How an entrepreneur is bringing old-school hospitality back to the hospitality industry

Leo Grifka is a hotelier and entrepreneur passionate about bringing old-fashioned hospitality back to the hospitality industry. Grifka, the founder of the Grifka Group, sat down with Jessica Abo to discuss his latest hotel and his advice to aspiring entrepreneurs.

Jessica Abo: Leo, how did you get into the hospitality industry?

Leo Grifka: I came across a project in Culver City, a rundown old 49-room apartment motel, and the highest and best use was a boutique hotel. I loved the project and I loved the location. So I created Grifka Group with this property as my first project.

How did you find your next hotel?

Grifka: Finding a good project that will take many years to develop takes time. I found the Farmer's Daughter hotel, started talking to the owner and he decided to sell me the property. I loved the property because I live two blocks from the hotel so I was walking with my family all the time. So I was thrilled to be able to take on a project like this.

What was that experience like during a pandemic?

Grifka: It was a very, very scary time for hoteliers. It was a huge opportunity for me, to be able to find a property like The Farmer's Daughter that was very high profile and well known in the area.

The new name of the hotel is Short Stories. What can you share about the name?

Grifka: The first meaning of short stories is in the 1920s and 30s, there were a lot of poets and authors living in that area, many of them working on short stories. Faulkner and Bukowski are two of the best known. The second meaning is that when you stay in a hotel, you're not really creating a novel, you're just creating little short stories. I liked that. I liked that about the name. And finally, there are only three stories, so it's literally short.

What can you share about the hotel in terms of ownership?

Grifka:The hotel has 66 rooms. There are three or four different room types and we have a pool, which is great in LA. The Short Stories restaurant seats approximately 160 people and has a very nice patio and courtyard ideal for alfresco dining. Everything has been revised. It's neither too feminine nor too masculine, but just really pretty with very high-end materials. Almost everything in the bedroom is custom made. In the background you can see a print by Kenton Nelson, who is a well-known artist, an artist based in Los Angeles, which I think is very special compared to the art of the staves that you see in the hotels today.

Given the importance you place on old-fashioned hospitality, how do you provide this experience to your customers?

Grifka: With Short Stories, the goal is to bring back old school hospitality because I saw, even before COVID, that kind of became the industry standard too, when you check in, they give you the key, and then it's like, 'We'll see you when you check out.' We started to see cost-saving measures like mobile check-in and front desk kiosks instead of front desk attendants. At the same time, the ubiquity of Airbnb was emerging. The instinctive reaction from hotel owners was, “Let's be more like Airbnb. Which is pretty much like a stripped-down customer experience, just "Here's your bed". So this really did something poor for the hotel experience, which at this point is no longer hospitable. The purpose of hospitality is to be hospitable. So, with Short Stories, I'm bringing back old-fashioned hospitality. So we're going to greet you by name. We will offer you a welcome drink. We'll walk you back to your room. We offer a turn down service, which is very unique for a small boutique hotel, and many other little touches like this, which greatly contributes to the total guest experience.

Why do you think it is so important for business owners to invest in local projects?

Grifka: Someone who is local, growing in their backyard, knows the area better than anyone. You are able to affect the end user the most. And that goes for any asset class, but specifically for hotels, because I know, for example, the Fairfax area, West Hollywood, Beverly Grove, I'm able to manage the guest experience more than a developer from the whole country or even from another country.

Finally, what is your advice to aspiring entrepreneurs?

Grifka: I'll tell you what worked for me. Never take no for an answer. I think it's important to listen, but if you let every "no" stop you, there's no way you can be a successful entrepreneur because there are always things to do...