Mar 29, 2026
We lost industry icon Kirk Kinsell this past week, and I wanted
to re-share this 2024 conversation because it captures who he was
and what he meant to many of us: a generous leader, a calm force in
the room, and one of the people who helped shape the way this
industry thinks about leadership and relationships.
In this episode of Icons and Experts with my co-host Doug
Artusio from the Extended Stay Lodging
Association. Kirk doesn’t do chest-thumping. He does
substance.
🤝 Kirk talks about relationships the way the best leaders do: build
them, invest in them, keep them for decades
🏨 He calls hospitality a team sport—from the hotel level to
corporate to the industry level
👥 He makes “develop your talent” the job, not a slogan
👨👩👧 He tells the Mike Levin story that says everything about his
priorities: family first, integrity always
🎁 He gives one of the most useful leadership lines in the business:
“Feedback is a gift,” and he explains how to take it without
getting defensive
🌎 He reflects on extended stay’s early days and how the category
grew from white space into a core part of the business
🧭 He closes with advice for younger professionals: widen your view
of the industry, try different lanes, and find the work that fits
you
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