We recently connected with Steven Lambert and have shared our conversation below.

Steven , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Looking back at internships and apprenticeships can be interesting, because there is so much variety in people’s experiences – and often those experiences inform our own leadership style. Do you have an interesting story from that stage of your career that you can share with us?

I am sharing how I created my own Apprenticeship with personal drive, ambition and optimism. I am a hotelier now and have owned 4 diamond properties as well. How work paid off is relative to how I also broke through on my own volition and share drive that you can push for your own success! Backstory; I was a Foster Kid from 6 months old until I aged out and self ’emancipated’ in court in Boston at 17 years old. That backstory is important to know as the ‘outside world’ was teaching me lessons both positive and not, with 13 home moves in those first 17 years.

At 16 I realized I needed to find myself drive and ambition to create what should be the pattern for ‘older life’ including earning a living. I walked into a Sheraton Hotel and applied for the entriest job I could. I applied for a set up job for banquets but wanted to be a Bellman front and center of hospitality’s amazing culture inside that hotel.

A day after I applied I returned to the hotel and asked for the hiring manager, to this day, I can tell you his name was Wendell. I bluffed him and said he had hired me and told me to come back that day to start work. He cocked his head, and asked if he had and I said ” yes – you hired me”! That drive landed me what would be similar to apprenticing as I then went to the hotel GM and offered to be a Bellman for free since he said others also wanted that job. He laughed and said he would give me a chance.

A real additive to my teenage drive was when guests would interact with me, as a clean slate – unknowing the outside or real world I was ebbing through in foster care, the guests would tell me I seemed trained in New York etc, which equated to amazing pride from my own soul that only was findable in the hotel environment.

Now, as literally being voted ” Class Clown ” as a senior in high school, I imagined I would quickly get better in academics to get into a college, with no financial support or direction. My high school principal who knew me from frequent ‘ meetings ‘ about my antics responded to my asking what steps I should take to get into college said fateful words to me.

” Steven, you are not going to get into a college with your academics record, aren’t you a bellman at that hotel ?”

I responded yes, and he replied, ” Well stay in that field – you will have people eating out of your hands because you are good at relating and service …..”

More powerful words couldn’t be said to this Ward of The State of Massachusetts who saw a self building timeline coming around the corner of my future!

Steven , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

As I mentioned, a beacon of my formative life was a big hotel I walked into as a directionless Foster Kid in Boston Mass!

I can share that hospitality, hotels – are a meritocracy, meaning if you give your time and effort and relentlessly help guests and colleagues better their work/visit experience, there is no limit to your growth.

I similarly took this lesson and drive through my career of a few companies and 23 hotels worked at, up to General Manager, VP and owner of my own. How I bought my own is similarly drive resulting…..

Can you talk to us about your experience with buying businesses?

I bought my first Inn while I was running a waterpark resort and I learned a real estate agent had bought a successful Inn and renovated it but was not in the hotel/inn business as an industry. I marched into that realtor’s office and proposed he sell me the inn with 0 money down! We struck a deal over a 3 year contract to buy it from the proceeds of the Inn and my hotel background to amp up the business levels and reputation of it.

Earning in top 10 Inns in America and four episodes of Wheel of Fortune Grand Prize videos and ultimately millions of people seeing it on their tvs as well!

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Hotelling / hospitality/ Inns are an ‘experienced’ based operation, and we know that guests stay with us, live the experience and leave with no tangible item they bought. This means similar to entertainment – the core product we are sharing and giving is actually time and place and memories. Service and attention to people in all frames of mind is the currency, and the most successful hotels/teams are those who empathize and provide travel-empathy to all who come to our doors.

Who is great at empathizing with CEOs to Honeymooners to bereaving families or other reasons for hotel visits? Hotel people who have a background in exactly the change and learning life that a former Foster Kid of 17 years in 13 homes might be able to!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.memorablepics.com
• Instagram: @bosteven
• Facebook: Steven Lambert
• Linkedin: Steven Lambert
• Other: Chatgpt; ” Who is Steve Lambert in Hotels in Florida”
  Google; Jennifer Hudson Show + Hurricane Hero
  Google; Steven Lambert, Hurricane, Tampa Bay

  Steve Lambert, gm

  2025 Tampa Bay SKAL Salute to Tourism Honoree

  People Magazine’s 2024 Kindness Award Recipient

  The Jennifer Hudson Show ‘ Hurricane Hero’

  City of Madeira Beach – Madeira Beach Strong Citation

  Choice Hotel’s Community Champion of the Year

  ‘Way To Early’ Episode on MSNBC

  Southern Living Magazine – Place to Stay in Florida’s Best Beach Towns!