The real estate mogul discusses her hotels, community, and offers advice for women looking to start their own businesses.
From an early geezerhood , Tucson , Arizona nativeMoniqua Laneunderstood the real hope of real estate in her township . In the past decade , she ’s taken full advantage , openingThe Citizen Hoteljust last month , and , in 2015,The Downtown Clifton , a boutique hotel that has become quickly beloved for its Southwest good luck charm and vintage flair . For the latter , Lane credits the original property ’s immaculate shape for helping the team to complete its overhaul within a simple affair of months ( before they eventually expatiate its 10 elbow room to 30 and tot on - site eating house Red Light Lounge ) . Though that opening happened nearly overnight , the route toward it took a trivial while longer .
Lane had been practice law on and off for about 10 years before she found her way into literal estate of the realm — and a little part of that large commitment come down to her casual commute . “ I was operate my last job commit law and walk every day across the spate that would finally become The Clifton , ” she recall . On the Clarence Day Lane informed her wise man she was leaving the vocation for goodness , he reply to her with an crack she could n’t resist . “ He had some landed estate on probate and asked me if I want to take a look at it , ” she says . “ I did , and that demesne became The Clifton . I feel a association to the scandal I ’d been walk on for a farseeing time — I knew I want to buy it . ”
That purchase help go down into motion a chain of events for Lane and her community of interests , from the enlargement of The Clifton to the opening move of The Citizen Hotel to the reveal of Tanzillo Construction , her own construction company . Here , the veridical estate mogul shares with us the original vision for her first property , why residential district is paramount , and the advice she offers to fair sex everywhere looking to start businesses of their own .
Photo courtesy of The Downtown Clifton
Thrillist : What was your original vision for The Clifton?Moniqua Lane : We now function with 30 rooms , but we operated for the first class or so with just 10 . I used to wish to say , “ I just open a little hotel for the neighborhood . ” It sounds fishy to afford ahotelfor the people who live right next door to it , but that ’s really the approach we took — and people liked it . On social media , people loved it .
To what do you attribute that societal media success?The former owner left everything vintage , in place , and undisturbed . The ceilings of the older part of the hotel are pine baseball bat that was brought down from Mount Lemmon in 1948 . We have these beautiful , terracotta - maculate concrete floors — floor you just do n’t see anymore . And that was what we matt-up was special about this plaza — you could n’t recreate this building if you wanted to .
How has your team add to that aesthetic over time?We’ve sum item like handmade , Southwestern blankets and custom - made furniture and pall , and we ’ve restored tile in the bathrooms from the original 1940s tile . We purposefully left some chip in them . One of the way was jungle green , and all of the tile in the lavatory was , too — we left all of that . We shopped at penny-pinching stores , and some of our artists really buy out of Tucson museum aggregation . Figuring out what to depart charmingly abandoned ship and what to really brush up up was a fun exercise .
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As one of the only female sea captain liquidiser in the man , Zacapa Rum ’s Lorena Vásquez has been hone her craft for about four tenner . Her background in chemical science pass to the creation of Vásquez ’s rendition of the Sistema Solera , Zacapa ’s high - height aging unconscious process that lead in an improbably politic , award - winning rum perfect for lovers of grim spirits . Her expertise and stewardship are more examples of how potent women are rightfully look at tutelage in male - dominated industries .
What was the experience of the first possible action as compare to that of the second?For The Clifton , it was a prompt turnaround — within about four calendar month we really learned how to operate a hotel , appropriately cost room , and so forth . It was a lot of fun jump into that and study as I went , and I start favourable , because it was an easy task . I ’m like one of those people whose first baby was easy , so they ’re like , “ enceinte , let ’s have two or three more , ” and then say “ What did I do ? ” That ’s where I ’m at — that first baby was just a peach tree , a real gem — slept through the night great . Now I ’ve got a clustering of stripling on my script .
What was one of your biggest goal in opening The Clifton?If you want to alter the physical appearance of your community or elevate the profile of your community of interests , it can be well-situated to do that through an iconic piazza — through placemaking . Each place does have a story to assure ; there are buildings that just sense right-hand . There are business that experience flop in a place , that feel raw . I try on to do that in my genuine estate and hospitality development — I’m always trying to seek that out . It ’s all about progress to a place that feel right , that feels well-off , that feel appropriate to the people who live , work , and work in that place .
Photo courtesy of The Downtown Clifton
Can you recall a meaningful moment with one of your patrons?We had a even cum into the Red Light Lounge to have a drink , and I model down with him at the taproom . He look at me and said , “ You know , I ’m really thankful that you did this for us . This space is like the Barrio ’s livelihood room — we all come here to see each other , learn telecasting , snaffle a bite , and then scurry back to our homes — give thanks you for apply us a aliveness room . ” Those words have always stayed with me . It ’s a real accolade to have a residential area embrace your place that you created in that way — for them to take it in as if it were part of a family — the way a habitation can be .
What advice would you give to women look to jump their own businesses?I did corporal law for a long time , and practicing natural law at the sentence required a suit . When I left law and get in into real estate , I struggled with how I should look , how I should represent . I recollect looking around with every chance I got at citizenry in real land development . And what did I see ? First of all , they almost always looked like men , they almost always looked one-time , and they almost always look blanched . It was an interesting challenge for me — I was like , “ Well , how am I move to pull this off ? How am I going to look like these hoi polloi ? ”
The more I looked around and taste to find the common thread , the more I realized that , as much as I was seeing these old livid men as take care the same , they didn’t — they look however the heck they wanted to look . Some of them wear out suits . Some of them wore gymnasium clothes . Some of them wear down shorts and flip - flop . Some of them drove fancy cars . Some of them were on foot all the metre . Some of them taunt motorcycle all the time . The point is , they look however they wanted to see .
Zacapa Rum Master Blender Lorena Vásquez.|Photo courtesy of Zacapa Rum
At the time , I was doing three matter : I was letting my hair go from being straightened to natural , I stopped shaving my armpits , and I started work out out seven day a week . So if I was go bad to be in meeting — if I was going to conform to with hoi polloi — I was going to have an Afro , I was probably go to have hairy , sweaty armpits , and I was going to be in my gym apparel . And I adjudicate to slant into it — I did not exchange at all who I was . And it was shuddery . But that ’s what pull in me the most deference — that I was me . To every cleaning woman , I would say , just be you . If you are a hundred percent a feminine , girly cleaning lady , lean into it and be your authentic ego . If you are like me and you do n’t give a red cent that you ’re smelly and hirsute , go do that . If you convert from day to day what you look like , do that . Just slant into who you are as a woman , and let that be knock-down to you .
Photo courtesy of The Downtown Clifton
