The first of its kind, The Hospitality Show is a bold new event for the entire hospitality ecosystem with one shared goal: operating hotels efficiently and profitably. Brought to you by The American Hotel & Lodging Association and Hotel Management, the event will bring together top industry leaders, senior executives of hotel brands, owners, operators, management companies and procurement specialists—and their teams—to discover, network and drive profitability.
Business accelerates when the right people are in the room, and this new weekly series of speaker interviews goes 1:1 with the industry’s best and brightest as they build the inaugural event to be held June 27-29, 2023 at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas.
In this installment, we catch up with The Hospitality Show Speaker Marti Winer, vice president of MGM Resorts.
What issues are currently causing headaches for the industry?
Winer: There are a wide range of challenges facing our industry, including the current state of the labor market, supply chain issues, economic uncertainty, and many others. However, the one that we will be focused on in our session is the need to develop and adopt sustainable practices that help protect the viability of our planet. This is a business imperative. Focusing on the “E” in Environmental, Social and Governance is one of the keys to ensuring long-term value both for investors and operators, but also to creating healthy environments for the future of humanity. My own company, MGM Resorts, has taken this imperative to heart, with stringent measures to make its operations environmentally sustainable, reduce water use and be a global leader in the fight against climate change.
What new trends do you see affecting the hospitality industry the most in 2023?
Winer: As it relates to this topic, I see consumers, partners, and investors asking hard questions about the environment and holding stakeholders accountable. In my own role, I see people asking regularly how we can make events more sustainable, lower the carbon footprint for programs, and demonstrate the outcomes to attendees. At the same time, I see a huge demand for once-in-a-lifetime experiences with options for personalization and customized curation. Doing both of these simultaneously is hard to reconcile and creates creative challenges for many hospitality professionals in their varied roles. At MGM Resorts, we’re fortunate to have a portfolio of sustainable venues and work with clients to understand and implement measures to increase their programs’ environmental and social benefits. Some of our strategies include optimizing energy and water use, increasing use of renewable energy and adopting extensive materials and waste reduction programs, such as donating untouched food into the community.
What do you see as the biggest opportunity for the industry as we make our way through 2023?
Winer: I am an eternal optimist so I see the biggest opportunity being our industry’s chance to create impact on the world around us. By creating memorable experiences for individuals, meaningful career opportunities for those with passion, long-term value for the assets we own and operate, and a bold unified voice to represent our socio-economic impact, we can use our strength for incredible achievements.
Share one key takeaway Show attendees can expect to gain from your session.
Winer: The Hospitality Show attendees can expect to gain knowledge and perspective on how significant the “E” is in ESG and what small or large steps they can take to engage. Awareness and education are the first steps to creating true impact.