Champion Business Feature: Mereté Hotel Management
For decades, Mereté Hotel Management has delivered highly effective hotel development and management services throughout the Northwest, exceeding the expectations of owners and investors, and fostering in their associates the next generation of hospitality leaders. To welcome Mereté as new Champions of the Springfield Chamber, we spoke with David Hill, Senior Corporate Sales Manager.
Tell us a little bit about Mereté and the services that you provide.
Mereté is a great company, with local roots, headquartered here in Springfield. We have 19 hotels across Oregon and Washington. We are unique in that we manage different hotel brands – we’ve got Marriott hotels, Hyatt hotels, Choice hotels, IHG hotels, Hilton properties. There are six brands in total – this gives us an edge. One thing that’s unique about Mereté is that we have different hotel solutions for different businesses. So, whether you are a large corporation with executives traveling into the area, or construction workers who just need a place to stay, we have different options that can meet individual needs. So, when we say we work with everybody, we really do work with all different industries and sectors to find the best need for their lodging.
A lot of people don’t know about hotel management so, asking for a friend: what do you guys do?
Good question! Mereté is full-service, top-to-bottom, front-to-back, hotel management. So, we do everything, from direct sales, human resources, and accounting; to hiring and training our frontline staff and front desk; to front-office management. So, a full scope. If you were to go and stay in a hotel, you would just see the general manager, front-office manager, housekeepers, front desk. But we’ll manage the back end, too – human resources, accounting, and sales, as well as digital resources.
“On the management side, we offer sophisticated reporting tools and technologies that you would find at a big corporation – but we still operate with a small business mindset.”
– David Hill, Senior Corporate Sales Manager, Mereté Hotel Management
On their website, Mereté asserts they are beholden to both the owners and the guests. How do you balance those two audiences?
Great question. Bill Marriott has this philosophy: by taking care of your associates, they will take care of your guests … and in turn, your guests will take care of your owners and investors. We live by that principle – taking care of our associates, empowering them to make decisions and take care of the guests, and ultimately, that will make for better results and better returns. Happy guests will be repeat guests. So that’s how we balance it. Also, on the management side, we offer sophisticated reporting tools and technologies that you would find at a big corporation – but we still operate with a small business mindset. So, we still have “boots on the ground.” Very hands-on, and we have regular communication with owners about how their hotels are performing.
What do you like most about your job?
I am a senior corporate sales manager. I work with our Eugene/Springfield properties to set up special negotiated rates for businesses that have travelers that are coming through regularly. I would say my favorite thing about this industry and this company is that I get to work with companies from all scopes. Different industries, different sectors. And much like the Springfield Chamber, as far as the economic development side, I like being on the front lines with what’s happening in the area – new businesses coming or going, and just getting to know the community and helping our businesses as a resource for setting up discounted corporate rates.
So glad you mentioned the Chamber! Why is supporting and being involved with the Springfield Chamber important to you and your business?
The Chamber is a great partner for us, helping us to stay connected to the community. The advocacy that the Chamber does on behalf of small businesses – recruiting businesses to the area, finding out what’s happening from the economic development side, being a resource to the community, and just keeping us tuned in and connected. Being a support and a resource and a good partner for the Chamber is important to us.
Is there anything new and exciting coming up for Mereté?
Absolutely, yes. We are celebrating the opening of our 19th hotel! It’s the Spring Hill Suites in Medford, at the Medford Airport, and that’s really exciting. When I started with this company in 2010, we had 11 hotels. In just about 12 years, we’ve grown that to 19 hotels, and that’s really fun, to bring on new talent, new operations folks, and to support our third-party management. One thing that Mereté is currently looking at – and it’s not new but it is exciting – is we’re looking for opportunities to partner with investors or stakeholders on opening new hotels. So that’s the exciting piece.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
I would love to touch on the culture here. There are four pillars that our company believes in: we are community; we have fun; we are growing; and we set the bar. Those four pillars are the framework for that creativity and passion, and the pursuit of excellence. We live that every day. With our internal community, we support and cheer each other on. But also, in the external communities where we have hotels and we do business, we like to volunteer and support charities or nonprofits that we care about. The word “Mereté” is derived from two Greek words: meraki, meaning to do something with passion and creativity; and areté, which is the continual pursuit of excellence. So, we’re a blend of setting the bar, being the best, trying to be the best version of yourself, and then doing all of that with creativity and passion.
Mereté Hotel Management has established itself as one of the most recognized and respected hotel management companies in the country. Their current portfolio of award-winning properties across several brand partners is a testament to their brand expertise, their experience and their dedication to putting quality first.
