Built to Grow, A conversation with Blair Allen, President of Beechwood Hospitality
Built to Grow
A conversation with Blair Allen, President of Beechwood Hospitality, an MMI company, on bringing two experienced hotel management companies together, growing with the right partners and why personal relationships still matter.
Bringing Beechwood Hospitality and MMI Hotel Group together was about more than creating a larger hotel management platform. Both companies came to the table with decades of experience, long-standing owner relationships and teams that had built successful hospitality businesses in their own right.
For Blair Allen, President of Beechwood Hospitality, an MMI company, the opportunity was to take the best of both and build something stronger without losing the accessibility and personal relationships that have long defined both organizations.
We sat down with Blair to talk about what the combined platform means for hotel owners, where Beechwood is looking to grow and why he believes there is still tremendous value in being able to pick up the phone and call the person leading your management company.
What does bringing MMI Hotel Group and Beechwood Hospitality together allow us to offer owners and partners that we couldn’t offer as effectively before?
Blair Allen: The first thing is the synergies. We expanded our geography, we're in more markets and we've brought together a lot of experience across different types of hotels. Between the two companies, we've worked with major brands, independents, resorts, extended-stay hotels and full-service properties. There isn't just one type of hotel that defines what we do.
But I think the bigger piece is the people. We've strengthened the bench across operations, revenue management, sales, marketing, finance, procurement, food and beverage, construction and development. An owner now has access to all of that experience through one platform.
Neither company came into this trying to reinvent the other. Both were already successful. We're able to look at what Beechwood did really well, what MMI did really well, and bring those best practices together. That's where I think the real opportunity is.
As Beechwood Hospitality looks toward its next phase of growth, what types of opportunities and partnerships are the best fit for the platform?
Blair: We're interested in relationships where we can really be a partner to the owner. We're big enough now to bring a lot of resources and experience to the table, but we're still able to sit down with an owner, understand the asset and build the right approach around it.
I sometimes call us a one-stop shop, but with personal service. We can bring in development, risk management, operations, revenue, sales, procurement, construction and the other disciplines an owner needs, but that doesn't mean every hotel gets the same playbook.
We can customize the model. Our team is approachable and hands-on, and we want to collaborate with owners. That's the kind of growth that interests me. It's not just adding hotels for the sake of adding hotels.
Hotel owners have more management options than ever. Where do you believe Beechwood Hospitality can provide a meaningful advantage?
Blair: You get me.
That's probably the simplest way I can put it. I'm the president of the company, but I'm also your development guy. You're not going through layer after layer trying to get to somebody who knows you or understands your hotel.
We want to be big enough to have the experience and resources an owner expects from a strong management company, but small enough to still give them that personalized touch. We're approachable. We're going to be involved. If there's a problem, we're going to work through it together.
And then, I’ll still have time to play golf with you on Saturday.
For an owner considering Beechwood Hospitality today, how does the combined platform translate into stronger performance, better support and greater value for their asset?
Blair: The beauty of bringing these two companies together is that you're starting with two successful management companies that have been around for most of the last century. We're not building something from scratch. We're taking the best practices, strengths and talent from both organizations and using those to build a better platform.
There are more people around the table now with different experiences and different perspectives. We can learn from what's worked across different properties, brands and markets and apply that knowledge where it makes sense.
And there's a lot of history behind that. Both sides of this company come from family hospitality businesses that have been doing this for more than 70 years. We've seen a lot, we've learned a lot and we know this business changes constantly.
Now we have the opportunity to take that experience, combine it with a stronger team and more resources, and ultimately use it to drive better results for the owners who trust us with their hotels.
A conversation with Blair Allen, President of Beechwood Hospitality, an MMI company, on bringing two experienced hotel management companies together, growing with the right partners and why personal relationships still matter.
Bringing Beechwood Hospitality and MMI Hotel Group together was about more than creating a larger hotel management platform. Both companies came to the table with decades of experience, long-standing owner relationships and teams that had built successful hospitality businesses in their own right.
For Blair Allen, President of Beechwood Hospitality, an MMI company, the opportunity was to take the best of both and build something stronger without losing the accessibility and personal relationships that have long defined both organizations.
We sat down with Blair to talk about what the combined platform means for hotel owners, where Beechwood is looking to grow and why he believes there is still tremendous value in being able to pick up the phone and call the person leading your management company.
What does bringing MMI Hotel Group and Beechwood Hospitality together allow us to offer owners and partners that we couldn’t offer as effectively before?
Blair Allen: The first thing is the synergies. We expanded our geography, we're in more markets and we've brought together a lot of experience across different types of hotels. Between the two companies, we've worked with major brands, independents, resorts, extended-stay hotels and full-service properties. There isn't just one type of hotel that defines what we do.
But I think the bigger piece is the people. We've strengthened the bench across operations, revenue management, sales, marketing, finance, procurement, food and beverage, construction and development. An owner now has access to all of that experience through one platform.
Neither company came into this trying to reinvent the other. Both were already successful. We're able to look at what Beechwood did really well, what MMI did really well, and bring those best practices together. That's where I think the real opportunity is.
As Beechwood Hospitality looks toward its next phase of growth, what types of opportunities and partnerships are the best fit for the platform?
Blair: We're interested in relationships where we can really be a partner to the owner. We're big enough now to bring a lot of resources and experience to the table, but we're still able to sit down with an owner, understand the asset and build the right approach around it.
I sometimes call us a one-stop shop, but with personal service. We can bring in development, risk management, operations, revenue, sales, procurement, construction and the other disciplines an owner needs, but that doesn't mean every hotel gets the same playbook.
We can customize the model. Our team is approachable and hands-on, and we want to collaborate with owners. That's the kind of growth that interests me. It's not just adding hotels for the sake of adding hotels.
Hotel owners have more management options than ever. Where do you believe Beechwood Hospitality can provide a meaningful advantage?
Blair: You get me.
That's probably the simplest way I can put it. I'm the president of the company, but I'm also your development guy. You're not going through layer after layer trying to get to somebody who knows you or understands your hotel.
We want to be big enough to have the experience and resources an owner expects from a strong management company, but small enough to still give them that personalized touch. We're approachable. We're going to be involved. If there's a problem, we're going to work through it together.
And then, I’ll still have time to play golf with you on Saturday.
For an owner considering Beechwood Hospitality today, how does the combined platform translate into stronger performance, better support and greater value for their asset?
Blair: The beauty of bringing these two companies together is that you're starting with two successful management companies that have been around for most of the last century. We're not building something from scratch. We're taking the best practices, strengths and talent from both organizations and using those to build a better platform.
There are more people around the table now with different experiences and different perspectives. We can learn from what's worked across different properties, brands and markets and apply that knowledge where it makes sense.
And there's a lot of history behind that. Both sides of this company come from family hospitality businesses that have been doing this for more than 70 years. We've seen a lot, we've learned a lot and we know this business changes constantly.
Now we have the opportunity to take that experience, combine it with a stronger team and more resources, and ultimately use it to drive better results for the owners who trust us with their hotels.