Meet Pete Sams, President of HVMG
Pete Sams' hospitality
career started waiting tables while earning his BA in Finance. Still, the roots
of his leadership philosophy go back even further: to a family-run ice cream
shop, two years of active duty in the U.S. Army and even his time as captain of
his high school wrestling team.
Throughout his career,
Pete has focused on service, discipline, relationships, adding value, and
making a positive impact. Now, as president of HVMG, he brings those
principles—along with a healthy appreciation for sports, Italy and making
people laugh—to his new role.
Q: What was your first
job in hospitality?
Specifically in the hotel
business, I started as a server at what is now the Omni Corpus Christi while I
was finishing my finance degree at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. I
was a server at the Republic of Texas Bar & Grill and was part of the
opening team for a re-concept and reopening of the restaurant.
That said, service was
part of my life long before that. My family owned both a liquor, beer, and wine
store, as well as an ice cream and deli shop in Michigan, and one of my first
jobs outside the family business was as a dishwasher at a restaurant (Bill
Knapps).
Before my hotel career
started, I spent two years on active duty serving my country in the U.S. Army
in Germany as an M1A1 tank crewman. I like to joke that driving 63 tons of
steel prepared me for my future career in hospitality, but there actually are
some real parallels: serving a bigger cause, putting others above self, being
part of a true team and working alongside people from all walks of life toward
one mission. These elements of that experience have carried forward for me.
Q: What are some of the
principles that guide you as a leader?
One quote that has always
resonated with me is, "The price of greatness is responsibility."
To me, life presents us
with a daily opportunity to make a positive impact. How can I positively
influence and uplift others? The chance to make a greater impact comes with
greater responsibility, and you must recognize and value that responsibility
with pride and understand the importance other people may place on your words
and actions.
I also believe one of the
greatest gifts you can give people is your time, attention, and focus. We're
all busy, but I've built my career around creating great relationships and
dedicating one-on-one time to people who care about their craft and our greater
cause, striving to enable them to do what they do best and help us achieve our
collective mission.
Q: You have talked
about the importance of discipline and focus. How does that translate into the
way you lead?
I am a big believer in the
Pareto principle, the idea that 20% of your activity generates 80% of your
results. I am on a lifelong constant quest to identify and elevate the
activities that are most important. This is a concept ingrained in me by Keith
Daub, my COO during my tenure at White Lodging. There are always things competing for your attention, so the question is: How do you eliminate the noise and
focus on what is most meaningful?
In a hotel, there may be
dozens upon dozens of standards and procedures in every department. The
exercise is to extract the few things we really want to put on a pedestal that
are most critical to driving results. What are the non-negotiable activities
that represent who we are and what we do?
I believe in narrowing our
focus and keeping everyone's eye on the prize. These tend to be universal
initiatives and activities, agnostic to asset type and if applicable, brand. At
the same time, you must embrace that every owner for whom we work is different.
It is equally important that our playbook is flexible enough to align with each
owner's unique mission, vision, and goals.
Q: You spent 20 years
with Omni Hotels. What did that experience teach you?
Those were incredibly
influential years for me. I spent about 10 years in finance and 10 years in
operations as a general manager, along with some above-property
responsibilities in both areas.
To this day, I remain a big
believer in Omni and its culture, and I have conducted many of the practices I
learned there throughout my career. It will always be the place I initially
learned the business and earned and was afforded numerous opportunities to
increase my sphere of influence. I was also fortunate to work with several leaders
who became mentors. Mike Deitemeyer has been a mentor for me throughout my 30+
year career. He was the first to truly recognize my potential early and was
instrumental in guiding my career from server to managing director at Omni and beyond.
Leaving Omni after 20
years was a heart-wrenching decision for me. I loved the company but felt I was
ready for a new challenge. When White Lodging approached me and offered me my
first above-property role as an RVP, Mike (to his credit) worked hard to
identify an alternative internal option, but when it became evident that he
could not compete with what the new role and experience had to offer, he was
quick to acknowledge my career contributions and sincerely wish me well, endorsing
my decision. He put Pete the person above all else, and after an incredible and
valuable run at White Lodging, Mike called me upon his arrival at Interstate to
lead the full-service operations division. I did not hesitate. Our run together
at Interstate was highly rewarding and provided a tremendous experience for me.
Those experiences
reinforced for me how important relationships truly are throughout a career.
Q: What part of hotel
leadership do you enjoy most?
I still think being a
hotel GM is the single best and most important role in our Industry. Anything
we aspire to be as an organization is only possible when we have amazing GMs
that reflect our core culture leading our assets. I have aspired to stay true
to my roots as a property general manager and work tirelessly to set up our property
leaders for success. We want HVMG to be the place for them to be the best
versions of themselves, achieve their career aspirations, and pay if forward by
creating a best-in-class result for their associates, guests, and owners.
One of my favorite parts
of being a GM was holding monthly all-associate rallies. I loved getting on
stage, sharing great news, challenging the team where we needed to improve and
keeping things engaging.
We have serious business
to address and important work to do, but we cannot take ourselves too
seriously. I love engaging people and helping them understand the importance of
the work they do.
Q: If you were not in
the hotel business, what would you do?
I have been told by many I
should be a late-night TV host.
I love to entertain, and
people have told me that it would be a natural fit. To me, entertaining is
another form of service. People need to laugh and have fun.
Q: Where did your
competitive streak come from?
I grew up in Midland,
Michigan, and was a multi-sport athlete, but wrestling was my primary sport. I
was captain of the wrestling team, and I still believe it is the ultimate sport.
It requires grit, character,
and incredible discipline. During wrestling season, I was working at our
family's ice cream and deli shop while constantly battling to make weight.
Imagine serving banana splits and giant sandwiches when you are hungry and living
on lemon wedges. Talk about a character builder.
I am also a huge sports
fan and a big Detroit Lions fan. I have been waiting for most of my life for
them to be competitive and relevant, so the last few years of success have been
a lot of fun.
Q: You have a free
plane ticket, a complimentary hotel stay and unlimited spending money. Where
are you going?
Italy. It is not even a
contest.
It is my favorite place in
the world, particularly Tuscany, the wine country, the architecture, history
and most of all, the food. It just feels like where I am supposed to be.
If I had to choose
somewhere I have not been, I would pick Japan. I am fascinated by Japanese
culture, and it is on my bucket list.
Q: Is there a book that
has had a lasting impact on you?
Tuesdays with Morrie. I have read a lot of books, but that one has always
stayed with me. I am a big Mitch Albom fan from my Michigan and Detroit roots,
and I loved the storytelling and the life lessons Morrie shared.
When I was younger, I
worked at a retirement community while I was going to college. I would prepare
a continental breakfast in the mornings and sit and talk with the residents.
Having someone listen to them meant so much to them, and they had an incredible
amount of wisdom they wanted to share.
I have always had an
affinity for learning from people who are willing to share their life
experience. That is one reason Tuesdays with Morrie resonated so
strongly with me.
Q: As you take on the
role of president at HVMG, what do you want people to understand about the way
you lead?
For me, it comes back to
impact, relationships, and responsibility. Results are always a product of
great people doing great work, so I want to make sure our people have the
focus, support, and leadership they need to be at their best.
I also believe strongly in
giving people your time and attention. As your responsibilities grow, it
becomes even more important to remember the influence you can have on someone
else and not take that lightly.
Ultimately, I want to help our GMs and leaders do what they do best, keep us focused on the things that make the biggest difference and make sure we are aligned with what each of our owners is trying to accomplish. If we can do those things consistently and have some fun along the way, that's meaningful work.
