WALLA WALLA, Washington—During the Courtyard by Marriott brand’s recent GM conference, Marriott International’s President and CEO Arne Sorenson wanted to make sure he singled out one specific GM.
Sorenson told the gathered throng that the Courtyard brand achieved a historic milestone: the 1,000th Courtyard property opened in Walla Walla, Washington. He asked for the GM of that property, Terra Luthi, to stand up and be recognized.
The 5-foot-1 Luthi was seated in the back of the room and was being urged by her friends to stand on a chair to become more visible (she didn’t). As she had the spotlight on her, though, Sorenson took the mic and delivered a message:
“Don’t screw it up.”
The anecdote symbolizes Luthi’s tenure as a hotel professional. In an on-property interview at the celebration of the 1,000th opening, Luthi agreed her career has seen a lot of trial-by-fire moments. In fact, going into the hotel business wasn’t ever really a thought for Luthi, who majored in public relations and journalism.
After leaving for Eugene, Oregon, after college, a mutual friend offered her the opportunity to come home to Walla Walla and take a job as assistant GM and director of sales at the Holiday Inn Express in town. She went on to serve as GM of that property.
Luthi acknowledged it was difficult coming right into the management side of the hotel business immediately with no prior experience. The industry’s verbiage, she said, was the most difficult thing to grasp.
“It’s like, what are you talking about? They abbreviate everything,” she said, adding, “It’s very simple if you know what you’re talking about.”
She similarly hit the ground running at the Courtyard, starting in her position just a few months before the opening. One of the biggest challenges in opening a hotel, such as with the 120-room property in Walla Walla, is that flexibility is a must.
“The opening could be pushed off. The opening could be sooner,” she said. “It’s just making sure everything on your side is ready to go.”
And the other thing she learned? “Raise your hand when you need help.”
Making the right hires
Another issue that needs to be dealt with when opening a hotel is building a staff. The staff at the Courtyard Walla Walla is like family, she said.
Luthi said she takes a close look at each applicant to make sure they will be a good fit at the hotel.
“I am a really strong believer that customer experience is something you have or you don’t,” she said. “It’s a lot easier to teach someone to use a computer or use our system than it is to teach someone to see non-verbal (cues) and be empathetic to the guest. It’s just not something that comes naturally to everybody so I look for those qualities first.”
She said the important thing when hiring is to bring together people who will work well as a cohesive unit.
“We’re all learning,” she said. “We are in the spotlight right now being this great new hotel in Walla Walla.”
Area demand
Luthi said she is proud to see Walla Walla, which has approximately 150 wineries nearby, come into its own as a hotel market.
She said she has often heard people complain that they wanted to attend events in Walla Walla but had a hard time getting a hotel room. “Walla Walla has grown,” she said she can now tell those people. “Now there is an additional 120 rooms.”
A lot of the property’s business today is corporate, though the wineries bring in their share of leisure demand, too, Luthi said. Over time, she expects the mix of corporate and leisure to even out.
Though there is another Marriott-branded product in the offing for the market, Luthi said she is not concerned about a supply impact.
“At this point, it’s just one of each brand,” she said.