Focused on the Pacifi c Northwest An Interview with Greg Mount, Hotel RL in Washington, D.C. President and Chief Executive Offi cer, RLH Corporation exterior (above) and guestroom (left) EDITOR’S NOTE Greg Mount joined The ethos of the company was That said, the bigger brands are com- RLH Corporation as President and also rooted in the Pacific Northwest, moditizing the locations they’re in and are Chief Executive Offi cer in January which we saw as a distinct advan- asking the consumer to make a decision 2014, with more than 25 years of tage when we came onboard. based less on the brand and more on the experience in the industry. Prior When we started looking to location and price. to joining RLH, Mount served as reposition the company and the We also see that the millennial genera- President of Richfi eld Hospitality, brand, and to look forward at what tion, which is now upwards of 37 years Richfield Hospitality China and we should leverage upon, the old, just eclipsed the Baby Boomers in their Sceptre Hospitality, where he exe- Pacific Northwest was the focus and overall spend on travel and hotels, and are cuted a number of strategic deals it continues to be in our brands, in very different consumers. They are look- including the acquisition and our organization and in our culture. ing for location and experience and online merger of Whiteboards Labs into We have utilized this as our cultural reputation and expect to be able to com- Sceptre Hospitality. Previously, he Greg Mount base, and it’s the North Star for us municate with the hotel when and how they held senior roles at Sage Hospitality, as we go forward with everything want to. as well as Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, we do. It’s a different positioning than we have where he led the full-service division responsi- Is there close coordination between the seen before. The way that digital e-com- ble for developing franchises and management brands or do they operate independently? merce has evolved and is evolving means contracts for the Westin, Sheraton, Four Points The brands do benefit from each other the disruptors are going to get disrupted and by Sheraton, Le Meridien, and Luxury Collection in terms of the innovations that are derived will continue to be. brands in the United States, Canada and the from one brand or another. At the same Google controls 90 percent of search Caribbean. Earlier, Mount held senior operat- time, the brands are very different and dis- worldwide, which basically means that if ing positions at Interstate Hotels Corporation tinct. They each have their own team, their we’re not in the first five hotels listed on a and Marriott International Hotels, working his own focus on consumer segments, and they mobile device, we’re not going to be seen. way up through a number of hotel and regional each stay fairly siloed as it relates to the The landscape is changing rapidly. management positions before moving into digital e-commerce and marketing that goes Is it challenging to balance short- development. on around them because they have different term pressures with the need to make consumers. long-term investments? COMPANY BRIEF Hailing from the Pacific We are able to work them vertically. We When we came onboard, we had a bal- Northwest, Red Lion Hotels Corporation can have a number of owners that own mul- ance sheet that needed to be cleaned up. trace its beginnings all the way back to 1937 tiple brands in multiple segments, and that is We had a number of assets that had to be with hotel developers and has since trans- always an advantage for us as well. sold and we had a number that needed to formed into RLH Corporation (redlion.com). Hotel RL was developed to be an upscale be renovated and sold. We’re now in a posi- Its family of brands includes Hotel RL, Red conversion brand. That brand, not unlike my tion where we’re selling those assets and are Lion Hotels, Red Lion Inn & Suites, Lexington, time at Starwood, is somewhat similar to W almost becoming asset light. Settle Inn, Signature Inn, GuestHouse, Hotels, and is really where all the innovation I look back on this process and it was America’s Best Inns & Suites, Americas Best occurs within our organization. a short-term strategy with more of a long- Value Inn, Canadas Best Value Inn, and When we are building our mobile app term goal, which is really to become a fran- Country Hearth Inn & Suites. RLH caters to or figuring out how to go without a desk at chising organization that has much stronger travelers from all walks of life with a warm check-in, or any of the other innovations we EBITDA and less capital requirements. This staff, spacious rooms and affordable rates have put forth from a technology or service is rewarded in the public markets more than while seeking to introduce local experiences standpoint, it always starts at Hotel RL and real estate-based hotel organizations. to ever-savvy guests. evolves into the other brands. We continually need to and are making While the individual brands are at the investments in innovation and technology to Will you discuss the history and heritage forefront in terms of branding, is it also stay relevant and pertinent today and for the of RLH and what excited you to join the important to promote the RLH name? future. company? This is a question that is becoming The landscape is going to change pretty When a few of the other executives and pertinent in the current environment as it dramatically and, if we don’t reinvent or I came onboard, we were excited about the relates to how consumers are booking innovate around what that is going to look heritage of the company. It is a 40-plus year- rooms. like and make those investments in the short old organization that has a great heritage. It The ways of the travel consumer are term and long term, it will have a negative grew from a place on the Pacific Northwest changing, but I would argue that brands are impact on us. where people held their family vacations, becoming less important, although they will We take this very seriously and we have weddings and proms. It had a great historic always matter since they designate the price made, and will continue to make, signifi cant glow to it. value for the consumer. investments in the short term and long term.• 86 LEADERS POSTED WITH PERMISSION. COPYRIGHT © 2019 LEADERS MAGAZINE, INC. VOLUME 42, NUMBER 1.