Davonne Reaves started as a front desk agent at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta with the goal of one day progressing to general manager. Shortly after she began, her dreams changed. She knew she wanted to own hotels and was committed to doing whatever it took to reach that goal.
She took a non-paid internship for a hotel consulting firm and began to learn about the transactional side of hospitality.
“I love the industry so much,” she says. “I got bit by the bug and I just fell in love with it. So I learned about asset management and hotel development and ownership.”
Now, Davonne is the co-owner of three hotels and the president and founder of a hotel consulting and investment firm, The Vonne Group. Her company teaches people how to become successful hotel owners and investors and equips Black entrepreneurs with the tools they need to get their foot in the door.
She knows that anyone who is passionate about their craft can succeed in hospitality.
“One of the biggest things I love about the hospitality industry is that it touches everything. You can be an architect, you can be an analyst, you can be an economist, you can be a graphic designer, you can be in marketing, you can be in sales, you can be in event planning. Find out what your passion is and then your passion will turn into your purpose.”
As Davonne has climbed from the customer-facing side of the industry to the ownership side, her love of hotels and the people within them have never wavered.
“I love hospitality because of the people,” she says. “Both the people we serve and the people who work in it.”