“I’m just a young black boy from Pasadena, California that’s about to embark upon history. I hope I can inspire someone to do the same.”

— Damon Lawrence, Owner of Homage Hotels

At a time when black men are being gunned down left and right by rogue police officers, when a story like Damon Lawrence’s surfaces, one can’t help but sit up and take notice. Lawrence is a young entrepreneur who’s striving to change the hospitality game by becoming the first black hotel management company owner in the world who specializes in boutique hotels.

Lawrence is currently raising funds and seeking investors to open his first hotel in Oakland, CA, that will provide a “unique culturally rich experience” for black travelers and millennials in general. Inspired by the untold story of William Leidesdorff, Jr., the black entrepreneur who founded the Bay Area’s first hotel, through his brand, Lawrence plans to pay homage to other black trailblazers who’ve paved the way by incorporating elements of black culture into his hotels — from the music and decor to the art and food.

I recently had the chance to interview this savvy hospitality businessman whose prior credits include helping to oversee the opening of the Kimpton’s The Donovan in D.C., a stint at The Ritz-Carlton, and operating his own vacation rental management company, Hausotel. With fresh ideas that challenge the hotel concept as we know it and with the recent mentorship of Chip Conley of Joie de Vivre and AirBnB fame, Lawrence’s dream is within reach.

Lawrence’s story sheds a new angle on the burgeoning black travel movement as it shows that not only are black people traveling, but we’re breaking ground in the business of travel as well.

What was it about working in hospitality at The Donovan that resonated with you?

There were two very distinct things I feel really resonated with me from that experience. First, opening a hotel is unlike anything you could ever do in the industry. I’ve done it twice now and it’s such an amazing experience, but being able to have that experience for my first property was one of the greatest experiences I could’ve had. I recall putting rooms together and doing some of the things people don’t even notice like placing the emergency exit signs on the back of the doors or making sure that the phones in the rooms had the proper directory. When I took my first interview at that property, I was required to wear a hard hat just to enter. I literally had a hand in the opening process and that’s something I’ll never forget.

Secondly, working the day of the inauguration in 2008 was when I had my aha moment in the hospitality industry. That evening before the actual ceremony, we held a party for the creative coalition and it was a who’s who of Hollywood elite. Not to mention, at our property alone, we played host to many high profile guests. I was able to meet Toby Maguire, Leonardo Di Caprio, Spike Lee, Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, Alfre Woodard, Seal and Heidi Klum, Sheryl Crow, and Wyclef Jean. Those are just the names I can remember. I worked 22 hours straight that day and I didn’t even realize it because I was having so much fun. That’s when I realized that I want to have my own hotel and create similar experiences. Two terms later and I’m finally making that dream a reality.

Why do you think Black Americans have been underrepresented in front of house hotel management roles?

For the same reasons we’ve been underrepresented in other forms of management. Racial bias and prejudice wins especially when African Americans aren’t in positions to hire and fire at these hotel properties. I can’t wait to create a company that doesn’t hire based on prejudice. I’m looking to hire the best regardless of race. My company will pride itself on being a very diverse workplace and that’s something I’m very proud of.

Why do you think 95% of black people’s income is spent outside of our own communities?

It’s a self-defeating attitude that exists where we hold preconceived notions and stigmas of our own businesses. There’s a fear of ourselves that we definitely need to overcome. We would much rather someone else sell our culture back to us than own, create, sell and patronize our businesses. It’s a systemic mindset that I only feel we can overcome when we create businesses that everyone regardless of race, creed and color can appreciate and need. Hotels are one of those kinds of businesses.

When did you first learn the story of William Leidesdorff, Jr.?

When I created the vision for Homage Hotels I did so with the intention of paying homage to the people that did it before me and blazed a trail for me to follow. So when I realized that Oakland was going to be the first location, I fell in love with Mr. Liedesdorff’s drive and ambition. He really reminded me of myself and the type of legacy I want to leave behind. He’s responsible for the first hotel, elementary school, school district and race track in California. Single-handedly, he’s responsible for creating what is now the Bay Area. It literally began with him. He took his experience living in New York and New Orleans and created the type of environment he wanted for himself. I’m doing the same thing in hospitality.

When did you first get the idea for Homage Hotel Group? And when you got the idea, what initial thoughts ran through your mind? What initial mental barriers, if any, did you have to overcome?

Ever since I worked at The Dononvan, I knew that one day I’d have my own property. I once believed that I’d need to be in the industry for a long period of time before taking on a project like this. However, when I saw all the things going on with black men and women being targeted, I felt the time was now. I felt a need to be in a position where I can create a positive story for the media and be able to empower people to do great things.

The idea for Homage Hotels specifically came from my need to tell these untold stories about African Americans that ran and managed hotels in our history. These stories were such a great part of our history and I wanted to revive the stories and remix them to create a new narrative for today. Initially, I feared that maybe focusing on black history could be an impediment because of the spending trends of African Americans with black-owned businesses. I honestly still have that fear, but what has helped me is when I see other black-owned businesses that are great businesses that just so happened to be run by black people.

Apart from funding, what have been some other challenges you’ve faced with this project, and how are you overcoming them?

The biggest challenge has been doing this with no real predecessors to feed off of in the modern era. I have these stories of men in the late 1800s and early 1900s to lean on, but no one in the modern era whose story I can look at and say this is how you do this. I’m trying to teach myself as much as I can.

Another challenge has been doing it alone. I’m looking for people that can really assist me in making this happen. People have reached out and I’ve been very receptive to that. It can be stressful at times because there’s so much I have to think about on a daily basis, but whenever someone tells me I inspire them or that they’re proud of me it keeps me going and motivated for the next set of challenges. So to everyone that’s shown that type of support, I want them to know I appreciate it so much. It’s a humbling experience, and I realize each day I have a responsibility, not to myself, but to the people that support me and want to see me succeed.

You’ve said in a previous interview that Homage intends to operate the business, but not actually own the real estate — right?

Yes, I want to take Marriott’s approach to hotel management and shy away from holding real estate assets. While working for The Ritz-Carlton a few years ago, I realized that The Ritz-Carlton and its parent company, Marriott International, don’t own any real estate hotel assets. They only manage the hotel properties they brand and in turn they receive anywhere from 12–16% of the total revenue as a management company. However, in order to get to that point you need to build credibility and a brand name. That means to start, I have to create my own deals and finance the properties myself as I’m doing with the Oakland property.

Recently, however, I’ve also been looking at ways in which the company can take advantage of other revenue streams. Some of those revenue streams involve real estate as well. So for now I’ll say we’re going to keep our options open and try to become a globally recognized brand.

Why are you opting to crowdfund the entire hotel project?

In a perfect world, the entire project would be crowdfunded and as many people could be a part of the first property being inaugurated. But realistically, it’s likely going to be a mix of crowdfunding and conventional funding methods to make sure we’re able to meet our financing needs in a timely manner.

Once the Oakland location is up and running, what cities/countries do you have in mind for future hotel openings?

There are a number of cities that have been appealing places for us to venture to next. Washington DC, Atlanta, Brooklyn, Chicago and Miami are appealing destinations for us going forward. However, we’ve received some interest in the Caribbean islands to possibly do a resort. That presents an intriguing possibility for Homage Hotels. As we look at the way millennials are traveling, they’re seeking cultural experiences internationally more than ever before. I feel it’s important to target this market and be ahead of the curve. My gut feeling is telling me an international location is next.

How will Homage market itself to non-black guests?

We’ll be marketing the hotel to everyone. Oakland has a serious need for a sleek and hip hotel product. Homage Hotels will appeal to a millennial traveler looking for a lifestyle experience, and our guests will be culturally diverse.

Describe the “unique culturally rich experience” you intend to deliver to guests.

From the décor to the music to the art, the experience will be very rich in culture. When you create a lifestyle brand, it has to specifically encapsulate a lifestyle, and I want it to resemble my lifestyle. Décor will have a vintage, eclectic mixture of old and new elements. Music will range from Neo Soul and Motown to hip-hop and new and old school R&B. Art will feature some of the local art scene’s youngest and brightest new artists and photographers.

You recently met with Chip Conley. How did that meeting come about, and what insights did he give you about opening your own hotel group?

When I look at people that started their own hotel brands, Chip is the person I look up to the most. He started Joie De Vivre Hotels in 1987 at the age of 26, just a year younger than I am now. He was able to transform one hotel in San Francisco’s tenderloin into the largest boutique hotel brand in the world before he sold the company in 2010. I’ve always wanted to have the opportunity to sit down and chop it up with him and really pick his brain. I reached out to him via email, but he was really busy at the time. I was a bit bummed out about it but I told myself that I’d see him eventually when the time was right.

A family friend is close friends with Chip Conley. So when I started getting serious about Homage Hotels, he expressed his desire to make that meeting happen. So not too long ago he called me late on a Saturday night while I was hanging out with friends and mentioned that the next day was the day for the meeting and that they’d all be having brunch together in San Francisco. So I booked my ticket that night at like 1am and left a few hours later off of no sleep. I listened to Kanye’s “Big Brother” like 20 times straight and thought about all the things I would want to ask him.

He was truly an amazing person, really personable and definitely related to my struggles and experiences thus far since our stories are very similar. We talked about the hotel industry, AirBnB and Homage Hotels extensively. I left the brunch having a new friend to bounce ideas off of and that’s amazing to me. Since that meeting, we’ve corresponded back and forth via email. Most recently he reviewed my entire business plan and gave me a ton of great feedback. I don’t know if he knows how much that means to me. It’s the equivalent of a rookie basketball player being mentored by Michael Jordan or a young rapper being mentored by Dr. Dre or Jay-Z. That’s how major it is to have him take the time to help me in this way.

Do you still run Hausotel?

At one time I thought I could run Hausotel and Homage Hotels simultaneously, but as things progressed further, I realized that it’s not possible. Creating a hotel brand is nine jobs in one. I recently had to quit my full time job as well in order to focus on Homage Hotels.

Honestly, Hausotel was an amazing idea. Creating a brand of vacation homes would be a great addition to the current lodging landscape. I definitely see ways in which hotels and vacation rental AirBnB types can be married together in some form or fashion. I have a few ideas about how to incorporate Hausotel into Homage Hotels and I’m excited to explore those options.

Briefly share a bit about your travel experiences.

I haven’t traveled nearly as much as I’ve wanted. Though I’ve been everywhere in the States and have lived in various places across the country, I haven’t traveled much internationally. I have a few trips planned overseas this year in the coming months to do some hotel research in France, London and Nairobi. My father owns some property in Spain that I’ve been dying to get to so I’m trying to fit that in as well.

As for my favorite destination, it changes, but for now I’d have to say Oakland. I really love the city, the vibe, the people etc. They’ve shown me so much love throughout the process. I’ve seriously fallen in love and can’t wait to welcome people to this great city in the near future.

What do you want your legacy to be?

I recently sat down with a few investors that happen to be older African American men. One of them said something to me that really resonated. He told me that he hardly thinks about his own legacy anymore, but he thinks about the future of his people and what he can do to change the way we view ourselves. That’s all I want to do as well. I never knew about the hospitality industry growing up.

I never knew I could find so much joy in this type of work. So I hope I can inspire some young people to do different things. There’s so much people of color have accomplished, and at the same time, there’s so much we have yet to do. There’s no black-owned hotel brand we can recognize globally. There’s also no airline and no car manufacturer. There’s so much we can do, and I just hope I can inspire people to do more and really accomplish things they never imagined they could. I’m just a young black boy from Pasadena, California, that’s about to embark upon history. I hope I can inspire someone to do the same.

*To learn more about Homage Hotels, visit http://www.homagehotelgroup.com/ and stay in the loop on Instagram at https://instagram.com/homagehotels