Ep 27 - If you don’t know what you want, it’s hard for those around you to help you with Lan Elliott

Ep 27 - If you don’t know what you want, it’s hard for those around you to help you with Lan Elliott

Lan’s story is inspiring. She is a force that is deeply tapped into what she is passionate about and she continued to follow that light at each step of her career journey. She is not guiding leaders on how to follow their passion to find their path because there is not only one way to get there. She gives us great pointers on how to ask for someone’s time to gather information whether it’s about a career move, a curiosity or building your community. 

About Lan

Lan Elliott has been in the hospitality industry for 25+ years as a hotel real estate & transactions executive. Most recently, Lan rejoined Acacia Hospitality LLC, a hotel investment entity she co-founded, which owns interests in four urban convention hotels.  Together with its partners, Acacia currently owns interests in four urban convention hotels, totaling nearly 3,800 rooms, managed by Hilton, Hyatt Regency and Marriott. Acacia actively works with its partners and hotel management teams in the acquisition, asset management, renovation, expansion, and refinancing of these assets. Prior to Acacia, Lan spent over 10 years at Host Hotels & Resorts, where she closed on transactions totaling $8+ billion.  She also held previous roles at IHG, W Hotels, and KPMG.

Lan serves as the university liaison for ForWardThinking (formerly Castell@College), for which she is a recipient of the 2022 Industry Recognition Award from ICHRIE. She also serves as a Board Member, Principal, and Interview Host for DEI Advisors, a non-profit dedicated to empowering personal success in the hospitality industry. DEI Advisors’ podcast was recognized by IHI as a Top Hospitality Podcast for 2023 & 2024.  Lan was also named one of IHI’s 100 Most Inspirational Leaders in Hospitality and Travel for 2023.

For more resources on leadership and eliminating the sticky energy from team culture, visit The School of Hospitality from Within