Putting Turks and Caicos On The Map | with Nikheel Advani

The Modern Hotelier #62: Putting Turks and Caicos On The Map | with Nikheel Advani === Nikheel Advani [00:00:00]: When you have crisis, the true DNA of your company comes out. Your true DNA of your leadership style comes out. David Millili [00:00:07]: Welcome to the Modern Hotelier. Both hosts were honored as top 100 influential people in hospitality. We're bringing you interviews with industry experts, thought leaders, and innovators who are shaping the future of hospitality. Whether you're a seasoned hotel professional or just stepping into the industry, our goal is to provide you with insights, knowledge, and trends that will empower you, the modern hotelier. Steve Carran [00:00:35]: We're set to release our episode with Nikhil Advani from Grace Bay Resort. One of the things I really liked about this conversation is how it comes through that he is a true Hotelier. And, you know, he is just a very personable guy. And I can see how he would just knock it out of the park. In luxury hotels, one thing that he said that I really liked was do good and it comes back to you. David, what were some of your takeaways from from the conversation with Akhil? David Millili [00:01:02]: Yeah. I think I highly recommend this for the younger hoteliers to see what it's like to get started in the business and and to grow and to do the right things as you evolve in the space. So I think this is, it's a great episode for anyone, but I think especially with some of the younger hoteliers, this is something they should listen to. Steve Carran [00:01:19]: Absolutely. Enjoy the episode. Today, we have on Nikhil Advani. Nikhil is the cofounder, COO, and principal of Grace Bay Resorts in Turks and Caicos. He oversees overall operations, branding, sales, and marketing of resort development. He joined Grace Bay Club in August 2004 as managing director, serving as the top operational executive in its expansion and renovation. Nikhil also founded the Grace Bay Club Hotel School and serves as the president of the Turks and Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association. Welcome to the show, Nikhil. Nikheel Advani [00:01:57]: Hey. Thank you so much, Steve. Thank you, David. David Millili [00:02:00]: You're welcome. So we're gonna go through, ask you a lightning round of questions. We're going to get into your background, where you grew up, where you're going to then dive into your career and then get into some industry topics. Sound good? Nikheel Advani [00:02:11]: Sounds great. David Millili [00:02:12]: Okay. What was the first job you ever had? Nikheel Advani [00:02:14]: Wow. The first job I you know, I had to go clean cars, and then I was not making enough money. So I did that for a couple of days. And then my dad says, you know, why don't I introduce you to the bestseller's wife of France and and Belgium and go work there? And, you know, I went first mixing cocktails and all and slowly became a business. So I actually started a firm when I was 16 doing that. David Millili [00:02:36]: Wow. That's cool. What's your favorite city? Nikheel Advani [00:02:39]: New York City. I keep there's so many reasons why. New York City is just one of the best places in the world. David Millili [00:02:44]: What's the best piece of advice you've ever received? Nikheel Advani [00:02:47]: Wow. That's a good one. This is I've made so many mistakes in my life that I've got so much advice given to me. But I think that the most important one for me is, you know, when we're starting out and doing in this industry work and then and it's a tough business to be in, as you can imagine. We all started from the bottom. One mentor of mine said, before you even complain, do the job first. Or before you wanna give us advice, do the job first. Once you do it, then come and tell us what you think. Nikheel Advani [00:03:15]: And that's been such a great piece of advice for this industry where it's all hands on, where you're you're really making things happen and improving people's overall experience in life. So that was very valuable, and I learned that when I was about 17 in Hotelier school. David Millili [00:03:29]: That's great. That's good advice. So if you could trade places with somebody for a day, who would it be? Nikheel Advani [00:03:35]: I think I would be this is in, when Steve Jobs was alive, to be at the heart of Apple at the time he launched the iPhone would would be incredible. The creativity, the passion, and the stress points that they were going on behind the scenes, very similar similar to our business. Right? It keeps those press points behind and the presentation is upfront. And our business is very similar, so that would have been really exciting time to be in to trade positions with them. And I I I think he wouldn't mind coming to the Caribbean and spending the same time here. David Millili [00:04:06]: That's a very good point. What's on your bucket list? Nikheel Advani [00:04:09]: Oh, wow. I've been very fortunate traveling all around the world in Antarctica. I have none that. David Millili [00:04:15]: What's a secret talent you have that most people don't know? Nikheel Advani [00:04:18]: I can sleep anywhere. Well, they they kinda know about it. They take pictures of me all over the place. I don't know whether it's narcolepsy or just sometimes being exhausted, But, you know, I think we're without it in the army because you you pull pretty long shifts in that. And so we learned to sleep standing in a nightclub wherever. So, you know, I did that while I was climbing, Kilimanjaro too. Was able to see sitting up, having my meal. David Millili [00:04:44]: So last question. If you had a time machine, which way are you going? Into the future or to the past? And what year would you go to? Nikheel Advani [00:04:52]: It'd be future, and it'll be probably about, see, we're in 2022 to to to you know, about 70, 80 years. Clear that you know? Yeah. To get out there and see what's happening. Steve Carran [00:05:04]: Beautiful. That was great. So now we're gonna get learn a little bit more about you, kinda what makes you tick. So you were born in Nigeria and grew up in Singapore. Correct? Nikheel Advani [00:05:14]: That is correct. Steve Carran [00:05:15]: Where in Singapore did you grow up? Nikheel Advani [00:05:18]: So in Singapore, we lived in an area close to Holland Village. That's a great little suburb. It's a city state, so with within a 40 minute drive, you can drive pretty much anywhere. But it's a great little place. You know, Singapore's growing up as a country. We got there in the early seventies, and it was just formed in in 60 65 when Lee Kuan Yew, the leader, decided to take it from a 3rd world country to a first world country in about 50 years. So we got to see this incredible development of a country and learned so much along the way. And and, you know, picked up a lot of the the values, whether it was hard work and humility and, you know, excellence, things things of that nature that slowly became a part of your own DNA because you saw that you were living life in a country that was going through that sort of evolution and development. Steve Carran [00:06:05]: Absolutely. That's great. And then you graduated with a degree from the University of Massachusetts at am Amherst with an honors degree in Hotelier restaurant travel administration. How did you end up in the states, and how did you know you wanted to get into hospitality space so early? Nikheel Advani [00:06:23]: So so we'll start with I didn't. Yeah. I was in engineering school because, you know, I had traditional, you know, upper middle class parents from, Asia, and generally, you can be a doctor, a lawyer, or an engineer. My brother went on to be a do a lawyer, so he's a partner in a law firm in New York. I didn't much care for reading that much. You know, those books are really thick. So I thought, not that. Doctor? I'm kind of, I get all achy when it's too much blood around. Nikheel Advani [00:06:49]: So, you know, I don't like going to the hospital, but, you know, keep me away from injections and and a lot of blood. So I figured, okay. This was process of the process of elimination. Engineer, I'd love that. I used to take up my my bike and, you know, repair the car and do all sorts of, you know, hands on stuff. So I thought that would be good. So I got into school, and and and it was pretty fun. Don't get me wrong. Nikheel Advani [00:07:09]: It was pretty good. But then my dad told me at some point that, you know, I had to start working and making money. And so that's when this whole thing came about. I tried washing cars, and that wasn't making enough money. And so he gave me this alternative to go work in these homes because he says, you like to party. You like great restaurants. Why don't you go and do that, you know, from the ground up and make some money while you're at it? So I started, and and the great thing with the ambassador's, wives, they were the hostess. I mean, real incredible hostess. Nikheel Advani [00:07:36]: If you have to learn from someone how to host great events, those would be the people that would be at top of my list. So they used to have, firstly, great alcohol, great food, table settings. So you got to meet a lot of incredible people, and I did what I loved. I got to meet incredible people. I got to tend the bar. I got to serve the food and, make people happy. And this was, like, this was natural. This was crazy. Nikheel Advani [00:08:03]: So I go back and tell my mom and dad, you know what? Yeah. I've loved this. I've made and I and I used to make good money at 16, 17, so I said, I'm gonna do this for a career. And my mom freaked out. She's like, oh my god. From a from an engineer, we could have had a great engineer in our family. Now he wants to be a waiter, and what am I gonna tell my friends? My dad, very pragmatic, says, listen. This is great. Nikheel Advani [00:08:24]: This is what you love and you're passionate about, because I can see that in you. You've gotta learn to race to the top, so get educated correctly. So I went to the local hotel school, did really well there. It was definitely a natural calling. Not to learn. Not mistakes I made. Don't get me wrong. But, you know, I had some great mentors and professors throughout my career, and it started there. Nikheel Advani [00:08:45]: You know? And then as we finished that, he said, I think you should go to the states. We looked at a couple of schools, and at that time, UMass Amherst was, you know, a a top of the, 5 or 6 schools that was offering great hotel programs like Cornell and UNLV and a few others. And it was a Hilton school at that time as well in Houston. So there are a lot of good schools, and we we picked, UMass Amherst, and I got in, and that was a great, great time there. I mean, I had a a a great mentor, a class teacher by the name of Steven Fletcher, just an incredible gentleman, an incredible hotelier, and the professors there were were wonderful. So really lucky. David Millili [00:09:21]: So you completed the general manager program at Harvard Business School. What led you to make sure that you pursued that at that juncture in your life? Nikheel Advani [00:09:31]: So so this was really interesting. So I had a hotel background, great work experience. I was with the Ritz Carlton at that time. I just opened Singapore, and I just moved to Malaysia. And one of the things a mentor of mine told me, who was the head of the YTL company, Tan Sri Francis Yoh, is that you've got a great hotel education. Now you've gotta get a great business education. Those 2 together become really powerful. And, you know, you look at some of our mentors in the business who are great product people, and they either have to find a great finance person. Nikheel Advani [00:10:02]: But if you have both those skill sets, it really allows you to get into ownership, development, and a whole slew of other areas versus just the operations itself. So that was what encouraged me and, and and they had to sponsor me, so that was really important. But I told them, I'm gonna pay for it. So that was very important. They had to they had to sponsor me. There was a huge process to get into Harvard as you can imagine. But the one thing I said is I wanna pay for it because it it is something I feel will be that much more valuable for me. They offered to pay and said, well, we've got you. Nikheel Advani [00:10:32]: And I said, no. I wanna take care of this myself. And I think that was a good decision. Now I think about it, you know, sometimes, you know, you you make these decisions that are so committed and passionate. I should have taken the 50, $60 were to come with it, but it was a good decision either way. David Millili [00:10:46]: That's great. So you also speak and teach at Cornell, the School of Hotel Administration, and I'm gonna pronounce this wrong, but Les Roches International School of Hotel Management. And I guess what we're curious and we'd like the audience to know, what are you seeing from the younger generation of of hoteliers? Nikheel Advani [00:11:02]: Well, that's really interesting. So these, these the main class that I do, and I've done it for various schools. The Cornell one was really interesting because at Ritz Carlton, the opening of Washington DC in 2000, Harvard came to do a full case study on how we open a hotel With the general manager at the time, James McBride, I was the EAM in charge of food and beverage. That was the number 2 position. So that was really interesting because they studied every step that Ritz Carlton did and how to open this hotel. So then we asked these questions to the kids in the new generation, and I'm seeing they definitely there there is a change in the generation. The passion is still there for those who want to be in the business. There's no doubt, but they like to work differently. Nikheel Advani [00:11:43]: And and so we're learning as we hire more people. What are these different things? They wanna when they can't, they wanna work from home. That was not a thing in the hotel business long time ago, as you can imagine. And there's some positions you just can't work from home. You know, a chef told us recently that would would that be interested? Would would we be able to have him work from home for a few days? And then we said, look. You know, you gotta be in the kitchen. That role, you're cooking. You cannot work from home. Nikheel Advani [00:12:07]: But, you know, the there are positions like the cost controller where he can come in, do his, you know, checks, and then do all the computing at home. So there are positions, and we're seeing those kind of changes. But I think in the bottom line is the passion for the business and passion for operations. I think we find a lot less people interested to, you know, work weekends and long hours and give it they all they still are, but that number or that cohort is getting smaller. So we're gonna have to think in creatively how do we motivate people to get into this business and have as much fun as we're having, as we've had or we're having and we will have. And I think that, we can do a better job at. Steve Carran [00:12:45]: Absolutely. And that was great. Now we're gonna dive into your career a little bit. So you spent 7 years with the Ritz Carlton, specializing in hotel operations and openings, moving within the organization from the food and beverage manager to the executive assistant manager in the property in properties in Singapore and New York City. What made you get into the operations and kind of the food and beverage side of things? Nikheel Advani [00:13:11]: So I I think that that home part of working, with these embassies and then learning and seeing that I was so passionate. My mentor said, if you get up and do what you love, you wouldn't have worked in a day. And I've I I always think, how am I gonna teach my kids this? Because I wanna make sure they find what they love doing, because this is just incredible, right, when you do find that. And so having done food and beverage before, that became a passion. I, you know, worked hard. I had great mentors in the in the industry like Walter Junger in the food and beverage, Peter Schoch, and and people who are the best in their business when they were doing their their their trade. So that got pulled into that. And when we got into openings, we had even more, Gerard Van Grinsven, people of this nature who are the leaders of vice presidents at West Carlton for food and beverage. Nikheel Advani [00:13:55]: And we kept them all opening more and more Hotelier, So opportunities never ended. So I guess, you know, you you never get bored. You love what you do. You became really good at it, and then more put properties were opening soon. We went from Singapore. We helped open Osaka. We then went opened Malaysia. Then we got transferred to do the US properties because then we were opening quite a few US properties. Nikheel Advani [00:14:17]: So we helped open Philly. We opened Washington. We helped open Sarasota, and we helped open New York and all that great times. So really, really exciting times. David Millili [00:14:26]: In 2002, you became the hotel manager of the renowned Raffles Hotel Singapore. In addition, you served as a food and beverage champion for the entire Asia Pacific region. What was that experience like? Nikheel Advani [00:14:39]: That that's that's no. We're shifting gears. Right? Moving from the US back to Asia, I had to reset a lot of, the way we do business. You know? Asians. There's a lot of things called face. You wanna make sure that you have, you know, just like you respect everybody, it's less direct. It's more one on ones. Motivations are whole different model there. Nikheel Advani [00:14:58]: But, you know, what what you learn is you can take the best of what you learn from the US and the rest of the world and use it where you are communicating clearly, you are spending time with them. We used to do something called a day in the life in raffles. So I would dress up as the bellboy and work a day in the there. And I realized what's working for them, what's not working for them, how can we help, how can we make things better. And I think you own a lot of respect in Asia when you do stuff of that nature. So we had an incredible team. I worked with a general manager there by the name of Javier Rosenberg, and 2 of us kind of split responsibilities on how we run that hotel because it was a whole city block. There was about 20 restaurants, about 103 suites, 7 gardens, a whole banquet operations, a theater, and about 60 retail shops from Tiffany's and and things of that nature. Nikheel Advani [00:15:45]: So, you know, with luxury shops and that. So it was quite a bit to do. And plus, we look at new developments around that region. So that was really fun. And then, you know, with food and beverage, having 20 restaurants and being able to share that knowledge with the rest of the Asian hotels and share and do idea swapping, that became really exciting for us in terms of, you know, creating experiences that were really wow. Steve Carran [00:16:08]: What was your favorite restaurant? Nikheel Advani [00:16:10]: The the Raffles Grill. It's an old school fine dining restaurant. We used to have a whole bunch of chefs and everybody coming in, and that was the time that fine dining had kinda died. Right? It didn't really exist. But this restaurant, because it was so personal and because the experiences were so wow, I mean, we'd do a dinner, for example, where we'd fly in all sorts of exotic items and take the items off the menu with just the descriptors left there. And at the end of the dinner, you'd have to decide, could you figure out what you were eating, you know, and write the item back. So there were a lot of experiential dinners that we did there, and I think that that took away some of the fear and the formality of a fine dining restaurant, and we made it more interactive. So they felt comfortable. Nikheel Advani [00:16:50]: They felt they were part of this whole thing, still having an elevated dining experience, but also being really involved. David Millili [00:16:56]: So couple years later in 2004, you came to Grace Bay Resorts in Turks and Caicos. You joined. There's 21 suites. It's a $15,000,000 property. Tell us about the growth growth there, and what's what's what's it like today? Nikheel Advani [00:17:10]: Yeah. So so I joined my partner, Marc Juliet, who was the developer, and he needed a hotelier to kinda bring the magic of Grace Bay together because we were he was in development of building more property. He acquired the property with roughly about 20 2,000 and 1, 2,002 and then decided, okay. This is a great property in the Turks and Caicos. Nobody knew it. How can we, you know, spruce up the hospitality company? And so I joined him in in 2004, and we we we joined forces and decide, okay. We're gonna grow this hotel brand. So first was developing Grace Bay Club from a $15,000,000 asset to today, it's just under a $300,000,000 asset, and we did that over a 5, 6 year period where we increased the size by adding mindfully, very mindfully adding the villas at Grace Bay Club and The Estate at Grace Bay Club. Nikheel Advani [00:17:57]: Again, keeping in mind that, you know, this 21 room hotel had regular guests coming back. They felt like they were owners, so we had to sit and listen to the community, which was a very small community. Grace Bay Club was the first luxury property created in the Turks and Caicos Islands. So it was really a very interesting evolution where in most cities, you'll just develop. When you feel like developing, you do your market research. The market research here was very intimate, where you talk to a lot of the clients who stayed there, what they like about it, when we're growing it, making, keeping these parts, these really cool parts, which are very intimate. You know? So creating a larger property but still having the feel of a of a boutique property was really important. And we were very happy to get a lot of feedback from the travel community, the travel professionals who've been incredible supporters, and we're able to grow. Nikheel Advani [00:18:46]: The government and the community around us was was incredible. They are very involved. They wanna help us to to be the best, and they realize this is their pride and joy. You know? So everybody had ownership. Whether it was physical or not, they had ownership in this property. And so we grew from a 21 suite hotel, a $50,000,000 asset. And today, we the revenues at that point were about $4,000,000. Today, we're at about $120,000,000 in revenues, and we have 4 properties. Nikheel Advani [00:19:13]: We have about 800 employees. We have world class vice presidents. We we in the early days, Mark and myself had to pretty much, you know, bootstrap everything and you do these 3 positions, I'll do these 3 positions. I'll be F and B, and I'll be GM, and I'll also be director of FOSA marketing. So you learn, and it's an incredible time. And so today, when you're growing in a small destination like the temps in Caicos Islands, which is known as Beautiful by Nature, winning best beaches in the world by Travel Leisure and Conde Nast and that. You when you grow your company, you're actually helping the island grow as well, and we grow hand in hand. So it's like your your your brother, your sister growing with you, and it was really very, very exciting. Nikheel Advani [00:19:53]: So today, we started with, say, about about 30, 40 employees. Today, we have about 800. We started with revenues about 4,000,000. Today, we're about a 120 odd 1,000,000. We had 1 mini property that we grew, the Graceway Club. And today, we have 4 properties. We are opening a new one the end of this year called Southbank. So it's really, an exciting time for us. Nikheel Advani [00:20:14]: And we just had a meeting with all our vice presidents and partners, and we can see that over the next 5 to 8 years, we'll be introducing many new products, and I'll talk about that in due time. And and we'll probably double in size in revenues and headcount. And so how to do that mindfully and how to do that strategically in a place that has so much opportunity and still keep all the things that you grew and people got to like you for. So those are the things that, you know, we're we're working with, today with our teams. Steve Carran [00:20:43]: I love that. And, Nikhil, I'm familiar from with Turks and Caicos from seeing celebrities go there. Any celebrity that maybe has stayed at your property or that you just came across while they're at Turks and Caicos and you're like, wow. That is a really cool person. Nikheel Advani [00:20:57]: So I I can say a few. Now, you know, we believe in the privacy policy Steve Carran [00:21:01]: Absolutely. Nikheel Advani [00:21:01]: Because it's always, you know, understated. And so many of them we can't talk about, but, you know, Drake sings and raps about it, and he's at the bars, and you've seen all the social media he does. I know he loves coming to our bar as well. So, you know, he's a he's a personality, but we get, you know, CEOs of Wall Street, you know, the the barons and the the ones who run industry and private equity and, you know, hedge funds. But we also get great sports stars who then help with us with starting the football program or the basketball program in Turks and Caicos. So we we were very lucky in all our hotels. We get, of course, a lot of the famous actors and and then, you know, music professionals. So having all that community here at Turks and Caicos, really, all of them wanna play a bigger role and contribute in some way, shape, or form to this community, and it betters everybody's lives. Nikheel Advani [00:21:49]: And I think that's the the story there where it's so important that, you know, yes, they wanna come for a holiday, but many of them bring stuff, you know, and then distribute it in schools, whether they computers and things like that. And so for a for a community like us, which is growing and education and health care is important, there is a lot of support from these celebrities who come in and make this place a better place for all of us. Steve Carran [00:22:13]: Drake was the first one that came to mind Nikheel Advani [00:22:15]: too. Yeah. I know. Because he seems so I I I'm sure he doesn't mind if I say that. And one of the very important things I'll say is so talk about contribution. Talk about a passionate guy who started from the bottom, and now look where he is. And he was listening to one of our musicians at Grace Bay Club and singing one of his songs and was so impressed that he gave him $20,000 in cash. And this he he has it on social media, so it's something you can you can look at. Nikheel Advani [00:22:41]: And what was amazing was not just the cash, but the passion and the the encouragement. And I can tell you how far it went for that musician and what he was able to achieve from that point on. So really incredible moments in the Texanecas Islands. Steve Carran [00:22:55]: Wow. Awesome. Maybe he'll subscribe to the podcast. You founded the Grace Bay Club Hotel School, and you're the past president and chairman of the Turks and Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association. Why is continuing education and the tourism association so important to you? Nikheel Advani [00:23:14]: So I I think for us, what we learned is as we were growing a brand, we were growing the country. And hospitality is 90% of direct and indirect GDP. So what better way than to really start training this luxury style, and there are 2, 3 things we were different at. In Tuxedacos, we focused a lot on luxury, super high luxury, and then we also focused on the condo hotel model that my partner was, one of the key members in perfecting that model, Marc Hotelier. So there, we wanted to train how do you manage a hotel, but you gotta manage residences as well because that's our funding model. And so teaching all that, it was very valuable. It helped us inform how we were gonna operate differently, but it also gave people a a great foundation on how to provide luxury hoteling. So that's what the we motivated there. Nikheel Advani [00:24:01]: And in terms of the Hotelier association, that is the main lobby that helps inform and guide government advisory groups as to, you know, how we wanna redevelop the airport. As we were getting more guests, how do we have better roads and better infrastructure, better, you know, the partners of the supermarket created, one that is in the heart of Grace Bay, which is called the Gourmet IGA. And the Sandbox really did a great job with creating the infrastructure for us to serve world class food. If you have great chefs and you don't have great product, you know you're not gonna be able to serve world class food. So it's it's it's so many things that go hand in hand. And and and this is the lobby group that brings everybody together, speaks to the government. I mean, when I reached there, for example I'll give you one example that I thought was really relevant. When I got there in, 2004, December was busy, and we were busy for 4 months till Easter. Nikheel Advani [00:24:51]: And then you cash flow manage all the way till September till you get your advanced deposits. So it's a very tough business to run. Not a lot of fun for the months that you don't have a lot of business. So we sat down and said, this island's a little bit different. We are a year round island, and, you know, the perception of the Caribbean is you only come for the winter. Well, we gotta change that perception. The only way we can do that is get airlift and let the airlines work because if there's airlift, people will come. And if they like it, they'll come back. Nikheel Advani [00:25:17]: And so about 10, 15 years ago, the Hotelier association, while I was president, we went together with the airport authorities and with the government collectively in an organized manner, and the Hotelier association, the past presidents, current presidents, all worked together to go and propose to the airlines to come here throughout the year. JetBlue is the first one that did that, and when JetBlue came, all the others started coming in. And so together with American, together with Delta, together with all these airlines, and slowly Southwest joined the the batch. And so suddenly you had incredible lift throughout the year. And for most proper most of the Caribbean, it is seasonal. And the winter months is when they get really busy. But we realized people consume 365 days of the year. In to because we have 330 days of bright sunshine. Nikheel Advani [00:26:08]: So people started coming more around the year. And today, March, which is my busiest month, runs the same occupancy 95 as July at a slightly different rate, but we transform the island together with the government, with the airport authorities to become a, you know, a year round island. And when you buy residents a second home, it's really good to know that, you know, the the restaurants are busy throughout. You can come in, you know, December. You can come in January, but you can also come in June July. So that that all these things work hand in hand, and it becomes a better business model when you have good revenues pretty much 10 to 12 months of the year. You know? So something that was really attractive for the best in class and the best in the industry. So once we succeeded, we are looking back now 20 years on, you see the Ritz Carlton coming in. Nikheel Advani [00:26:54]: You see the St. Regis coming in, the Kielpinski's of the world, because the independent leading hotels of the world, small luxury hotels, we are part of both of these organizations. We test marketing. We then showed success whether it was in the real estate, having some of the highest price per square foot, or some of the greatest rates in the hotel business and making sure people still feel a great sense of value before they leave on both the real estate and hospitality side of things. Steve Carran [00:27:22]: That's great. So I'm really excited to dive into the next section. We're gonna talk about kinda industry thoughts and trends going on right now. So, obviously, you're you're big into the guest experience. What are ways that you are creating emotional attachments, not only to the resort, but also to Turks and Caicos as well? And how does technology fit into that? Nikheel Advani [00:27:45]: So really great question, and it's it's pretty broad. So I'm gonna bring it down a little bit if you don't. So I was just at the Forbes Luxury Summit recently, and there was a presentation, that was done. And one of the things we took away from there was this exceptional exceptional service. So the question was, what makes a luxury destination? And one of the highest things, 78% of their respondents said exceptional service and attention to detail. The next thing about luxury was exclusivity and privacy. You know? So let me go to emotional attachments. 1 of the biggest assets we have here are our people. Nikheel Advani [00:28:19]: And I'm not just saying that. If you've ever been to the Caribbean and you've, really interacted with with, one of the Caribbean team members wherever in the Caribbean, and, you know, there there's a slogan, everybody needs a Caribbean in their life. And so whenever, you know, you need a you need a you need a dose of Caribbean for sure. And so when you meet with these people, when I first got here, you know, Asia has incredible service and so does Europe and so does South America. But all this service, they have different strengths. And what we found in the Caribbean was try getting a hug from a Caribbean staff member, and it is incredible. It changes your life. Now in the past, I came from Ritz Carlton. Nikheel Advani [00:28:56]: We were not supposed to hug. There was a line between us and the guest. And in the Caribbean, if you really wanna use the strengths of what makes them really incredible, it is their their interaction with our guests. It is incredible. They have friendships that you know, I get bookings that come through our staff, not necessarily the reservations team because that's who they feel close to. That's who they're emotionally connected with. So that is one of the biggest things, I think, that for us at Grace Bay Resorts is a strength and also for the Caribbean as a whole and is that destination. So we see that. Nikheel Advani [00:29:30]: That is one of our biggest strengths. And then, also, Turks and Caicos is is really a low density destination. I just had a a a top CEO with us, and he's like, hey. I guess, you know, March is not so busy. And I said, no, man. We're full. But, you know, because they're smaller properties, they're all about a 100 suites or or or a 100 units or thereabouts. People feel that they have a lot of space. Nikheel Advani [00:29:52]: There are some destinations that you go, you feel that there are thousands of people everywhere, not necessarily in the Turks and Caicos. It's a really understated luxury destination. It's really, you know, very, very low density, and that kind of development is what we wanna carry on with. Even with the Ritz Carlton coming in, they are a 100 odd suites. Most Ritz Carlton's are couple of 100, but here, they decided to to adapt some of the Turks and Keiko style of development, and they've they've done, you know, a residential component as well so that, you know, that sort of a, low density, you know, feel is all over the property as a DNA. David Millili [00:30:25]: We talked a little bit about this earlier. Your personal leadership style has shaped the culture and success of Grace Bay Resorts. Can you give us a little more insight into your philosophy? Nikheel Advani [00:30:36]: Yeah. I you know, I it's I I'm gonna say it's a combination between Mark, myself, and tier yacht partners. And one of the biggest learnings I had was for Mark where he said, you know what? Our goal is to grow a Caribbean hotel company. And and that was very, very instrumental in how we manage and how we see things. We were involved in every single aspect when you're a small company. You go to the marriages. You go to the funerals. You go to, when they need money, they'll come to you. Nikheel Advani [00:31:04]: So when we say family here, it's it's it's really deep. It's not just a company slogan, and you can speak to the team. They'll tell you, you know, when when they've had hard times and we've gone through crisis together, whether it's a great recession, whether it was COVID, and we're still here. And then that says a lot. And then we couldn't have done it without our people. And so I think our focus on our people is huge, and it's in a very sincere manner. We like to communicate clearly, as clearly as we can. But, you know, it's it's really getting their hearts. Nikheel Advani [00:31:33]: You know, you can leadership is you you knew the management part of it, but, really, leadership is about getting their hearts so that if today I wanted some team member to stay and work through the night till the next morning or whatever that may be. And some of those some of those crisis we had, we we had to employ some of these these really tough measures. They did it because you were there at their wedding or you were there at a funeral or it's not because you're one of the partners that they're gonna do that. And and that's not a disrespect. It's just that you're gonna invest in them as much as they're gonna invest in you. And that's such a great feeling to know that, you know, you have a a team of 800 odd people, and we know all of them by name. We know some of their family members. We know, you know, the people we impact are really happy, and, you know, it means a lot to them and means a lot to us as well, especially after COVID. Nikheel Advani [00:32:17]: That was really evident. When you have crisis, the true DNA of your company comes out. Your true DNA of your leadership staff comes out. And I'm I'm I'm proud to be able to say that, you know, we made good decisions. It was difficult, but we made good decisions and kept every single employee through COVID. And it benefited us when everything bounced back really quickly. Right? So, you know, sometimes it's a double edged sword. You you don't see it, but it comes you know, you do the good you do good, you do positive, and it comes back to you. Nikheel Advani [00:32:45]: So our style is definitely very much relationship driven. Right? When we we play hard and we work hard, that's definitely a a strong part of our our industry and our culture in our company. And we respect people and relationships, whether they're with our shareholders, whether they're with our team members, whether they're with our travel partners, everybody that, you know, contributes to our success. David Millili [00:33:07]: That's a great answer. And before I ask the next question, I think that's that's what the industry is missing a lot of. And when you look at we talk about how we have to we're trying to bring back people into this industry that we've lost or new people or the young people. And and a lot of people don't look at it as a career. They look at it as a job or a, you know, a placeholder. Do they get on to something else? And I think what you just described is what's lacking because there isn't the same type of, I think, feeling that, you know, employees get today, especially in the States, unlike your employees. So that's that's great to hear. What trends are you seeing in travel or even in real estate that are going on right now? Nikheel Advani [00:33:47]: So a couple of things. I think one of the big trends is group travel. Jack Eason was speaking recently at a at a conference, and one of the things he had shared and we see these same trends, multigenerational travel, friendcations, whether it's a group of men or women, a group of married couples traveling together. I think after COVID, because we were put in a position where we were pulled away from all this and realizing and the re realizing the value of relationships and connections. I mean, if you look at the blue zones in the world, one of the key reasons that people live longer is relationships and how great that we're in the business of enhancing people's relationships, creating moments that they bond with their family, and making them happy. That's what we do. I mean so, you know, we're in the blue zone business. That's how I look at it. Nikheel Advani [00:34:38]: And and the blue zone business is making sure that all of us are passionate and when our guests come in, that we give them our full attention. We allow them we create a platform for them to connect, you know, with themselves. And and we're seeing that a lot in the group travel side of things, but also just in a couple or a family. So that's definitely a big trend. We're seeing people are you know, where they where they had that big trip that we are waiting for having, they're having that every year now because they feel that, what happens if something like this happens again in a few years? So the the the big trips are happening more and more and more within the same year. They're not waiting for 5 years from today, we'll do the big trip. So we're seeing a huge level of spending in the luxury space. Those are the 2 key big trends we're seeing. Nikheel Advani [00:35:19]: We're also seeing in terms of real estate, just people wanting to have second and third homes in in areas that they feel match their value system, whether it's environmental stewardship, whether it's a safe or beautiful location. I mean, they say, as we said, you know, everybody needs a little bit of Caribbean, but looking at the ocean and the sea it is therapeutic in in in some way, shape, or form. So the wellness element where it used to be important has really risen in in importance. And in fact, in one of our newest resorts, Rockhouse, which we opened a couple of years ago, in the phase 3 that we're gonna open, there'll be one section dedicated to just wellness from start to end. The sweet, the type of food that we create, the the the Pilates and the offerings, and we want to start it at home and have it go through the year. So it's not just when you come to the property, we'll have a pre and post that keep you connected through the year. So it's a multiple time you know, it's a lifestyle. You've picked the wellness lifestyle, and we will curate that experience throughout even when you go back because no use to do that here and then go back and then, you know, get lost again in the the the big city. Nikheel Advani [00:36:24]: Yeah. And it happens. We all know that. You know? So, you know, looking at wellness at a very different level and wellness of our team I mean, for the first time on our team, we have a wellness expert that, you know, consults with our leadership. Because after COVID, we thought what better to to bring somebody of that nature. And this person consults even, I think, for our governor in the US. He's he's a brilliant lady. And so we're very honored to have that that relationship. Nikheel Advani [00:36:48]: And it was not a one time thing. It's multiple times a year, and we we built a relationship. And, again, it's all the things we do well. Right? Relationship, experiences, and and creating these blue zone type environments and experiences. Steve Carran [00:37:02]: That's great. So you you moved up fairly quickly in your career. What advice do you have for younger hoteliers out there? Nikheel Advani [00:37:12]: So, you know, I think find the greatest mentors. I was so fortunate. Many positions that I got put into, I had no clue how I was gonna make it work. I was probably not even qualified. I mean, one of them I still remember this clearly. I get a call that, they had to make some leadership changes at a hotel that was opening in Malaysia, the Ritz Carlton, and they would have liked me to to come up 2 weeks prior. And then they also told me, you might have a chance to be the food and beverage director. And I said, firstly, I'm 26 years old, and I was supposed to go somewhere else as assistant f and b. Nikheel Advani [00:37:44]: So I I think you might have I'm I'm so honored that you think about me, but I'm probably not the right guy. And the vice president of food and beverage at the time, he said, no. You are the right guy. You'll have to be the owners. That that's a clearing point. The owners were like, we like young people like you. We're gonna give you a lot of chances. You're gonna make mistakes. Nikheel Advani [00:38:00]: That's okay, but we're gonna back you up. And so with the general manager, James McBride, who was incredible, Gerard Van Brinsman, the VP of food and beverage, and the owner, Datuk Mark Yo, all giving me the full support to allow me to make mistakes. We were able to do some amazing things. So at 26, I got a chance to be an executive assistant manager and director of food and beverage, and that continued. So, again, having great mentors and work your butt off. Do be the best. You know, Jack Rob said, you'd be number 1 or number 2, well, forget about it. Don't do it. Nikheel Advani [00:38:30]: And so those are 2, 3 things I think that are valuable. Get great mentors, work your butt off because it's how it works. My dad told me, if you ever find an easier way to make money, other than hard work and working smart, of course, let me know. And I said, dad, you're you're too old. You don't realize, you know, there's technology coming. There's this and that. And I'm 53 now, like David, as we talked about, and, I haven't found a better way yet. So, if you do, we have a spot. Nikheel Advani [00:38:56]: It's it's okay. Yeah. So and and great mentors as we've said. You know? So great mentors work hard and, you know, be passionate about what you do. Be the best at whatever you do. Steve Carran [00:39:05]: I love that. That is great. So now we're gonna turn the tables a little bit. We've been asking you the questions. We're gonna let you ask us one question right now. Nikheel Advani [00:39:14]: Great. Favorite moment in life of learning? Steve Carran [00:39:18]: Favorite moment of life in learning? Yeah. Nikheel Advani [00:39:21]: So at YPO, we we believe in lifelong learning. And then, you know, we learn when you look back at your life, what was what was one of the greatest life learning moments that you've had, that's helped you shape your your your life, your career, your happiness? Steve Carran [00:39:35]: You know, I'll I'll go first on this one, David. I grew up in the Midwest, so it my mom always kinda taught me the same thing. You gotta work hard. You know? You gotta get out there, but have a positive attitude while you're doing it. So when I was, I think, 14 or 15 maybe, in the morning, I would go work at a strawberry patch, and I would wake up at about 5 AM and get out to the strawberry patch. And then after that, at about noon or 1, I hope labor people aren't gonna come after my mom for this, but I would go to work at mc I'd go to work at McDonald's in the afternoon till about, like, 8 o'clock at night. So I was working, like, 5 AM to 8 o'clock, not every day during the summer, but probably, like, 3 to 4 days. And it instilled in me that hard work and that positivity. Steve Carran [00:40:20]: And it also instilled at me that there is no way I ever wanna work at McDonald's my whole life. So it kind of was like, you know, do good and then get the heck out of here and go do something that you're gonna gonna enjoy because the last thing I wanna do is work at McDonald's. Shout out to anybody who works at McDonald's. Y'all do a great job. David Millili [00:40:37]: Yeah. Yeah. I'll give a little different different perspective. So I was 18. I got a offer scholarship offered at Manhattan College. I grew up in suburbs of outside of Philadelphia, and, they sent the letter. Back then, there's no email. There's no GPS. David Millili [00:40:54]: And I'm like, okay. I'm like, I'm gonna go drive. They're having a luncheon on a Saturday. So I drive to Manhattan College. Don't even know what tolls are. I'm at the Lincoln Tunnel, and they're like I'm like, I don't have any money. And they're like, you gotta pull over there and talk to the lady. She's asking me why the hell am I going to Manhattan College versus where I live in Pennsylvania. David Millili [00:41:12]: Long story short, I show up, and I was the only only person there without their parents. And it stuck out at me that, like, that's the way like, I didn't even think about asking my parents, and it was just kind of this weird feeling, but also this feeling of, like, yeah, I've gotta always think that way. Just go do it. I wanna do something. I need to do something. Just just go do it. And that's kind of been my philosophy. And I'm the oldest of 4 boys, and everybody else is back in Pennsylvania and and hasn't left the country and traveled, and I've traveled all over. David Millili [00:41:41]: So, anyway, that's my 2¢. Nikheel Advani [00:41:43]: That's incredible. Thank you for sharing, Steve and David. That's pretty cool. Steve Carran [00:41:47]: So last question that you're gonna get, John's been listening in the background the whole time. So he's gonna ask you our final question, and then we're gonna wrap it up. Jon Bumhoffer [00:41:56]: So listening to the whole episode, it's super clear that you're really passionate about what you do and you love what you do. And I'm curious if you have anything, like, outside of your professional life, maybe interest or hobbies that either help you gain perspective on what you do professionally or kind of feed that passion. Nikheel Advani [00:42:12]: That's a great question, and I I I do have that, and that's, my interaction with YPO. I'm one of the, I've had a lot of leadership roles in the Young Presidents' Organization. I was very fortunate to, be able to get, involved with that and selected to be, you know, qualified to be part of that group. And, you know, a mentor of mine, again, another mentor, told me that at 35, you should get into YPO. They're great people. They share ideas. It's a lifelong learning journey. It's gonna change your life. Nikheel Advani [00:42:39]: And then, you know, everybody tells you something changes your life. Well, we were busy. We were creating a company, and so that was busy. When I got to 44a half, I thought, cutoff is 45. We We have a company that's big enough now that will qualify for all the requirements to to get into YPO, and I got in at 45. And since then, it has changed my life. So there are a lot of activities. We go for meetings. Nikheel Advani [00:43:01]: There's a forum where you share, you know, pure honesty and transparency, the challenges you have in your life and in your personal life. So this is business personal, and you go for wine tastings or you go interact for learning lessons. So there's so many elements there that allow me to do this outside my work. But also, it's related because all those extra skill sets of lifelong learning are able to be something I use within my world, personal and business. So I I think the YPO experience has just multiplied my life's blue zones, if we say, you know, qualities. It's just incredible. I I will live longer because I have great relationships now in a whole different, group of people where hoteliers usually hang out with hoteliers. Here, I've been hanging out with people who run security companies, who do extractions, who, lay cables. Nikheel Advani [00:43:54]: And so using this knowledge and and having them come and having a platform to do Wipe Your events. And in all luxury hotels, as we all know, if you know, we've always hosted YPO events, and their sense for going the extra mile and having only in YPO type events where all hoteliers you know, that's what we we love doing, having one one of a kind wow moments for our guests. So it it really has a lot of commonalities, but that would be something that I that has really changed my life. David Millili [00:44:23]: So that does it for another episode of the Modern Hotelier. Yeah. This is where you get to plug away, whether it'd be Grace Bay Resorts, Turks and Caicos, yourself. How can people connect it with connect with you or find out more about your property or the island? Nikheel Advani [00:44:38]: So, you know, Grace Bay Resorts, we have 4 properties open. We have the Grace Bay Club, which is our flagship. We have Point Grace. We have West Bay Club, and we have Rockhouse, which is one of the coolest properties, which is the Caribbean Capri. We'll be opening Southbank, which is a iconic luxury iconic luxury property, which is a resort and marina, which is incredible. Here in the Texanecos, we'll be opening for guests in November this year, and we also have The Point that we're developing. And in Rockhouse, we're doing phase 2 and 3. We're gonna have new private villas, part of our collection. Nikheel Advani [00:45:14]: We also just realized as to doing the math in the last few weeks, that in the next 4 to 5 years, we will become one of the largest private villa operators with 65 or so private villas, luxury villas under our private villa collection and with Grace Bay Resorts brands. So it's it's really cool to know that we will, in the next 5 years, be one of the largest luxury providers in the region. And, again, it's not about size. It's about quality. It's about experiences and memories. So go to Grace Bay Resorts website. You'll see all our properties and everything we're doing. We'll be humbled and would love to take care of you if you'd like to come to Turks and Caicos. Nikheel Advani [00:45:51]: Beautiful by nature. Steve Carran [00:45:54]: You made it to the end of the Modern Hotelier. Thanks for listening. The Modern Hotelier is produced by Make More Media. Make sure to like and subscribe if you're listening on YouTube or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. If you know a guest or sponsor that would be a good fit, feel free to email us at hello at the modern hotelier.com. If you'd like to get some Modern Hotelier merch, click the merch button on modernhotelier.com or click the link below. Thanks, and have a great day.