Hotelier aims to share hospitality, grow future leaders

Hotelier David Davis had been teaching for a decade on the faculty at Oklahoma State University when he was approached by the CEO of New Century Hotels to manage operations of its five Oklahoma City properties.

Davis initially said he wasn't interested. Along with teaching, he served as assistant director of OSU's hotel and restaurant school and was on track to become a director.

But New Century's CEO kept asking and — over three coffees — Davis, who'd consulted for New Century, changed his mind. On Aug. 1, he accepted the vice president of operations position, which includes building leadership teams and growing revenue.

“New Century's core values — being driven by excellence, focus on caring for others and doing the right thing — appealed to me, along with the chance to build something different,” Davis said.

“I exist to share hospitality and provide a positive influence on the future leaders of our business,” he said. “It's just looks a little different, whether I'm working in academic or in industry.”

Founded three years ago, New Century has 281 employees who work at the Courtyard Marriott, La Quinta Inn, Hilton Garden Inn, Holiday Inn Express & Suites, and Aloft Hotel.

From the Aloft at 209 N Walnut, Davis, 41, sat down with The Oklahoman on Tuesday morning to talk about his life and career. This is an edited transcript:

Q: Are you an Oklahoma boy?

A: Kind of. I grew up in Lubbock, but we spent all of our family vacations visiting relatives in Oklahoma — in Mangum and in Hitchcock, southwest of Okeene. My parents met in high school in Mangum, and my father dropped out of Wayland Baptist University in Plainview, Texas, to pursue my mother's hand in marriage. She was attending business school in Wichita Falls. My mom worked for lawyers and in real estate, and — for the past 20 years — has worked as an office manager for the FBI in Lubbock. My dad is retired. A hardworking entrepreneur, he sold and installed custom lighting and did all sorts of other things. My older sister lives in Lubbock near my parents and is completing her undergraduate degree in hospitality at Texas Tech.

Q: What were the highlights of your childhood?

A: I played soccer from fourth through 10th grades and in high school, was passionate about football, baseball and playing percussion in the band. I worked from ages 12 through 18, spraying and maintaining cotton fields, and tending to the pools and yards of properties my mom managed. We'd take several family road trips a year, from camping to snow skiing.

Q: What sparked your interest in the hotel and restaurant industry?

A: In high school, I was elected to state and regional offices of the Future Homemakers of America, now known as FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America) and caught the travel bug. I remember, during one conference, meeting in a room that was configured theater-style and then transformed into tables for lunch. I was intrigued and wanted to know who made that happen; where were all the back-scene fairies? Through FHA and other organizations, I had a full ride at Texas Tech to study hotel and restaurant management. But my first semester, I made poor decisions, let my GPA drop below 2.0, and lost my scholarships. Fortunately, I stayed in communication with FHA and others and won back my scholarships my senior year. With the help of my adviser — who's still a mentor today — I got a job, working in the kitchen of a French and Italian restaurant and then with a family in Lubbock who owned four hotels. I worked as night auditor through graduation, and between my junior and senior years, interned with the Hyatt in Dallas. I also joined a fraternity, Farmhouse, which helped me turn around my GPA. I held numerous fraternity offices, including president of the chapter.

Q: Following graduation, you worked 10 years with John Q. Hammons Hotels & Restaurants. Tell us about that.

A: I managed an airport property for three years in Houston, worked two years at a hotel outside Fort Lauderdale, served as general manager for a hotel in Springdale, Ark., and along the way, won numerous industry awards from Hilton and Marriott. Funny. When I met my wife Kelli in college, she said she could handle being married to a hotel guy, but didn't want to live in Louisiana, Florida, Arkansas or Oklahoma. Now, we've lived everywhere but Louisiana. Some of our best friends live in Arkansas, and we love Oklahoma. Previously, we held preconceived false notions of both.

Q: What led you into academia and your move from Arkansas to Stillwater?

A: Early in my career, I started working toward a graduate degree in the industry — through an online pilot executive program of the University of Houston. I completed the coursework in Arkansas. A buddy asked me why I went back to school, and I told him I thought I might teach some day. That buddy subsequently bought a hotel in Stillwater and sat on the board of OSU's School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. He's who called me about the teaching opportunity at OSU that, behind Cornell, has the second oldest program among some 200 countrywide; it's 80 years old and has one of only 20 Ph.D. programs. I taught 13 different courses (including intro to hospitality, marketing and wines); for a time, also ran The Atherton Hotel and The Ranchers Club steakhouse on campus; earned my doctorate at OSU, and advanced to assistant director of the school. The school has 16 faculty members and roughly 300 students.

Q: Do you like teaching?

A: I love it. At first I was nervous because I wasn't a trained teacher, but through study, trial and error, I learned how to capture and keep students' attention. I continue to teach Monday and Wednesday courses, as an adjunct professor. One ongoing initiative is collaborating with computer science students to develop mobile apps for the hospital industry and improve efficiency in housekeeping and other areas. The biggest wind in my sails is to connect and stay in touch with alums, who've gone out and built amazing careers.

Q: What primary goals do you have for New Century Hotels?

A: We plan to build an internal university for our employees to earn industry certifications and advance their careers. If we invest in our employees, we'll succeed. Happy employees make happy guests — who'll come back. We want to build a company worthy of hiring people and where they're proud to work. We also plan to be vibrant members of Oklahoma City; to participate in area service projects and give back to our community.