Practice Hospitality Emphasizes Standout Experiences Across Its Hotel Portfolio
The hospitality group manages a space-themed motor hotel, a secluded coastal escape, and more
(A guest room at the Americana Motor Hotel in Flagstaff, AZ)
Locations: Across America
Perfect For: Adventurous travelers looking for specialized stays outside the norm
When it comes to hotel management, sticking to a tried and true formula makes a certain level of sense. But for Kate Buska, Partner and Vice President of Brand and Development at Practice Hospitality, developing an original strategy tailored to each unique property is part of what sets the Dallas-based hotel management firm apart.
“I think if it boils down to one thing, it's that we're hotel people, yes, a hundred percent, but we're people-people first,” Buska tells A HOTEL PODCAST. “We run hotels, but I think the term ‘management,’ it seems a little cold, a little impersonal. When we started this company, we really thought, ‘does hospitality need another management company? Someone doing the same old thing?’ And for us, our feeling was a resounding ‘no.’ Management companies spend years and years developing a cookie cutter approach that they can kind of stamp out on every property they do. And what we really set out to do was to forge a new way, a different way. Our way. And we sat down and we thought, if we build this company, maybe not around management, but around people, from our team members, to our owners, to our guests, what would happen? What if we really came from a place of caring about what those people need and individualizing our approach?”
(Kate Buska)
A self-described “Jill of all trades,” Buska’s work centers around “storytelling and helping work with owners of hotels to develop a vision and a story behind their hotel that will maximize their investment. Helping our teams on the ground really run with that story and create programming and bring it to life day to day. Really creating something that sets our hotels apart.”
Practice Hospitality describes their focus as “(creating) experiences travelers seek out and return to, time and time again. To us, that starts by being human – building an environment that balances emotional intelligence, tradition, ritual, and creativity. Because when that happens, hospitality comes alive – and results follow.” The company identifies people, optimization, and alchemy as its secret sauce across hotel management, retail and F&B, hotel concept development, and more.
“(Hotel owners) invest not just money, but blood, sweat, tears, sleepless nights. They pour their heart and souls into these hotels and it's their babies.” - Kate Buska
The management firm’s property portfolio ranges from the bold and vibrant Atlanta Buckhead Autograph Collection entry Hotel Colee to North Dallas’ upscale boutique Hilton Dallas Park Cities and more. One especially colorful standout in the company’s management roster is the Americana Motor Hotel, a nostalgia-infused experience on Route 66 in Flagstaff, AZ. Described by the property’s interior designer Andrew Alford as "rustic futurism," the motel offers year-round heated pools, outdoor fire pits, telescopes for stargazing, and more. It’s a stay that Buska is “more than mildly obsessed with.”
(Americana Motor Hotel)
“This Property is…a 1962-era motor hotel, and it has seen some miles,” the Partner and VP explains. “And we were so inspired by the period in which it originally opened, right? And it was the golden age of the road trip. It was mid-century America. An era of optimism. We looked at that era and then we looked at that location and this is…our process, right? We look at literally, from the street corner it's on, zooming out up into the destination and then looking at the cultural period at which it has association. So mid-century America on Route 66 in Flagstaff, of all places. Every astronaut who's walked on the moon has trained in Flagstaff, Arizona. It was the world's first dark skies city. It's 80 miles from the Grand Canyon in these beautiful mountains. There's year round outdoor activities. So we thought, ‘gosh, this is the ultimate, ultimate road trip destination.’”
The hotel’s décor, described as “retro-futuristic,” includes features like disco balls in the wood-paneled guest rooms and astronomy-themed touches throughout the property, set against a ‘70s-influenced color scheme. Buska describes the hotel’s space age theme as a “period of optimism and this period of space travel.”
(Americana Motor Hotel)
“And what an interesting intersection,” she exclaims. “This kind of futurism, rustic futurism, this sort of ability to be on the frontier of America, frontier of space. It's just…there's so many threads. So we ended up drilling down into sort of the golden age of the road trip, the astro-tourism of the region and the space program, and just the beautiful outdoor wonders of Flagstaff, is kind of our three threads that we wove throughout the property.”
A concept with a completely different aesthetic can be found 1,300 miles northwest, at the nature-focused The Drifthaven at Gearhart. Located alongside Oregon’s coast and forests, The Drifthaven offers an escape where guests can log off and connect with nature.
“This is a section of our portfolio we really think of as like our little destination properties.” Buska shares. “They're just near major markets on sort of tourism thoroughfares. So you're on the coastal highway that goes through Oregon. They're in these destinations that are worth the drive. But Drifthaven, it was a beautiful historic property in this sort of small highly desirable area. So, I think the thing about Drifthaven is it's really like big things come in small packages. So, best caviar is in the tiniest tin, best jewelry is in a little box. So, Drifthaven is definitely a big thing, small package.”
The property’s twelve cabins each feature amenities like a fireplace and a pantry full of snacks, while the property features a grill, complimentary beach equipment, tennis courts, and more. The surrounding area is also ideal for hiking and biking. It’s a destination that Buska calls “an oasis of kind of quiet solitude.”
(Above and below: Guest cabins at The Drifthaven at Gearhart)
“It's a great place to hunker down in front of a fire in a guest room with a book, (a) great glass of Oregon Pinot, maybe walk on the deserted beach,” Buska details. “The Oregon Coast really does feel like the ends of the earth and a little bit of a secret because it's not as developed as folks who might be more familiar with the California coast. It does feel like you've kind of carved out your own little slice. And that sense of peace is in some ways its own kind of invigorating. So our goal here was to create an escape. A place where people could kind of unplug and be transported to a bit of a simpler time.”
(Sporting equipment and more is available to guests at The Drifthaven at Gearhart)
In terms of The Drifthaven at Gearhart’s identity, Buska reveals Practice Hospitality “really wanted the branding to telegraph the coastal nature. The fact that this is a beach in Oregon. So you'll see pine needles and the color palette is very much a sort of cozier, cooler tones than you might see at a different beach property. So we needed (to demonstrate that) this is the Oregon coast, and…no one says the shore. No one says, really, even the beach. People typically say we're going to the coast. So I think that idea of, put on a sweater, cuddle up by the fire. That is the Oregon coast. And then the fact that this is cozy, intimate, it's elevated and elegant, and it is a beautiful stay. But I think that we needed a color palette, typography, and really…brand elements that would telegraph that experience. And so you'll see those running through there.”
For more about Practice Hospitality, check out Buska’s interview on A HOTEL PODCAST, where the Partner and Vice President of Brand and Development details an upcoming project set to open in Bentonville, Arkansas, an area known as the mountain biking capital of the world.
Find more via Practice Hospitality, Americana Motor Hotel, and The Drifthaven at Gearhart. And subscribe for more from A Hotel Podcast on LinkedIn, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. Written by Jaime Black with Gaby Dupont.