Adam Aron wants to make one thing clear: He’s not keeping the CEO seat warm at Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide until the company finds a full-time replacement for Frits van Paasschen, who got the boot in February.
A careful examination of the company news release announcing that change in the C-suite lends some credence to his claims. Aron was never described as “interim CEO.” The actual wording:
“Adam Aron, a Starwood Director since 2006, has been named Chief Executive Officer on an interim basis.”
What CEO doesn’t serve on an interim basis? There’s no such thing as “indefinite CEO.” That top dog always serves “at the pleasure of the board of directors,” as Aron so eloquently stated in a Q&A with our Shawn A. Turner.
Aron made his intentions known from the initial call he had with investors announcing his appointment.
“I’m someone with a bias for action—prudent and wise action to be sure, but action nonetheless. … I have no intention of merely being a caretaker.”
He made good on the pledge with the company’s launch of Tribute Portfolio on Thursday. The upper-upscale soft brand had been in the works before he came onboard, but progress was weighted down by excessive market research. With Aron in the driver’s seat, he put his foot on the gas and launched the collection on his 59th day.
“This is not something we should study to death,” he said. “This is something we should launch and implement well.”
That’s no small task. It shows a man of action, someone less concerned about the board’s CEO search—which is ongoing with both internal and external candidates being considered—and more about getting things done.
As Aron told HNN: “My focus is much less on who is the permanent CEO of Starwood Hotels, and much more that this company is moving at 100 mph to accelerate growth and be an efficient operator and brilliant marketer. I didn’t come in to be a passive caretaker while the board decides the future of the executive suite.”
That’s exactly what you’d want to hear from a new CEO at a company that for years has been plagued by lagging unit growth.
Interim basis? Nope. This is a trial run. And Aron sounds like he’s securing his seat with each passing day.
Now on to the usual goodies …
What’s making me happy this week?
National Grilled Cheese Month! Yes, that’s right, folks. April celebrates this much-loved melted, decadent dairy delight sandwich. Kudos to the chefs at Benchmark Resorts & Hotels and Personal Luxury Resorts & Hotels for celebrating with as much sincerity as one can muster.
At the Eaglewood Resort & Spa, for instance, Chef John Billings has given this classic comfort food an upscale twist with what he’s calling a “smoked-touched French toast Panini grilled cheese” paired with peppered vodka cream of tomato soup.
Meanwhile, Chef CJ Chambers is taking the farm-to-table craze to the next level at the Heldrich Hotel with the farmhouse cheddar grilled cheese with caramelized onions and bacon jam.
(If either chef wants to airmail one of their works of art to the hungry editorial staff at Hotel News Now, I’m happy to help facilitate that arrangement.)
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| What better way to celebrate National Grilled Cheese Month than with this upscale twist from the Eaglewood Resort & Spa? (Photo: Eaglewood Resort & Spa) |
Stat of the week
$295.7 billion: Projected total business travel spend in the U.S. during 2015, according to the Global Business Travel Association. That’s a 3.1% increase from the prior year.
Quote of the week
“It was me pushing my dad out of his comfort zone pretty aggressively. And there would be lots of very, very vocal and heated conversations.”
—Ravi Patel, president of Hawkeye Hotels, describing interactions with his father (and Hawkeye CEO) Bob Patel.
The comment highlights some of the tense moments that emerge when the new school of leaders tries to make its mark under the tutelage of the old. Based on the comments from members of HNN’s Now Generation, it appears this younger cohort is more than willing to take on that challenge.
Reader comment of the week
“Good points all. Also to be addressed and made clear...potential for security. Obviously it is just as easy to have the front desk rekey an insider to access the room and steal, so to would it be easy to send a new lock code to an insiders phone. Keeping track of who entered data, who granted access, who entered rooms remains a concern.”
—Reader “SteveK” in response to “Issues loom for keyless entry in hotels,” which provides a back-of-house view of the front-of-house tech touch point coming to a hotel near you.
Email Patrick Mayock or find him on Twitter.
The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Hotel News Now or its parent company, STR and its affiliated companies. Bloggers published on this site are given the freedom to express views that may be controversial, but our goal is to provoke thought and constructive discussion within our reader community. Please feel free to comment or contact an editor with any questions or concerns.