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Executive Spotlight:
Q&A with Terry Lavey, Vice President of Operations
Q: What first drew you to the hospitality industry?
I started as a bus person and dishwasher in a restaurant my brother managed. From there, I worked my way through college in various food and beverage positions—bartending, cooking, that sort of thing. Honestly, I never really planned to build a career in hospitality, but I enjoyed the energy and the people. If you’re smart, show up, work hard, and have a guest service delivery attitude, you can go far in this industry.
Q: How did your career evolve from there?
After college—well, almost finishing college—I moved to Dallas on a whim. One of my best friends and fellow athletes said, “If we graduate in Nebraska, we’ll be here the rest of our lives,” so we packed up and left. I eventually got into accounting and finance with a company that had the largest number of Marriott franchises at the time. I always wanted to be a GM, but early on, people liked the financial skills I brought to the table and didn’t think I had enough experience managing people. I ended up negotiating my way into a GM role at a full-service Hilton in my twenties by committing a year to fix the financial processes and systems for a General Partner with multiple assets on the East Coast. He was a great mentor and lived up to his word by promoting me to GM a year later. This first GM job was a turning point in my career.
Terry Lavey
Vice President of Operations
Q: How did that shift shape your approach to leadership?
Initially, I was very finance-focused—probably too much so. Over time, I learned the importance of balancing that with people skills. That’s one of the biggest lessons I’ve carried forward: you have to serve your investors, your guests, and your team members equally. I use the pyramid analogy to illustrate this approach, which is a strong, balanced structure with three equal sides. You can’t favor one side at the expense of the others if you want sustainable success.
Q: What sets Brittain apart from other companies you’ve worked for?
Without a doubt, it’s the culture. It starts with the Brittain family—they’re accessible, values-driven, and trust you to do the job. I’ve worked for large and small companies, and Brittain has the most authentic, supportive culture I’ve experienced. They give me the autonomy to operate, and their philosophy of being balanced in serving core constituents aligns perfectly with mine.
Q: What personal principles guide you in your work?
Be honest, take responsibility, create value in everything you do, and always prioritize service—whether that’s for guests, team members, or investors. I tell my teams, “If we’re just friendly and responsive, our cheeseburgers taste better, our rooms are cleaner, and our guests are more forgiving.” It’s not just about the product; it’s about your people and the experience they create.
Q: What advice would you give to someone just starting out in hospitality?
Work hard, stay flexible, and don’t lose the joy in what you do. Be the person who fills the gaps, supports the team, and keeps learning. If you show integrity, passion, and a high commitment to serving others, doors will open.
Q: If you weren’t in hospitality, what would you be doing?
I’d be a lawyer. People even mistake me for one sometimes—I guess it’s the way I carry myself. I’m fascinated by the idea of justice and helping people, especially in family law.
Q: Dream vacation, no budget constraints—where would you go?
Fiji. Those over-water bungalows with the walkways? That’s the dream. I’d even try to leave my phone behind, which would be a challenge!
Q: Any books that have had a major impact on you?
The Bible, definitely—that was foundational for me growing up. And more recently, Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman. Learning to control my emotions, stop overthinking, and communicate better has made a huge difference in both my professional and personal life.
Q: Who are some of your business heroes?
I love “Shark Tank”, and Lori Greiner is probably my favorite of the sharks. She’s smart, grounded, and great with people. But really, the biggest influences on me have been the general partners and owners I’ve worked for directly. I have been fortunate to work directly for owners most of my career. I learned different things from each of them, and those experiences have been invaluable in helping me understand how to build trust with investors. They were all heroes to me.
Q: Final question—what’s the wildest thing that’s ever happened to you in a hotel?
Honestly, the wildest and most surreal chapter of my career was during COVID. I had just moved to Branson, Missouri, after caring for my mother for years, who had advanced Alzheimer’s. She had passed, and it felt like the right time to relocate and be closer to my roots. I took over two Hilton properties there and, within nine months, turned them from a half-million-dollar budget deficit to exceeding the budget by year end.
Things were going great—I’d just received a bonus, bought a new Cadillac, and was really optimistic about the future.
Then, almost overnight, everything collapsed. The pandemic hit. Every day, we had meetings about cutting costs—first small reductions, then deeper ones. Eventually, I had to lay off over 100 team members. I was one of the last people left to be laid off before the hotels closed. It was heartbreaking.
The company had every intention of bringing me back, but millions of dollars in group business cancellations ensued over the next few months, leading to my separation from the company as they downsized and restructured. I applied for hundreds of roles—some I was definitely overqualified for—and got nowhere. I wasn’t even getting interviews for GM positions at smaller hotels. For eight months, I felt completely stuck. I had always loved to work, and suddenly there was no work to do. It was a dark time.
Then, in a single day, everything changed. I was in an oceanfront suite watching The Masters on TV when two job offers came in—one from Brittain Resorts & Hotels and another from GF Hotels. After so long with nothing, to have both opportunities land at once was surreal.
I initially took the job with GF because it was multi-property and aligned with my goal to work at a higher level. But before I left the conversation with Brittain, I told them I had a really strong feeling about the company—it just wasn’t the right time. They told me they felt the same, and we stayed in touch. About a year later, they called me back and offered me a divisional role overseeing a portfolio of properties. No reference checks, no long interviews—just, “Do you want the job?” My boss told me it was the most important hire of his career. It said a lot about the trust and confidence they had in me, which meant a lot to me.
I said yes without hesitation. I wanted to be back near the beach on the East Coast, I trusted the people, and I believed in the company. It was a full-circle moment I never saw coming, and it’s been one of the most fulfilling moves of my career.
Brittain Resorts & Hotels (BRH) is a full-service hospitality management company providing multi-layered expertise in all disciplines of hotel and resort operations. Since 1943, BRH has been enriching the lives of its team members, guests, partners, and the communities they serve by providing exceptional guest experiences, a supportive work environment, and superior returns. With over 4,700+ rooms, suites, and condos in the portfolio, the company currently operates 30+ hotels and resorts and 45+ restaurants & bars within the United States.
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