I recently chimed in on a conversation about the value of a corporate office...let me know your thoughts.

My 2 cents on Corporate Offices...the great ones do five things really well:

1. Talent- They      hire the brightest, most passionate people they can afford. And, ones they      can trust. Great companies understand you can't really teach passion,      personality and caring...all a big part of delivering a meaningful      hospitality experience. So, they focus on recruiting people who are great      at this naturally.
2. What, not How-      They, along with these passionate people, develop and agree on the BHAG      (big, hairy, audacious goals...borrowed from Jim Collins). They focus on      the objective, not how to get there (those really smart people they hired      figure that out). They don't worry about the minutiae, like precisely what      to say to each guest at the front door. Rather, they  focus on the      big stuff, like guest satisfaction of 90% or greater, etc.
3. Support- They      give people the tools and training to do the technical part of the job.      The mechanics of service can be taught (how and when to retrieve luggage      from a vehicle).
4. Value Driven-      They stay out of the way (of the smart people), offering support, not      necessarily guidance. Rather than control every move, they allow people to      prosper and add value to the organization.
5. Care- They put      people first, the business second.

After reading that list again, it really boils down to hiring passionate, competent people who you can trust...and who are generally interested in the same things you are.