Knowledge is very important. Reading about how other people/companies do it and make it a success is always fulfilling, energizing and can yield an idea. Taking ideas from other successful people and or industries can always be a game changer. The below are my favorites that inspire me, give me a different thought process to take action in my own industry and working life.
1. Be My Guest by Conrad Hilton
This is the story of the Hilton Hotel chain and how they got their start as told by Conrad Hilton. A must for all Hoteliers
2. Jackpot!: Harrah’s Winning Secrets for Customer Loyalty by Robert L. Shook
See how Bill Harrah started the chain and the immense Gary Loveman changed the face of Harrahs (eventually buying Caesars Entertainment) and used customer service, mathematics and technology to bring about the advent of data analytics to drive customer behavior in hotels.
3. Four Seasons: The Story of a Business Philosophy By Isadore Sharp
Another autobiography of a great powerhouse in the hospitality industry. A philosophy and Luxury and a love for hospitality.
4. Without Reservations: How a Family Root Beer Stand Grew into a Global Hotel Company by J. W. “Bill” Marriott
Fantastic title and a great ethos of work in the Hospitality Industry. With a wonderful letter of advice, from father to son.
5. Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone To Take Action By Simon Sinek
The book that changed my creed at work. Everyone, be they in hospitality or not, needs to have every employee read this and every leader needs to learn from this. Why do you do what you do?
6. Dubai: The Story of the World’s Fastest City By Jim Krane
A dramatic change for a country where all it had was dessert and oil. A vision applied to bolster its economy and remove its reliance on oil through tourism and hospitality. But at what cost?
7. Winner Takes All: How Casino Mogul Steve Wynn Won―and Lost―the High Stakes Gamble to Own Las Vegas By Christina Binkley
Understand the many facets of what attracts people and how to take advantage of this. Las Vegas epitomizes that a hotel is more than just a room, it is entertainment. The story of the battle of the giants, Steve Wynn and co.
8. Half Luck and Half Brains: The Kemmons Wilson, Holiday Inn Story By Kemmons Wilson
Little known Kemmons Wilsom. The father of the Inns, Holiday Inn that is.
9. Sam Walton : Made in America My Story By Sam Walton
A great autobiographical read. Contains many gems for entrepreneurs and hoteliers alike. I specifically like the anecdote about interviewing people from competitors and asking questions about the setup at their organization and then stealing these. Shows a great understanding that one should pick up ideas from wherever possible, even if they have not come up with it first.
10. Double or Nothing: How Two Friends Risked It All to Buy One of Las Vegas’ Legendary Casinos By Tom Breitling
A great story, written like a novel. Highlighting the advantages OTAs took during the early part of the dot com boom. And what hoteliers perceived to be a benefit, has now became a source of control. And then how the protagonists of the story bought the iconic Golden Nugget from their proceeds.
11. Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time By Howard Schultz
The birth of Starbucks. The principles and ethos of the man Howard Schulz, who journeyed to bring the refined coffee experience to the masses.
12. Grinding It Out: The Making Of McDonald’s By Ray Kroc
The father of mass franchises and never ending drive. A great inspirational read for all hoteliers. Success comes through Grinding it out and never stopping.
13. The Hiltons: The True Story of an American Dynasty By Randy Tarraborrelli
When hoteliers become dynastic institutions. They become the entertainment. A great read.
14. Onward By Howard Schultz
Never resting on your laurels. A great story by Howard Schulz that success should never be taken lightly and that to stay at the top means to continually change.
15. Scoring Points: How Tesco Continues To Win Customer Loyalty By Clive Humby
How a supermarket giant in the UK took Loyalty to the next level. It may have its challengers now, but the way it did it is a lesson to be learnt.
16. Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE By Phil Knight
The story of the roots of one of the world’s most recognized brands. And how it came to be.
17. Hatching Twitter By Nick Bilton
The birth of the 180 characters. #revolution
18. The PayPal Wars: Battles with eBay, the Media, the Mafia, and the Rest of Planet Earth By Eric M. Jackson
A marketing person’s treasure. See how Marketing can influence adoption and lead a strategy for the company whenever it is David v Goliath.
19. The Facebook Effect: The Real Inside Story of Mark Zuckerberg and the World’s Fastest Growing Company By David Kirkpatrick
The birth of another company that has had radical influences on our personal and business lives. The trials and tribulations and cunning tactics that make the Facebook an iconic story to learn from, for the ages.
20. Iacocca: An Autobiography By Lee Iacocca
The three Ps – People, Product & Process. I think that encompasses it all for success. Can be and should be applied in every organization.
21. The Cornell School of Hotel Administration on Hospitality: Cutting Edge Thinking and Practice By Michael C Sturman et al
A grand text book understanding of hospitality from minds of those that teach it day in, day out.
22. The Upstarts: Uber, Airbnb and the Battle for the New Silicon Valley: How Uber, Airbnb, and the Killer Companies of the New Silicon Valley are Changing the World By Brad Stone
The disruptors of many industries. How did they do it? Brad Stone answers these questions.
23. The Spirit to Serve Marriott’s Way By J. W. Marriott
This man again, though dated, the ideas are not.
Which books inspire you?
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