The San Diego Young Professionals Committee (YPC) is committed to supporting Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County by planning and hosting fun and upbeat fundraising and networking events throughout the year. A new way the San Diego YPC is supporting the community is by celebrating one deserving Young Professional of the Month in a new humanitarian series featured on DiscoverSD.com.
Our Young Professional of the Month for March 2011 is Chris Jones of Hotel Indigo. This green and tech savvy downtown hotel strives to upgrade the guest experience with home-like amenities, eco-friendly operations and, of course, the unparalleled views into PETCO Park from the 9th floor lounge – one of the best kept secrets in East Village. From his introduction to the hospitality industry to what’s new at Hotel Indigo this spring, get to know Chris Jones in this Young Professional spotlight!
DiscoverSD: At 10-years-old, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Chris Jones: An attorney. My father is an attorney and I always figured I would follow in the family business. Turned out that I was not that great at English and wound up being good at numbers. So Finance and Marketing became my tracks in school.
DSD: What is your education and business background?
Chris: I have a finance degree from University of North Texas. After working for two years as a stock broker, I left Dallas and moved to Durango, Colorado. After hoping to find a “cush” job at the ski resort that would let me spend most of my time enjoying the mountain, I wound up working at the hotel part of the resort in sales. I was immediately hooked on the resort business even though as I took on more responsibility my skier days steadily decreased as the years went by. I remember my first year I had 78 days on the mountain, the last year I had only 18. In Durango I worked in various capacities including Director of Sales for the Ski Resort and General Manager for a couple of our resort properties at the base area.
DSD: Please share a brief overview of how you got involved with Hotel Indigo in San Diego.
Chris: I moved to San Diego in the spring of 2004, and started working with Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG) working in sales and as a General Manager at a couple of our San Diego Staybridge Suites hotels. In 2006 I transferred within IHG to LA to manage our Holiday Inn in Santa Monica beach. What a shock for me. After experiencing three interesting years of Lindsey Lohan DUI arrest in front of the hotel, filming of Entourage on the beach/pier, and each morning driving through Venice to see the Californication crew hard at work, I was ready for a change. All the while, my company was building the Hotel Indigo in San Diego. I was rescued when I transferred back to San Diego in January 2009 to oversee the opening of the hotel and continue to this day as the hotel’s General Manager.
DSD: Being a certified green hotel, how does Hotel Indigo go above and beyond to support the local community in San Diego?
Chris: Our parent company, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) is the world’s largest hotel company with over 4,600 across the globe and Hotel Indigo is our company’s newest brand with the San Diego hotel as our flagship property. Our guests were telling us that they were looking for a more unique guest experience and Hotel Indigo is positioned to provide just what they are looking for. The decision to build Hotel Indigo was a major investment in a couple of key areas:
- The economy and hospitality industry were facing some of the toughest times in recent years. Being a corporate owned and managed property, Hotel Indigo San Diego exemplifies IHG’s investment and commitment to San Diego’s tourism market.
- Hotel Indigo San Diego Gaslamp Quarter is IHG’s and downtown San Diego’s first LEED Certified Hotel. Again, our focus as an innovator within America’s Finest City really starts at the ground up.
- Hotel Indigo supports the San Diego business community through local partnerships such as Ace Parking, Karl Strauss, Crow’s Pass Farms, City Dog, Plus One water, Fit, Heavenly Cupcake, Café Moto and Bread & Cie to name a few. When exploring vendors and potential business partnerships, we always look to our backyard and local community first!
- Hotel Indigo San Diego also gives back to the local community. Our philanthropic efforts are focused on Stand Up for Kids and the San Diego Humane Societies. We are proud to be active citizen in the San Diego community. In 2010, we hosted a charity golf tournament at Maderas Golf Club. Additionally, we have held a warm clothing drive and donate amenities (soaps, shampoos, etc) to the StandUp center to help support San Diego’s at-risk youth.
DSD: A tech-savvy hotel, please explain how you use and feature modern technology to improve the hospitality standards at Hotel Indigo.
Chris: Prior to opening the hotel, our guests were telling us that they were looking for a guest experience that was not so ‘canned’ or ‘beige-box’. They were looking for amenities that they might find in their own homes. We worked to incorporate this by adding in-room guest amenities like the Keurig coffee system and iHomes. Our use of technology can also be found in the Macs at the business center and iPads available for guests use at the front desk.
Hotel Indigo San Diego is also the first hotel within IHG to go paperless, reducing the impact on the environment through paper and toner usage. Examples would include eliminating registration cards and emailing guest folios at check out (vs. printing them out).
We were also the first business to partner with the San Diego Police Department for Operation Secure SD. Operation Secure SD is the ability for law enforcement officers to connect to a live feed of our first floor public space security cameras once a distress call has been initiated. We are proud to be the test partner for this platform, making the downtown a safer community to live, work and play.
We are deploying the use of IPAD’s in our sales department, so that they have a new way to sell our hotel out in the field. We are implementing real-time property tours using this new technology where a sales manager “tours” a client remotely around the hotel in real time using “virtual” technology.
DSD: What is the most important business lesson you’ve learned from working with Hotel Indigo?
Chris: Working in a big organization has its plusses and minuses. The positives are the power of our system and our company’s financial strength and operational systems. When we made the strategic decision to be an “innovative” hotel it took lots of work to convince the various stakeholders in the value of the trying new things and being on the tip of the sword. What I have learned early on is once you have buy in at the corporate level you have to continue to push for new things, as the status quo will not create innovation. Without risks there are no rewards.
DSD: Why do you think San Diego is a great city for professional and social networking?
Chris: What is not to love about San Diego? We have such a vibrant community and I enjoy our hotel’s location in the East Village with so many small owner/operated businesses. I live downtown and enjoy the lifestyle that affords me with the proximity to work and to all that I enjoy. I enjoy being engaged within the community and feel that relationships are how business gets done. I respect the partners that we have developed and I look forward to creating new partnerships in the community.
DSD: What advice do you have for young San Diego entrepreneurs who want to make a difference in the world, starting at the local level?
Chris: My primary advice is to be authentic in your endeavors. When creating partnerships and relationships remember there are two parties involved. All too often we are approached by companies who give us their pitch without thinking what we are motivated by. They don’t ask or understand our needs or our goals. The people that I like to do business with are people I know and trust. People that do what they say and say what they do. People that understand what our passions are and support us in those areas. They are there for us when we need them, and we are there when we need them. Like a good friend is.
DSD: What is new at Hotel Indigo this spring?
Chris: Recognizing our importance to connect our restaurant operations with the local community, we recently re-launched our restaurant and 9th floor lounge. At Hotel Indigo, our food and beverage platform consists of 2 key components:
- A GREAT bar that serves really good food!
- A ‘refreshingly local’ experience – whether you are sitting at the bar mingling with guests and neighbors, or enjoying one of various social events, we strive to provide a unique, authentic experience.
Coming this spring to Hotel Indigo:
- Our spring/summer menu will launch April 20
- The return of our Live After Five music series – Spotlighting some of the best local music talent. For dates and times, friend us on Facebook, facebook.com/hotelindigosd, and follow us on Twitter: @hotelindigosd.
- Canine Cocktails - Partnering with City Dog and Fit to continue our once a month Happy Hour that you bring your ‘best’ friend with you!
By the way, a local hint: Best view of fireworks after Padres Games – Level 9 Rooftop Bar at the Hotel Indigo.
DSD: When you’re not working, where can we find you in San Diego?
Chris: I enjoy going to most Padres and Chargers games. Nights out downtown with friends. Bandar, Quality Social, new Bub’s downtown. Enjoy days at Coronado enjoying the weather. My passion is traveling, as much as I love San Diego, I also love exploring the world. Like to scuba dive and trips to the mountains.
To learn more about the San Diego Young Professionals Committee, Young Professionals of the Month, or quality networking events, friend them on Facebook. All funds raised by the Young Professionals Committee events are donated to Big Brothers, Big Sisters of San Diego County. To learn more about BBBS, visit the BBBS website.
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