President of Coakley & Williams (C&W) Lodge Administration Firm Mark Williams is on the helm of the enterprise that has been in his household since its founding in 1961 with a handshake between his grandfather Fred Williams and his companion Neil Coakley. He described for LODGING how he and his firm have developed over time, together with the formation of a strategic partnership with Lodge Equities, the place his title is at the moment SVP enterprise improvement for the Northeast.
Whereas the unique companions centered on growing warehouses and workplace buildings, the corporate ultimately developed right into a developer of lodges, with their first property opening in 1971 exterior Washington, D.C. Providers expanded from development to in-house lodge administration, property administration, and leasing.
In 1996, Mark Williams’ father, Gary, who labored intently with Coakley, assumed possession of the lodge administration division and commenced working lodges up and down the East Coast.
First Encounters With Hospitality
Based on Williams, early jobs at his household’s lodges didn’t encourage desires of a hospitality profession. “Once I was between 10 and 12, my dad had me coming to work at our Vacation Inn in Maryland, first simply selecting up trash however later working at different jobs together with the entrance desk. Beginning off, I felt like this was not going to be the profession path for me,” he associated.
Initially turning away from a profession at C&W, Williams began school in western Maryland, majoring in theater; nevertheless, a summer time within the Disney Faculty program prompted him to take a second take a look at hospitality, and ultimately, the household enterprise. As an alternative of returning to school in Maryland that fall, he continued to work at Walt Disney World in Florida, the place he remained for greater than 4 years. “Working there, particularly in numerous hospitality segments from points of interest to lodging, shifted my mindset in regards to the prospects with hospitality, together with issues I wished to be part of,” he stated. It was there in Central Florida that he met his spouse, Stephanie, who was within the hospitality program on the College of Central Florida’s Rosen Faculty of Hospitality Administration, the place he subsequently enrolled and accomplished his diploma. Upon commencement, each went to work at C&W—she on the human assets aspect and he in operations.
Increasing the Skillset
Williams stated he got here to like the lodge enterprise, the place “there are lots of components to understand, and day by day is an journey.” When his spouse stepped again from her HR place to lift their youngsters, he moved from operations into the coaching and improvement aspect of the enterprise. Then, when the corporate’s enterprise improvement director left, his father, who was then president of the corporate, urged him to tackle that a part of the enterprise, which he discovered particularly thrilling. “I spent a few years doing that. It allowed me to turn out to be concerned in all aspects of the corporate and work together with all of the completely different individuals/departments that have been a part of our enterprise,” he stated. “What I’d say I like most about enterprise improvement is engaged on the longer term alternatives, serving to individuals clear up issues, and seeing visions come to life.”
Ascension to President
In April 2017, his father handed him the reins of the corporate, naming him president of the general enterprise whereas nonetheless retaining possession.
The youthful Williams served in that position within the years previous to and thru the darkest days of the COVID pandemic, which he described “like being in a battle,” explaining, “We have been combating for the survival of our enterprise with all palms on deck, struggling to determine what we would have liked to do to scale back bills whereas additionally sustaining the arrogance of our staff members and purchasers.”
Unable to have information of—and far much less whole management over—what lay forward, he stated he turned to his religion, deciding to not deal with outcomes however to “belief God and to not fear about right this moment or tomorrow.” He referred to as this strategy “my greatest takeaway from the pandemic, and my strategy with no matter I’ve finished ever since.”
Williams stated that after the corporate got here out of the worst of COVID in 2021, they made the choice to kind a strategic partnership with Lodge Equities (HE), an alliance that has allowed C&W to remain intact whereas benefiting from HE’s assets, operational oversight, and nationwide help to all lodges throughout the C&W portfolio. The alliance additionally locations him in acquainted territory: Though he stays president of C&W, as SVP of enterprise improvement with HE, he focuses on new improvement and enlargement within the northeastern United States—together with an expanded deal with rising the midscale extended-stay phase this 12 months.
Williams described his management model as “servant management,” explaining, “It is a journey which you can’t and shouldn’t really feel the necessity to take alone. Leaders are solely nearly as good because the staff that’s round them, the staff they’re serving.” Williams included in that staff not simply workers from C&W and HE, but additionally his household and colleagues. “I’m so grateful I’ve bought an amazing help system round me. I may by no means do all of it on my own,” he concluded.
The ‘Servant Management’ Mindset: Prioritizing Folks, Not Simply Income
Mark Williams, president of Coakley & Williams (C&W) Lodge Administration Firm and SVP enterprise improvement of Lodge Equities, stated he subscribes to the “servant management” administration philosophy. The purpose of servant management, a motion based by Robert Kiefner Greenleaf within the early Seventies, is to serve the wants of staff first, to assist them develop and ship their finest efficiency, which, in fact, advantages the group. In step with this, Williams stated, “I don’t see greenback indicators when it comes to what I do, however moderately the individuals. My perspective is one in every of creating alternatives for individuals to assist enhance their lives and achieve the issues they need to do.”
This strategy has confirmed profitable in all kinds of companies, however, as he noticed, in hospitality, “serving and caring for individuals is on the core of what we do. In our enterprise, we get to be a optimistic affect on all stakeholders, which incorporates our purchasers and staff members. We get to be an instance of sunshine and like to the individuals we work with and serve.”
