183 – Kevin O’Shea: A Dream Come True

Kevin O’Shea: A Dream Come True Today in The Lounge, Nick chats with Kevin O’Shea from Salt Hotels in his New York Porcelanosa office before heading off to BDNY. Kevin talks about how food was his first interest in hospitality, his start with Starwood Hotels, how and where Salt Hotels was born and his experience running the company with his husband and team. Getting to Know Kevin Kevin enjoys watching indie films and prefers a glass of wine over a beer or cocktail. His house was formerly a fine dining restaurant and appropriately, his favorite room is the kitchen. He finds cooking to be a relaxing pastime. While there are no specific dishes he prefers to make over others, he does enjoy cooking family recipes passed down from his Italian grandmother. From Colorado to the East Coast Kevin grew up in the Westminster area of Denver, Colorado. After graduating high school, he attended Johnson and Wales University to earn a degree in food and beverage hospitality before deciding it was not for him. He then transferred to Rhode Island School of Design to complete an interior architecture degree. From there, he landed an internship in New York with Sheraton-Starwood where he was then able to join the initial Le Meredien team after graduation. He stayed with Starwood for about a year before moving to Morgans Hotel Group and being part of their team for three and a half years. Just before 2008, Kevin broke off on his own in New York. Pillars of Salt      The vision for Salt Hotels began with the idyllic dream Kevin and his husband had of one day owning a Bed & Breakfast. That dream came true when they renovated an old building into what is known today as the Salt House in Provincetown, New York. Within a week of opening, it appeared on The Today Show and made the hotlist of places to stay in Provincetown. This made Kevin and his husband realize that they had something special that later turned into three other hotels in the United States. Kevin took his experience designing for large hotels and combined it with the comfort of a B&B to set his spaces apart from the rest. To maintain the Salt brand in all the other hotels, he includes gourmet breakfast in his visitors’ stay. There is no central Salt Hotels office but rather local offices built near the hotels. Team Unity and Community Everyone hired by Salt Hotels sets their own hours and work diligently. By hiring professionals who are passionate about their work, team unity is assured. Salt Hotels is proud to be able to provide steady, stable jobs in a typically seasonal market. They also have Salt School open to the public where admitted applicants may earn a design degree and apply it wherever they wish. Visit www.salthotels.com to learn more. Upcoming Events Atlanta Market – Jan 9 – 16 Dallas Market – Jan 17 – 23 Las Vegas Market – Jan 28 – Feb 1 Modernism Week – Feb 15 – 25 Design Bloggers Conference – March 4 – 6 BD West – April 4 – 5 High Point Market – April 14 – 18 HD Expo – May 2 – 4 ICFF – May 20 – 23 NeoCon – June 11 – 13 Wrap Up If you would like to hear more episodes, please visit us on iTunes or on our website at TheChaiseLoungePodcast.com. Lastly, find The Chaise Lounge on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter or post a review on iTunes, you may even hear your review read live on our next podcast. With that said keep dreaming big, and keep designing a great design business. See ya!