He Spent 20 Years in the Army. Now He Runs One of the World’s Largest Hotel Companies

0:00I'm Larry Cuculic, and you're listening to Sweet Success.

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0:38Hello, everyone, and welcome back to another episode of Sweet Success. I'm your host, Katie Klein, and today I'm thrilled to welcome Larry Kukulik to the show. Larry is the president and CEO of BWH Hotels, the parent company of brands such as Best Western Hotels and Resorts, Sure Stay Hotels, and World Hotels. With more than 4 ,000 properties spanning 18 brands across 100 countries and territories, Larry leads one of the largest and most recognized hotel organizations in the world. Prior to his current role, Larry was the company's SVP general counsel. He received his JD from Notre Dame Law School and his bachelor's from the U.S.

1:19Military Academy at West Point. He's also licensed to practice law in the Supreme Court of the United States of America. Larry, thank you so much for joining us today. It's my absolute privilege. Thank you. So from West Point to law school to hospitality, you have to tell me a bit about your background. Well, I grew up in Indiana and was very fortunate to go to the United States Military Academy at West Point. I served in Europe as my initial tour and was selected for a program called the Funded Legal Education Program where the U.S. Army sent me to law school. And being from Indiana, it was, I think, it made sense for me to go back to Indiana for law school.

2:03and upon graduation from law school, served as a Judge Advocate General Corps officer in the Army until I retired at 20 years of service. Wow. What is a Judge Advocate General Corps? Well, think of a lawyer serving in the Army, and it's in various roles and capacities. I was a prosecutor. I provided legal advice to the commander, Special Operations Command. I was stationed at McGill Air Force Base. And then I served ultimately as a military judge presiding over courts marshals. So it's a lawyer serving, I'll call it, for the purposes of providing legal services throughout the U.S. Army. Okay. And so is this for almost legal incidents that happen within the Army, or is it for people who are in the Army having legal issues outside of the Army, or a bit of both?

3:05Yeah, it's not just both. I'll just give you an idea. At one point, I was the deputy staff judge advocate at Fort McClellan Air Force Base. We had a department that provided legal advice and services to U.S. soldiers. Like if they had a leaked dispute, if a contract dispute, we would provide legal advice. We had administrative law section that managed the contracts for the operations of that military base. We had military justice section that was responsible for, I call it the peace and order of that base. if soldiers got into trouble, we would go into courts marshals and prosecute them for their bad acts.

3:56So it was a variety. We provide a variety of legal services to the military service members, as well as, I'll call it the base operations itself. I was very fortunate to have a career that allowed me to practice law that really kind of ran the gamut of legal issues. And I mean, to do that role, to do it for 20 years till you actually retired from the Army, that is a lifetime of a career to some people. And now to look what you've done since then is almost a whole other lifetime of a career for someone. Was there any moment after leaving the Army that you just thought, I'm done? I want to relax a little bit?

4:44Or it was right away you knew you wanted to shift a lot of what you learned in the Army into the private sector? Yeah, I was very fortunate that most of my military career, I was involved in litigation matters. Again, I served as a prosecutor. I taught military law at the advanced law level, the LLM level, and then was a military judge. So I had a litigation background and experience. And part of the reason I retired was I was going to be asked to move again, and my son would have gone to three high schools. And I just didn't think that was fair for him, ask him to do that, as he was really establishing himself as a young man.

5:31And so I probed and found a law firm that was looking for a litigator. back in Indiana, Lafayette, Indiana. And oftentimes I look back and say, I could have stayed in the military judiciary for a period of time, but it worked out well. My son did very well in high school, ended up going to the Air Force Academy, and he's a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force now, C-130 pilot. And so, you know, whatever you do in terms of your professional career, I think you have to have a balance of what's not just your best interest professionally, but your family. Your families are very important. I love to hear you say that, too, because on paper, you have such a successful career, both the time in the military and now.

6:27And to almost hear that this chapter of success came out of making a decision that was really with your family's interest at heart, I think is important for people to hear when oftentimes the media tries to spin a narrative of you have to pick one or the other. You really don't. It has to be a balance. And even now, I'm very fortunate. I have a loving spouse who understands when I took this job, my commitment to this job, and she is tremendously supportive of me in this role, understanding I travel a lot and I'm focused on this organization. And so it's a balance, not just of what I do, but of the loving support of my family.

7:14Absolutely. Your military service earned numerous honors as well. You had the Legion of Merit and three meritorious service medals. Looking back on what you did to earn those medals, but also just your entire time with the Army, what are those leadership lessons that you still rely on today as CEO? I think the first one is the military academy really instilled in me discipline, personal and professional discipline. Part of that is accountability. You learn that you as well as others are responsible for your actions and accountable for the success of what you accomplish or don't and you own it.

8:05And I think accountability is another one. Trusting your people, your teammates is also very important. You have to have that culture of responsibility amongst everyone. And you have to let them know that you care about them and you want them to succeed. Those are, I think, important lessons that I learned at the academy as well as my time in the military. I had some tremendous mentors when I was serving in the military. And I look back on them and try to incorporate into how I conduct myself, how they did. I think when I look on paper, seeing a role in the Army and a role in hospitality seem probably really worlds apart.

8:54But I imagine there are a lot of similarities within those spaces, too. Do you think that there are, or is it like what I used to do and what I do today couldn't be more different? I think there's tremendous overlap in them, and that's with regard to taking care of people. And that you have to understand and appreciate. No matter what you do, you're impacting someone's life, even if it's at a hotel. Those experiences mean so very much to people. And there's that, I'll call it, common interest of taking care of others. And that is a base leadership principle. And it applies tremendously to hospitality.

9:44When anyone enters into one of our hotels, I want them to feel like we're going to take care of them. We care about them. And we're gracious hosts. And you had mentioned that when you left the Army, it was really motivated by not having to move your family around much more and kind of being able to stay in one place for a moment. And that's what drew you into more private sector law practice. What was it then that pulled you into hospitality? I was practicing primarily transportation law. And one really before I came here, it was a company that actually manufactured a commodity. and I understand the importance of that but I was more driven to this concept of of taking care of others and it seemed to fit me better and what really seemed to fit me better was the BWH hotels membership model that our our mission is the success of our hotels we don't have shareholders.

10:55I appreciated the concept of we're actually one large team of 4 ,300 hotels. And what happens if one impacts really the goodwill and reputation of our brand. And so this concept of taking care of others and being unified in the singular purpose is what really appealed to me. I seem to relate well in this environment, I'll call it this membership environment, where you can have personal relationships with our botelliers. I'm really fortunate. I've been with Best Western, I think, 17 years. Wow. And so many of our members I now have personal relationships with. I've talked about how I know their children.

11:47I was at the AHOA conference recently, and I met grandchildren because I knew the parents. I knew the children. That's pretty amazing. That's really cool. To be able to have those kinds of relationships. That's what's great about this organization, I think, and why I don't know. There's this concept of my responsibility because I know them so well. It feels more personal in that case as opposed to just numbers on a spreadsheet. It really does. To me, it's very personal. And when you have that feeling of having that relationship, I think you're even more driven for them to succeed. You know what I mean?

12:36It's like I really feel a commitment to them to not let them down. I often, you know, sometimes I talk about the athletics too much because I'm an athlete by nature. That's how I was able to go to West Point was athletics. And that concept of not letting your teammates down is very important to me. What did you play at West Point? I was actually recruited to run cross country and track. Wow. And I did that for the first year, year and a half, but I also played basketball there. My sophomore year, Coach Mike Krzyzewski, I don't know if you've heard of Coach K, he coached at Duke. Not that I was responsible for his true success, but he became the head coach of the basketball team my sophomore year.

13:34And it became clear to me that I really couldn't do three sports, like cross country in the fall, basketball in the winter, and then track in the summer. My weight had to fluctuate so drastically between types of sports. And I chose basketball because I love the team concept more than being a miler. You're still a member of a track team, but it's more individual performance. I seem to relate more to basketball. And I learned so very, very much from Coach K. I learned about dedication, preparation, knowing your role. I wasn't a really good basketball player, but he told me to defend and rebound.

14:21And he said, leave the scoring to others. I understood. So I understand that concept of having your role and responsibility and doing the best that you can or do what you're trusted with. So many parallels to, I imagine, what you do today as well as your time in the Army. Do you still run or play basketball today? I played basketball until, this is probably too much information. I apologize. I love it. Give it. I played basketball into my 50s but eventually had to have double knee replacement surgery as well as a hip replacement. And my orthopedic surgeon said, well, you can continue to play, but you're going to have to have your knees redone in like 10 or 12 years.

15:08And I said, well, having just gone through that, I don't think I want to do it again. He said, well, then you swim, which is great. So I try to swim every day. Great exercise. It's low impact but high core value. And that's what I do. And my wife actually makes me go swim. Like I could be at work all day, seven o 'clock. I say, I'm coming home. She goes, go swim. She'll tell me I'm a better person after I swim because I've been able to relax. And really, it's funny when I swim and I'm looking at the bottom of the pool, I'm thinking about what I accomplished today, what I didn't accomplish, what I should have accomplished and what I should do tomorrow.

15:54So it gives you that personal time to reflect. And then when I go home, I can focus on Mary Jo and be a better version of myself, quite honestly, because I've taken care of the day's business. Now I should be able to focus on her. Yeah, I love it. That's such great advice because we do we need that processing time after I've found that for myself of, you know, finishing a day running out the door going to get the kids moving into like the whole bedtime routine for my two little ones. And if you don't have that time to actually process it through, you're not really focused on the next part because you're still thinking about how I need to do that and I need to do that.

16:43So I really like that piece of advice. Very, very smart. Very great partner, as you said, that you have to recognize that in you. Yeah, she's tremendous. She's such an important part of my life. And we just, let's see, had our 48th wedding anniversary. We've been dating since high school. We started dating our sophomore year in high school. We were at homeroom. We were both C's. Our last name started with C's. And so we've been together 55 years, actually. And she is such a large part of my success. Because when I was in the military, I think we counted over that 20 years, we moved residences 18 times.

17:28Wow. Yeah. Even if it was in the city, we still moved or we did whatever. Don't quote me on the 18. It was a lot. And she was always super supportive of my career. And to this day, we have to have, I think it's really important to have a person you can rely upon, whoever that is, that can help you get through life.

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18:59On this show, we talk a lot about business, a lot about hospitality, but I think what you're touching on here is so important that if we are not our best personal selves, how are we ever going to show up in the best possible way at work or anywhere else? being together for 55 years, what would you suggest to other people, whether they are looking for a partner or they're in a relationship? What are the secrets that you guys can tell us all for a long, happy, healthy, lasting marriage? Always understand others can have a different perspective than you have. And don't always assume that your perspective is the right one and be a good listener, I think is really, really important.

19:48And that's important for personal relationships as well as professional. Understanding the context for a discussion, understanding that they have different points of view. They may value something more than you do in terms of the outcome. And I think I learned that as a lawyer, actually.

20:12because you have to, as a lawyer, you have to really understand the other side of the story so you can come up with what you believe is the best possible solution for everyone. Just being able to, I think, listen and understand is very, very important. And then also, I think, being very supportive when they need you most. Mm-hmm. That's so interesting, too, what you just said about being a lawyer, because what I would have assumed, and probably what I unfortunately do in my own relationship sometimes, is the wannabe lawyer in me is thinking about their side only so that I can one-up it and so I can beat it.

20:55And what you said was to hear their side and find a solution that works for everyone. And I think that is actually what we all need to be aiming for. and tolerance yeah tolerance is very important don't the wife i said that but but i she is very tolerant of me is what i would say more so than me of her uh but uh you know i i think just having a well-balanced life is really what what the takeaway would be however that is and however you find that through relationships and love and work balance and the relationships you have at work as well are really really important you know i've been here 17 years i think i said in a lot of the people that i work with have been my business associates It's that entire period of time.

21:54Right. And that allows us, I think, to have faith and trust and belief in each other. It's very similar, really. And that whole, you even mentioned it, that kind of the way BWH Hotels looks at things as kind of a family of hoteliers. Maybe that's why I like working here so much is it seems to fit together. Was that a challenge moving from peers with a lot of your colleagues to becoming the person in charge of the company? I don't think so. I was really fortunate that I had great relationships with all of them as their legal advisor that they could rely upon to help them be successful. And this is just really, it's the same.

22:45My job is to help them be successful via brand management, marketing, sales, international operations, my financial officer, general counsel. We're all, I don't know, my job is really defined by their success. And so however I can enable them to do that, that role is really similar as I look at it. To me, it didn't seem that challenging of a change. Maybe you should ask them that question. And coming from your role as SVP general counsel into CEO, we do often see CEO successors coming from law, from finance, from operations. Why do you think those disciplines specifically tend to produce effective CEOs?

23:36I think the answer I would give is a lawyer should be a trusted advisor. A lawyer should act with absolute integrity. And a lawyer, a good lawyer, is analytical. And it's that thought process that you layer onto honesty and integrity that I think allowed me, at least, to make that transition. um and again because i was the uh general counsel here for 12 years i i hope that i was able to um establish that kind of trust uh in the organization um and that i established that kind of trust with our boards of director because you know what's interesting is our board of directors people may not know this um my board of directors are seven hoteliers that are elected by their fellow hoteliers.

24:35They are the members and representatives of the members themselves. And I would think that I was able to provide that type of advice and establish honesty and integrity with the board of directors that they then said, well, Larry, give it a shot as CEO and let's see how you do. And that really supports what you've been talking about with the kind of family of hotels and hoteliers. BWH Hotels represents independently owned hotels around the world. How do you protect what makes each of those properties, each of those individuals, each of those families, destinations unique while making sure you're maintaining that consistent brand experience for your guests?

25:24So you have to have, I'll call it global relevance through global standards. That includes how the hotel represents itself. And of course, table stakes are clean, well-maintained types of brand standards. And we trust our hoteliers to do that. But you have to recognize that there are these regional nuances and actually community nuances. is we have 1 ,400-room hotels here in the United States by way of Orlando or Reno, Nevada. But then in Italy, we have a 25-room hotel. And those experiences are going to be very, very different. And you have to allow the hoteliers to understand what will make them successful in their communities and the guests that they serve.

26:21And so while you can have, I'll call it brand standards, you still have to absolutely, I think, recognize that the hoteliers know what makes them special in their community and what will make them special for the guests that stay there. When I worked for the brand W Hotels, we were opening W Punta de Mita in Mexico, and that hotelier knew that there needed to be a kids' club offering. And then you had corporate brand being like, but we're W Hotels. We don't cater to, we don't overtly cater to children. and they were able to really find a great balance where it wasn't necessarily promoted or overly signaged.

26:58But the hotelier knew this is going to be family as people are going to love this. People are asking us for this. We need to do it. Has there been an example of something that you've seen where maybe on paper, like that 25-room hotel, you're just like, this shouldn't make sense. This should be a definite no. But actually, when I hear the business case, it makes perfect sense. Well, an example might be what we require for breakfast offerings. And we have brand standards. You have to have so much of a product or types of products. Now, that hotel in Italy knows what is, I call it, most relevant for its guests in that setting.

27:40Be who they are. I think that's kind of that adaptability that we have to allow our hoteliers. They know is what I would say. And then when you look at the guest comments, they absolutely love it because it's part of that local experience that they would have wanted. The hospitality industry overall talks a lot about occupancy and revenue, but is there a KPI or a metric that you personally pay attention to that you feel like it's not discussed enough? I'm not going to say it's not discussed enough because at Best Western, it's our number one KPI. And that's overall experience as evaluated by guests.

28:31So guests are, of course, served up medallia surveys. And we constantly measure the overall experience score across our brand. And our strategy is that overall experience is now has for years since I've been the CEO, the number one KPI. And I believe it's going to become even more and more important. Consumers use ChatGPT and Cod and Gemini. and they're looking for a hotel that will meet their or exceed their expectations. Part of that is what others are saying about that hotel. And more and more content that's available online with regard to the quality of the hotel will shape the success of the hotels.

29:32We can have the world's greatest website, greatest loyalty program, market like maniacs, have a really strong sales team, but guests will decide based upon the content that's available. And part of that content will be the guest experience as expressed by others. And we won't be able to be successful unless our hotels realize and appreciate that they have to have great hotels that are gracious hosts, and provide, I'll call it, just service that's impeccable to guests. That's how we can drive revenue to those hotels. If they take care of the guests, my job gets easier, quite honestly. And that was my message when we had meetings across the United States in the spring.

30:27We go out and we have regional meetings. And my message to hoteliers was, we'll do our part. We're your teammate. You're my teammate. please allow us to be successful by running great hotels. And if you see a hotel in the portfolio that is consistently underperforming on that metric, what's the number one thing or things that you look for to help them increase that score? Sure. We will provide them advice, assistance. We provide them the comments that our guests are sharing we're using artificial intelligence to take those guests comments and provide i'll call it tremendously timely advice to those hoteliers as to what they need to do differently i think it's important for us to coach them in that manner it's up to them if they take that advice or not um but i think there is absolutely statistically i can prove to you a direct correlation between overall experience and rev power rev power is dicks no doubt about it and hoteliers understand that i think they're starting to understand it even more so that guest every guest that walks in is an opportunity to build content that will create a future opportunity for another consumer.

31:58And if you take the amalgamated results from what AI is doing and looking at there, what do you think is that through line between when that guest experience score is low versus when it's high? Like, is it typically cleanliness related means it's low and service-related means it's high, or is it even FF &E, like a great mattress that always makes it high? What are the kind of trends you're seeing come out of that data? I think the trend, there's always been a belief that service can overcome a soft mattress, like if you treat that guest well. People are being, I think, much more, I'll call it surgical with regard to their reviews um certain things you you cannot ignore you know cleanliness again and maintenance or i use the term table stakes every has to do that it's the service that then complements i'll call it the amenities of the hotel the the ffne um the um i'll call it facilities themselves, the fitness room, all those, everyone has that guest expectation.

33:14And you know what I'll share with you is that if you want to elevate, I'll tell a hotelier, if you want to elevate your ADR and your occupancy and your RevPower and RevPower Index, provide great service and let a guest know that what they paid for that hotel room was money worthwhile spent people work hard for their maybe this is like me i i love i love to understand what motivates people and i think what motivates people is knowing that they work hard every day for their well-earned wages. And when they choose to spend it, they believe they've spent it wisely. Absolutely. You have spent years working with hotel owners, particularly, as you mentioned, some you've now known three generations worth.

34:13What do you think the biggest misconception people have around owning a hotel? We have to be careful we don't lean into technology too much. technology can enable operational efficiencies can help drive revenue through revenue management technology are tools but there will never be a substitute for personal i'll call it hospitality so i think we have to leverage that technology and by way of that it's a pms that has the history of that guest so when that guest walks in you can say hi mrs smith welcome back i'll be doing the same room you were in last time because you seem to like it and we hope you have another great stay here content is available through technology and then it enables that person to say welcome I recognize you.

35:15Hope you have another great state. But the technology isn't the answer. It's the hospitality that's the answer. Yeah. And really making that person feel like an individual who is seen and appreciated. Back to your point of, you chose to spend your time and money here. We acknowledge that. We appreciate it. Yeah, absolutely. If you look at the next five to ten years. You know, we talked a little bit about technology, but in general, what do you see as the next shifts in traveler behavior that are coming in the kind of near-term future? As I mentioned before, I think travelers are more savvy than they've ever been with regard to their trips.

35:57I think travelers expect it to be more than just a commodity. They want an experience. and as a result of that the way we're looking at it is we're really upgrading our online content right now so that consumers will know if they stay in our hotels what they can expect not just at the hotel but beyond the hotel and that the front desk agent general manager AGM can share personal tips with the guests to make them I'll call it when they show up, they show up really as a guest when they leave, they leave as a local because they know what that environment is like and that that stay allowed them to become a part of that community.

36:50I think people want to feel when they travel like, again, it's not just a room. It's a stay in a community that when they leave, they've experienced something special. I think people want to become more involved on a personal level when they travel. I think the industry has just seen this explosion of brands happening. There's so many hotel brands and seems like a new one's being launched every day. When you think about BWH Hotels and your family of brands, what is it that you hope makes travelers seek you out and choose you time and again and also makes hotel owners, franchisees choose to work with you?

37:36I think it's important that we do have multiple brands because guests look for different types of hotels. Those brands are also important for developers so that they know what those demand drivers are in that location and what type of hotel will thrive in that location. it may be a best wester it may be a more personalized boutique experience like an aiden it may be an upscale experience like a world hotel property and us being able to or it could be a value-driven uh individual who wants a sure stay hotel so you know you you have to think that um the brands you have fit the desires and needs of today's travelers and consumers I've said this, I don't know what conference I said it, because the question came up and I said, you know, brands don't build brands, consumers build brands.

38:40They define what the need is. And our job is to recognize it and then make sure that we can provide that type of hotel for that type of traveler. You know, we, as it kind of answers this question as well, there has to be a balance though. We launched soft brands, BW Signature and BW Premier Collection, I don't know, maybe even probably about 13, 14 years ago. and we recognized that some hotels wanted to maintain their independence but wanted to leverage our platform, our technology, our sales and marketing, our dot-com, so they could maybe add 10 or 15 occupancy points to an already successful hotel.

39:33It would add value. We recognized that developers wanted that type of access, So we didn't really create the brand. The developers sought out that type of incremental success, recognized it, and we launched those brands. We are the number two soft brand company globally right now with over 100 soft brand hotels. Many people don't recognize that, but that allowed us to fill this niche of independent hoteliers that wanted to maintain their identity, which is kind of similar to our DNA, but make them successful through the use of our platforms. That's fantastic. What is next for BWH Hotels? Well, we currently have two loyalty programs.

40:27We'll merge those two loyalty programs. We are going to, at our convention this October, launch our new.com, our new app, as well as that new loyalty program. And a lot of that has to do, at least the online part, with the content that we're providing. So we're reaching out right now to really rebuild not just, I'll call it the framework of.com and the app, but actually the content and how it presents to guests of the future because people will search differently than they did five or 10 years ago. People would say Hotel Orlando or Hotel Chicago. Now they're going to go into an AI assistant, an AI agent, and say, I'm going to go to Chicago.

41:19I want to be near the Museum of Art. I definitely want to get a deep dish pizza, and please let me be within the Miracle Mile. Where should I stay? It's a totally different question. Yeah. You know, the hotel content has to be, and if you're looking for a deep dish pizza, this is the place to stay. And we're walking distance to Chicago. You know, the content actually, it can't just be we're a hotel in Chicago. It has to be we're a hotel in Chicago. And this is what makes us special and unique that answers the question that's being asked. Yeah, it sounds so obvious, but yet when you put it like that, it really shows the extreme change in all of our behavior.

42:07Because you're right, that is how we are searching now. That is already here. I don't think the AI or even on the hotel side were there yet to be giving the best answers in those searches yet. But we as consumers, as travelers are expecting it. So it's more and more the way that we need to be building the back ends to support it as well. So how do you search for a trip? Well, very similar to what you just said. It used to be much more like hotel in Key West. A great example is this last Christmas. We wanted to go away for about five nights. It was going to be my son's first trip. He was about nine months old at the time.

42:48I have a four-year-old daughter as well. Our number one parameter was we want to be able to have a direct flight from LaGuardia Airport because we live in New York City and LaGuardia is far superior to JFK. We wanted to go someplace warm. We didn't want to change time zones. Other than that, we were pretty open and flexible. So it is, that's a very different search. where we could end up is actually a lot of places versus the old way of I've already decided where we're going and I just need to find the best hotel for our purpose. So where'd you go? We decided to go to Key West. It was a direct flight that left on time.

43:27And when we landed, we got to sit on the tarmac for two and a half hours waiting for a gate to open as we saw that gates were indeed open, then got to the car rental counter and the car seat that I pre-booked was not available. So it was just a lot of fails along the way. Overall, the trip was good, but did it actually really meet the needs of what we were looking for? I'm not sure. I think we probably could have done better. Well, you know, you could have included in your search term. And when we land, it's one of the most efficient airports in the United States. I needed that. You have learned that you want to now tweak your inquiry.

44:08Yes. Airport efficiency is a part of it. Exactly. Exactly. It's so true. Those little things that really add friction to the travel experience so that by the time we're even arriving at the hotel, we have either had a great or a poor experience. And then the hotel almost has to undo that, which is not fair for our hoteliers. No, but that's a great point as well, which is hospitality doesn't mean that every guest that walks in has gotten there and their mindset is, this is a terrific trip. That front desk agent has to say, we're so glad you're here. And maybe even ask, how was your trip? And you could have expressed that and they say, well, our hope is to unwind your troubles.

45:02Yeah, exactly. As efficient, effective, exceed your expectations and really change your mindset. Yeah. And sometimes the good thing is to when a guest walks in like that, they are not blaming the hotel for that. So even just a little bit of kindness can really go a long way for that comparison in a guest's mind of, well, the airline was terrible at this hotel. This hotel saved everything. And I think the front desk person could tell that by your expressions and your attitude and the interaction between you and your family members. Right. Want to get to our room. Right. Help us, please. and that check-in is efficient and as friendly as possible.

45:58And it is, I think, important that a front desk person be able to evaluate that guest and that guest needs when they're checking in. Larry, I want to ask you the last three questions that I ask every guest. And the first is, what was the best hospitality experience that you have ever had? So when I travel, most of the time they know who I am and I get treated that way, which I don't expect. It's cool, but I don't expect it. um but what i you know the answer to this one is something that i think applies to every hotel it's when i'm walking down the hallway of a hotel that um someone who works there just interacts says hello good morning hope you're having a good day it's just this little thing It matters to me the most.

47:03And when a hotel has that type of gracious kind of mindset, that to me is a great experience. On the flip side of that, what was the worst hospitality experience you've ever had? It's not one in particular, but when that hotel just sells me a commodity. It's like, yeah, here's your room. Here's your room. Just go. And they want me to be, they just don't appear to care about me, that I'm staying there. Or, again, that leaning into, yeah, when you go there and you walk up, right, you walk in, you have your suitcase, they go, are you checking in? Okay, that's obvious. and and then they say well give me your credit card and your id that's how they say it and you do and then they don't make any eye contact with you and then they hand you a packet and it says you're in room 319 that's the experience if i can't pin it on any singular hotel but that's what we cannot represent at BWH Hotels.

48:24To me, we are not selling a commodity. We're selling graciousness and hospitality. Final question for you. What does hospitality mean to you? And is there anyone, it could be a person, it could be a brand that you think has truly mastered it? Well, we're seeking to master it. And it's interesting when we have new GMs, they come here to phoenix and i and i met with them uh just this last friday they were here for a week and i make sure i spend time with them and um my message to them is always about appreciation of your guests and i don't know if any singular brand has mastered it yet but that's what i i hope we can achieve as a brand is being gracious hosts and appreciating our guests.

49:21Well, Larry, I really appreciate you. Thank you so much for taking the time with us today. Oh, it's a pleasure meeting you in this opportunity. And I'll close with, I still love your hat. All right, everyone. It's time for today's sweet summary, where I break down the key insights and actionable takeaways from today's conversation. At first glance, it almost looks like Larry, has had three separate, very successful careers. Two decades in the army, ultimately becoming a judge, practicing law in the private sector, and now leading one of the top hotel companies in the world. But after speaking with him today, it's clear there's always been one thread, one key focus that connects it all, a relentless commitment to people and relationships.

50:09He talked about knowing hotel owners and franchisees personally, sometimes across three generations, about working alongside members of his executive team for decades. Even the biggest decisions in his own life, like leaving the army, were rooted in family. And after 55 years of marriage to his high school sweetheart, it's obvious that loyalty isn't just something he talks about, it's something he lives. Listening to Larry was a reminder that leadership isn't about employing a team only to have other people help you achieve your own goals. His focus was never on what his team could do for him.

50:51It was on what he owed to them. There was a genuine sense of responsibility, a determination to never let down the people who placed their trust in him. So what are the leadership lessons that he carried with him from the army to the boardroom. First, discipline. Success isn't built on motivation alone. It's built on consistently showing up and doing the work day after day. Second, accountability. Own your decisions, own your mistakes, and set the standard for everyone around you. And finally, trust your people. Whether you're leading soldiers or hotel teams, no one succeeds alone. Great leaders build environments where people feel empowered to make decisions, to solve problems, and do their best work.

51:39And maybe that's why I wasn't surprised to hear that the most important KPI at BWH Hotels isn't RevPAR, ADR, or even occupancy. It's the guest experience score. Because throughout our conversation, Larry made it clear that if you take care of your guests, the financial results follow. And the best way to do that is by taking care of your people first. And that concludes another episode of Sweet Success. If you enjoyed today's conversation, please subscribe, rate, and review the show. We all know how important those five-star reviews are. I also want to say a massive thank you to each and every one of you for tuning in.

52:18It means the absolute world to me. And I'd love to hear from you. If you have ideas for future guests, new topics to cover, or even just want to say hi, don't be shy. message me through our website, sweetsuccesspodcast.com or on social media at sweet success podcast. That's sweet like hotel suite. Once again, I'm your host, Katie Klein, and I'm super excited to see you all next week.