essentially as a support system only. It has been astonishing to see how these pioneers flourish and take ownership, spurred on by a personal passion as well as pride in seeing their initiatives succeed. The end results have been astounding, to the point that some hotels now have not just a single pioneer but what they themselves have proudly termed: a sustainability army.
In conclusion, staying relevant in the hospitality industry into the future requires a commitment to and an investment in the younger generations. If we mentor and help grow both individuals and businesses at the start of their careers, the long-term ROI will be one of originality and innovation for the industry.
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