I got my start in the dish pit of a country club in Kansas City. I was 14. The work was hot, hard, and humbling, but I loved every second of it. It was my first introduction to the hospitality industry, and I’ve never left.
One of my earliest mentors was Carlos Peña, the club’s maître d’. He carried himself with such dignity and grace. He didn’t have a formal education, but he had the rare ability to make every guest feel important. I admired him deeply. Carlos was the one who first told me about the hospitality program at Cornell, a school I’d never heard of at the time. He introduced me to Philip Pistilli, a well-known hotelier in Kansas City, who took me under his wing. Mr. Pistilli gave me a summer job, wrote my recommendation, and ultimately changed the trajectory of my life.
Mr. Pistilli also taught me something I’ve never forgotten: take care of your people. I still remember the morning he brought me in early to meet the night auditor. That was followed by a visit to the housekeeping department where he knew every housekeeper’s name and every engineer’s story. To him, a hotel was never about the chandeliers or the lobby. It was about the people who made it work.
That simple truth has guided me through more than five decades in this business.
The Operational Toolbox
When we started Sage Hospitality in 1984, the operations world looked very different. Reservations were done by mail or phone. Revenue management was more art than science. Guest expectations were more uniform. A clean room, a good night’s sleep, and friendly service went a long way.
Fast forward to today, and hospitality operations have become more complex, more dynamic, and more deeply integrated into how we think about placemaking. Technology touches every part of the guest journey. We forecast labor down to the minute. Personalization is the expectation, not the exception. Operations still defines the guest experience but there’s a new list of touchpoints. Hotels are no longer just places to stay, they’re designed to be cultural anchors and social hubs in their communities.
The operational toolbox has grown. We’re fluent in design, culinary trends, branding, and real estate strategy. But no matter how much changes, the foundation remains the same. It’s still a people business.
At Sage, everything we do is centered around a simple purpose: enriching lives, one experience at a time. That is not just a tagline. It is an operational philosophy. It means we think about how every team member, every moment, and every detail adds up to something meaningful. It means we think of our hotels and restaurants not just as assets, but as essential parts of the communities they serve.
That mindset has shaped some of our most meaningful projects, including places like Denver Union Station and Dairy Block. Both projects took vision, grit, and years of collaboration. But at their core, they were never just about restoring buildings. They were about restoring connection. Dana Crawford, the preservationist behind much of Denver’s urban revival, was an early influence on me. She taught me that great hospitality isn’t about what you build. It’s about who you build it for.
That lesson continues to guide our operations today. Whether we are opening a new rooftop bar or repositioning a historic hotel, the questions we ask haven’t changed. What experience are we creating? Who are we serving? And how do we make people feel?
Investing in Our People
We’ve also learned how important it is to invest in our own people. Some of the proudest moments in my career have come from watching associates grow. I’ve seen housekeepers become general managers, line cooks become executive chefs. Those stories are not exceptions. They are reminders of what’s possible when you treat your team like family.
During the hardest moments in our industry, including 9/11, the great financial crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic, that mindset has been our anchor. Even when we had to furlough thousands during COVID, we did everything we could to stay connected. We raised relief funds. We checked in with our teams. We made it clear that we would come back and come back together.
Operations today require a broader skill set than ever before. Guests expect authenticity, wellness, sustainability, and efficiency. They want to feel known and valued. Meeting those expectations means every department matters. Engineering matters. Housekeeping matters. Food and beverage matters. Culture matters.
I sit in a lot of meetings about how technology can transform the industry. I’ve listened to countless start-ups explain how their AI-tool will make our operations more efficient. While we’re always open to applying technology at Sage, we are not chasing trends for the sake of novelty. The best technology is the ones that allow us to spend more time better delivering something timeless: human connection.
The word “operations” may sound clinical. But to me, it is where the heartbeat of hospitality lives. It is where values become actions. Where cultures take shape. Where moments turn into memories.
I still walk properties every chance I get. I still take time to talk with associates. I still believe that knowing the name of your dishwasher is just as important as knowing your RevPAR. That mindset doesn’t scale with software. It has to be lived.
In over five decades in this business, I’ve seen a lot of change. But I am proud to say the most important things have not changed. Hospitality still rewards those who care deeply. It still favors those who lead with heart. And it still offers opportunities to anyone willing to roll up their sleeves and serve.
I’ve always believed that hospitality, at its best, can enrich the lives of guests, associates, our investor partners and communities alike. That is the legacy I want Sage to carry forward. Not just buildings or brands, but a way of operating that puts people first.
And it all started in the dish pit.
About the author: Walter Isenberg is the co-founder and CEO of Sage Hospitality Group.