In the hospitality industry, we like to believe that business is fundamentally local. A hotel is a building, a balance sheet, a brand, a management contract, and a stream of room nights. Wars and treaties feel remote and are for diplomats, not developers. That assumption is no longer safe. That realization was prompted by the … Read more
Several years ago I was visiting friends in Stockholm, Sweden during one of the country’s hottest summers on record. My friends wanted to take an excursion to a nearby park for a swim. I thought there might be a swimming pool, but no, the park had a small pebble beach with access to one of … Read more
Recently I was listening to an episode of The Grey NATO, a podcast focused on “adventure, travel, diving, driving, gear … and most certainly watches”. The hosts fielded a question from a listener who expressed some discomfort with IWC’s Big Pilot’s watch because of its associations with World War II and its development for the … Read more
The “welcoming for all” mantra of the hospitality industry was put to an ultimate, high-stakes test on January 6, 2026. In a move that sent shockwaves through the hotel community, Hilton Worldwide Holdings abruptly terminated its relationship with a Hampton Inn in Lakeville, Minnesota. The catalyst? A viral video of a front-desk encounter where a … Read more
Ever since reading Isaac Asimov’s Foundation trilogy as a teenager, I’ve been fascinated by the decline and collapse of empires. The trilogy chronicles the slow collapse of an immensely powerful, galaxy-spanning imperium ruling thousands of planets. Asimov drew directly from human history. Civilizations have always experienced periods of breakdown. Empires expand beyond their capacity to … Read more
I have a new job! I’ve been appointed as CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors of MegaOil Corp … just kidding, but if I were, here’s a short memo I’d be sending to the company’s board of directors. INTERNAL MEMORANDUM: STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL TO: Global Investment Committee / Board of Directors FROM: Office of … Read more
A friend posted this image on Facebook. It’s an interesting bit of political messaging, but I’m not going to unpack the civil rights argument in the meme. Human rights deserve their own, more sustained discussion, which I’ll leave for another time and place. Instead, I want to focus on something else that struck me about … Read more
I’m an internationalist at heart. Instead of closing ourselves off to other countries and people around the world, in my world view, we’re all better off if we build bridges and friendships with others across the planet. Some of that comes from the recognition — brought into stark perspective by photographs of the Earth from … Read more
Happy New Year. I’m pleased 2024 is finally over. It was my annus horribilis. Between taking a tumble down a hill and experiencing an unscheduled rapid disassembly (aka a break) of two bones in my ankle, while simultaneously working into a new career, keeping up with personal writing here on polyvalent took the back seat. … Read more
Our yard has been an ongoing project. We are replacing traditional lawn turfgrass with native plant species. The process has involved experimentation with different plants, seeing which ones appear to do well in various parts of the yard under different conditions — sun and soil being two key variables. My wife, JoLynne, started this project … Read more