This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Robert Rauch will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
For over half a century, Robert Rauch, referred to as "The Hotel Guru", has witnessed and made history within the evolution of modern hospitality. From performing night audits on Sweda cash registers in the 1970s to utilizing AI-enabled revenue strategies today, he has seen it all. The Hotel Guru's Journey combines his fascinating behind-the-scenes narratives with proven operating insights.
This unique operations guidebook shares both the "war" stories and the systems that matter. Rauch shares lessons learned the hard way in trust, crisis management, technology adoption, and leadership. And aside from the entertaining personal experiences, you'll gain access to tried-and-true frameworks, in-the-trenches checklists, and practical guidance for all aspects of hotel operations.
Whether you're breaking ground on your first property, expanding a hospitality portfolio, or seeking to avoid costly mistakes, Rauch's five decades of experience provide your competitive advantage in building a successful and sustainable hotel.
For up-and-coming hoteliers, veteran general managers, and hospitality investors, The Hotel Guru's Journey is your map to long-term success.
Striving for trust and integrity is essential. Trust is particularly challenging, especially in business, where it’s crucial to trust your partners. Trusting a life partner or spouse is foundational—choosing the wrong spouse can lead to everything else collapsing like a house of cards. But choosing a business partner is more difficult, often happening quickly without an engagement period. My first business partner, Bob Graff, and I worked together at The Hyatt Regency Hotel in Phoenix, Arizona, where I’d been transferred after stints in Atlanta, Orlando, Memphis, Chicago, Los Angeles, Scottsdale, and Denver. We both managed restaurants in that 711 room hotel and often dined together after closing. While my hotel industry knowledge was broader, my partner had excellent business acumen and food and beverage expertise. We were both eager to leave our jobs. Hyatt wasn’t bad; it was and still is a great company. But we had an entrepreneurial itch. So together, we launched a company, buying a restaurant out of bankruptcy and adding a talented chef to our team. And our initial success allowed us to acquire two additional restaurant management agreements.
From January to April 1981, business was great. But unlike today, where there’s a year-round base of residents and travelers, back then, the Phoenix Metro Area’s tourist business halted at the end of April. And the season ending abruptly forced us to make changes. We needed to make more revenue and cut costs. First, we needed a liquor license for our own restaurant, BLD’s Eating Emporium. Despite good revenue, our margins were too thin without that license, limiting our customer base. We investigated why our predecessor didn’t acquire one and found out it had been rejected by the church across the street. It was within 100 feet, and they had the right to reject any liquor service at our site. We approached the pastor at the church, requesting a limited liquor license for wine and beer. He offered to send more business for our Sunday brunch but firmly denied our request. We moved on from that outcome but agreed the next step was to cut our expenses. In addition to our own BLDs (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), the owners of the two restaurants we managed hired us to make profits, not lose money. But by the end of August, after losing money all summer at all three restaurants, the business reality was grim. During these tough times, I sought a mentor, and I met the perfect person through mutual friends. He brought me into a consulting assignment and mentioned an opportunity for me to open a hotel as General Manager for one of his clients. That fall, after the tough summer, we left the restaurant business. It was grueling, losing money for us, and didn’t seem like a great career path. Instead, I called my mentor and took the job as a hotel General Manager. We joined the team at the Camelhead Granada Royale Hometel, a 228-suite hotel opening soon. My mentor and I collaborated on projects for many years until his passing after a 30-year friendship.
With a bachelor’s degree in Hotel Administration from Western International University and a master’s degree in Tourism Administration from Arizona State University, Mr. Rauch has served as president and on the board of numerous tourism organizations. Mr. Rauch is a recently retired faculty member at Arizona State University and taught Tourism Industry Entrepreneurship. He is widely quoted on television and radio and in numerous publications, including the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Los Angeles Times. He speaks at industry conferences regularly and has developed several leading brand hotels, three of which the firm still owns and manages, and has been a finalist for CEO of the year in San Diego, CA, and Phoenix, AZ.
Mr. Rauch currently utilizes his private company, R. A. Rauch & Associates, Inc., to provide management services for his owned hotels, consulting services for various Wall Street firms and selected litigation support clients, and asset management services designed to provide hotel owners with oversight and review of potential and currently operating hotels. He also serves as Chairman and Chief Strategist of Brick Hospitality, a company formed by his management team to operate hotels in California. Mr. Rauch recently sold RAR Hospitality, a leading hospitality management firm with 20 hotels under management or development, retaining management of selected hotels where he serves as an owner in San Diego. As a student, teacher, and mentor in the hospitality industry over a six-decade period, Mr. Rauch continues to be active at industry conferences, in key meetings, and when needed to support the hospitality sector.
Website: https://hotelguru.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertrauch/
Twitter: https://x.com/truehotelguru
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20244045.Robert_Rauch
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Hotel-Gurus-Journey-Excellence-Industry/dp/B0FQBTH878/ref=sr_1_1
