Skift Take
The select-service business model must deliver a quality product at an affordable cost so La Quinta listens closely to give customers exactly what they want, without going one step - or dollar - beyond.
Editor’s Note: This interview is part of Skift's CEO interview series. This particular series is with hospitality CEOs talking about the Future of the Guest Experience and the evolving expectations and demands of hotel guests. Check out all the interviews as they come out here. Also, enjoy the previous series on the Future of Travel Booking, with online travel CEOs.
La Quinta Inns & Suites has had a busy year. After raising $650 million in its initial U.S. share sale in April, the hotel brand rolled out new products that allow guests to select their arrival time and receive a text when their room is ready, introduced a new prototype that incorporates smart design and smaller spaces, and refocused its marketing efforts to attract business travelers.
La Quinta’s few-frills business model is also becoming increasingly attractive to U.S. lodging investors who are drawn to the lower operating costs and high returns at select-service brands.
La Quinta CEO Wayne Goldberg, who has been in his position since 2006, started his hospitality career at Red Roof Inns and has an astute view of the select-service market and hotel industry. An edited version of our interview with Goldberg is below.
Skift: What are the biggest challenges you are facing to improve the guest experience today?
Wayne Goldberg: I think, for anyone, the biggest challenge in meeting the guest expectation and experience is to really understand what your consumer wants from you. For any company or brand to make decisions, I think you really need to make sure that you're getting the right insight directly from the consumer. People ask me all the time, “What does your consumer want from you? What does La Quinta stand for?”
I know exactly what my consumer wants from me. We speak to our consumers all the time. We've done an awful lot of work on the brand and we have been very strategic in making sure that the things we are doing delivers exactly what our consumers told us they wa
