Defining Hospitality

Dan Ryan: Today's guest is someone we've had on the show before. He's a hospitality veteran who has brought his skills to numerous hotels and restaurants. He's an innovator who constantly elevates the companies he works for. He's the president of Remington Hotels, ladies and gentlemen, Chris Green.

Welcome Chris.

Chris Green: It's good to be back. It's good to be the first return guest.

Dan Ryan: Uh, I know, I feel like that's a, a, a very prominent and maybe dubious distinction, um, but joking on the dubious side, it's just so cool to have you back because since we last talked, you were one of the first guests and you brought such great energy and perspective. And you're also one of the few people in our industry who started at the bottom and worked their way all the way to the top.

And now when you were at Chesapeake with 35 hotels, when we spoke last, now you're at Remington, which is 127 hotels. And I don't know, I just, I, the main reason why I wanted to have you back is, has your definition of hospitality changed, number one. But number two, going from 35 to 127 hotels navigating a, a pandemic and now an acquisition.

Like what's exciting you, what's lighting you up? What are, what are the big main differences? Who is the Chris I'm talking to

now?

Chris Green: Yeah, that's, I mean, it's a great question and it has, it's, uh, since we first talked, it's, it's been a lot that's gone on, Dan, you know, going through the pandemic, trying to really kind of keep hold of who we were as the hospitality business as an enterprise, and understanding what we were gonna be coming out the backside.

That was a challenge for sure. And so, you know, you said what is, has your definition of hospitality changed and, and it really hasn't. I mean, hospitality is something that's at our core. I had the chance to speak to our leaders out in Palm Springs a few weeks ago and I finished with Hospitality is not hard.

It's heart and to me, we talk deeply about how it feels to be connected to our industry. And what really matters is that connection with your clients, your guests, your associates. And that comes from here. That doesn't come from head knowledge, right? We we're one of those industries where you can start out working in the kitchen like I did, or working in the, at the front desk and become the CEO of an organization because ultimately I think the biggest need in our business, and I believe this.

And won't change. My belief is that it's, how you relate to others, how present you are, how committed you are, and the time you spend with everybody around you, because that's what hospitality is.

Dan Ryan: Well, I think something that's resonating with me so much, we're on the heels of some really exciting news, and actually, I neglected to update the introduction for you where I said, you're the current president of Remington Hotels. You guys just had some really big news come out that I think ties in to the heart.

So walk us through. The big news and how that ties into your heart and everyone's heart and your organization.

Chris Green: Sure. Well, you, you may or may not know our, our tagline is the place where passionate people thrive. And as we looked with that, the people we have in place, the leadership teams, we have the skill sets, and also the opportunities in the marketplace. Uh, we decided that it made more sense with our, uh, movement now into wellness resorts and hotels with our movement into high-end glamping.

With our exploration into the Caribbean new markets, uh, down in, you know, Caribbean and other areas, that it really made more sense to rebrand the company as Remington Hospitality to really define that all things hospitality are not only welcome but exciting here at Remington.

Dan Ryan: I didn't know that you were getting into the glamping side of things, and I've heard that come up a lot in recent conversations and events that I've gone to. How. Uh, so how do I phrase this? I guess ho hotels. I see like, it's a very siloed experience, right? You're in a hotel, it's a brick and mortar, like totally solid building.

How are you guys taking your idea of hospitality into the glamping world? Tell us a little bit about that. I'm very intrigued.

Chris Green: So it really is bolt-ons to either resorts that may have, uh, you know, uh, a adjoining land that they can use for this. So we're looking at a lot of the markets that have that resort field that have a lot of wide open spaces where that glamping option, think high-end trailers. Um, and access. So you've got, you've got an experience on top of an experience that was already great.

So we're moving into adding experiences to some of our regional resorts and, and it's really, it's an exciting space. Now, I don't think you'll see us, I should never say never, but I don't think you'll see us running campgrounds. But these are additional experiences at a lot of our, you know, our current locations that have additional land use available.

Dan Ryan: Wow. And do you have active projects that you're looking to expand that into or is it one of those you, you're looking at your whole portfolio of 127 hotels? And you're just looking at, okay, who has some suitable space that we can have a different experience of travel or hospitality at?

Chris Green: No, we actually have some projects that we're working on now, so, uh, you'll see some of these coming out in the next, or some announcements, I would imagine in the next nine to 12 months. These, these take a little time because you've gotta make sure you've got the right land, use rights, et cetera. But we are working on 'em now.

It's not just a vision, it's something that's gonna be happening. Yeah,

Dan Ryan: Oh, that's super exciting.

Chris Green: we're excited about it.

Dan Ryan: yeah, and, and so varied and I guess that, you know, going back to that idea of heart, um, and it's not hard, it's heart. One of the things that struck me from round one conversation and you just lit up and just went on and on about it, was this idea of, um, river guide management, right?

So you're navigating. The, the raft of the ship and all of your team paddling in the right directions, making it over rapids. And we just went through some crazy ass rapids,

you know, now, now you've been navigating the complexities of a merger where, you know, I don't know, you know, from, again, 35 properties to 127 and just all the people and the culture like as putting on your, your guide hat.

Like what, what's been the most profound experience of. Bringing all, bringing all these teams and the portfolio and the people and all those hearts together.

Chris Green: I think that's a great question. Uh, and it's been exciting. So you know me, we know each other pretty well, and I like the complexity of things, and I like to work to simplify them so that everybody can understand and we can all be on the same page. But I will say it's, it's way more complex than I had imagined.

So Sloan Dean, who's our ceo, and I met for almost nine months prior to completing the merger. And there was a lot to talk through, but the, the most interesting thing for me, Dan, was that we, you know, we're both in hotel management, we both are running full service upscale hotels. We both had good cultures in place.

We both used similar systems for a lot of things. So you would think it would just come together like peanut butter and jelly, right? Like just go right. Very, very smoothly together. Well, Um, when you bring together two cultures, even if they're thriving cultures, they're different. So to use your illustration from my River Guide discussion, we were trying to get canoes going in one direction on a river that were all going different directions.

Now, those directions were both very successful, but they were different. So, uh, putting different people in the same boat and getting them to paddle the same direction, it, it's been. It's been challenging and exciting, and I think the biggest thing is where you took institutional style management. You know, Remington was always known for, um, managing a lot of institutional reap properties.

Chesapeake managed more high net worth, uh, private individual, uh, small consortia, debt consortias of, of groups of hotels. So it was a different ex owner experience and client experience. So we had to work together. And Sloan's been great about giving me the freedom to really lean in and educate the enterprise on what, what, what's different, what's the same, and how we would get going in the same direction.

And most of it really, Dan has been around. Understanding that the heart, understanding the heart of third party management and understanding the connection that each owner has a different thesis for their asset, and that at our scale we have to know and understand the thesis for those assets and that cuz some owners may want.

All we wanna do is make money. And then other owners may want, all we want is the best service in the business and all, and the others may want the best boutique, the best design. So they're, they can't be managed the same. It's not cookie cutter. It's gotta be an emotional connection to that property and the team that's supporting them.

And then how do we drive that forward for that owner?

Dan Ryan: Um, I've never met Sloan, however, he was recently on a friend of mine, Josiah Mackenzie's Hospitality Daily podcast, and I, Josiah does a really good job. Bringing in people and kind of pulling out ideas. But one of the things that I'm intrigued by, with any kind of merger and acquisition that I've seen, um, from afar is how do you, h h I know you're saying you're dealing with the heart, but with you and Sloan, how do you, d how did you guys kind of come to the table through all the talks and kind of divvy up.

Each teams or each person's, uh, roles and responsibilities. And how do you use your, how have you guys been using your hearts to navigate any of the, the, the bumps that may have come up, uh, going down that river?

Chris Green: Yep. That's a good question. You know, Sloan and I, that's why I said we dated, we spent a lot of time talking about what do you believe about the business? What do you believe about where our business should go? Because those were the foundational things. I mean, I can tell you that our merger was not about economics, and it was not about.

Scale, it was about do these two companies fit together and, and can, you know, Sloan had to ask himself, can I exist with Chris and can Chris exist with Sloan? Because we were, at the time, kind of the, the curators of each of our cultures. Right? And so, you know, there's a little bit of ego around that. And, and what I, in, in most companies, and for us, neither one of us really are ego driven.

So it's like, okay. What was better at Chesapeake? Bring that, what was better at Remington? Bring that. And Sloan has been great about, um, being open to, okay, whatever's better for the enterprise. That's what we're gonna do. And I think that's what's made it easier. You know, the other thing is, and I, I like to kid him.

He's a young ceo. I, he's 41, I believe, and he's very, very forward thinking, very open to new ideas, very open to. A long view and he has really been good to work with. Just cuz he said, you know, listen, this is all short term stuff, like the navigation of integrating the, the challenges that we had maybe in accounting side or some operational integration things.

He looks long view and we know that this is good and we never let the focus come off of the people because ultimately, you know, when you think about. Remington being the place where passionate people thrive, and Chesapeake being the place where you could experience what's possible. Those two really go together.

Well. Our people now that are thriving, are experiencing what's possible in this business. And you can only do that if you truly love hospitality, because otherwise it's just a job and you're not experiencing anything. You're not thriving, you're just existing, and we don't believe in that.

Dan Ryan: Well to to hear. I mean, that's actually pretty profound to hear where people thrive and then merging that with what's possible. The only way you get those two together is really by through people and opening hearts and really listening. And it's really interesting, and I'm actually very surprised that you said that the, the merger was really not about economics and scale.

It was really like after a long dating period, trying to make sure. That this made sense for everyone. And then you would, if I heard you correctly, kind of take the best of each and then kind of put it together in this, not a Frankenstein, but like a, a more, um, A more complete and better version of what you both were individually in the past.

So in doing that, because you make it sound so easy, uh, like what's been the biggest, like the biggest surprise or the, like, the what the most unexpected and heaviest surprise for you throughout this?

Chris Green: Uh, that's a good question. I think the heaviest surprise was really around that we both had such great identities as organizations that I think initially the marketplace was surprised that we came together and. But honestly, I can tell you that what's been the best outcome has been that the market has responded so well. Once they understood what we were doing, that we were coming together to form, in our opinion, the very best third party platform.

One that has, you know, significant scale, significant purchasing power, significant resources, significant experience in both institutional. If you think about it, Remington was 54 years old at the time of the merger, and Chesapeake was 63 years old at the time of the merger. These are old companies that have been in this business a long time, that know what they're doing, know the landscape have been through, you know, how many downturns.

So when we finally, you know, got this thing together, the marketplace responded extremely well, and that's why you see our growth and our future growth potential to be so strong. Uh, the other thing about us is we, we don't have, we have a very low executive to client ratio. You know, we have only 33 clients for our 127 hotels, so Sloan and I personally know and deal with our clients directly.

We want to grow organically with our current client base. We wanna take on new clients so long as they're wanting to be with a manager who's committed to the people, right? There's certain jobs we won't do. Uh, we just, we we're not in it to turn and burn hotels. That's just not something that we do. What we do is we look for long lasting relationships, capital partners that understand that you've got to lean into your people.

Great benefits, great wellness, great culture, and that stuff costs money. But the output of those things is profitability. Hotels that I call that are built to last.

Dan Ryan: Totally. Um, uh, so as you said, you, I'm actually surprised 127 hotels, only 33 clients. And then you use the words organic growth. I recently had a conversation with, I don't know if you know Sarah UTI from Main Street Hospitality. She, one of the things that she was bringing up, and it, it kind of resonates with what you're saying is, and I find this in my own business as well, it's that idea of repeat business.

Like how can you, how can we all. Find more gold in those minds that we've already dug, right? Because in that sense, like to onboard a new, a new client, okay, we all do it and it, it's great, but it's, it's much easier to, if you have those 33 clients and you know, you just all get each other. You get each other's.

Culturally, you're, you know, you're, you're on that same kind of heart, uh, wavelength. And what are some ways that you tap into those recurring partnerships to, to try and like drill more oil where you've already struck it.

Chris Green: We have a great feasibility team and development team at Remington. I think the thing that you have to be doing is thinking about your clients. So you know, we know, like I said, when you only have a small number of clients, you know what it is they want to do, what their business, and they're all different.

Some like urban hotels, someone adaptive reuses. Somewhat high-end boutiques in city central locations. So anytime our development team sees an opportunity that they think could fit, we don't do the, the standard thing in the practices is go out and find a buyer. Like, oh, let's go, let's go. Just check the market and find somebody to buy it, and we'll manage it.

We like to work with our current clients, right? And bring them, especially when we think that there's a, there's a a scenario where Remington will bring tremendous value to the deal. And take it to our clients first. A lot of the deals we do are with current clients. You know, we find an asset, we understand maybe because of our size, what's been going on with that hotel, and then we'll, we'll make an acquisition and then we'll manage it because like you said, the hardest part of third party management is forming that relationship.

You know, our business has gotten severely commoditized over the past 15 years. And, uh, one thing that we were really, really focused on is making sure that we're not a commodity. That we're a partner with our clients. That we, they understand that we have their best interests at heart, and we will put the full weight of Remington's resources behind their investment to make a success for them.

So, and there's some that we shouldn't do, you know, that's the other thing. We don't sit in the, you know, the development meetings and say, okay, here's these 50 hotels. Let's try and get 'em all. I mean, we'll go through and say, Okay. These 30, they don't make sense. We're not good at those kind of hotels. We don't have, you know, presence in that marketplace.

It's, it's really about whether you have to grow for growth's sake or you want to grow strategically. And, and we, Sloan and I both are aligned on strategic smart growth where we can win for the client.

Dan Ryan: No, that, that sits really well with me and I, I love that cuz scaling for the sake of scale. Okay. It has its merits, but. You lose a lot of that connection with your clients, with your guests, with your brands, with everyone that, with all the different stakeholders. Um, if you were to think of a, like a Venn diagram for your clients, the merger, and then kind of what you're seeing out in the future, is there an initiative or a project that kind of sits, that is a real great example of bringing all three of those fields together.

That sits in between all three.

Chris Green: What a great question, Dan. Uh, so this is not a current client, but they were referred by a current current client. So when you think about right, you, you know, that's the best possible thing that can happen is, Hey, we love Remington. We know you're doing this project. And so, uh, we're gonna recommend Remington cause then we think they'd be a great fit.

It makes a lot of things easier. It makes the pitch process easier cuz you've already got kind of some, some credibility with the client. But we've got a a, a project out in California, uh, the Marietta Hot Springs Resort, which is gonna be a wellness retreat that'll be opening the end of this year. Um, beautiful 50 acre.

Uh, wellness and Hot Springs Resort that's gonna have state-of-the-art spa, plunge, tubs, heated tubs, salinity tubs, float pools, just state-of-the-art wellness retreat out in myriad of Springs, California, um, that, that came together. And that's basically taking everything we've talked about. Our, you know, deep dive into who we are as a hospitality organization, world class, uh, beverage and food we call it.

It's gonna be at this resort. The wellness component and then of course our core business of lodging. Right. So, I mean, that's a really exciting project that we expect to be, um, out in the marketplace. The end of this year.

Dan Ryan: I feel like I've heard of everywhere in California, having lived there for so long, I've never heard of Marietta Springs. Where is

that?

Chris Green: Well, you should, you should look it up. It's about an hour and a half outside of, uh, east of Palm Springs.

Dan Ryan: Oh, okay. Wow. So it's out

Chris Green: Yeah,

Dan Ryan: Oh, cool. I'll definitely have to check out, you know, um, I love going to conferences. I know you do too. It's a good way to reconnect with people. But also if you get, there's some really good speakers that bring up some really good ideas and just, they help me think a little bit differently about things and.

I think that this question could tie into the whole idea of that open-hearted hospitality. You, you've referred to so many times, but I've heard you say the idea of talk about wellness so much. I was recently at the Independent Lodging Congress. Um, they had an event in Denver and there was someone who was speaking about wellness versus wellbeing.

How do you. Distinguish between the two or how, like, to me, I always thought it was the same, but like, does it strike you different or does it strike a chord with you? Trying to see how those things split apart of wellness versus wellbeing and kind of how does it tie into our, our whole conversation in your mind.

Chris Green: I, you know, when you, I hadn't thought about it, but when you said it, which is what I like about you, you bring up these concepts, um, when you said it, I think that wellness are the actions. Wellness are the actions that we take as an organization to provide resources, whether that's, uh, we have health challenges every month at Remington.

We have steps, challenges, whatever. This month we're gonna have a sleep challenge coming up, which I can't wait for. I know I'm gonna do poorly at it, but, uh, Um, so, but then I think of wellbeing, Dan as the actual totality of the, the individual, how they are experiencing. Cuz here's the thing, if Chris Green sits in his office and we bring in our, you know, our head of total rewards and some other people in HR and we think it's a great idea.

Great, but you know what, how is the associate that's working in the Hilton, Boston Back Bay experiencing that for their personal wellbeing? Because if it doesn't, if it's not effective, then we're just putting out programs to put out programs, which is a risk of scale, right? The bigger you get, a lot of times you'll start thinking, well, we need a this program or we need to this program and, and really we don't go to the marketplace and to the field and say, is this valuable?

Are you feeling, are you feeling cared for? Do you feel like you have a positive sense of wellbeing because of what's available to you? Or are there things we could do differently? You know, we just came off of our annual, uh, employee, uh, opinion survey, and we had our, a record high score, which if you think about it, the, the strain and stress of the merger, which was a challenge.

Of course

Dan Ryan: actually very surprising.

Chris Green: is. It is surprising, but I think it's a reflection of the fact that. That we had two great cultures. You know, we, people ask me what came together quickly. Culture came together super fast because it's easy to see, you know, uh, passionate people thriving and people experiencing what's possible.

I mean, that's pretty easy to grab onto, right? You can get those two together pretty quick. And then operationally, we came together quickly, Dan, commercially, sales, marketing, revenue management, digital, all those things came together quickly. You know, the rest of the stuff's more the back of the house that took, that was the challenging stuff.

Dan Ryan: You know, it's really surprising to hear you say that cuz again, the mergers and acquisitions that I've seen or read about or you know, had friends go through, culture's, always the last one to come. So it's super surprising to hear you put that on the front end and say that that. That happened with the, with the greatest ease and the fastest.

Chris Green: Well, I brought 34 of my 40 corporate associates from Chesapeake over to Remington, and I can tell you that I queried them. 90 days in, they're like, yeah, this is great. It's just like what we're used to, you know, a little different, a little different terminology, bigger, uh, but it's like what we're used to talking about, making sure that people are thoughtful with their time and thoughtful with their schedules and looking after themselves caring for their health, not just at work but at home.

So they, that was the thing that was most interesting, and I think that's why it's been so successful.

Dan Ryan: And would you, would you attribute this to that dating process between you and Sloan? Cause I know you said you were trying to say, does this work, it's not really about economics or scale, but I'm sure that had something to do with it. But what were some of the, I guess, clarifying questions or kind of probing questions that you would.

Ask each other to get at the meat of whether the cultures would merge. Well, I guess it would be, this is surprisingly easy, but like how did you, how did you put culture first in those, in those dating questions?

Chris Green: Well it started there. Well, two things. One, um, we weren't gonna do a deal with anybody who was after it for purely economic reasons. Right. We cared too much about our clients cuz you know, we talk a lot about the associates and the culture at our company, but our clients also understood what it meant to experience what's possible.

That Right. That we believed as an organization that we could peer out a little bit past the horizon. And we didn't see a wall or the horizon. We saw what's over the horizon. And, and so for our clients, we worked hard to make sure that was the, that was the truth for them. And, and you can sense that, you can feel that.

And so it was important to me. You gotta remember, I'm putting, you know, a 30 plus year career and my word when I shake hands with somebody to do a deal to manage their hotel. I tell them basically, I'm gonna care for this and it's my responsibility. So we were taking all of their hotels and moving them over under the care of someone else.

I had to be pretty sure that it was gonna be a very, very similar experience or else it wasn't gonna work. They, they couldn't go from, You know, a, a close, I would say, you know, personal relationship type, you know, what's that? Relationship, relationship banker type feel to a cold, you know, send your reports here, you'll get your reports in the mail.

That would never have worked for our client base. So we worked on that a lot. And, you know, Sloan was open. It was interesting how much we talked about things like health benefits and. Culture programs and training and development for staff and growth opportunities for staff. And when you think about it that we spent all this time on those things and then we spent a lot less time on, okay, what are the economics of this deal?

Or what about this hotel or the contract links here? We just didn't spend a ton of time on. I'm not saying we weren't careful, but we spent all our time making sure that that, that the, the heart of the two companies. Was beating synonymously, and if it wasn't, we were probably gonna have trouble. For sure. If you think about it, Dan, it's very unlikely that I'm still here if our culture didn't come together. Does that make sense? Because if Sloan and I didn't have kind of lock step on what culture meant. I mean, it'd be very easy to see how that could, those part, and that's what you normally see in mergers, right, is the head person will come from one, come over for a little while, and then all of a sudden they retire.

So, you know, that's not the case here.

Dan Ryan: Or they wanna spend more time with their family.

Chris Green: Yes.

Dan Ryan: Um, so Okay. Coming off. Okay, so you've merged, you've put your heart first. You put culture first. It's the sh the results are showing. Um, and I love also like that actions versus the, the results, right? So the actions were, you did this dating, um, you put culture first.

You've merged, now you're kind of trailblazing into the future. The results would then be, um, Highest employee rating. Cultures are humming. You're like in this really, you've, you've combined and created this really awesome platform. So as you're looking at where you sit right now, and as you're looking forward, what's exciting you the most about what you're, what's, what's out, what's downriver from you?

Chris Green: So that's an easy answer. Well, uh, first of all, I'm really excited about our Caribbean opportunities. I've never done business in the Caribbean. Um, and I've, I've traveled to the Caribbean and I've always said I could, I would love to do business there. So we've got some great opportunities in the Caribbean that I think will come.

To fruition here very soon. Um, I also am excited about the move into wellness resorts and retreats. I love that space. I love the idea of combining hospitality with an experience that's not, not something we're used to. So I. Taking care of yourself, taking a break. I think we learned that through the pandemic, that we've got to reset and recenter, which is why you've seen all these people buying campers and traveling and taking their vacation and working remote, and I think that's just an amazing space to be in.

And also just selfishly, right, I'm pretty far down the road in my career. So what, what excites me is, what excites me is people that I look into our organization that are excited about where Remington is headed. And the people are gonna have opportunities to be the vice president of the Caribbean, or the head of commercial for the Caribbean, or these really cool jobs with an organization that cares for its people and is gonna continue to thrive and continue to grow.

So for me, I can confidently go like I was last week or two weeks ago, I was out in, um, Uh, gosh, where was I in San Francisco and, um, visited a hotel, sorry, San Diego and, uh, the Marriott, San Diego, and I saw the team there and I just got to talk to the team. And you had all these line level associates that they have these goals and hopes.

And when you work for a company where, you know, those hopes are realistic, it just feels good. So for me, as I wind up my career over however many of the next, you know, whatever years, 10 years or so, I can feel confident that I'm someplace where the, the, the people who are following behind have not only the same opportunity I have, but better

Dan Ryan: Hmm. Wow. Okay. So, I mean, and that just fully fits in with everything that we've spoken about in the past, um, where it's, again, it's putting those people first and it's leaving that positive impact. Um, So one of the things I usually ask people when they're on for the first time, again, you're the, you're the, um, you're the first return guest.

It's first round two. Um, usually I'll ask people to go back some earlier time in their life and give them self advice. So I'm not gonna do that with you. What I'm gonna do with you, I want to go back to August to 2021, which is when we spoke in round two and think about, so just put yourself in that spot right now.

August 21. And think about all the things that have changed between when we spoke back then to where you are now. Do you have any advice for yourself based on what you've learned and what you've seen bringing all of these cultures and hearts together?

Chris Green: What a great question. So the first part of that question is really hard. If you think about August of 21, August of 21, if that's when we spoke first, that was when we started talking about the Remington merger. So that was actually the month, August, um, I started talking about it and then we ended up closing in April.

Um, but I, I think if I looked back, I would say you need to pace yourself. Chris, I have this, uh, I have a strong sense of responsibility to my team and to my organization and to the industry. And so I put a lot on my shoulders and you know, you not one person can do it all. Right? And that's a little bit, uh, it's a bad way to be, but I do, it's self-imposed pressure.

And I think the advice I would give myself is to take a, take a breather and, uh, continue to do where your heart leads you. My heart. Because, and that is where you hear me saying, right? I think that, That I'm thankful for everything I've learned. I have unbelievable experience and now it's my job to pour that experience back into the.

Company and the people around me, I think that that's where my value lies now, right? Not, not, you know, can I cut, break down a p and l or can I figure out an operational challenge, which I do on a daily basis, but, but the value lies in using this experience and this, um, gift I've been given over all these years of opportunities to pour back into our organization.

And I wanna light that fire for everybody else because, Here's the thing, and this is so simple for all you operators out there, take note. You can manage numbers and manage numbers and manage numbers, and eventually you'll get your business down to where you can handle it. for me, the, the thing that matters the most is the people, because ultimately the people, when they're cared for and they feel heard, and they feel valued.

Managing numbers becomes unbelievably easy. I can tell you that my last few assignments as a general manager, which is, I'm embarrassed to say, I think my last GM job was around oh seven.

Dan Ryan: Oh, I was gonna say 40 years ago.

Chris Green: yeah, but I mean, that's still 16 years. That's scary. You know, uh, there's a joke that goes around and I, if you don't mind that the, the hotels, one of my senior vice presidents, her name's Lisa. She, we'll be talking about an issue at a hotel, like food cost or whatever. And I, like, I'll say, I don't understand what you're talking about. I mean, chicken breasts cost 81 cents and she'll look at me and smile and say, when was the last time you worked in a hotel, Chris? You know, and, uh, you know, chickens now, whatever per pound.

So it's just, she just chuckles at me cause I still am stuck operationally in 2007. Um, but I think that, I think that that was my, what I was gonna say is my last few hotels. It was the easiest job ever because all I did was focus on people and the, and made sure they were ready to grow and thrive and learn, and the results were just astronomical.

So to all you operators out there, make sure you get it right. People first.

Dan Ryan: I couldn't agree more. Um, well this has just been so fantastic Chris. Um, and thank you for a wonderful and first round two. Um, If people wanted to learn more or, or connect with you or learn more about Remington hospitality, where can they, where, where can they find more?

Chris Green: You can always find us really easily on the web at our new web address, remington hospitality.com, and I'm super easy to find. Hit me up on LinkedIn if you want to connect. I connect with pretty much everybody who reaches out. I wanna, like I said, pour into the hospitality community and our business. I would love to meet you and talk to you, and if I can help you just let me know.

Thanks,

Dan.

Dan Ryan: Wonderful. And thank you again for your time. I know how busy you are and uh, thanks for getting back in that, um, the way back machine back into August of 21 with us and it's kind of cool to hear that that's where. The dating started and then it was the following April that the merger happened. So, um, it's just really exciting to, in some small way, have been a part of that, um, and to see your transformation in the company's transformations and mergers.

So, thank you, thank you, thank

you.

Chris Green: Of course.

Dan Ryan: And I also want to thank our listeners. Without you, we wouldn't get such great guests like Chris back for round two. Um, and if this has changed your idea of hospitality, um, and leading with the heart. Please pass this along. We've, it's all by word of mouth and we appreciate all of you listening and, uh, growing our listener listenership every single week.

So thank you. Thank you. Thank you.