 Rusty Komori, and this is Beyond the Lines on Think Tech, Hawaii. I was the head coach of the Punahou School Boys Varsity Tennis Team for 22 years, and we were fortunate to win 22 consecutive state championships. This show is based on my books Beyond the Lines and Beyond the Game, and it's about inspiration, leadership, and creating a superior culture of excellence. My special guest today is the general manager of Embassy Suites in Waikiki. He is Simeon Miranda, and today we are going Beyond Hotels. Hey, Simeon, welcome to Beyond the Lines. Hello, Rusty, good morning. Nice to be here. Simeon, you and I are both graduates of Damien High School, and I wanna know when you were at Damien, what stood out to you most about the school? Well, you know, Damien Memorial High School is Catholic. At the time I went to school was an all-boys school. What stood out the most for me were the Christian brothers, the discipline that they basically taught us about to be, you know, the motto was bravillitaire, aque manfully, and to be really good citizens of the community. And at the same time, you know, learn as much as you can so you can do the best for yourself and for your future. Yeah, Simeon, I agree. I mean, I was there when it was all boys as well, and it was definitely the most strict school in the state. I mean, the discipline, I mean, that kind of discipline really worked, but I wanna ask you, Simeon, after graduating from Damien, tell me more about your background. Yeah, you know, I'm very proud of my background. I guess you can say I'm the typical immigrant story. My parents worked very, very hard. They were from the Philippines, and my grandfather worked in the plantations here, and that's how he got to Hawaii. He was recruited from Northern Philippines, and he got here in the early 60s, and then my dad was petitioned to come here, and so forth. So he petitioned my mom and my sister and I. So I got here at a very early age, and again, working hard, even though they had college degrees because of their language barrier, they can only find jobs in hospitality. So my dad was a busboy for Ahringer Hotels, which is interesting because I work for Ahringer, and then my mom was a housekeeper for Hilton Hawaiian Village, and so now I am at a hotel that's branded by Hilton and a general manager, so they're very proud of me. But anyway, they really believed in education, and so even though they were not making a lot of money, my sister and I went to private schools. So we went to a private school in Kalihi, and then I went to Damien High School, and that worked really, really hard. And because of that, I did well in high school, and I got a scholarship to a 10 Seattle University in Washington State. So that kind of got me to where I'm at. Got a great, again, it was still a Christian education, it was a Jesuit college. I got a degree in business, more specifically in marketing, and then worked. I worked in a bank, and then from there, I thought that banking was a little boring for me. It was a sit-down desk job, and I thought, you know, maybe I can do something else. And I saw this beautiful hotel I applied, and I got in as a night auditor, and then three months later, they asked me into the management training program. That's how I started with the hotel industry. So Simeon, I wanna ask you, what do you enjoy about hotel management? You know, like in your book, it's all about the people. I mean, you know, your four Ps makes good sense to me. The people that I work with are great people. They have great potential. They have passion in what they do. And I'm very proud to say that, you know, we have a lot of managers that I worked with that has excelled, and they've been promoted. They're vice presidents. They're, you know, general managers. So when I see someone that has potential and can do the best, I think that makes it all so worth it of, you know, doing what I'm doing. And Simeon, I wanna ask you about embassy suites. I mean, your hotel is, you have such a great location right there on Waikiki Beachwalk. I love going to your hotel. And I want you to explain to everybody about why embassy suites is so attractive and popular. Yes. You know, for people that are from the mainland, I think embassy suites, they know embassy suites. On the mainland, it's basically a typical hotel that is in a central city and a lot of business people use it. They use it because it's a suite and it's centrally located. So, you know, with the suite, you have a separate bedroom and then you have a living area. So a lot of business people like to, you know, especially now that they can work remotely, they can do their work in the living room, but at night, you know, they can go to another room and sleep at all. Also with that, you get complimentary breakfast in the morning and it's, you know, cooked to order breakfast. There's a great buffet. It's not, you know, your typical continental breakfast, but, you know, you have everything. And then in the evening, you have two hours of evening reception. Well, here in Hawaii, it's a little different. All of our guests are mainly leisure guests, meaning they're not here for business, they're here for pleasure. And what makes it even more special is that we're in the center of Waikiki. We are, you know, right on Waikiki Beachwalk, basically it's a plethora of, you know, great restaurants, great stores. I mean, we have Giovanni Pustrami, we have, you know, Ruth Chris, we have Royce Restaurant and we have Yard House. And so those anchors really makes us a little different from a lot of Waikiki properties, but back to the concept. So if you're a typical family of, you know, two kids and you have the parents, it's just so comfortable where the kids can sleep in the living room because we have a sofa bed and then the parents will have their own bedroom. But we also have two bedroom suites. And so you can even, you know, invite grandma and grandpa to go with you and they can have their own room and, you know, and then the other room can be with the parents. And then again, the kids could be in the living room. So it's a great concept. We're the only all suite property in Waikiki. And again, Sentry located a block away from Waikiki Beach and then, you know, Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center and international marketplace are just steps away. Oh man, that's not, it's a great location, like I said. And Simeon, I want to ask you about your team members. I mean, you mentioned, you know, people, your people. When I come to your hotel, they're so attentive. I mean, you feel the aloha. Tell me about what you do with your team members and why they have those attention to details. Well, you know, I think I was very privileged to come here to this property seven years ago. This hotel was converted from being an outrigger hotel to an embassy suites. So a lot of them did work for outrigger. And we have this thing called outrigger way where, you know, you basically take care of your place, you know, the people that you work with and most importantly, the guests that we have. So I think I just, you know, enforce that where, you know, if we take care of our people we call our employees hosts that they will take care of the guests. And then at the end of the day, they will take care of our ownership and invest in the capital and, you know, in all the things that they do to make this hotel special. I think we give a lot of empowerment to our hosts. I think we really treat them with kindness where we treat them like Ohana family. And with that, I think it goes beyond and, you know, it helps them really get to know the guests. And again, back to being humble and just asking, you know, what they need or if we don't do the right thing, we make it right. Whatever that is. But I think, you know, from the housekeeper all the way to the front desk, all the way to our director of sales or hotel manager, we all feel that, you know, we're here to help one another. And at the end of the day, help the guests do, I mean, you know, serve the guests and make sure that they have the best stay. And more importantly, come back and see us and tell all the other people that they know about MC Suite's Waikiki. Well, Simeon, when I was with you there on that upper level pool area at the bar area, I mean, it's so fun. I mean, everyone has such positive energy and everyone's so happy there. I mean, is that always the case? I, you know, I think so. I mean, they're wholeheartedly genuine. And I think that makes such a big difference. They like to come to work. And but sometimes, you know, we have these that, you know it's not all right. And I think what makes it special is that the managers acknowledge that and we try to find out why and also try to understand. And you know, if that means that they need a day off or, you know, they just need time for themselves or they need to go home early, then we have to adjust. And I think that what makes us, again, you know be one large family because we kind of understand where they're coming from and we don't, we need to communicate and really find out why because now things could be happening, you know on their side of the family or now things that we can't really control but at least we can be genuinely caring and again, just being kind to them and asking them, what can we do to make the day better? Yeah, no, I totally agree with you there. And Simeon, I want to ask you about my books. You have both of them. What are some concepts that stood out to you in both books? Yeah, you know, the first one of course is you had, you know, several key points and I think the first one, you know the character of the champion, I know you've done this, I mean, you know, 12 consecutive championships what a great example that is but I think, you know, I have to go back to how I was raised and what was really important for me. And for me, it was to succeed and to, you know, stay as positive as possible and then find ways of getting there. You know, I come from a poor family. I knew that they could not, you know really send me to a private university. So I had to find ways of figuring out how I can grant scholarships and all that so I can succeed. I think that's the same thing also with, you know I mean, you know, forming to be a champion I wanted to be one of the first Asians to be a general manager and also when I come back to Hawaii, you know be one of the first local general managers here. And with that, you have to really prove yourself and, you know, do everything that's needed in order to succeed and learn, you know I mean, you mentioned about listening and, you know, answering last but I think that's a big, you know a big item where you have to be listening you have to be, you know it's all about the people as well and knowing what, you know what they need and kind of figure out, you know what can we do again to help them and to help yourself. Well, Simeon, I like how you brought up character and I love how you brought up about listening first and speaking last because when you listen first it allows you to understand what your people are thinking and feeling. So you understand the vibe and the pulse of what's going on before you answer, right? Right, right. Yeah, I mean, it makes a lot of sense and I think when I was a young manager all you wanted to do was have people listen to you and I think once I got a little older it wasn't all about you, you know it was about them and listening makes you more humble and it really gets down to, you know what are they really saying to you? And again, back to how can we make it work for each other? Yeah, absolutely. Simeon, you know there's a part in the book where I talk about welcoming adversity and I wanna ask you, I mean you've been in the hotel management industry for many years, I mean you're so successful but you can be successful and if there's a change in ownership or top management what happens? I mean, what have you experienced that was did you experience a big adversity dealing with that kind of situation? I did and, you know I worked for Health & Corporation for very long time many years, almost over 25 years but there were like major changes and I think I learned that I couldn't take it personally there were just things that was beyond your control and it kind of relates to what you talk about like create your environment, right? And so I think you have to really think about what do you want and where can you go from this? And you have to change as well and I think the older you become you know, there's gonna be younger, brighter people and you have to adjust and so again, I kind of, you know bond creating your environment as well so I had to really figure it out like what do you wanna do? Is it time for change? And I did, so I left Health & Corporation and I worked for a great company, you know after that, so I worked for Aurea Resorts a little smaller, but they really are about taking care of our hosts, taking care of the managers and taking care of our guests and it made me realize that, you know there were other opportunities and I took them and took advantage of it. So Simeon, when that happened what was your mindset like? How were you able to keep a positive mindset? I think I go back to how I was raised and again, to be humble and to be positive enough and I couldn't think of, you know I mean like getting negative on yourself or saying that you can't do that just doesn't help. I mean, you're not being effective. I think I had to really go back to where was I good at? What characteristics is best for me? And I go back to my mentors as well. I think you do that, you know when you tell your stories in your chapters there's always like a person that you talk about and there could be a mentor you learn from them. I think I go back to that and I would always say like what would so and so say or what so and so do? So yeah, I just try to be as positive as possible. Yeah, and being positive that's a choice. I mean, we all have the choice to either be positive or negative and the amount of energy for either way I mean, it's the same amount of energy. So I want people to choose the better choices. Simeon, I wanna ask you about Giovanni Pastrami. I mean, Ryan Tanaka owns Giovanni Pastrami. He is the founder of Brutahood Grimes. Your Hotel Embassy Suites is a great sponsor of Brutahood and Sisterhood Grimes. What do you really love about those events and the program that Ryan had created? Yeah, I think Ryan and I are similar in the way that he's a very successful businessman but I think more than anything because of his successes he wants to give back to the community and I believe in the same way. I mean, I come from Kalihi and it was a rough neighborhood but at the same time, getting an education, becoming a general manager, I also needed to give back to the community and that's why I belong to certain organizations like Waikiki Community Center. That's all about the Kapuna, the Keiki and the community. I'm with Hawaii Lodging Tourism Association and through those association, I've learned and met some great people and one of them is Ryan. And it's great that he is the owner of Giovanni Pastrami but more than anything, he really does care about the community. And so when he told me about Brutahood Sisterhood and really caring for our athletes and feeding them and what this program was all about, I said, right on, how can I help? And he would have these luncheons and we'd be there at Giovanni Pastrami. The least I could do was provide the parking or give away a room night or two to one of those athletes and so that they can take time and have a staycation and all that. So it just worked out. And again, it was the same purpose was that, what can we do to make the community better? What can we do to make the program better with UH sports and having really everyone understand what they're going through and really supporting them as best as we can? Well, I completely agree with you there. You know, I see you at those events and it's just amazing. I mean, Brutahood and Sisterhood Grimes were in the second year right now. And Ryan is really creating a network of community leaders to meet with the student athletes so that the student athletes, they can pursue whatever their passion might be in life after sports, right? Now, I love that. I mean, Nina, he introduced them to someone who is, it's a professional in social media. He introduced them to business leaders. He makes them network and so that when they do graduate, they'll have this list of people that they've already met and hopefully it'll create opportunities for them. But yeah, it's not about the sports, but it's about them being a whole individual and what they can also, I mean, it comes back to giving back as well. So yeah, absolutely. Yeah, that's the beauty of that whole program. And Simeon, I wanna ask you about you building your superior culture of excellence. I mean, you have high standards. What are some of your top priorities as the GM, as the leader of embassy suites? You know, the people, I mean, we go back to the people, right? And we do go back to the managers that I have and really giving them the tools that they need, but more than anything, it's the mentoring part. I think as leaders and general managers, you basically have concepts over, you think of what's beyond today and what can we do in order to have a brighter future and for us, it's either growing occupancy or growing average daily rate and having the greatest rep farm. Sorry, I'm talking hospitality here, but at the end of the day, we want our owners to be happy. So what do we need to do? Does that mean we have to train better, have our managers go to some seminars so that they can understand how their management styles are so it can benefit the hotel? I think that's very, very important. I think communication as well, we have it, it's called inside out with Abregar hospitality where it talks about all the opportunities within the organization and just other events that's going on and also telling our hosts what's expected of them. So I think that's just very, very important. And at the end, it is about our Ohana and having this feeling of family within our organization so that they know that if they need anything, they can come to us and also seek our help in making their lives a little easier and happier. I mean, we want people to come to work, having a good attitude. In order to do that, we have to communicate and really tell them what's expected of them as well. No, I love that you keep bringing up the people that you're trying to create a second family because that's really what the greatest leaders do. I mean, you have your family obviously and then at work, that's your second family at work. Now, I always, in terms of teamwork and you've built a great team of people, I always say that we can do 99 things right. If we do one wrong thing, then everyone's only gonna remember that one wrong thing. So we can never do that one wrong thing whether you're in management or whether you're on the front lines as a host or even cleaning rooms. What are your thoughts about that? No, absolutely. I mean, I have managers that are very competitive, but at the same time, it's not about them by themselves. It's us as a team. And I know they like to win. I know we're very competitive in being the best. I mean, we're one of the largest embassy suites, but we drive the highest revenue. We have the highest occupancy and highest revenue per available room. And in order to do that, it takes a team, not an individual in order to do that. And so, we learn from our mistakes. I mean, not all our guests are perfect. We call them Aloha guests at times, but you learn from them. And at the same time, what else can we do so that this doesn't happen again or make it better? So I think you're right. I mean, that wrong sometimes is emphasized and especially with the guests, if they didn't get the service that they needed, but at the same time, I always have to step back and think why are we the best embassy in the world? And so, it comes back to that and making sure that again, back to being positive and really emphasizing what have we done and look at where we're at and we're doing very well. Simeon, you've been in the hotel industry for many years. How do you say, what are your thoughts in how the hotel industry has evolved through the years? Yeah, I'm proud that I'm part of that. I think we have a more diverse group of leaders, general managers. There's more local managers now in Hawaii than before. I think we need to work on making sure that we communicate to the next generation that Hawaii has opportunities and that they don't have to go to the mainland in order to get that experience. We have a lot of, there's new hotels coming up, there's always changes within leadership and they have that opportunity. I think we have to be competitive with the mainland with salaries and benefits, but I think we're getting there and it's so different than when I left for college. My thoughts were always go to the mainland, get the experience, get the salaries that you need and so forth and they come back. I think we need to prove to the next generation that are about to graduate from Tim's school that there are opportunities here and that we needed to make it even more diverse and more local people being in great leadership roles. Yeah, and Simi, I mean, we know the hotel industry is so competitive, like you said, I mean, in so many different ways and it's just what you do. I mean, I think because you're local and you know the local Hawaii culture, that adds a whole lot too. Do you see it in that way as well? I do and I think you need to, like I know I have a sales manager who is from Kalihi and who went to school at UH and all that. I think they look up to people like me and people that's similar that come from poor families but there are opportunities there. Again, back to what you're saying in your book about people performance process. It's very, very important that they understand that and it's very important for them to know that they can and there's a lot of resources out there. Yeah, for sure. And Simi, I wanna ask you, when you reflect back on your life so far, what's a valuable lesson you've learned? I think the valuable lesson is really, and I got this from my parents, is to be really humble. I deal with a lot of executives that are very top rank, but what they have in common is that they care for people, they are humble, they're very intelligent, they know what to do, but I think more than anything, they just appreciate the people that surround them and really try to mentor them and guide them as best as they can. I love that you said being humble. I mean, having humility is so important and you're a leader that has empathy and I always share that as a leader you might have empathy for your people, but the key is your people need to know that you have empathy for them. I think when they know that it's so authentic and genuine, I mean, that's when you really have that second family and Simian, you shared great insights and I'm so proud that we are both Damian high school graduates and I wanna thank you for taking time to be on the show today. No, Rusty, thank you, yeah, go Monarchs. I mean, what, they just won their division for football, so really, really proud. Yes, thanks, Simian. Thank you, Rusty, appreciate it. And thank you for watching Beyond the Lines on Think Tech Hawaii. For more information, please visit rusticomori.com and my books are available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I hope that Simian and I will inspire you to create your own superior culture of excellence and to find your greatness and help others find theirs. Aloha.