What Worked There Might Not Work Here (or Now)
Here is a story I would like to follow to the end. A hotel consultant who purchased a hotel in Taos NM has alienated himself from the community by insisting that the Hispanic culture of the hotel be Anglicized. He thought he was improving the "customer experience"- but his staff and the community now think that there is more going on.
It is hard to tell if Larry Whitten is purposefully abrasive or just unaware of his impact (although his quotes in the article do provide some indication of a fairly hard-nosed way of thinking and speaking) . Is this the P.C. police run amok, or a businessman who is simply out of step with his market? I wonder as I read his story how well his style really worked before- or if it only worked while he was there to drive it. Either way, I am certain that he did not intend to stir up a hornet's nest when he bought his business. Now he has the opportunity to demonstrate that he can adapt, dig in his heels, or sell. Either way, I hope we get to learn the outcome.