Kimberly Christner got into the hotel business with a temporary job, starting at the front desk in a full-service conference hotel. Little did she know, she would develop a passion for the industry and work her way up in every department. Now, as president/CEO of Cornerstone Hospitality, she’s using that passion to pave the way for other hospitality professionals.
—Abby Elyssa
What has your career journey been like, especially as a female in the industry?
When I started in the hotel business, there were very few women in leadership roles. Even female general managers in hotels were total unicorns. My father was in the military, and we learned at an early age to muscle up, get things done and not allow anything to hold us back. For me, while I recognize that I might be the only woman at the board table or in the room, I never saw that as an obstacle. I always saw it as an opportunity. I am a very astute listener and have developed an ability to understand an issue, the desired outcome, the varying personalities present in the situation and offer solutions that accomplish an objective that can be satisfying for all parties involved. I still am often the only woman at the table, but thankfully that has changed a lot over the past decade.
What about historic and boutique properties interests you?
My first historic boutique hotel property was the Craddock Terry Hotel in Lynchburg, VA, more than 17 years ago. That property was a catalyst for Lynchburg and ignited a fire in me for developing interesting, experiential properties in historic downtown areas. When the property opened, the downtown was a ghost town. The hotel anchored one end of downtown and most of the buildings were vacant and in disrepair. After opening this hotel and associated restaurants, other developers came and the renovation of the historic buildings began. Now there are no vacancies in downtown Lynchburg and more than 5,000 people live downtown—and there are more than 50 restaurants and boutique shops. This is a case study in what can be done in small communities to save historic places and bolster the local economy.
Why are you so passionate about design? Why is design so vital in the hospitality space?
I’ve always said you can design a pretty space, or you can design something that creates an authentic emotion within those who come to experience it. I’ve been in a lot of beautiful hotels that, while pretty, mean nothing to me or my experience in them. Unlike your standard branded hotels that provide a more functional design without any real emotional connection, I like to design spaces that evoke an emotion by using items that speak to all the five senses including art, fabric, scents, music, lighting and comfortable furnishings.
I also work with local crafters and makers as much as possible in our designs. I want my guests to sink into our hotel spaces, to feel connected to them and inspire guests to create the same spaces within their own homes. In our boutique hotel properties, the feeling I want our guests to experience is what I call “luxuriously approachable.” I never want a guest to feel like they don’t belong in our hotel because it’s not comfortable and/or approachable for them.
What are your goals for Cornerstone for the rest of the year?
We are focusing on our team and the work-life balance. Since 2020, we’ve all worked harder and wore more hats than we had in the past. The hospitality industry’s teams and leaders are exhausted. In effect, we have implemented more programs for the hotel’s teams and to improve their workplace environment and provide reasonable expectations for a proper work-life balance.
We’ve also been focused on growth within our portfolio. With the merger of quite a few of the midsize management companies with the larger management firms over the past couple of years, hotel owners with two to five properties are feeling lost in the shuffle and are competing for attention with the REITs and larger groups within bigger firms. These owners are looking for more personalized attention from operators who will run their business like they own them.
As a boutique firm, we own and operate our own properties, as well as manage properties for other partners. We have always desired to stay relatively small with under 30 owned and managed properties. We started Cornerstone Hospitality with the desire to always be able to touch our properties and to know our teams. We want the team members to know us and be able connect with us directly and not be lost within a large corporation. Currently, we are receiving a lot of opportunities for hotel owners looking for this type of leadership within a management company. While we are very selective in who we partner with, we are grateful for the opportunities we have been given.
What’s your five-year plan?
We currently have six properties in development—both historic renovation projects and new construction. We are striving to reach our goal of 30 hotels under ownership and management by 2028. Unlike many management companies, we are very selective in who we choose to work with, so we often thwart our own efforts because our values don’t align with a potential client. We aim to collaborate with individuals who share our values and recognize that the success of their hotel asset primarily depends on the human resources managing their properties. Taking care of our teams, who in turn take care of our guests, will inevitably ensure that our assets are fruitful financially. This is the approach we take daily in our operations.
