Episode 22: Scaling Global Hotel Brand w/ citizenM's CCO, Ernest Lee

Step into the world of unparalleled hospitality. Rob Napoli invites you on an exhilarating exploration alongside Ernest Lee, the Chief Commercial Officer of citizenM. Positioned within the pulsating Nomad district of Manhattan, this episode unveils the essence of global hospitality excellence.

Embark on a journey through the visionary ethos of citizenM, as Rob and Ernest unravel the intricate tapestry of design, purpose, and innovation that distinguishes citizenM amidst the hospitality elite. From their iconic identity to groundbreaking marketing maneuvers, delve into the essence that renders citizenM an epitome of accessible luxury and unparalleled guest gratification.

Discover the strategic vision propelling citizenM forward, navigating the complexities of global team orchestration and charting a course towards future triumphs, including strategic expansions and a resurgent focus on business travel renaissance. From riveting travel tales to uproarious anecdotes, this episode blends valuable insights with captivating narratives, promising an enriching auditory odyssey.

Podcast Timestamps:
[00:03:23] Global expansion and new locations.
[00:07:16] Consistency in customer experience.
[00:08:30] Making hospitality more human.
[00:12:38] Managing a distributed team.
[00:17:27] Building a kind team.
[00:20:07] Adapting to ambiguity in business.
[00:26:35] Customer experience and rewards.
[00:28:41] Leveraging memes for brand resonance.
[00:33:43] A memorable travel experience.
[00:34:37] Connecting on LinkedIn and travel.

Quotes:
00:06:26-00:06:36 - "If you see a Citizen M room, you know you're in a Citizen M room, right? You can't say the same for many of the other big brands because they all start to look alike and they all blur together."
00:10:24 - "putting it into existence, something that wasn't there before is highly motivating and highly energetic."
00:11:49-00:11:59 - "the most difficult is getting people to work in one direction."
00:16:18 - 00:16:28 - "be able to commit to that type of inconsistency."
00:18:01-00:18:11 - "You could hire very, very smart people, but the moment that they're an asshole, it messes up everything, right?"
00:21:01 - "I love people that know what to do and they don't know what to do."
00:23:02-00:23:12 - "I'd rather you make a mistake doing some sort of action and figuring it out together."
00:27:50 - "B2B marketing on LinkedIn should not be too differentiated from B2C marketing, which is if you look at like the pure foundation of like social media, why does it exist, right? It's escapism, right? It's a form"
00:31:08 - "so much shit can go wrong from like I've missed you know flight connections and gotten delayed and you know at some point you're just like you know what like it doesn't it's not worth getting upset because you're still on the strip and"
00:33:43 - "Because it sounds like a good memory."
00:34:05-00:34:15 - "And that's what I love so much about travel. And that's where I think when hospitality is done right, and you focus on the customer experience, any experience, good or bad is memorable."