Growing up in hospitality
My family has been in [the hotel business] forever. Every summer, I’d work in hotels from the front desk to housekeeping. After I graduated from Cornell [University School of Hotel Administration], I jumped into my first hotel in 2009 [with cousin and managing principal Jared Galbut], the Sanctuary South Beach, which is a flirty boutique on James Avenue. I was young and wanted to have fun, so we created a unique hotel with a great vibe. That was the start of Menin Hospitality.
Taking his talents to Fort Lauderdale
We’re doing a Gale [shown in renderings] in Fort Lauderdale, which is an emerging market with a good community, similar to Miami Beach. It’s housed in an old historic hotel [with a design from Miami-based Urban Robot Associates] and is going to have the same beachy vibe as the Gale South Beach [when it opens this summer].
Evolving with Miami
We don’t open things and move on; we constantly look at them, revisit them, and reinvent them. It’s that tenacity that makes things special. It’s an exciting city, but you have to watch what’s going on and embrace local ventures. Staying focused is the key.
Forecasting the future
I don’t think there’s ever going be that crazy fire sale type of feeling [like in 2008]. It’s always a good time for the hotel business, as long as you learn how to adapt. But it’s a hard industry. It’s one of the only industries that’s 24 hours a day, seven days a week with no days off. It’s not a business where you can open a hotel and it runs itself. To be successful in this world, you have to be focused on every aspect—uniforms, music, lighting, cleanliness, scenery, every
little thing.
