Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to your new patron saint of hospitality: Dolly Parton.
The three reasons she's especially yours? Her kindness, her generosity and the way she welcomed everyone through the door.
I'm going to keep this short. This isn't a eulogy. I'm far from the best person in the room to do that — talk instead to the folks at my parent company STR, a born-and-raised Tennessee company. Plenty of people there have firsthand stories about Dolly's legacy in their own towns and families. I'm simply a fan who grew up on her music and movies.
So first, kindness. The kindness is legendary and lifelong. Turn on the television or open your social media and you'll read story after story about her encounters.
Dolly's generosity is a whole other story. You know about her reading education philanthropy. You know that she donated a million dollars to accelerate the COVID-19 vaccination to market, and that's just the top of it.
But think a bit deeper about her generosity of opportunity: SongTeller is her first hotel venture in Nashville, when let's face it, she could have built every hotel in that city over the years. Parton put Dollywood where it is in East Tennessee so the people in her home county could have jobs. That's how she built her entertainment empire with her partner Herschend Family Entertainment.
She wasn't shy about making money either, no way. You've heard the story about how she didn't let Elvis record "I Will Always Love You" because the deal wouldn't allow her to retain the publishing rights. Instead, when Whitney Houston recorded it — a version Parton loved — she joked that Houston "can have the credit, I'll just take the cash." And while we're on that, a friend told me just yesterday about "the house that Whitney built," which is simply one part of her Parton's estate legacy.
Finally, Dolly Parton let everyone in. No matter your difference, your otherness, she saw it as beauty and she opened the door.
That's hospitality.
Jack White — who dusted off his legendary "Jolene" cover Tuesday night — honored Parton's death with two words: "Instant sainthood."
She's yours, hospitality industry. Take her as your patron saint. I think she'd love it.
Email me or find me on Twitter or LinkedIn.
The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the opinions of CoStar News or CoStar Group 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 contact an editor with any questions or concern.