Sixty Hotels' Christopher Horn says to build a better boutique business

In advance of this year’s HOTEC North America Operations event, taking place June 10-13 at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif., Hotel Management spoke with Christopher Horn, VP of operations at Sixty Hotels, about what it takes to be a leader in the boutique hotel space.

Horn has been involved in the hospitality industry since the age of 15, when an advertisement in the local newspaper led him to the Chatham Bars Inn near Cape Cod, Mass. It was there that he took up a role as a private-branch-exchange phone system operator for the summer, returning subsequently to learn the ropes as bellman, valet, banquets services and even concierge. The opportunity led him to roles at Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide’s corporate office, the Sheraton Times Square in New York and Denihan Hospitality before finally joining Sixty Hotels.

Sixty Hotels as a company transitioned away from Thompson Hotels to form its own collective in 2015. Horn said that since then, the company has been focused on improving internal efficiencies, though he was brought on specifically to facilitate growth in the company’s asset portfolio and management opportunities. Horn’s attention, however, is focused on maintaining the boutique nature and individuality of the five locations in the collective.

“Having come from other boutique companies as well as some other larger hospitality companies, I know that culture is key to success in this space,” Horn said. “You will often see a divide between the hotel company and the property in some locations. Giving a voice to the experts on the ground separates Sixty from other hotel companies. There is a lot of emphasis here on what works and what doesn’t work.”

According to Horn, Sixty is spending much of 2018 looking inward to focus on the individuality of the locations in its portfolio, and to create efficiencies that allow the company to operate at a higher level. Part of that, he says, involves resisting the typical pulls associated with success. As a property or project grows bigger, Horn said there is a compulsion to become wrapped up in the self-importance of the endeavor, and resisting the urge to sell out is key to the boutique hotel experience.

“Not having rigid standards, to a degree, and allowing individuality to come through is part of our mission,” Horn said. “Guests fall in love with each of those properties in their own way. Creating a story, a connectivity between each location without losing their authenticity… ensuring each guest will have an incredible experience that is intellectually based and experiential in [food and beverage], music and arts, that will create a feeling within guests that they are seeing something different.”