Larry Korman on Building AKA Hotel Residences, Intentional Hospitality, and Scaling Service Driven Living
Larry Korman, co-CEO of Korman Communities and president of AKA Hotel Residences
Host Steve Turk welcomes Larry Korman, co-CEO of Korman Communities and president of AKA Hotel Residences, to discuss his lifelong path in hospitality and residential real estate, from childhood work in the family business to leading a five-generation legacy. Korman explains how his father’s pie-shaped Philadelphia apartments sparked the furnished-apartment concept, later branded as Korman Suites, and how Larry and his brother built Korman Communities and evolved the model into luxury hotel residences under AKA, now spanning 16 properties over 22 years.
He shares formative training in England, insights from Japanese hospitality, and a leadership philosophy centered on earning respect by doing frontline work, supporting teams and staying on property. Korman details AKA’s partnership with Airbnb that helped shape Airbnb Luxe, a strategy of optimizing cash flow, and plans to repurpose iconic hotels, expand in Florida, and grow globally with a strong health and wellness focus.
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00:00 Podcast Welcome
01:34 Meet Larry Korman
02:03 Early Hospitality Roots
02:57 Five Generation Legacy
04:11 Birth of Furnished Stays
04:51 Branding Korman Suites
07:03 Design Passion Duke Days
08:17 Old School Training
09:28 Japan Hospitality Lessons
12:27 Earning Team Respect
15:21 COVID Leadership Onsite
16:29 Synergy And Marketing
20:31 Why Residences Win
23:14 Airbnb Luxe Partnership
27:07 Scaling AKA And Ave
30:03 Collaboration Culture
30:49 Leading Without Dashboards
31:28 On Site Hospitality
32:29 Home Away From Home
33:36 Brother Partnership Split
35:28 Growth Through Repurposing
38:34 Miami Florida Expansion
40:01 Global Wellness Vision
43:08 Hospitality Role Models
45:30 Keeping Teams Loyal
49:33 Advice To Younger Self
50:54 Wrap Up Sponsor Biscayne Coffee
