What Happens When You Insist Work Should be Anything But Boring?

How much money would you give up to make your job a lot more interesting and fun? A few thousand dollars? Tens of thousands? For Atit Jariwala, the answer might be millions.

Atit is the founder and CEO of Bridgeton, a real estate company that creates and manages distinctive properties, including boutique hotels. Each Bridgeton property starts from scratch: a new concept, a new location, and a backstory that informs countless decisions.

The effort and resources Bridgeton puts into a single building could easily produce three or four cookie-cutter branded hotels that reliably generate revenue. But Atit thinks that’s boring. And he’s convinced the 1,500 people who work at Bridgeton to do things the hard way—or, as he sees it, the fun way.

He spoke with Lionel Foster and Camber Creek General Partner Jeffrey Berman about why it’s worth it.

1:15 Atit explains his personal philosophy of building businesses he genuinely enjoys and stepping away when work stops being interesting.

2:05 Bridgeton’s operations include boutique hotels, restaurants, and office buildings

3:10 The difference between true boutique hotels vs. “independent” hotels

4:05 Real estate with a point of view

6:44 Atit details Bridgeton’s scale, including roughly $2 billion in assets under management and more than 60 properties.

8:01 Each property is designed to stand on its own with a distinct identity rather than a uniform brand template.

15:00 Atit’s love-hate relationship with online travel agencies (OTAs)

16:35 How Bridgeton avoids hospitality’s usually high staff-turnover rate

25:30 Many Bridgeton projects are “Mission Impossible” deals that are hard to finance and execute.

26:10 Waiting 10 to 15 years before you can break ground

33:30 Atit explains why his “rifle, not shotgun” investment style prioritizes individual properties over portfolio uniformity.

42:50 Automation, the future of service work, and the rising value of genuine human hospitality.

45:30 Lionel pitches a White Lotus-inspired immersive hotel experience with a live murder mystery.

49:40 Atit’s fintech startup, Erithmitic.

51:30 Using technology, including artificial intelligence, to modernize underwriting and asset management workflows.

53:35 Is Erithmitic a true venture-scale opportunity or a durable cash-flow business?