Crafting Stories in Luxury - Michael Doneff - Defining Hospitality - Episode # 155

Hospitality is about intuition and reading the customer. Are you doing too much, or are you not doing enough for them? The guest on this episode has left an impact on leading luxury lifestyle brands in hospitality, food and beverage, design, and wellness over the course of his 30-year career. Please welcome the Vice President of Food and Beverage Concept and Brand Development at the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Michael Doneff.

Michaell joins Dan Ryan as they discuss the significance of a unique dining experience. Michael shares the power of storytelling in brand development, the importance of company culture, and offers advice for aspiring professionals in the hospitality industry.

Takeaways: 

• Customers want to come into an environment where they feel understood, appreciated, and heard. Your job is to create an experience that exceeds their expectations.
• For early-stage brands, everything boils down to storytelling, and you get to see that story come to life from the name to the logo.
• If a brand is constructed correctly and thoughtfully, then it's usually meant to last. But it's only as good as its execution.
• A brand should check off all the boxes, even in the small areas of hospitality. Making sure that their employees are genuine, truly love what they do, and love taking care of their guests.
• An employee should have intuitive skills to know what the customer needs and if they could be doing more for them, but they should also know what the customer doesn't need and if they’re doing too much.
• As a brand, you should strive to have your mission statement and values be true throughout every level of your company, and every team member should be living out these things.
• Don't be afraid to ask questions, push boundaries, and try things, but also don't be afraid to fail at them and find a new way of trying to do things.

Quote of the Show:  

• “We’re in a world where you can tell when things are scripted.” - Michael Doneff

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeldoneff/ 
• Website: https://www.fourseasons.com/ 

Shout Outs:

• 2:09 - Villa De Leon
• 11:26 - Jean-Pierre Coffe
• 16:28 - Danny Meyer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhmeyer/ 
• 19:24 - SBE: https://www.sbe.com/ 
• 19:34 - Canyon Ranch: https://www.canyonranch.com/ 
• 19:29 - Viceroy Hotel Group: https://www.viceroyhotelsandresorts.com/ 
• 20:28 - Michael Douglas
• 20:39 - Susan Magrino Agency: https://www.magrinopr.com/ 
• 21:57 - Jeffrey Bilhuber: https://www.jeffreybilhuberllc.com/ 
• 22:09 - Richard Pandiscio
• 25:08 - Island Outpost: https://www.islandoutpost.com/ 
• 26:59 - W Hotels: https://w-hotels.marriott.com/ 
• 27:09 - Barry Sternlicht: https://www.starwoodpropertytrust.com/team/ 
• 27:10 - Rande Gerber
• 27:21 - Ian Schrager
• 37:55 -José Andrés Group: https://joseandres.com/ 
• 38:42 - World Central Kitchen: https://wck.org/ 
• 44:05 - Arnie Malham: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arniemalham/ 
• 44:08 - Worth Doing Wrong: https://www.worthdoingwrong.com/ 
• 50:11 - Marriott: https://www.marriott.com/ 
• 50:12 - Accor: https://group.accor.com/en 

Ways to Tune In: 

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419