FULL CIRCLE Today, JHM Hotels has 42 hotels with approximately 8,000 rooms and is one of only seven families allowed to operate a Hyatt Regency. With awards on culture and customer service, you’d think it would be easy to sit back and simply manage from behind a desk—and while that may be true, history has shown that it’s not how DJ Rama works. In fact, Rama, as President, is known for his hands-on attitude, and more often than not can be found on a property rather than in the office. But it’s this attitude that makes Rama’s success so powerful. With a focus on siddhi, a Sanskrit word that means performance, success, attention to detail and consciousness, Rama understands that the smallest detail is just as important as the largest decision. “In whatever we do, I think we’re doing it with consciousness, and that means we are invoking the consciousness of doing it right,” he notes, of the focus that keeps him grounded. “It could even be putting this magazine straight rather than this way. I think when you live in the present moment you are more conscious of what’s in front of you to do your best at it.” In the hotel world, this translates to what Rama calls “experienceology,” a teasing of the five senses for every customer who is paying for the experience of staying in one of their hotels. But that same experience-focused drive is what is literally changing the face of North Main Street in downtown Greenville. JHM purchased Greenville’s downtown Hyatt in December 2011, and only one year later will unveil months of hard work that have an effect far beyond the walls of the hotel. “Every day I spend four hours at NoMa Square,” Rama says, referring to the construction that is currently in progress in the area. The area that will become known as NoMa (a play on North Main) will help balance downtown as the anchor opposite the West End area. With renovations to the Hyatt and the entire city block surrounding the hotel, it’s not unusual that he would be a common sight in the area. What is uncommon is his level of involvement in the project itself. While many in his position would have been comfortable having someone else do the research needed to start such a project, Rama himself met with his neighbors of the North Main district to determine their needs and wants. After all, he says, they know what the area needed, so they were involved not only in the planning stages, but also allowed to put a stamp of approval on the final design. Before the new entrance was even put on paper, Rama spent time with the valets of the hotel, who knew better than anyone else the challenges of traffic circulation and daily needs. “Listening allows you to focus on perfection and detail,” Rama says. “But again, you have to take the time to do that.” But listening is only a part of the job, he notes. The other part is being present, paying attention to every detail—no matter how small. While the square itself has design elements that range from water to fire to stone, and every facet of the area has been questioned as to sustainability and accessibility, every once and a while, something can slip by.
“Just to give you a little example, at NoMa Square we were putting these rings around this tree, and the curb was going to be 8 inches above the ground. It felt like a pinball machine because there were 13 trees and there were 13 rings,” Rama notes. “So, when a customer on Main Street is walking up, they will be going through these waves of rings. This doesn’t work. But nobody on the drawing side, nobody on the architecture side—even my eyes didn’t pick those eight inches up.” Immediately, they called the city and worked to correct it. With concerns over child safety and walkability, every detail was discussed, and within the day, the tree borders sat flush with the ground, inviting people into the area. While it may seem extreme to an outsider, for Rama, it’s the tiny details that can make or break the experience. “It’s details,” he says. “It’s a little thing and [seeing it] only comes by management walking around. And it’s so important that when you have a project like this—is everything going according to plan? Are we spending the time? Everything’s important, but when a project is open, we better make sure that were spending the time to focus on the details.” But long after the NoMa construction is finished and the dayto-day use of the area begins, residents and visitors can be assured that siddhi will remain a focus in NoMa’s daily use. In fact, Rama believes, that attention to detail may just help change the economic face of the North Main area. “I feel that the north end area needed a life; it needed freshness. And what you’ll find is NoMa Square; you’ll find a new breath of fresh air,” he says. “And what we expect is that the development around us, and talking with all the retailers and the tenants around there…they have the confidence to invest in that area now.” Where office space once lined North Main, going dark at 5, retail space will soon crop up, offering life to the area during evening hours. (Office space was moved upward into the tower to maintain the business-friendly nature of the area.) Outdoor seating, fire pits, and restaurants will help shape the area, along with a pedestrian-friendly waffle cart, art gallery and studio space, and more. In fact, Charleston Cooks!, an operation of Maverick Southern Kitchens, who also operates High Cotton, has already chosen NoMa as it’s new home, offering cooking classes and supplies to the public. But for Rama, NoMa signifies far more than just growth and renovation. NoMa is his newest R&D lab—a place where he can try new things and experiment with the hospitality industry. “Greenville is about to see southern hospitality with a unique flair,” he says. “We have a leader, Jane Brophy, and her general manager, and our team that will execute this experience. And we passionately want to have fun in doing it …constantly being unique and differentiated in doing that.” And for the man who now owns the hotel he used to visit on special occasions as a boy—the same boy who cleaned rooms at 2 a.m. and rented his first room at the mere age of seven—the world truly has come full circle. “I think no differently than when I was living in the Sheraton or the Camelot Inn—I just feel like I have a bigger playing field now.”
Q1 2013 // Business Black Box
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DJ RAMA: ARCHITECT OF AN EMPIRE