The Modern Hotelier #65: The Modern Hotelier & Virtual GM Crossover Hosted by Nick Horgan
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Nick Horgan [00:00:02]:
Hello. I am Nick Horgan, and I'm extremely excited to be here today with truly 4 of the biggest names in hospitality. So 2 of the greatest podcasts in the hospitality industry and even beyond that are the Modern Hotelier and the Virtual GM oh, I'm so sorry. Hold on. I I would never I yeah. Oh, hey, Glenn. Oh, yeah. Oh, no.

Nick Horgan [00:00:29]:
Alright. Fine. Okay. I'd also like to say that No Vacancy is also a very popular podcast that people in the hospitality listen to as well. So just that a little shout out to our friends there. But, really, the people we're excited to be with today, who have actually had me on their podcast before, are the Modern Hotelier and the Virtual GM. So this is the podcast mania combined event where we really are going to bring in 4 of the biggest names in hospitality. So let's get to know each of them a little better.

Nick Horgan [00:01:04]:
Let's start with the person who's a little hard to recognize right now because he used to have hair that was considerably longer than this. But, Steve, if you could just go ahead and introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about you.

Steve Carran [00:01:14]:
Yeah. My name is Steve Caron. I'm the co host and head writer of The Modern Hotelier. A little bit about me, grew up in Wisconsin, lived in DC for 8 years, now I'm in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Nick Horgan [00:01:27]:
Thank you, Steve. And now let's go to the other half of The Modern Hotelier, David Maluli. I had always thought you were the head writer of the Modern Hotelier, but looks like Steve dropped the gauntlet. So let's hear from the

David Millili [00:01:40]:
head writer?

Nick Horgan [00:01:40]:
Not head writer from the Modern Hotelier

David Millili [00:01:43]:
would David Mollillo. I would be host and executive producer, Philly guy who spent a lot of years in New York, who's now out in the desert in Phoenix. And, happy to be here and excited that baseball is going and football is getting closer every day.

Nick Horgan [00:01:59]:
I love that. And now our friends from the virtual GM. Cody, let's start with you.

Cody [00:02:05]:
Hi. I'm I love

Nick Horgan [00:02:14]:
I love that. And now Spencer, the the man with the star behind his name that did it right right from the early days. Let's hear a little from you.

Spencer [00:02:22]:
Yeah. My name is Spencer Halford. Easy to find on LinkedIn. Only person besides Nick with a star in the name, VP of sales for Viber Management and also the CEW chief executive writer of the virtual GM podcast.

Nick Horgan [00:02:37]:
I love that. Hearing these writing credits really is great.

Spencer [00:02:40]:
Shadow trunk, Ken.

Nick Horgan [00:02:41]:
And this is a chance this is a little different than what you'll typically see. So each of the 4 gentlemen that you're seeing here with me, they're all phenomenal hosts and they have a lot of fun putting people in the hot seat. This is a chance right now for them to be in the hot seat. So a little background on what I did for each of you to get ready for this. I actually hired a team of private investigators, so they went through your backgrounds. And so we're gonna

Spencer [00:03:03]:
be bringing

Nick Horgan [00:03:03]:
up some things that and we're all And so, we're gonna be bringing up some things that and what I'll start with is the biggest problem I had with this is, I was hoping to find a good deal of dirt on Spencer, and what I came back with is his background is truly stellar. So do we have any Eagle Scouts among us right here? Anyone that is always prepare look at that, Spencer. So, really

Spencer [00:03:26]:
Here. Here.

Nick Horgan [00:03:29]:
And that is something. When I first met Spencer, I was extremely impressed, and, like, he just always seemed to be ready. And no matter what was happening, he was prepared. And that, and then all of a sudden, we had to start tying all these knots and setting up, and he just pulled out and started on that. So, if you could just we'll talk a lot more about hospitality. But, Spencer, if you could just start with that because that really is impressive and something that takes a huge amount of commitment to see through from the beginning. So, I'd love to just hear a little bit about that.

Spencer [00:04:00]:
Yeah. Scouting was a big part of my childhood. I did an Eagle Scout project that helped save an endangered species of birds in the Northern Utah area around a big reservoir called Strawberry Reservoir, and it it really just gave me a lot of perspective. I love scouting so much that I ended up working for a boy scout camp 3 years after getting my Eagle Scout and was able to help other people along their journey to becoming an Eagle Scout and whatever their ambitions were after in scouting or in life, but really loved it and it set me up for a really awesome prepared life. In fact, I don't think I've talked about scouting for, man, almost a couple years now. So that's you you did a good job digging, Nick. I haven't I haven't whipped that one out in a long time.

Nick Horgan [00:04:45]:
You know what? That's what I like to do, come up with those interesting facts. And thinking of that and interesting facts, if you meet Cody, you'll find he has just an unbelievable personality, extremely bubbly, exactly like most of the other CFOs and accountants that you meet. You know, the personality just seems to be such a good fit. So that's what I like to look at with you. Cody, your background really is interesting too when I look at your journey and how you wound up in hospitality. So I'd I'd really love to hear just a little more about that, how you go from crunching numbers to crunching hotel rooms and and crushing it here in hospitality.

Cody [00:05:21]:
Yeah. You know, we're super lucky, here, in Southern Utah that we've got such a beautiful landscape and this amazing, ecosystem that Zion National Park provides. And so, when I was living in Houston, running my marketing company, and we worked with professional sporting teams like the Houston Astros, and as my wife got pregnant with our second kid, we knew it was time to move back home. And so she had moved earlier so she could, you know, go see the her doctor and have our have our second child here in Saint George, and so I had a contract I had to finish with the Astros. And so I would fly back and forth in between Astros home stands. And, I was out to breakfast with one of my best friends, Breck Dox Dater, and talking about, you know, what I was gonna be doing over the next 6 months and said, you know, I'm here if you got anything you need help with. And they had this awesome website that his dad was such a visionary to purchase called zionnationalparkdot com, and so they have this listing website to create awareness, for all the properties there in Springdale to create longer lengths of stay, let people know there was so much more to do than just visit the park, but they didn't have any businesses that were participating in that. And so being that I had such an extensive background in sales, he asked me to go around all the hotels and restaurants and and, activity locations and retail and get them to advertise on zionnationalpark.com, and that's really what got me started in hospitality, was just going door to door to all the businesses in Springdale.

Cody [00:06:41]:
And then we ended up needing an office for that, and I had started a financial practice and had an office there in that shared space. And he actually overheard me talking to my wife about our personal budget, and she had gone over budget by $5. She was receiving a reprimand, and he realized, like, man, Cody manages his personal finances better than we manage our hotel. And so he asked me to be their CFO of of the Cliff Rose, which is one of the most amazing hotel properties in the world. And so I started that, and then we went through the journey of becoming a part of the Curio collection, and that's where we realized because we were so in office at that time, we didn't even realize we needed a management company and had to have one in order to continue to retain the management of that property, and that's how Vibrant was born, and and that's really the story of how it all started.

Nick Horgan [00:07:26]:
I love that back stories. And and speaking of back stories, David Mullally, you have spent certainly a little bit of time in hospitality. And, you know what? I was just going back and catching some earlier episodes with our friend Anthony Melchiori, and I think I saw one of the Modern Hotelier hosts in one of those episodes. So, maybe if you could tell us a little bit about that, but more importantly, how your journey into hospitality started. Just because I I know you have had such an impressive background. So I'd I'd love to hear more about really how you got into it.

David Millili [00:08:01]:
Yeah. It's always easy when you're an old guy having an impressive background because you've been around a long time, so the fact that you survived. So real quick. You know, first job in Pittsburgh as a union bus boy at the downtown Hyatt. Hotel bug bit me, went to school for hospitality, finished, went to New York, wanted to work in independent Hotelier, just thought that that was the way to go to move up quickly. Then, the Internet happened, and I got the opportunity to join an Internet start up, which led to me then leaving and starting my own first company and on and on. And I won't go into all that. It's it's all on LinkedIn.

David Millili [00:08:36]:
But Anthony is a a dear friend. We both worked. He worked for the Lucerne. I worked at the Belvedere in the late nineties. And, was just one of those guys who network. He had a movie made about his mother where, Alyssa Milano, whatever, played James Caan was in the movie. It's a Lifetime movie. Real tearjerker.

David Millili [00:08:54]:
So he got this idea about doing Hotel Impossible, and the pilot, they threw the kitchen sink, everything. There was team building exercises, and my team in Open Hospitality built a website for them for the the I think it was a Montauk resort. And so I was on camera with Anthony, and the funny thing that he posted on LinkedIn was he wasn't in the room, and they're wiring me up, and they put the mic in my tie because back then, people wore ties. And he comes into the the scene, and he goes, we're in Montauk. You can't be wearing a tie. And he starts grabbing my tie. And I'm, like, frozen because I'm like, I'm I'm gonna ruin his show because he's now ripping the mic out. So, yeah, his his his show and his journey with that is pretty incredible.

David Millili [00:09:37]:
Now he has all stars with the American Hotel Lodging Association. So it is true, though. He he makes fun of it, but I was right there. I was that close to actually getting taking over for him because I might that scene was so well, but, I was just too busy. I turned it down. So I I let him just run with it.

Nick Horgan [00:09:54]:
I love that. That's a great backstory. And now going over to you, Steve. So the first thing I noticed about you when I first met you really was how deep your knowledge of hospitality is and how well you understand it in coming together. That and I still truly can barely notice you sorry, not notice, that's not the right way to put it. Recognize is the word I'm looking for just because you did have the trademark long hair and now you've shifted away from that. So I'll I'll get used to it. And then I see that we also had the exact same brick layer set up to to create our studio with the exact right look and feel.

Nick Horgan [00:10:29]:
So I'm I'm happy that that happened too. So, Steve, if you could just give us a little bit about your background and

Steve Carran [00:10:34]:
Yeah. Absolutely. I just feel bad for David. Talk about being the could have been the host of Hotel Impossible, and now he's stuck with me on a podcast. Like, how the mighty have fallen. I'm sorry. Yeah. A little bit about me, I I actually got into hospitality on the advertising side, where I was working with different vendors, to get in front of Hotelier.

Steve Carran [00:10:53]:
Always been passionate about the technology side. Always been passionate about technology in general. So I ended up looking at the top technology hospitality companies in Washington DC, where I was living, and came across StayinTouch. And that is where I fell in love with not only the hospitality industry, but the independent side of hotels and also the technology behind them. So I worked at Stayin Touch for a few years and had the opportunity to run the US side of a a upcoming startup at the time called StayFlexi. And that's where I met David, where we decided to put the podcast together to really recognize folks in the industry that we see on LinkedIn, but might not know who they are as a person. So that's kind of got the podcast started there. And since then, I have worked at a a few exciting startups, but now we're focusing on the podcast and and having a great time with it.

Nick Horgan [00:11:50]:
Yeah. I love that. And I really have enjoyed listening and watching The Modern Hotelier and the take that you have on that. So I I I really did enjoy that. So thank you for a little bit on starting. So so with that, when you started the podcast, did you have goals for what you wanted to grow it to? Or is it something that you're like, hey, this would be cool. Let's check it out. I'd I'd just love to hear a little bit more about getting it.

Steve Carran [00:12:11]:
I don't think David and I knew what we were getting into. I think we were in Phoenix, Arizona. And, David, feel free to elaborate on this. And we had some ideas. And I think David brought up, oh, we should do a podcast. And at that time, it was just to build awareness for Shoutout Stay Flexi, who who we both were working with. But then it just took on a life of its own. And I think after that 1st year, we really saw the the potential that it could have.

Steve Carran [00:12:37]:
And not only that, but I think David and I were having so much fun doing it. We have just had a blast doing this and not only getting to know each other better, but, you know, the rapport on camera has gotten better. And we have just really enjoyed getting to know different folks in the industry and, you know, really understanding them, getting to know them, understanding what makes them tick, and being able to promote them in the hospitality industry.

Nick Horgan [00:13:03]:
Yeah. I I love that. That really is great. Now I'm gonna kick over to the virtual GM guys, and I am so intrigued by what you've done both with your podcast and the virtual GM concept, which I'd I'd love to spend a little bit of time really hearing more about what you're doing with the virtual GM and and really how the 2 of you got together. So we first met at a BiTech event, and I know many of you listening have been to BiTech events. It really is such a great connection point, and I just was so impressed with both Cody and Spencer and and really the energy and personality they were bringing. And then I started listening to the virtual GM and learning more about what you're doing. So I I'd love to hear from both of you on that if you could just tell a little more about the story.

Spencer [00:13:47]:
Yeah. Well, I can talk about the podcast and then Cody's really the brainchild behind the service virtual GM, so I can let him talk about that. But I joined Viber Management almost by accident. I was looking for a career change and had been working with, Cody and Breck in a partnership. I was facilitating their website development, kind of like, Steve got his start in hospitality technology. That's really where I really got my foot in the door on a couple of websites and reached out to Cody and Breck and told them I was looking for a career change and really kind of was more doing a courtesy of saying I'm going to be leaving the company I was at because I was their point of contact. And they were like, Well, don't do that. You should just come work for us.

Spencer [00:14:29]:
I was like, Well, that sounds great. And same day decision decided to do it, and it was the best decision I ever made. We got started with a tool called entrepreneurial operating systems, which was really getting us all aligned and moving forward. And I was the VP of sales and marketing and we really didn't have any outside marketing for Vibrant Management. Sometimes we'd sponsor a golf tournament or, Breck is the vice president of UTIA or was the VP of UTIA at the time. He's the president of UTIA now, which is the Utah Tourism Industry Association. And so we would make connections based off of referrals, and I I remember googling video conferences because I had ran a podcast before and decided that would be a really good way to to advertise. It's just a really kind of a play on a pun Cody and I always say, but to grow with video.

Spencer [00:15:19]:
And I found one in Vegas that was happening in a month, and Gary Vaynerchuk was gonna be speaking. And so I went into Cody's office and was like, hey, wanna go to this video conference? He's like, no. And I was like, will Gary Vee will be there? And he's like, let me think about it. And I was like, well, what's going to change if if you think about it between today and tomorrow? He's like, nothing. Let's go. I probably told that poorly. But anyways, we go to this video conference and completely changed our lives and our business. Shout out Sean Cannell for putting that on.

Spencer [00:15:52]:
We're actually going here in 2 weeks. Yeah. To his conference again, and we're really excited about it. But on the way home, Cody and I were like, we should do this. Let's let's podcast. And so we would get his cell phone, and if you go on YouTube, you can see, like, we would set up our cell phone in various places. Every corner of my house. Of his house.

Spencer [00:16:11]:
And just, like, we would, like, write down, like, let's do 5 tips on this or 3 ways to or q two ideas, you know, things like that. And we we just go, but I think what made it unique was we're so the group that goes on these side tangents, and we tell the funniest stories. And so really kinda like David said, we had no idea what we were getting into, and it's just turned into this really fun opportunity for us that we're just lucky to be part of.

Nick Horgan [00:16:37]:
That is awesome. I love the backstory on that. So so, Cody, if you could now just spend a little bit of time talking about virtual GM because I I love especially if you talk a little bit about how the fit it is for working moms and that side of it. I just would love to hear more about that.

Cody [00:16:53]:
Yeah. So we started the program called Virtual GM, for a property we've been managing now for 4 years called The Dwellings in La Verkin, Utah, and that ownership group is, like, in the process. So they're gonna hire a manager. It's a 17 room property on the edge of a cliff, really cool. And they're gonna hire, like, a manager and give them one of the units to live in. And I was like, well, what are you gonna what are you gonna pay that manager? And she's like, oh, it's gonna be, you know, probably $60,000 4 years ago, pre inflation. And so they're like, $60,000 and we'll let them live there. I was like, well, gosh, then you're losing your revenue on the unit, plus you're paying this person, and you need another person because they're not gonna work 7 days a week.

Cody [00:17:26]:
And I thought about it. I was like, I think there's a solution here that we could do because it's already set up to have the self entry with the locks and everything. And, like, what if you just let us run it virtually? And that's really where the the the moniker, virtual jam, came in. And so what we found is that there's these amazing moms, stay at home moms, who have this incredible ability to connect with individuals and an incredible work ethic. But because of their their children, they don't have the ability to go and be at some place for 8 hours a day, but they are available through through most of the day. And so we have this incredible team of stay at home moms that run our properties, and and if you're a guest, you would never even necessarily know because we utilize all these different technology pieces to make it very seamless. But if you were to call that same property today, the dwellings, my wife would answer the phone, and she's one of our virtual GMs, and you would never know that she wasn't, you know, exactly a part of the dwellings or that she's not there until she informs you. And so they may be taking a reservation in the pickup line at school or even, like, last night on the way to my son's soccer game.

Cody [00:18:24]:
She got a call and had to move a guest, and they're able to do it all from their phones. And so it's really amazing because there's a huge savings for the property as well as creating this incredible opportunity for all of these women to join the workforce. Like, we just had a conversation with a property in Bend, Oregon. I won't mention them yet because we haven't solidified an agreement, but they had talked to another management company, and they had kinda told them what they needed. And I told them how we would do it, and he said, wow. That saves us about 66% in labor costs by utilizing Virtual Jam versus going with the platform that this other management company had advised. And so amazing opportunity for the right properties that can use it, and, of course, it creates this amazing chance for these stay at home moms to be able to be a part of the workforce and and do something really special and fun.

Nick Horgan [00:19:08]:
That really is great, and I I love that perspective and the support behind it. So speaking of support behind it, David, let's talk a little bit about pickleball with you just as we go into this. I understand that you had some friends with a pretty big pickleball game where you were the champion, and then you had a shot at defending the title. And I just would love to hear, what what's your thought on people bringing their own balls to a pickleball game?

David Millili [00:19:32]:
Yeah. I I was very disappointed. My partner and I, we made it to the semifinals. I was kinda pissing off some people because I was basically saying, if you bring your own paddle, you can't lose to somebody who picks up a house paddle. Like, you just can't do it. So what we were doing is getting ready to play, and we got the couple that was professional gear, professional bags, you know, their own paddles, and and we had been playing with these yellow balls. And all of a sudden, I had it, and I said, oh, she goes, no, no, no, no. The the woman, she goes, we're gonna serve 1st, and we're gonna use this ball.

David Millili [00:20:06]:
And she takes out, like, an color doesn't matter, but it's, like, a neon green ball. Here, I found out later that that she had an outdoor ball and the hosts were were using indoor balls. So they killed us. We it was like a 5. We changed the rules. It was 5 set. So I had to make sure I went around and told everybody, look out, out, you know, look out for these guys. They're they're mixing in their own balls and blah blah blah.

David Millili [00:20:28]:
So it was very disappointing, and, I've already filed an official complaint with the United States of America Pickleball Association. That's pending. So I can't really disclose any more information till we actually go to go to court.

Nick Horgan [00:20:39]:
I did like here's what I really did like about with the personality type because I am truly a those who have been at VITAC with me and seen the

Cody [00:20:46]:
Nick would throw a shit fit if someone changed a a macho ball

Spencer [00:20:49]:
in the middle of a battle.

Nick Horgan [00:20:52]:
However, I will also say I do have to ask this question in defense of people who play was the game indoor or outdoor?

David Millili [00:20:58]:
It was outdoor.

Nick Horgan [00:20:59]:
Well, alright. And they brought an outdoor ball. So I'm gonna have to say that I don't know if you're you're gonna be able to say but if you start the tournament with 1 ball, I do think you maybe need to stick with that. So Yeah. Right.

Spencer [00:21:09]:
I don't know if you

Nick Horgan [00:21:10]:
want me as the expert witness or not. But

David Millili [00:21:12]:
Well, and, again, they were participants. If now if the host said, hey. You know, my mistake. I pulled out the wrong balls. Now I'm putting in the outdoor balls. That's great. But when you go from an indoor, the first time you hit that outdoor ball, it just takes off. And anyway so like I said, I can't speak too much about the case that's pending.

David Millili [00:21:30]:
So we'll, we'll see what the outcome is. I'll do a LinkedIn post once we clear the air. But, Yeah.

Nick Horgan [00:21:35]:
I I think all of the guests are really gonna wanna know that and see exactly what's happening. And that's the part where I think let's shift back to hospitality. So, I'm gonna give you guys a couple minutes, not really, whoever's first, you have about 10 seconds. Think about the best hotel you've ever stayed in, and then I'd like you to talk about that. And the main reason for that is because I'd like you to upset the other 64,998 other hotels that you don't highlight about that. But just thinking about the ones you stayed and virtual GM, guys, it does not have to be a hotel where you are a virtual GM for it. So just, I just love hearing hospitality stories, and it can be a great stay that you had because of the service level, the experience we're with. But I just would love to hear a little on that.

Nick Horgan [00:22:21]:
So we could start with you, Steve.

Steve Carran [00:22:22]:
Yeah. I mean, this is this is so easy for me. I, I had a chance to go to London earlier this year and turned it into a little, a bleisure travel for that that, that hot topic trend to talk about. But, yeah, it got to stay at the Stafford London and, just requested a couple folks on LinkedIn from that property. And it is for those that haven't been, it's a 5 star property right by Buckingham Palace. Absolutely incredible. I walked in. They took my bags, sat me down on a chair with my wife and had a concierge was there, and the front desk.

Steve Carran [00:23:04]:
And, the lady at the front desk, she looks at me, she's checking us in, and she's like, I I have to go in the back room. I'll be back in a minute. Comes out and they're like, hey, we have we've upgraded your room to a suite. And I'm like, well, this is absolutely incredible. I'm excited. So then the front desk person walked me to walked me and my wife to our suite, and we opened up the door and it was it was an apartment. It had 1 bedroom, 2 bath, the whole living room area. And I tell you, these guys went above and beyond at at the Stafford.

Steve Carran [00:23:40]:
I gotta give a shout shout out to Tom Morgan here, one of the concierge there. I walked in and they had our, the modern Hotelier logo on a plate drizzled out in chocolate, and then they had chocolates all along the bottom of it. And they also had a fresh bottle of champagne right next to it. It was the best guest experience I've ever had in my life. And not only was the room gorgeous, they had a restaurant, a bar as well. And after dinner, my wife and I went to the bar and met the bartender who is just absolutely phenomenal. Even, let us come behind the bar, make a few drinks. We took a few pictures with him as well.

Steve Carran [00:24:22]:
But, I mean, it was the most unbelievable experience in a hotel I've ever had. Not only was the guest experience phenomenal, but the facilities, the hotel, the restaurants, the bars were absolutely incredible. So if you're ever in London, go to the Stafford, London and reach out to my guy, Tom Morgan. He is awesome and will set you up well.

Nick Horgan [00:24:43]:
That is awesome. See, it pays to be a a celebrity host of the Modern Hotelier right there, Steve. I don't know

Steve Carran [00:24:49]:
if I'd say a celebrity host, but thank you.

Nick Horgan [00:24:53]:
Spencer, how about you?

Spencer [00:24:55]:
Oh, man. I was really hoping you'd come blast to me. I've seen

Nick Horgan [00:24:59]:
That's why I came to you next. This is the hot seat.

Spencer [00:25:02]:
Well, all of the properties that we manage are amazing.

Nick Horgan [00:25:04]:
Oh, no. Couple alright. Yeah. They're all fantastic and great on that. And then one and Oregon really is so

Spencer [00:25:11]:
yeah. One one thing Eagle scouts learned to do well is politic. So I'm gonna give credit to all of those properties. The one that comes to mind immediately is the Waldorf in Scottsdale. And a lot of it is the the property, but a lot of it is also the memories. But my very first time was part of EOS with Cody and Breck.

Nick Horgan [00:25:31]:
Yeah.

Spencer [00:25:31]:
And I had just just barely met my girlfriend, and we all went down, and we had just the funnest trip. It was so fun. And before that what was the property we stayed at before that?

Cody [00:25:41]:
That was the boulders, which used to be a Waldorf now in Securio.

Nick Horgan [00:25:44]:
So we

Cody [00:25:44]:
just amazing.

Spencer [00:25:45]:
We just left the boulders, which was phenomenal, and I think that trip made that my favorite property. The staff was amazing. My girlfriend eats vegan. I eat vegan now, but at the time, she ate vegan. And they had made this amazing, like, fruit and hummus and veggie platter. They had brought in this bottle of champagne. They would call me just to check-in and see if I wanted anything more. The food was absolutely amazing.

Spencer [00:26:09]:
The property was so perfect. That's the one that comes to mind first. Funny enough, I was gonna say Crockford's in Vegas too. Yeah. I love that property so much. We stayed there overnight probably a month or so ago, and they upgraded us to a one room suite. And they didn't put a modern Hotelier, virtual GM in chocolate for me.

Cody [00:26:27]:
That's like they didn't even know who you were.

Steve Carran [00:26:30]:
You know what?

Spencer [00:26:30]:
You know who else it knows? The hospitality show.

Nick Horgan [00:26:32]:
Yeah. That

Spencer [00:26:33]:
was a rip off. But, anyways, we went to we we went there and stayed in a one room suite. We got an upgrade. Shout out Hilton Aspire card. Yeah. Even though we work in independent hospitality, I

Nick Horgan [00:26:43]:
love that card. Yeah.

Spencer [00:26:44]:
Check my show notes for the my link. You get the bonus. Yeah. 140,000 bonus miles. I get to cover for bonus points. Anyways, I love that property too. It's it's quiet. It's clean.

Spencer [00:26:57]:
It's reserved. It has its own casino. The bar staff is amazing, and you can get the same price drinks in that bar, but it's clean and quiet.

Cody [00:27:05]:
Yeah. That's awesome. Place. Yeah.

Nick Horgan [00:27:07]:
That is really cool. Now, David, I think you stayed in 1 or 2 hotels in your, storied career, so let let's hear a little bit about your

David Millili [00:27:15]:
no champagne, no, cookies or anything. But when I was CEO of Pegasus, the there was a Hilton that was connected to our office. So I spent every time I came in, I stayed at that Hilton. So I'm like, oh, I have all these Hilton miles. My wife and I decided to take our first vacation without the kids, and we went to Puerto Rico. And, you know, we picked the nicest Hilton and we get there and your room's not ready. You can go sit by the pool. So we go sit by the pool, and the pool's empty.

David Millili [00:27:45]:
There's no water in the pool. And in the background, there's, like, a jackhammer going, And I'm like, what the what the hell is going on here? And so the waitress, you know, my wife is from Dominican Republic. She speaks Spanish. She's and my wife's like, I don't know what's going on, but they're gonna be doing construction all week here. I said, what? Says, alright. We go in, get a room, get up into the room. Not that great. And I'm a very quick decision maker.

David Millili [00:28:08]:
So I get on my phone. I'm like, we're checking out. We're going to the Ritz Carlton. So we went to the Ritz Carlton, and again, my wife speaks Spanish. I'm like, just a super nice, like, super nice. So we got the we got a big upgrade, ocean view, big room. And then the kicker was after all that greatness, my wife and I were sitting at the pool bar and I said. Pegasus is sold.

David Millili [00:28:32]:
I've quit my job, so I'm gonna be home a lot more now. And she just looked at me like, you just ruined this vacation, you asshole. So, anyway, so that was it. So it was that was the but it was the greatest That was a great vacation, the staff. You know? Again, it all goes back to being an ex GM. It all it all goes back to no matter how great the food is, how great everything is. You know, if you I'd rather mediocre or a little above average and great service than best food in my life, and that waiter was a, you know, was a jerk or, you know, the front desk didn't treat me right.

Nick Horgan [00:29:05]:
So I love it. And and you do like the the fighter things such as water in the pool with without the jack slimmer? Just just the little things like that seem to make

David Millili [00:29:13]:
a difference. Very, very particular. Like, I like sheets on my bed, you know, things like that, working air conditioning, water in the pool, like you said. Those are the I'm very tough very tough when it comes to that stuff.

Nick Horgan [00:29:25]:
Alright. So in Cody, we're gonna put another rule on you, so you can't bring up the same one. You have to have a trip that you didn't take with Spencer. So it seems like you guys are somewhat inseparable. So this is going to be could be with friends, family, but you know what? Your cohost could not have been there for this specific experience.

Spencer [00:29:42]:
I'm gonna guess.

Cody [00:29:44]:
Okay. Yeah.

Nick Horgan [00:29:44]:
Unless I get a piece, if you're gonna do any kind of shout outs for any credit card companies or anything else, like,

Spencer [00:29:50]:
oh, this cool refreshing drink that

Nick Horgan [00:29:52]:
happens to be feel free to do that, but, all proceeds are shared other than your own. You're out you're able to do Okay. Your own shout outs.

Spencer [00:30:02]:
It's it's one of 2. It's either where you went for your birthday. We took that whole group of friends, you know, that rooftop pool

Nick Horgan [00:30:09]:
Yep.

Spencer [00:30:10]:
Or it's the, Waldorf you went to right on the ocean. We drove through that mountain.

Cody [00:30:15]:
That's the one. Yep. And so my

Nick Horgan [00:30:17]:
Actually, Spencer, if you want, you can actually work Cody like a puppet right here. You can just, like, put him on your knee and knee and so my story is actually kinda similar to, David's. I we

Cody [00:30:25]:
had planned this Mexico trip, my wife and I, no kids, for my birthday anniversary. Our our anniversary of my birthday is only 13 days apart, and we were going to, Hilton in Cabo that we'd never been to before, and I'm messaging, we're all exactly the same.

Nick Horgan [00:30:43]:
So if

Cody [00:30:44]:
you're listening to this, this is how you get upgrades you ask. So I'm, like, messaging the hotel that day, like, what kind of upgrade can you get me? And they're like, we can't. And I was like, well, you can, you know, because, like, you have them. And it's like we're going back and forth, and then they try and sell it to me. And I and so I do the math. I'm like, ma'am, it would have been cheaper for me to just book that suite than the room I got and the Upcharge are trying to sell me. I was like, that doesn't make any sense. Like, I'm a Diamond member.

Cody [00:31:08]:
What are we doing? Like, just let me have the room. And they're like, no. And so I also canceled my booking that day, and I got on to Hilton's website and the Waldorf Pedregal, which is, like, one of the top maybe the top 10 hotel in the world, happened to have, like, an affordable rate because it was, like, the same day. And I was like, holy shit. And so I booked it really quick and told my wife, like, you're never gonna believe where we're going. It's a property that outside of, like, that one unique scenario where everything fell apart the day before we left, that we were able to get to book this property. And, I mean, when you you get there, they pick you up at the airport, you drive they literally you drive through a mountain to get to it, and you're on the other side of the ocean in Cabo. And again, to really the sentiment that everyone had shared, it's all about the people.

Cody [00:31:52]:
I mean, they were so incredible. They knew they were there to celebrate my birthday and anniversary. They repeatedly did, like, unexpected delights, like a a special French toast at breakfast or champagne in the room or just all of these amazing unique amenities, or or excursions that they offered us. I mean, they were just so amazing. And any Waldorf property, really, they they do such a good job of that. But I'll say the thing that stood out the most is we were on the beach one day, and then you know they have, like, those planes that have the things behind them. And so this plane's flying over the ocean, and it says, Waldorf Astoria welcomes virtual GM podcasts to celebrate his birthday. And I was like, wow.

Cody [00:32:27]:
No. I'm just kidding. That didn't happen.

David Millili [00:32:30]:
That would've been great.

Cody [00:32:31]:
Tell us that Steve said that? I was like, how can I one up this guy? That's not real. That that second part never happened.

Nick Horgan [00:32:38]:
That's funny you said that because, actually, the ARIA did put me on the marquee, like, welcoming me to that. They did it actually they did it virtually, and then they sent it over, and it really did make a difference. And that I love that story, Cody. And I actually have to throw a shout out to someone who I know is going to be one of the sponsors of the Modern Hotelier coming up. The scenario you just talked about is the ability to upgrade your room. You canceled that booking and did another one because they weren't willing to upgrade. So I believe Paul Rentilla is from Plus Grade is going to be a guest relatively soon. Hopefully, I'm not stealing anyone's thunder with that.

Nick Horgan [00:33:15]:
And their concept is exactly what you just described. So, that's where I just I love the industry and the space and creative solutions. And who doesn't love an upgrade? So, I think if we talk about PlusGrade, though, we do need to hit Paul up for some sponsorship dollars as part of this. So, Paul, feel free for that to have that part of it, but it really is

Cody [00:33:34]:
something spread out across to everyone just to make sure

Nick Horgan [00:33:36]:
that That's right.

Steve Carran [00:33:37]:
And, well,

Nick Horgan [00:33:37]:
you know what? It can be talked about on the virtual GM as well as part of,

Steve Carran [00:33:41]:
you know

Cody [00:33:41]:
But in all seriousness, like, for the people listening, you know, to the audience, it's like, if you're a hotelier and you have the ability to do it and then stay up, like, do that thing. Do that unexpected delight because you're not sacrificing anything. It's not costing you any additional besides maybe a little longer in housekeeping if it's a bigger room, but do that for the guests because that's what they're going to remember, and that's what keeps ringing them back. And then if you're a a patron of hospitality and you're listening, always ask. You you have no idea what's happened by just simply asking. I've gotten some of the most incredible I've never booked a suite ever, but I stayed in them plenty, and it's because I've always asked. And sometimes you get a room that you're like, I I got no business getting in this room.

Spencer [00:34:20]:
This is the wrong room.

Cody [00:34:21]:
You know what I mean? So just if you're listening and you're going to a property, always, always, always ask and join their programs. Whether it's Hilton or Marriott or a Stash, join the programs, get your status, and then they're always gonna be they should, not always because, of course, of the story I just shared. But oftentimes, they will do what they can to help you out. Just ask.

David Millili [00:34:39]:
Another little trick is not necessarily just hospitality, but when you don't want dessert, but you want dessert, you just basically say, like, hey. I really this is too much, but you guys have, like, a little cookie or something I could get. So I was batting, like, a1000 for I had, like, when I was traveling.

Nick Horgan [00:34:55]:
Because they'll

David Millili [00:34:56]:
bring you out they'll bring you out a cookie for free. They'll bring you out cake. It's like, I'm just I really don't want dessert. I'm just but I'd like a little something sweet. Could I get a cookie or something? Do you have, like and it it trust me. It works. Like, people are like, how is he doing this? Because I'd be with the same, like, people from work, and they're like, this is, like, the 12th time we've gone out this year. And, like, every time it gets free dessert.

David Millili [00:35:15]:
So there's a little first week.

Nick Horgan [00:35:17]:
I actually used to. Every time I flew, I would fly 1st class literally almost every time. And this was before, like, with the loyalty programs and everything else. It used to be those seats would sit empty a lot, and then I would literally just walk up to the there were 2 different ways you could do it. The gate agent, you figure out who's in charge and just say, you know what, I like, I'm excited about this. How's your day? Talk to him for a minute. And then I would just ask, say, you know what? If that seat's gonna be empty, I'd love to be in it. And then I also found out once the door is so who's in control was the gate agent.

Nick Horgan [00:35:48]:
And then as soon as the door was shut, it shifts to whoever's in charge of the flight crew. So it asked that person, and it was crazy how much it worked. And then the airlines got smart about the way they did upgrades and everything else, and it became truly impossible. So maybe I don't want Paul Rintoul to be quite as successful on the upgrades on that side of it, where the hotels are monetizing it, because it is an area where there is a lot of flexibility with the front desk and what they can do. So, the goal of today really was bringing great people together. And that's the part where I really do wanna highlight the 4 of you because you are 4 people that make our industry better. You do it with the way you are, what you bring to the industry and everything else. So I just I am so appreciative of all 4 of you.

Nick Horgan [00:36:37]:
And I know that sounds like a wrap, it's not the actual wrap. We still have a few more minutes. I know people who are super important, like Cody, have that hard stop at Olin, so I wanna make sure he keeps looking at that as as watch. And that it looks like, Cody, you're drinking from a Stanley, but not the one you won in the meme contest. So I I do find that as, like, a missed opportunity right

Spencer [00:36:58]:
there for you. I should have thought of that.

Cody [00:37:00]:
I actually walked out of my office with your Stanley in my hand, and I was like, oh, oops. And I went and put it back on my desk, but I have to have water everywhere I go. So your your Stanley has been upgraded to my office desk, Stanley, and then this this is my podcast Stanley.

Nick Horgan [00:37:14]:
Perfect. Okay. So as long as it's it's going to good use. And we'll also do a shout out to Marci Albert, who was the true winner of the contest in this, just a little background of people on LinkedIn. I I was trying to bring some joy to people, so we did a meme contest, and Marci Albert got the most the most comments. But she's like, I don't want a freaking Stanley. Cody definitely wanted the Stanley. And I will say, he took the time to try and, like, build up the comments and demands on that.

Nick Horgan [00:37:44]:
He did it after the deadline for the contest had completed. So, he got that, and it shows, like, social media can work. But with that, the ability to track your wife down to every $5 she's spending going over, like, you've got that to come. But That's why I'm saying

Spencer [00:38:01]:
my budget to buy one for myself. Funny story. One time, we have a a team group text, and Cody took a video of his house with all the

Nick Horgan [00:38:10]:
candy bugs in it.

Spencer [00:38:12]:
I think Meghan had just bought, like, maybe one more.

Cody [00:38:14]:
She bought a new one. I said, why did you buy that? She goes, well, this keeps things hot. And I said, oh, different than all of these things that keep things hot.

Nick Horgan [00:38:22]:
And it

Spencer [00:38:23]:
was like, I don't remember. It was a lot of steak. There's like a good 40. Yes. You said, wow. My number was 10, but I didn't wanna be rude.

Nick Horgan [00:38:32]:
That's especially funny, Spencer, because Cody told me that he didn't have a Stanley, and he really wanted one. And he Yes. Part of it. It's kind of like the upgrade for the hotel rooms in the park. That's classic.

Cody [00:38:44]:
I I probably used words that implied I didn't have one, but I I'm sure that I didn't say I didn't have one.

Nick Horgan [00:38:49]:
Nick,

Spencer [00:38:49]:
it's your fault for not knowing.

Cody [00:38:51]:
It was probably more like I could really use the Stanley. See, that would imply that I don't have one.

Spencer [00:38:55]:
You didn't have one first question.

Cody [00:38:56]:
I didn't say that I had it.

Nick Horgan [00:38:58]:
So All these are all Just like the private investigator team that I hired to look into all of you before this, you know what? I will be going back through the records in that. So now that I have so I did talk to each of you, your middle school ex girlfriends, and we have them here. So they're gonna be joining us in the next no. Not that. Let's let's let's go with David. Something else about the hospitality industry that most people don't know. That's what I'd love to hear from you.

David Millili [00:39:27]:
I think what they don't know is it's it's, for people who have never been in hospitality, I don't think they understand how hard it is and how hard it is to get things right and that when you open a hotel, you throw away the key. I mean, people would when I ran hotels and lived on property, they were so like, oh my god. You get to live on property at a hotel in New York City. And it's like, yeah. Once I did that, I wanted to get the hell out of doing that because you had no life. So I think people don't realize how hard it is and how many moving pieces. I was very fortunate when I launched my first tech company, having been a GM and dealing with housekeeping and maintenance and front desk and reservations, finance, you know, sales and marketing, it gave me the tools to be able to do that. And so I think a lot of people just think, you know, it's easy, and they think everything's connected.

David Millili [00:40:17]:
Outsiders think, you know, you make a booking here. It's all connected. Everything's seamless. And when you look when you, look behind the covers, it's a pretty, pretty, interesting field. But, yeah, that that's the one thing I don't think people realize how hard it really is, whether it be tech or being on property.

Nick Horgan [00:40:33]:
Yeah. That is a really good way to to to think about it. And, Steve, how about you? Any anything that you could also think of that

Steve Carran [00:40:41]:
Yeah. You know, one thing that I love about hospitality, and, actually Rachel Humphrey brought it up on a recent conversation, is it's it's an industry. It's not a career. You can do anything you want in hospitality. If you're in sales, you're in marketing, You know, you're in operations. You're in finance. You can find any of those jobs in hospitality. And I think that's one of the most unique things about this industry is, you know, if you love people, if you enjoy talking to people, which all of us obviously do here, we have our podcast or hosting hosting a podcast, But if you have a love of people, this is such a great industry to be in because that's all it is.

Steve Carran [00:41:23]:
It's making people happy. It's making people's day, but you can really do any job you want in this industry. So Rachel Humphrey said that, and it just really clicked to me. And it was such a cool statement that I never really thought of before. But, yeah, it's such a great industry. And if you love people, check it out.

Nick Horgan [00:41:39]:
Yeah. I love that. And and, Spencer and Cody, since I have learned so far in this, you guys like answering questions together. So I'm gonna throw it out to both of you together. Or if Spencer would like to say, tell us what do we think? Like, I'd like that as far as the kickoff, but so we'll we'll send it to both of you together.

Spencer [00:41:58]:
Okay. Go ahead.

Cody [00:42:02]:
Okay. I'll go. I think the coolest thing about hospitality, being so new to it and and being and joining it later in my career, it's it's kinda a similar sentiment to to what Steve said, is that there's so much opportunity, but also I think that more so than any other industry, there's scalability for an individual. Like, I feel like so many GMs or presidents or or leaders of whatever they're in started at the be at the bottom of whatever that company is. Right? Like so many GMs were housekeepers or and then they became front desk and then front desk managers, and you can really work your way through hospitality at a more accelerated rate and with more opportunity, I believe, than any other industry I've ever been a part of. And I think us being on this podcast is an example of that because, Steve and David, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you guys are around, like, between 50 60 episodes, I think. And that's about where we are, too. So it's like you talk about, like, the impact we're making in hospitality and and being thought leaders, but when you when you zoom out, it's like that only represents a year.

Cody [00:43:04]:
So it's like that's not a long period of time. If you tried to go be a thought leader in another industry, I don't think you could crack that that bell in in in 50 or 60 episodes, but hospitality is so fast moving, and there's so many places you can find yourself in it that I think it provides more opportunity than any other industry that exists.

Nick Horgan [00:43:22]:
I I think you said that extremely well, so let's just if you wanna add anything to that, Spencer.

David Millili [00:43:28]:
Nope. Hi, Will.

Nick Horgan [00:43:30]:
Now, as mentioned, this you really do each host 2 of the very best podcasts in all of hospitality. So, any of you that are not listening to the other ones, so you may be a fan of the virtual GM that you haven't yet discovered Modern Hotelier, or you could be a Modern Hotelier listener that hasn't started listening to the virtual GM. You really are missing out by not learning from all of these and the fantastic guests that you both have on the show. So, if you could each just describe how people can find you, so you personally as well as your your podcasts and and your companies, that'd be great. We can start with you, Steve.

Steve Carran [00:44:08]:
Yeah. Pretty easy to find. Steve Caron on on LinkedIn. Otherwise, head over to The Modern Hotelier on LinkedIn. We're pretty engaged there. Otherwise, go to themodernhotelier.com Hotelier you can find us.

Nick Horgan [00:44:22]:
Perfect. And, David, so we know how to find the Modern Hotelier. How would one go about finding you?

David Millili [00:44:27]:
Yeah. Look me up on LinkedIn. I usually check-in on LinkedIn for maybe, like, 5 minutes a day. That's about it. Not not anything longer. No. I'm on there too much, actually. I actually, you know, probably use it too much, but LinkedIn is really the best best place to connect with me.

Nick Horgan [00:44:43]:
Perfect. And Spencer?

Spencer [00:44:45]:
Yeah. LinkedIn as well. Spencer Halford. I'm the only one with a star. And, you can also email me, spencer@vibrantteam.com.

Nick Horgan [00:44:53]:
Thank you. And, Cody.

Cody [00:44:56]:
For the podcast, obviously, you can just search virtual GM. If you wanna find me and be bothered with a bunch of videos, you can just Google my name, Cody Adent, c o d y a d e n t, and you'll find me.

Nick Horgan [00:45:06]:
Perfect. So thank you all so much for for being here as part of this, and I really do appreciate. And even more so, I appreciate all of the fantastic leadership each of you have brought to the industry. And and, really, I enjoyed this, and and thank you so much.

Cody [00:45:22]:
Well and let's not let, this episode end without giving props to Nick. Right? He is the ultimate connector in hospitality. Nick does a better job with anyone I've ever met, lifting you up and introducing you and bringing you into his circle. Everyone needs a Nick in their lives, and and I'm sure I I can speak for everyone when I say we just appreciate everything you do, Nick. And thanks for bringing us together and

Spencer [00:45:42]:
Yeah.

Cody [00:45:42]:
Letting us be exposed to the Modern Hotelier audience and exposing them to our audience. It's just such a such a treat and such a pleasure, and we're so thankful for your friendship.

David Millili [00:45:50]:
Nick, you're great, but I have the breaking news. I don't know if you guys know this, but during the podcast, Nick has actually added a second star to his name. So it's I don't know how he did it because he seemed like he was very engaged with the the conversation, but he now has 2 on his so it's a

Nick Horgan [00:46:07]:
so Actually, I'm glad you got this. So the funny story about that, So the star of my name in LinkedIn, that is what I'll say. Spencer is the person who was the inspiration for that. He would tell me how to do it. So, I went through, reached out to the CEO, he's linked to everything else. I did it as a joke and messaged him. And then a funny thing happened afterwards. Like, while it was there, I realized my response rate went up, and, like, more was actually I was like, oh, alright.

Nick Horgan [00:46:32]:
So, truly, thank you for that part, Spencer, but it's not going away.

Spencer [00:46:36]:
Happy to help. You bet.

Nick Horgan [00:46:38]:
Again, thank you all. Really great to be here, and and thank you all so much for the kind words too.

David Millili [00:46:43]:
Thanks, guys.

Steve Carran [00:46:44]:
Thank you, Nick.

Spencer [00:46:45]:
Thanks, guys. Thanks, Modern Hotelier, guys.

Steve Carran [00:46:47]:
See you. Thank you. Thank you. You made it to the end of the Modern Hotellier. Thanks for listening. The Modern Hotelier is produced by Make More Media. Make sure to like and subscribe if you're listening on YouTube or subscribe wherever you get your podcast. If you know a guest or sponsor that would be a good fit, feel free to email us at hello at the modern hotelier.com.

Steve Carran [00:47:10]:
If you'd like to get some modern hotelier merch, click the merch button on modernhotelier.com or click the link below. Thanks and have a great day.