Bringing The Experience To Life In Hotels with Jon Weitz

Slick Talk: The Hospitality Podcast

Jonathan Weitz is the founder and president of Avocet Hospitality Group. In 2006, Weitz and his wife Lisa founded Avocet Hospitality Group via the acquisition of Islands West Real Estate, a small vacation rental business of Folly Beach, South Carolina. Over dinner with friends, the ultimate vision of Avocet Hospitality was born - to identify boutique properties that needed renovations and repositioning and to create unique guest experiences that are more than just hotel stays.

Fifteen years later, the Avocet Hospitality Group now includes award-winning The Vendue Arts Hotel in Charleston, South Carolina, historic The Read House in Chattanooga, Tennessee, oceanfront Tides Folly Beach, South Carolina, and St. Barth Exclusives, Saint-Barthélemy, Antilles, French West Indies.

Weitz began his hospitality career leading development and as general counsel for Kiawah Island Golf Resort helping to entitle and build the Sanctuary Hotel at Kiawah Island, South Carolina. During his tenure, he also worked with ownership to acquire and completely restore the historic Hermitage Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee, and oversaw the planning, design, and construction of both The Ocean Course Clubhouse and The Turtle Point Clubhouse. These experiences molded Weitz’ passion and drive for creating his own company.

Weitz is an alumnus of Clemson University and the University of South Carolina School of Law. A resident of Charleston, South Carolina, Weitz has served on the Board of Governors for the Charleston Area Convention and Visitors Bureau and a member of the Board of Trustees at Porter-Gaud Schools. In addition, he is active with charities and the arts and enjoys traveling. He and his wife Lisa have two children, Jessica, and Jonathan.

This episode is sponsored by Hostfully & Operto! Running a great property management company means you need a great property management platform and the ability to give automated access to your guests so you don’t waste your time doing things manually all the time! Upgrade your tech stack and get this dynamic duo to power your business!

In this episode, we explore:

02:41 - Johns Background

05:28 - Owning and Operating Hotels

12:12 - Understanding what you could and could not control

18:50 - Managing the property

23:32 - Importance of Technology

28:25 - Implementing good culture to the guests

36:07 - CornerStone of Culture

38:51 - Magic Money Program

42:59 - Key factor when looking into a new destination

Connecting with the Guest:

https://www.avocethospitality.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-jon-weitz-718242139/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/avocet-hospitality-group/

Slick Talk Website & Socials: https://bit.ly/3uCsm6H

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