Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Trica Jean-Baptiste. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Trica thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

My business model is rooted in my hospitality training; Service, Exceeding the guests expectations, and providing a service they never knew they needed. That core principal has served me well as an entrepreneur, specializing in hospitality and commercial real estate.

My clients are institutional investors and hospitality owners; whose interest is solely in acquiring, developing value-added assets which produced desired returns.

Understanding their criterial and investments strategies and goals, it is my job to ensure their goals and objectives are met; and to exceed forecasted returns.

Departing from traditional commercial real estate practice, my relationships with my clients are not transactional. Meaning, my practice is to establish trust, share critical intel with regard to their specific sectors, becoming a valued resource, and guidance prior to, during and post transaction. I treat each transaction and engagement as if I were investing; what would I expect in terms of ROI and the relationship.

For me it is about establishing a relationship that lasts far beyond the transaction. The reward is identifying and facilitating opportunities which produce significant returns for all involved. In otherwords, Service Excellence rooted in Hospitality.

Trica , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My journey to becoming a Commercial Real Estate entrepreneur really began during my tenure in hospitality. I began on property heading of Public Relations for brands such as Doral Hotels & Resorts, Le Parker Meridien and Cendant Corp.

From there I created a boutique Public Relations agency representing international luxury resort brands along with tourism bureaus – Dubai Tourism Authority, Scotland Business Tourism and Belgium Tourism.

After operating the agency for fourteen years in the U.S., Paris and the U.K., I transitioned to Commercial Real Estate specializing in hospitality.

For me it was a natural transition as the network I had cultivated were former clients, family offices, funds and hotel brands. I am a firm believer in Reinvention – Resetting every couple of years to remain relevant in any economy.

That philosophy has served me well in identifying emerging markets and trends, and adjusting my strategy to attract and execute real estate opportunities.

I am most proud of the network I have cultivated throughout my careers in hospitality and commercial real estate. Integrating my training in hospitality; the Service I provide to my clients and constituents is simply to become a trusted, loyal and resource “Team Member.” Having access to Principals, CEO’s and Presidents, was hard earned and I am appreciative of those relationships every day.

They rely upon me to provide the latest market trends, stats and emerging markets. The secret sauce if you will, I approach each transaction as though I were the investor/decision maker.

Specifically, taking into consideration long-range goals and objectives; ROI, while being mindful of how the transaction affects the overall value of the portfolio. It becomes personal for me. The results always exceeds my clients’ expectations; and positions me as a valued member of their network. I am proud of the service I provide and even prouder of the success its brings my clients.

It isn’t about the revenue; but rather if at the end of the day I can honestly say that I provided the best service to my client, exceeding their expections and generating desired results. That is always a good day!

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

The story I tell often of Pivoting in Business is my transitioned to Commercial Real Estate from Public Relations. That path isn’t typical at all; in fact, it is unheard of. For me it wasn’t unique as I was always interested in the Business of Hospitality; making it very easy to pitch hospitality stories to media outlets. Understanding the business – occupancy, ADR/RevPAR, market segments, travel trends, resulted in tremendous press coverage for my clients.

The Pivot came right after 2009 when the world changed. The markets crashed, business pretty much came to a halt; and the travel sector was one of the first hit hard. It was at that moment as clients began to pause contracts, with some ending engagements due to low occupancy and cancellations, I realized it was time to leave the table.

I knew the travel business would rebound, I was unclear when and realized I did not was to ride it out. The challenge was how to Pivot after two decades in one sector. Was I willing to embark upon a new sector starting at the bottom. During that tumultuous period, I reviewed my network and realized that my contacts were investors, family offices, institutional funds, hospitality owners and brands. It became clear that all pointed toward real estate and that a career in commercial real estate would enable me to marry my two passions: Capital Markets and Hospitality. And, so I secured a real estate license and set about sourcing opportunities.

It didn’t take very long to establish myself in commercial real estate, I had by then developed a reputation of being trustworthy and resourceful.

One of the lessons learned from that period is to always look forward. By that I mean, pay close attention to market conditions (Wall Street) to try to see the winds of change before it is upon us. In fact, I chronicled my journey in a self published book, OPERATION RESET: A GUIDE TO REINVENTION IN ANY ECONOMY. It is really a book of plans and strategies anyone can apply to their businesses.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source of new clients for me is simply throughtful and timely pitching, or outreach.

I still employ PR strategies when sourcing new clients. I should clarify here, rather than sourcing my approach is to strategically extend my network by simply becoming a resource.

Researching and understanding the intended target’s business, background, transaction and investment history are key.

Before reaching out Ihave a clear understanding of the entity’s business and how I can add value. It is only then will I approach with resources. I never approach with an “Ask” but rathe tangible resources to assist.

By doing so, I set myself apart from others and have become a valued contact.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.morgensheerhospitalityinc.com/founder
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/morgensheerhospitality/

Image Credits
Yanina May Goldstein; Photographer