When I woke up on the morning of January 7, 2025, it was like any other winter day in Los Angeles. Clear, bright blue skies with a temperature warmer than the rest of the country. The disaster that would come later in the day was the furthest thing from my mind. Having grown up in LA and attended nearly all my pre-college schooling in Pacific Palisades and Brentwood, the area had been a cornerstone of my life. Watching so much of it disappear over the following week was incredibly painful.
The backwoods of the Santa Monica and San Bernardino Mountains are the usual areas of concern during fire season. When fires spark, their flames sometimes crawl into locales where mankind has put down roots. Known as the “Wildland-Urban Interface,” these zones provide solitude, incredible views and an idyllic way of life compared to the region’s more urbanized neighborhoods. It is the area where development and Mother Nature meet in unholy matrimony.
The infernos that ignited on January 7 ended up fueling a multiday firestorm that flared up incidents all over the metro area. The Palisades and Eaton fires burned 37,469 acres of land, destroyed 16,252 urban structures, thousands of miles of critical infrastructure and sensitive habitats. The burn area is nearly 18 times bigger than the Great Chicago Fire or, in more relative terms, 2.5 times larger than Manhattan. The current damage and recovery estimate is $250 billion, making it the costliest disaster in US history.
During the weeklong disaster, my partner and I hosted two friend groups of evacuees. Four adults, one baby, three dogs and a cat took refuge with us over five consecutive nights. Thankfully, our home in Westwood is about three miles from the eastern edge of the Palisades fire. Even though these friends had been over many times, I did not know how to handle the situation in any way other than as a hotelier. Greet them outside when they arrive, show them where to park, help them bring in the luggage, set up beds, lay out fresh towels, organize toiletries, cook and bartend to order, make beds, turn down beds, babysit and pet-sit so the parents can relax and so on. Everything with a smile, a laugh, a hug and love because what else can you do? This response is in our hotelier DNA.
It was a reminder that our individualism should cease to exist in times of crisis. We act solely for our community's greater good. As the Musketeers would say, “all for one and one for all.” When The Red Cross evacuation center opened a short distance from us at Westwood Recreation Center, I attempted to volunteer. “Wait, what…what do you mean you need to be trained and certified before volunteering?!”
Next, we heard the primary relief operation is being run out of the American Legion Post in Pacific Palisades. So, I called a contact who is a Legion Commander and told him to sign me up; I am ready to volunteer. “Oh…you don’t want my help unless I am CERT Certified?”
Finally, on the fifth day, the LA Times released a list of volunteer opportunities. Great, the Collins & Katz YMCA in West LA is helping with the relief effort and only 10 minutes away. I called them…only to be told, “We have too many volunteers! Call back Monday.” When Monday morning finally rolled around, I called again at 7:30 am. This time they said, “Yes, please get here as soon as you can.”
That started my week of volunteering. Again, I didn’t know how to approach this in any fashion other than being a hotelier with warmth, a smile, servitude and compassion. No matter how menial or critical the task you were assigned, we were there for the victims. The volunteers represented a cross-section of America. It was an amazing opportunity to see the goodness of humanity in the darkest of times.
Over the course of six days, we moved close to 15 tons of supplies. Donations were hand delivered from as far as Houston, Texas. Everything from clothes, shoes, medical equipment, food, water, books, school supplies, home goods and more. In addition to survivors visiting the relief center, our team also made deliveries in the burn zone to first responders of the California National Guard, CALFire, Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles Fire Department, LA County Lifeguards and numerous other frontline organizations.
The hotel industry stepped up too. Hilton and American Express partnered to provide 20,000 free hotel room nights, Airbnb partnered with LA211 to provide free housing, Hyatt offered discounted room rates and AHLA raised funds for the recovery effort. At the Collins & Katz YMCA, we received donations from Pacifica Hotels. Their local properties donated much needed supplies such as linens, towels, bath amenities and other home goods.
Also, The Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Board (aka LA Tourism) provided the go to online resource for hotel-based temporary housing. The team led by Adam Burke has been working tirelessly to remind travelers and the tourism industry at large that the City of Angels is open for business through their “We Love LA” campaign. The road to a full recovery will take years. We need your engagement and support to keep Los Angeles a hive of activity as the city rebuilds.
So, what are my takeaways from this calamity for our hotel industry leaders?
1. Resilient design and construction in the Wildland-Urban Interface. The photos of devastation in Altadena and the Palisades speak for themselves on this one.
2. Encourage and support your staff to participate in volunteer opportunities. Playing a role to better your community, in both good times and bad, is critical to our overall well-being.
3. All property-level management team members should be Red Cross certified. The day will come when your property and/or team must step up to provide emergency shelter and care for evacuees. The Red Cross relies on volunteers to staff its evacuation centers. No group of people is more overqualified for this than hoteliers.
4. All safety and security team members must be CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) certified. This FEMA program saves lives by training individuals in basic disaster response skills to support emergency services during a major catastrophe.
5. Have emergency supplies on hand at all times. Regardless of location, store enough supplies for your staff and guests to survive in isolation for up to three days. Even the National Guard and LAFD came to our relief center for supplies.
6. What’s the plan? Disaster striking is not a matter of if but when. That disaster, natural or otherwise, may seem far-fetched, but it is important to think through the scenarios and develop emergency response plans. Train your staff to execute the plan and communicate it effectively to your guests when the time comes.
To reconfirm this point, I rode out the April 2 to 7 Tornado Outbreak at hotels in Tennessee and Kentucky. The Southall Farm & Inn did a stellar job communicating the tornado warning to guests, swiftly evacuating us to the basement, and providing the necessary survival supplies. The same cannot be said of the hotel in Louisville. With the tornado sirens and iPhone warnings blaring, the overnight front desk agent did absolutely nothing because, and I quote, “I haven’t received a call from my boss with instructions.”
Chris Henry is co-founder, chairman and CEO of Los Angeles-based Majestic Hospitality Group.
This column is part of ISHC Global Insights, a partnership between CoStar News and the International Society of Hospitality Consultants.
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