Protect the guest, not the hotel
Hey, Nikki here.
When Ozzy Osbourne got kicked out of Black Sabbath, he moved into a West Hollywood hotel called Le Parc. People still call and ask for Ozzy’s old room, and Barry Podob always says yes... he also has no idea which room it was.
Barry has spent almost 25 years booking music and entertainment groups at Le Parc and its sister hotels, for everyone from the Rolling Stones to 5 Seconds of Summer. He got into hotels by accident, after 9/11, with zero sales experience...
Why this one matters:
Le Parc is a 154-room hotel competing with every big brand in LA for tour business. Barry’s explanation for its reputation: “They seem to be busy protecting the hotel. I don’t protect the hotel. I protect the guests.”
Most of what he does to fulfill that mission happens before anyone checks in.
#1 Know who’s walking in
Before a group arrives, Barry sends the whole hotel a “group resume” with where the tour is coming from and where it’s headed next. A band that finishes in Phoenix at 11pm with two hours of load-out will be in the lobby by eight the next morning.
He also Googles every name on the rooming list, so he knows whether he has the band, the techs, the drivers, or all of them.
Takeaway: Good service starts with knowing someone’s day before they tell you.
Try this: On your next advance, ask one question about the other team’s day beyond your own call time.
#2 Give the driver the best room
A lot of hotels see bus drivers on a rooming list and put them anywhere. Barry gives them the best room in the house and a breakfast voucher for their first morning, as a thank you for getting the group there safely.
Takeaway: How you treat the people nobody’s watching sets the standard for everyone else.
Try this: Thank one person on your next gig whose work makes yours possible, by name.
#3 Stay in front without selling
Barry doesn’t do the hard sell. At award season, he checks his “Who’s Booking Who” list of 400 bands and emails the travel agent or tour manager behind each nominee. He jokes that it’s surely due to their great travel arrangements and lets them know he voted for the group. That’s the whole email.
The day we recorded, he was hosting a lunch for tour managers, some of them meeting for the first time, just to sit around and share stories.
Takeaway: People remember who showed up for them when nothing was on the line.
Try this: Congratulate someone on a recent win this week, with no ask attached.
If you want the full conversation, watch Ep #74 of The Giggs Podcast with Barry Podob.
— Nikki
P.S. One line I loved: “It’s never about this reservation. It’s always about the next one.” Same goes for crew: how you handle this show is what gets you the next call.
