Defining Hospitality Podcast

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In the rapidly changing world of tech, the hospitality industry can struggle to keep up. Today’s guest is here to provide some guidance. Drawing on her 20 plus years of technology experience, she creates innovative experiences for guests and travelers. Joining the show this week is The Travel and Hospitality Industry Advisor at Salesforce, Jacqueline Nunley!

Jacqui joins host Dan Ryan to look towards the future of the hospitality industry. They discuss the common challenges facing hoteliers when implementing technology, the ways AI can revolutionize customer experience, and how brands need to think about implementing AI.

Takeaways:

Hospitality is an ever changing landscape. As guest expectations have changed, technology has advanced rapidly, creating a blank slate. This allows for the industry to redefine what hospitality means to them.
Because the hospitality industry is often fragmented, implementing new technologies can be a challenge. When looking for new solutions, leadership should prioritize technologies that can work cross-functionally.
The level of repeatability and consistency in an experience needs to be tailored to the type of experience. Knowing what to expect can provide comfort to guests, but many guests often seek the unique experiences of the locations they visit.
When looking to implement tech into a hotel, the end goal should be on making the staff’s jobs easier. By freeing up staff from mundane tasks that can easily be replaced, you allow them more time to focus on providing the human element to guests.
AI offers many benefits to the end customer, but it requires careful consideration of a guest’s concerns. With many guests, there is a concern about the privacy of their data. Hotels need to provide a sense of security to ensure that guests trust the technology.
Implementing AI into the hospitality industry is not about replacing people’s jobs, but rather about allowing them to better serve guests. Conversational AI can speed up support calls, drastically reducing customer frustrations.
While AI has the potential to redefine the hospitality industry, it’s adoption needs to be intentional. Instead of adding AI features because a competitor had, first assess if the use of that technology will add value to your customers.

Quote of the Show:

“How are you engaging with your customers at the speed at which your customers are evolving?” - Jacqueline Nunley

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacquelinesnunley/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jnunley12
Company website: https://www.salesforce.com/

Shout Outs:

01:09 - ILC: https://ilcongress.com/
43:45 - Jamie Dimon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamiedimon/
01:02:45 - Dreamforce: https://www.salesforce.com/dreamforce/

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419

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Our guest on this week’s episode is someone who over the past 25 years has played a pivotal role in the development and adoption of biofuels. He’s a forward thinking leader who is committed to creating a better world. Joining Dan Ryan is President and CEO at World Energy, Gene Gebolys!

Gene highlights the importance of achieving net zero, the value of being authentic, and the technology behind biofuels.

Takeaways:

Hospitality is about welcoming others into your space and putting them at ease. In the context of sustainability, it is crucial to focus on decarbonizing sectors like aviation and help people travel with a lower carbon impact, aligning their actions with their values.
Net zero is a critical concept in combating climate change, where the goal is to remove as much carbon as is emitted. Though offsets exist to absorb emitted carbon, their effectiveness and quality vary, calling for careful consideration in their implementation.
Offsets have been widely abused, leading to a lack of confidence in them. However, the use of insets, which displace carbon emissions in the same sector, provides a high-quality alternative to offsets that can effectively reduce a sector's carbon footprint.
Displacing fossil fuels with alternative energy sources may seem small in scale compared to the overall demand. However, it is crucial for leading brands to authentically uphold their net zero commitments and inspire other companies to join them.
The importance of embracing innovation, energy efficiency, and sustainable living, lies in their ability to create a more thoughtful, connected, and sustainable future for all. To move forward, we must embrace a more community focused way of life.
Approximately 9% of global carbon emissions are emitted during steel production. To address this, there is a growing need for increased efficiency and thoughtful design to reduce the creation and disposal of preventable waste.
By using wind energy to break water into Oxygen and Hydrogen, wind energy can be stored in the form of “green hydrogen”. This allows for a renewable energy source like wind, to be bottled up and transported across the globe.

Quote of the Show:

“If you're a corporate leader today, how can you be a corporate leader on everything but the biggest problem the species faces?” - Gene Gebolys

Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GebolysGene
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/genegebolys/
Website: https://www.worldenergy.net/

Shout Outs:

05:47 - Google Flights: https://www.google.com/travel/flights
05:56 - United Airlines: https://www.united.com/en/us
06:31 - Hotel Marcel: https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/hvnsdup-hotel-marcel-new-haven/
11:53 - John Oliver’s Carbon Offsets: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6p8zAbFKpW0
25:05 - Air Products: https://www.airproducts.com/
37:50 - The Sustainable Aviation Buyers Alliance: https://flysaba.org/
38:06 - Microsoft: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/
38:07 - Deloitte: https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en.html
38:10 - Apple: https://www.apple.com/
38:15 - Bank of America: https://www.bankofamerica.com/
38:17 - JPMorgan Chase: https://www.jpmorganchase.com/
46:24 - Taniya Nayak
46:31 - Yellow Door Taqueria: https://www.yellowdoortaqueria.com/

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419

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Defining Hospitality turns two! Over the last two years, we’ve featured some amazing stories, and have learned so much about the hospitality industry. To celebrate, we’ve pulled together some highlights from the most listened to episodes in the past year. In this episode you’ll hear from Author and Activist: Amanda Knox, Founder of Thank You: Will Guidara, Senior Interior Design Manager at Marriott International: Stephanie Hopkins, and President of The Hardy Group: Brent Hardy.

Thank you for two great years!

Takeaways:

True Hospitality is identifying someone's needs, and using the resources available to you to meet those needs. This can be enacted through giving someone a comfortable place to stay, or simply being an advocate for them.
Having board games along with fine dining provides an experience that makes the guest feel comfortable and at home. It reminds them of home-cooked meals and time with family and friends.
Every piece of detail matters to a guest and it impacts their experience at a hotel. You want to make sure that you are planning out every detail as much as you can and using the detail to make the guest have a wonderful experience
For Brent, hospitality is more than just a hotel building or an office space. Hospitality is about the interactions with people, and appreciating the moments throughout the whole experience.

Links:

Connect With Amanda:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/amandaknox
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/amamaknox/
Website: https://www.knoxrobinson.com/
Website: https://innocenceproject.org/
Book Link: https://a.co/d/cJDYQIK
Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/labyrinths-getting-lost-with-amanda-knox/id1494368441
Episode: https://share.transistor.fm/s/d13d4efd

Connect With Will:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-guidara-b64952243/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wguidara/?hl=en
Book Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B13W5GPT/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0
Welcome Conference: https://www.thewelcomeconference.com/
Episode: https://share.transistor.fm/s/8c2696f6

Connect With Stephanie:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-hopkins-28445a71/
Website: https://www.marriott.com/default.mi
Episode: https://share.transistor.fm/s/31149cc1

Connect With Brent:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brent-hardy-aia-ishc-20706353/
Website: http://www.jhgi.com/
Episode: https://share.transistor.fm/s/2536b25f

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419

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Hospitality and conservation are united through acts of caring, yet both require a delicate balance between development and preservation. Out in the Olare Motorogi Conservancy in Kenya exists an experience that blends both into a seamless harmony. Joining the show this week to share his story of hospitality is Dido Dima, a Camp Manager for Kicheche Camps. Dido and Dan sit down together on location in Kenya to discuss the importance, and challenges, of blending hospitality and conservation. Dido shares some of the efforts Kicheche takes to protect the land they operate on, the ways they create a sense of safety in their guests, and why every guest is a blessing.

Takeaways:

Hospitality means extending kindness to others. This extension of kindness continues past your guests, and further onto your staff and community. Without strong staff and a welcoming community, there isn’t much hospitality to extend to guests.
As a hospitality manager, you need to provide varying levels of hospitality. For a guest, that can mean assisting them when they have a luggage issue. For a staff member, that means accommodating their personal needs.
As Kicheche camps are on conservation land, the experiences must be developed around a minimum threshold of sustainability. Low impact footprints, solar power, and a waste management plan are all part of creating responsible recreation.
As a young boy, Dido grew up in a conservation area, which cemented his love for nature. After pursuing education in the field of hospitality, he realized he could blend hospitality and conservation through camps in the bush.
As a leader, change is inevitable. While an employee may start in one area, oftentimes they want to expand and learn more skills. By fostering their growth, you create a highly skilled employee who is engaged in the work they do.
A sense of safety is a requirement for a hospitality provider. When your experience is in a wildlife preserve, your requirements are more stringent. By providing guests who are out of their element with accommodations, you make them feel more welcome.
By pairing the camps with a conservancy, it adds a crucial lifeline for wildlife, and the local communities. Support from the camps helps carve out spaces for wildlife to live, and provides the locals with an additional source of revenue.

Quote of the Show:

“You have to understand the interests of people change and you try to support them in that change.” - Dido Dima

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dido-dima-a6623261/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dima.dido/?hl=en
Website: https://kicheche.com/

Shout Outs:

00:30 - Kicheche Bush Camp
04:52 - Olare Motorogi Conservancy: http://olaremotorogiconservancy.com/
05:27 - The Maasai People:

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419

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The ideal business is one where the needs of the employees are balanced perfectly with the goals of the business. One key to finding this balance is hospitality among employees. On today’s episode of Defining Hospitality, Dan talks to an expert on working with your employees. Joining the show this week is Principal & Vice President at C+TC Design Studio, Billie Thorne

Billie and Dan Billie sit down to dive into her experiences as a leader in the world of hospitality. Billie shares ways to best work with your employees, how to be hospitable to your coworkers, and the importance of carving out time for self care.

Takeaways:

Hospitality is about kindness and finding where you are comfortable. Once you get settled in a good place, you can extend your hand to newer employees and help them learn and grow.
Building a team of professionals requires different forms of guidance and understanding. Some people need to be prompted to think about their goals and aspirations and others need a small push to a healthy space outside their comfort zone.
Finding the right employees doesn’t only mean looking at a resume, rather, it involves feedback from members of the team. Team members who enjoy each other’s presence and can cooperate smoothly will be more willing to work together in person.
Individual employee goals have to work in coordination with functional business. There has to be a balance between allowing people to focus on personal goals and working to maintain the profit and productivity of the business.
Work smarter not longer. Though long hours can be sometimes helpful for productivity, more often, you can achieve more on a regular day rather than working late, because as you reach the end of the day, fatigue slows your efficiency.
It is important to be hospitable to both clients and coworkers, but often, hospitality toward coworkers is overlooked. However, it can be shown when one employee helps another reach a deadline without being asked.
In any industry, you may encounter problems that seem daunting. Cross-industry collaboration may prove useful to come up with unique solutions that aren’t typically used in certain situations.

Quote of the Show:

“There are some mistakes everybody needs to make for themselves to learn from them.” - Billie Thorne

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billie-thorne-5bbba211/
Company website: https://ctcdesignstudio.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ctc_designstudio/

Shout Outs:

03:11 - HBA: https://www.hba.com/
36:29 - University Of Texas: https://www.utexas.edu/
36:54 - University Of Southern California: https://www.usc.edu/

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419

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Starting your own firm can be a nervous experience, but the creative freedom it offers can be well worth it. Joining the show this week is an interior designer who draws inspiration from his 25 years of design experience around the globe. After working with multiple internationally renowned design firms he is now on the journey of running his own studio. Welcome to the show, Founder & Creative Director of Pierre & Co Design Studio, Pierre Josselin!

Pierre and Dan sit down to discuss Pierre’s motivations for starting a business, what excites him most about the design process, and the importance of having strong relationships with others in the industry.

Takeaways:

Hospitality is a shared passion. Those in the industry have an exciting passion for the work they do. It is a people driven industry with a strong sense of togetherness that is focused on creating relationships.
To create great designs, you need to cover every aspect of the project, and understand what it takes to get to the finish line. Avoiding unnecessary handoffs of work results in a higher quality and more consistent project that is completed in less time.
As a designer, it’s important to understand how your answers affect the rest of the process. A timely response to a client’s question not only results in a happier client, but a faster project. A delayed answer delays further steps of the project.
The best coworkers you can have are ones that challenge you, but who you can also challenge. Great ideas are not born in a vacuum, and fostering a space that allows for collaboration and feedback will open your eyes to new designs.
While going out on your own and starting your own firm can be daunting, it offers many benefits. As you have full control over the intricacies, you have full creative freedom, and the ability to complete work at a faster pace.
In the design process, it is important to implement efficiencies wherever you can. Even by getting all the relevant parties in one room for the drawing process and doing instant revisions can shave weeks off of a project.

Quote of the Show:

“The most successful colleagues you work with are the ones which challenge you, but you challenge as well.” - Pierre Josselin

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pierre-josselin-527b555a/
Website: https://pierreandco.com/

Shout Outs:

04:07 - Taniya Nayak: https://taniyanayak.com/
06:21 - Small Giants: https://a.co/d/af9MB4P
08:33 - Fairmont Flame Towers: https://www.fairmont.com/baku/
17:11 - HBA: https://www.hba.com/
18:51 - Alex Kravetz: https://alexkravetzdesign.com/
19:07 - Inga Oelschlager: https://www.linkedin.com/in/inga-oelschlager-73640878/
19:08 - Sayeli Uysal Ayaydin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sayeliu/
19:09 - Peter Balistrieri: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-balistrieri-44a99aa/
27:00 - Fairmont Banff Springs: https://www.fairmont.com/banff-springs/
27:49 - Fairmont Washington DC: https://www.fairmont.com/washington/
29:22 - The Orient Express
33:11 - Tishman Speyer: https://www.tishmanspeyer.com/

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419

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In an environment designed to be anti hospitable, it is a daunting task to create a space of warmth and comfort. Today’s guest is someone who helps bring a sense of hospitality to otherwise unwelcoming spaces. She is an activist who fights for justice and advocates for those whose voices have been silenced. Joining the show this week is author of her memoir “Waiting to be heard” and the Host of the “Labyrinths” podcast, Amanda Knox.

Amanda sits down with Host Dan Ryan to share how she was an advocate for her community while in prison, the steps for resolving conflict with others, and the ways someone's background shapes others’ perceptions of them.

Takeaways:

True Hospitality is identifying someone's needs, and using the resources available to you to meet those needs. This can be enacted through giving someone a comfortable place to stay, or simply being an advocate for them.
Someone's background creates a lens through which each interaction they have will be viewed. For people who are previously incarcerated, they face a lens of inherent suspicion and distrust from others.
While tough situations require positive outlooks, those outlooks vary person to person. For Amanda, her positive outlook was accepting the circumstances, and making the best out of them. Her mother’s outlook was fighting for what was right without giving up.
There are four steps to resolving conflict with a person. Set the stage by finding common ground you can agree on; identify the strongest form of their argument they are trying to argue; show them compassion; and ultimately, allow yourself to be open to change.
When large impacts happen, they affect everyone around the individual. Families are put under undue emotional, financial, physical and emotional stress as they work to assist those affected.
While Amanda was incarcerated, she sought to overcome the limitations of the situation and assist others as best she could. She became a writer and translator for other prisoners, helping them write home and read court documents.

Quote of the Show:

“No matter what circumstance you are in, no matter what condition you're in, there's always the opportunity to connect with people and to make some kind of positive impact in other people's lives.” - Amanda Knox

Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/amandaknox
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/amamaknox/
Website: https://www.knoxrobinson.com/
Website: https://innocenceproject.org/
Book Link: https://a.co/d/cJDYQIK
Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/labyrinths-getting-lost-with-amanda-knox/id1494368441

Shout Outs:

01:11 - MIT
13:51 - Man’s Search For Meaning: https://a.co/d/9c6N7t0
17:13 - The Obstacle Is The Way: https://a.co/d/7F2gejn
22:13 - Steve Martin
43:38 - The Innocence Project
43:58 - The Labyrinths Podcast

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419

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In the world of design, you run the risk of losing focus on the end goal, creating great experiences for guests. Here to offer clarity is a development and planning specialist who excels at creating multi faceted luxury experiences. Projects that were completed under his vision include Faena Miami Beach, and Public NYC. Joining the show is Senior Vice President at Cumming Corporation, Nicky Unkles! Nicky shares his insights with Host Dan Ryan as they explore what it means to create luxury, and ultra luxury, experiences.

Takeaways:

True hospitality is a friendly reception of your guests. It means being authentic and sincere in your treatment of guests, anticipating their needs, and offering all guests the same experience, regardless if they are a CEO or an intern.
When it comes to balancing the needs of the stakeholders, and keeping your project on time, it starts with having a defined process. It’s important to stick to the process, but when it’s necessary to deviate, ensure all parties know the impact on the timeline.
One of the biggest challenges for new hospitality projects during the pandemic was supply shortages. As budgets, timelines, and vendors had been set months in advance, it required a collaboration with procurement agents to find new options.
A typical project lives or dies within the first few days. When you first sit down with a client, your job is to help put their vision onto paper. Creating a layout and budget that reflect that vision, and your ability to sell it, will decide success for your project,
When you start a project, it’s crucial to see it to completion. While potentially grueling, you’ll quickly discover areas of improvement for the next iteration. Additionally, seeing a project from vision to closeout is invaluable experience as a designer.
Covid changed both the hospitality industry, and what guests want from their stays. Today’s guests want more service, and better experiences, with consistency as the keystone that holds the experience together.
The core of your design needs to revolve around the guest’s experiences. Certain design elements may seem like important additions, but if they won’t impact the guest experience, those additions are an unnecessary use of time, money, and effort.

Quote of the Show:

“The world of hospitality is forever changed. People aren't going to accept substandard anymore.” - Nicky Unkles

Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Cumming_Group
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicky-unkles-9035b028/
Website: https://cumming-group.com/

Shout Outs:

12:48 - Aman Giri: https://www.aman.com/resorts/amangiri
12:51 - Canyon Equity: https://canyonequity.com/
16:22 - Faena Miami Beach: https://www.faena.com/miami-beach
16:24 - Public NYC: https://www.publichotels.com/
19:50 - Finlay Cumming
20:01 - Glasgow Caledonian University: https://www.gcu.ac.uk/
21:05 - Leher LLC
31:36 - Stan Bromley
37:08 - Zion National Park
41:10 - Six Senses: https://www.sixsenses.com/en
41:14 - Starwood Hotels
41:15 - 1Hotels: https://www.1hotels.com/

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/

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Our guest this week is an interior designer who has become a household name. She’s an expert storyteller, creating compelling stories through both her design, and her appearances on screen. She’s been frequently featured on HGTV as a host and mentor on “Battle on the Beach” and “Build it forward”. Joining the show this week is Principal and Interior Designer at Taniya Nayak Design, Taniya Nayak!

Taniya sits down with Dan to dive into her background as a designer. She covers the ways that bartending helped her refine her design skills, the necessity of designing your spaces for a wide range of guest experiences, and how she got started as a host on HGTV.

Takeaways:

For Taniya, hospitality means addressing all the small nuances of an experience. It means creating a warm and inviting space where you are thinking about every possible customer scenario.
Balancing operations and design is a delicate task as you will often need to choose between prioritizing aesthetics or cost. Ultimately, the choices you make need to revolve around the experience you are trying to create for your guests.
Creating an experience your guests want to evangelize is important because a guest’s journey begins with a review. Their expectations of your space are set by what they read beforehand, and a bad review can set guests up with a pretense of your space.
A quality product is the cornerstone of any successful business, but the presentation around that product determines your success. An ok product with great presentation will outshine a great product with lackluster presentation.
As a designer, you need to tell a story that relates to the guests in your establishment. Each element should correlate either functionally or emotionally to the story of why your guest is in that space.
As a young designer, it can feel demoralizing to not land a design job right out of college. Retail, customer service, and food service jobs give you firsthand knowledge into how those environments run, making your future designs for those spaces more effective.
For leaders in the design space, you need to create environments for your employees to thrive. Encourage communication, and make your employees feel comfortable being vulnerable. From their honest sharing comes opportunities for you to help them grow.

Quote of the Show:

“I want to make sure that when the guest comes in, they are greeted by a warm and inviting space.” - Taniya Nayak

Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TaniyaNayak
Website: https://taniyanayak.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taniyanayak/
Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1892187

Shout Outs:

0:30 - HGTV
0:42 - Ellen DeGeneres
0:45 - QVC
0:46 - Rachel Ray
0:47 - Oprah
1:20 - Hotec: https://www.hotecglobal.com/
10:44 - Yelp
11:42 - Open Table: https://www.opentable.com/
12:37 - The Break: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1892187
17:13 - Danny Meyer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhmeyer/
19:02 - MIT
21:03 - Boston Architectural College: https://the-bac.edu/
33:06 - Knock First: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0401024/?ref_=ttpl_ov
35:28 - Baccarat Hotel New York: https://www.baccarathotels.com/
37:16 - Craigslist
37:53 - ABC Family
38:14 - The New York Yankees: https://www.mlb.com/yankees

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419

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To create truly epic experiences, you need to combine both people and place. Our guest this week is a visionary leader of both extraordinary people and projects. He’s a Global Industry Group Champion in Entrepreneurs Organization and an Advisory Board Member for the College of Architecture and Environmental Design at Kent State University. Welcome to the show, Founder of K2M Design, Scott Maloney!

Scott joins Host Dan Ryan to dive into the value of collecting nos, how to create epic experiences for guests, and how networks like Entrepreneurs Organization have helped him on his journey.

Takeaways:

Hospitality is about people and places coming together to create an epic experience where people are able to join to support dreams and desires. Some organizations are built to encourage the bonding of great minds.
The Entrepreneur's Organization is the epitome of hospitality in the senses that it creates a safe and confidential space for the members to learn from other inspiring people and be encouraged by them
In the architecture and design space, hospitality means finding a compromise between a design being structurally sound and aesthetically pleasing. Being able to fulfill the safety requirements while listening to the vision will create loyalty from the building owner.
Accepting a project requires a deep understanding of expectations followed by fulfillment or overachievement. In a business that heavily relies on referrals, one experience can cost or gain many million-dollar contracts.
When trying to level up in size and costs of projects, it’s not a straightforward job of increasing size, but instead, improving the effort and quality of your work. Increased job cost requires increased experience and added value by the business.
Development projects must be planned thoroughly before beginning for the sake of sustainability. Every change made will create by-products to be removed from the lot or funneled to another project and each decision needs to be made with intentionality.
Hospitality exists inside the organization. Care must extend to employees. Leaders and owners need to be there for coworkers, caring for each of them and making sure everyone is successfully collaborating.

Quote of the Show:

“You know what you need to do, follow your gut cuz it's gonna get you a long way. ” - Scott Maloney

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottmaloney9101/
Company website: https://www.k2mdesign.com/

Shout Outs:

01:20 - Entrepreneurs’ Organization: https://hub.eonetwork.org/
07:44 - Bob Boykin
11:17 - Kevin Bacon
14:08 - Jack Daly: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackdaly/
14:45 - Simon Sinek: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/
23:26 - ULI: https://uli.org/
23:46 - Boykin Lodging: https://www.boykin.com/
24:43 - Paula Boykin
26:48 - Wayne Hoffman
37:59 - Habacoa: https://www.habacoa.com/
44:07 - Kent State: https://www.kent.edu/
46:41 - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419

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Each and every person, regardless of profession, is in the industry of hospitality. The interactions you have with everyone create ripples of hospitality that extend well beyond a single moment. To help you create big ripples, we’re joined by an entrepreneur whose mission is to help others let their business-based superpowers shine. Joining the show this week is Host of the Podcast “Coffee with Kim” and Co-Founder of Bright Ideas Only, Kim Kaupe. Dan sits down with Kim to learn about why LinkedIn is the best platform to focus your energy on, how we are all in hospitality, and how to be more confident when evangelizing your own work.

Takeaways:

Hospitality is the stone you throw into a pond and the impacts on others are the ripples in the water. It is also how people talk about you when you’re not in the room, how you make them feel, and what people are walking away from interactions with.
Being the champion of your own accomplishments is difficult. Speak about yourself as you would your best friend. Don’t be afraid to acknowledge accomplishments, highlight your skills, and be direct when asked about your career responsibilities.
Business awards, like the “40 Under 40”, can help further your professional goals and raises. Following in the thread of being the champion of your accomplishments, you can also nominate yourself for these awards without fear of being underqualified.
If you only have time for one social platform, LinkedIn is the best. It’s the only one that is crawled by Google so content doesn’t get lost in the archives. As only 1% of LinkedIn users post, your content won’t be lost in a heavily saturated feed.
Because LinkedIn shows what your connections comment on and like, it boosts the reach of any content you post, displaying it on a worldwide platform full of C-Suite Executives.
Share your knowledge and content, whether you think it’s valuable or not. If one person or a hundred thousand people find it important, you made an impact, changed their direction, or taught them something new.
When running a business, you are pitching not only the product or service, but also yourself in tandem with your brand. By being succinct in describing your skills, you help the client more confidently make the decision to choose you.

Quote of the Show:

“Talking about yourself or sharing your knowledge will be like the very first pushup in the gym, but you have to keep going.” - Kim Kaupe

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimkaupe/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kimkaupe?s=20
Personal website: https://kimkaupe.com/
Company website: https://www.brightideasonly.com/
Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/coffee-with-kim/id1612158856

Shout Outs:

14:23 - Shark Tank: https://abc.com/shows/shark-tank
15:08 - Brendan Fraser
16:09 - Ben Affleck
16:10 - Matt Damon
16:11 - Matthew McConaughey
16:17 - Sam Rockwell
16:36 - Glory Daze: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116422/
21:50 - Dolly Parton
21:51 - Oprah
21:54 - The New York Mets: https://www.mlb.com/mets
24:37 - Condé Nast: https://www.condenast.com/
28:16 - LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com
30:28 - The Miami Heat: https://www.nba.com/heat/
33:21 - Gary Vee
41:11 - Daniel Roth: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielroth1/

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419

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Our guest this week is a genuine disruptor in her industry. As the leader of a Bcorp, she strives to make real change in her community. She is a defender of civil and human rights, who works within the intersection of social and environmental justice. She’s the Host of “The School for Disrupters” podcast, a faculty member at Drexel University, and CEO and Founder of Grant BLVD. Give a warm welcome to Dr. Kimberly McGlonn!

Kimberly shares her motivations behind the work she does through Grant BLVD, and how she positions the company to provide support for those currently and formerly incarcerated. She’ll explore the process of telling a story through your partners, and how thoughtful design of uniforms can create a cohesive experience.

Takeaways:

For Kimberly, hospitality is focused on creating a sense of comfort, safety, and belonging in your guests. You need to replicate your own experiences, and allow others to have access to it.
Whether it’s a classroom, a restaurant, or hotel, hospitality is about creating a story that anchors people in the moment. Seating arrangements, uniforms, and decor are all integral chapters of that story that need to be cohesively organized.
When creating a great business, you need to focus on your impact, and the ways you measure and communicate it. When your business strives to be a force for good, you grow both your company, and your community.
Business is all about telling the story of your values, and choosing the right partners can amplify those stories. By partnering with Grant BLVD or other companies that fight for good, you establish that those are the stories you want to share.
Grant BLVD aims to combat the effects of incarceration and high recidivism rates in Philadelphia. To best serve her community, Kimberly has created a model to provide support and job opportunities to those currently and formerly incarcerated.
A good uniform is well fitting and serves a purpose, a great uniform is united in design with the whole experience. By matching elements of color theory and aesthetic, customer’s are no longer walking into a business, but rather, a party.
When creating a dining space, cohesion is important. Your servers don’t literally need to be wearing the same fabric as the tablecloths, but every aspect should be tied into each other in one fluid design.

Quote of the Show:

“That moment of feeling received is what I think we're all seeking to do in the ventures that we build.” - Kimberly McGlonn

Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kimberlymcglonn
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-mcglonn-ph-d-4798b0134/
Instagram: @kimberlymcglonn
Website: https://www.grantblvd.com/
Podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/schoolfordisrupters

Shout Outs:

02:38 - The EPA: https://www.epa.gov/
04:28 - Ava DuVernay’s ‘13th’
14:25 - B Corporations: https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/
16:54 - Jenkintown School Color Day
18:58 - Marriott: https://www.marriott.com/
19:00 - LaColombe Coffee: https://www.lacolombe.com/
28:05 - W Hotel Philadelphia
30:26 - The Standard: https://www.standardhotels.com/
30:48 - Kimpton Hotels
30:55 - SoHo House: https://www.sohohouse.com/en-us/
30:56 - Fitler Club: https://fitlerclub.com/
31:01 - The Viceroy Hotel Group: https://www.viceroyhotelsandresorts.com/
31:27 - Graduate Hotels: https://www.graduatehotels.com/
33:52 - Steven Spielberg’s ‘Lincoln’
45:32 - Netflix’s ‘The Crown’

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419

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Customers are guests who have honored you with their patronage. Adding in special touches can show your gratitude in a way that earns their repeat business. Expanding your business does not mean you forfeit the ability to make changes in your community, Zingerman’s is proof of this. Learn from a 19-year customer service veteran, Zingy leader, and Managing Partner at Zingerman’s Roadhouse, Lisa Schultz.

If you haven’t had the pleasure of eating in a Zingerman’s location and witnessing their hospitality first hand, listen to Lisa speak about the critical steps to Giving Great Service..

Takeaways:

Hospitality means accommodating your guests to make their experience unique and special, while providing consistently great service and quality food. Consistency is essential because the guest should know what level of service to expect.
All Zingerman’s locations follow their Three Steps to Giving Great Service. First, find out what the guest wants, get it for them accurately, politely, and enthusiastically, and lastly, go the extra mile. Do these steps consistently to create a reliably great experience.
Use the process of visioning to create future plans. Look at goals for success and future objectives, internally and externally, at relationships with vendors, your staff’s experience, and every aspect that could affect success.
Open book accounting and management allows every employee from dishwashers to shift leaders to feel like they have an impact on processes. You will have suggestions for improvement on issues that upper management might not notice.
Open book processes also improve retention and hiring of employees who want their opinion to matter or who want to participate in the success of the business. It will allow people to improve points of frustration or disagreement.
Choosing greatness over growth does not mean you forfeit growth. You will instead, grow in a way that creates raving fans in a world where word of mouth is one of the most impactful marketing tactics, while being free.
If your employees care, it translates to good service. A serving team’s genuine care will shine through to the guest and make a uniquely welcoming experience. Otherwise, you have a team of people who aren’t invested in the wellbeing of your guests.

Quote of the Show:

“If your staff feel taken care of, they're probably going to give better service.” - Lisa Schultz

Links:

Company website: https://www.zingermansroadhouse.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zingermansroadhouse/

Shout Outs:

1:30 - USC Trojans: https://usctrojans.com/sports/football
02:11 - Small Giants - Bo Burlingame
03:55 - Ari Weinzweig
09:39 - Alex Young
11:15 - The Great Game of Business - Jack Stack
27:02 - Danny Meyer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhmeyer/

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419

Small Giants: Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big, 10th-Anniversary Edition

The Great Game of Business: The Only Sensible Way to Run a Company

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This week on Defining Hospitality, we have the pleasure of welcoming back a hospitality veteran who has consistently showcased his exceptional skills in the industry. As the guest on the third episode, he dove into his experiences as the leader of Chesapeake Hospitality. Returning to the show nearly two years later is President of Remington Hospitality, Chris Green. Chris reflects on the ways his definition of hospitality, and the industry at large, have evolved over the years. Chris sheds light on the process of merging Chesapeake Hospitality with Remington Hospitality, and the recent rebranding of the company.

Takeaways:

For Chris, hospitality comes not from the knowledge in your head, but the motivations in your heart. Hospitality is the combination of how you relate to others, how committed you are, and how you spend time with those around you.
When you work with a variety of owners, you need to understand the heart and connection that each owner has. Some owners prioritize profits, while others prioritize service. Different requirements need different management styles.
A merger of two companies takes work, but the most important work comes before the acquisition. Instead of assessing compatibility on economic plans alone, spend time making sure your cultures, values, and goals are in alignment.
No matter what your business goals are, you can never let the focus come off of the people. People are the heart of your operation, and if you want to achieve success, you need to make sure your people are enabled for success.
When a new opportunity arises, it’s usual to go out and find a new buyer to strike up a relationship with. However, if you present that opportunity to current clients instead, you shift from being a commodity to a true partner.
Personal wellbeing programs are important to keep a company running smoothly, but the focus needs to be on all employees. It’s not enough for the C-suite to implement something they think works. You need proper feedback from ground level employees.

Quote of the Show:

“Hospitality is not hard, it’s heart.” - Chris Green

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wchrisgreen/
Website: https://www.remingtonhotels.com/

Shout Outs:

07:24 - Sloan Dean: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sloandean/
09:43 - Hospitality Daily: https://podcast.hospitalitydaily.com/
15:49 - Sarah Eustis: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-eustis-4a41198/
19:51 - The Murrieta Hot Springs Resort: https://www.murrieta-hotsprings.com/

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419

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Our guest on Defining Hospitality this week is an architect with over 2 decades of experience designing spaces. He’s a renowned leader who thrives in the intersection of hospitality, real estate development and technology. Welcome to the show, President of The Hardy Group, Brent Hardy! Dan shares the mic with Brent to learn more about Brent’s background and how The Hardy Group has grown. In this episode, Brent shares strategies for balancing vision and budget, highlights the importance of effective communication, and looks towards the future of the hospitality industry.

Takeaways:

For Brent, hospitality is more than just a hotel building or an office space. Hospitality is about the interactions with people, and appreciating the moments throughout the whole experience.
When working on a project, balancing vision with budget is a necessary aspect that takes planning. While making changes to your design is never the first plan, your team needs to be collaborative on making adjustments to fit budget constraints.
When new clients enter the industry, they don’t fully understand the operational requirements or a property. When helping design new buildings, you’ll need to communicate the nuances of planning for operations.
As the industry matures, it’s more important than ever to have a plan for training your next generation. Build out opportunities for them to grow as professionals and to step into leadership roles.
When looking towards the future, companies with a strong foundation need to be focusing on expanding their vision. Find new entrances to the market, try new ideas, and identify missed opportunities from the company’s history.
When working with a client for the first time, they may have concerns. To instill confidence in your clients, you need to demonstrate both technical aptitude and a level of passion for what you do. Passion for your work is integral in building trust.
While clients don’t need to know every technical detail on a product, they do want to know you understand their concerns. By putting yourself in their shoes, and empathizing with their needs, you build a stronger relationship.

Quote of the Show:

“10 years from now, if we’re doing the exact same thing we’re doing now, we’ve made a mistake.” - Brent Hardy

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brent-hardy-aia-ishc-20706353/
Website: http://www.jhgi.com/

Shout Outs:

24:42 - University of Illinois
33:54 - Danny Meyer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhmeyer/
33:56 - Setting The Table: https://a.co/d/j03hDnF

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419

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Today’s guest is an entrepreneur and opportunist at heart. With over 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry, he has discovered his favorite part is “wowing” his clients. Please welcome to the show, Scott Lee! Scott is the President and Principal at SB Architects. Scott joins the host Dan Ryan to share his experiences from working on the architecture of a prison to where he is now.

Takeaways:

Hospitality at its core is about truly experiencing the place you are staying at. Whether it’s going away on vacation or visiting a familiar place, a great hospitality experience is defined by coming home and sharing stories of what you experienced while away.
When you are looking to add people to your design firm, you want to strike the balance of getting like minded individuals as well as getting people that will help push the envelope in a positive way.
Hiring people that are a cultural fit for your firm is a key component of doing interviews. If they aren’t a cultural fit, then don’t waste time looking at their drawings or design ideas as it will never work out right.
One way to keep employees motivated and committed to your company is to sell them a piece of the company. This way they behave like owners and take more responsibility and they will feel a sense of ownership and pride as the company grows.
New ideas can come from anybody at a company. There is no such thing as bad ideas so it’s a good idea to make your company feel like it’s an open environment where everyone is allowed to speak up and share ideas.
Some people consider luxury to be crown moldings or marble on marble or other extravagant trappings, but there is more of a shift over to focusing on the quality of the luxury you are receiving rather than the quantity of it.
Scott’s biggest advice to his younger self is to take risks and don’t be afraid to try something new. If you are waiting for that perfect time it might never come and life will pass you by, so jump in and take a chance.

Quote of the Show:

2:22 “I think hospitality is going to a place and experiencing the place.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-a-lee/
Website: https://sb-architects.com/

Shout Outs:

0:51 David Kennedy

3:31 Hill Glazier Architects

6:45 Rivana at Innovation Station

7:00 Michael Hsu

16:05 Don Sandy

16:12 Sandy Babcock

16:17 Ritz-Carlton

25:59 Farmhouse Inn

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
YouTube : https://youtu.be/WDYRN7OF03o

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Today’s guest is a hotel project management expert with extensive experience leading the development, renovation, and repositioning of upscale hospitality assets. Please welcome to the show, Ethan Gabany! Ethan is the Senior Manager of Hospitality Project Management at CBRE. Ethan joins the host Dan Ryan to talk about his journey from pumping gas in a small rural town in Pennsylvania to where he is now.

Takeaways:

Hospitality is all about meeting a guest's needs before they even realize that they have them. You want to be able to deliver a product or a service in that way with compassion and empathy.
The first time you work with a client, you have to learn what makes them tick and the things that they enjoy and what they don’t like. This way when it is your second or third time working with them you’ll know exactly what they are looking for in a project.
As a manager, it's your job to cut through the noise and distill it to the essence of what is nice to have and what is a must have while also having everyone feel comfortable enough to share their voice and be heard.
When people go out to eat at a conference, they are now looking for restaurants that are designed with a unique aspect and are drifting away from the commercialized aspect that used to be popular.
From a young age, Ethan was always the planner for the family vacations. He viewed vacations as escape from reality and when he and his family went on a trip to Philadelphia, a chance encounter with a cook helped him to find his passion.
Ethan’s first job at 12 years was pumping gas for the gas station his dad had in a small town in Pennsylvania. Ethan found that he had an innate passion for human connection while doing this which eventually led to his career in hospitality.
Ethan has a passion for the more upscale projects as they tend to allow more creative freedom with their designers.

Quote of the Show:

1:38 “I would define hospitality as meeting a guest's needs before they have even realized them themselves with compassion and empathy”.

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/egabany/
Website: https://www.cbre.com/

Shout Outs:

10:55 Liam Neeson

12:23 Ritz Carlton Philadelphia

14:44 Cornell University

14:47 Babson College

15:44 Omni Resort

15:49 Rosewood

18:39 Retina McCarthy

18:53 Stephanie Robinson

18:54 Brad Wellstead

19:34 Ron Harrison

19:35 Marriott

20:18 Bill Walsh

20:19 Viceroy Hotel Group

22:34 ALIS Conference

25:34 Bob Webster

31:25 Meyer Davis

32:45 Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be by Frank Burni

32:51 New York Times

35:51 Fairfield by Marriott

38:59 Bonvoy

43:25 Bennett Thomas

43:40 Hersha Hospitality Trust

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
YouTube : https://youtu.be/U1Z6_cVvtxU

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Today’s guest is committed to elevating communities and creating wealth through hospitality ownership and leadership. She is a recent recipient of the FIU Alumni Award, and a hospitality sharpshooter. Please welcome to the show, Ashli Johnson! Ashli is the Executive Director of the Marriott Sorenson Center for Hospitality Leadership at Howard University. Ashli joins the host Dan Ryan to talk about how Howard University is shaking up the hospitality industry and working on getting more diversity in the c-suite level in hospitality.

Takeaways:

Hospitality can be viewed through two different parts that combine to make up the whole picture. The first part is the business of service and the second part is the heart and delivery of service.
At Howard University, hospitality isn’t a major but the Marriott Sorenson Center allows students to explore what it takes to be a leader in the hospitality industry and create more diversity in the c-suite level of this industry.
The three main areas that Howard University wants to focus on is that they want their students to learn, understand and impact the hospitality, investment, real estate, and tech and innovation industries.
As a society, we have to recognize our own personal bias and really focus on the talent that is fit to lead. We need to stop looking at who we are connected with and rather focus on the merits and what people bring to the table.
When you are working for an organization, there is a layer of sponsorship that helps you to become aware of positions that are opening up in the company. Having someone work on your behalf to talk about you positively is always a good thing to have.
Having someone be your sponsor doesn’t have to be a formal position. It can be something as simple as offering some help to a younger person who is looking to grow within the company.
Growing up with a father who was a Marine Corps Officer, Ashli traveled often and found her passion for hospitality when she was the one in charge of deciding which hotels they would stay at on road trips, or places they would eat, or houses they would move to.

Quote of the Show:

2:05 Hospitality to me is two parts. Hospitality is most certainly the business of service and it's also the heart and the delivery of service.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsashlijohnson/
Website: https://howard.edu/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsashlijohnson/?hl=en

Shout Outs:

1:11 Damon Lawrence

1:13 Homage Hospitality

1:38 Arne Sorenson

8:26 Independent Lodging Conference

26:15 Lowe’s

29:20 Ray Bennett

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
YouTube : https://youtu.be/VkdBkKhSsWQ

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Today’s guest is a leader and motivator who champions involvement. He is an innovative problem solver and has a progressive record of achievements with significant experience in global business strategy. Daniel del Olmo is the President of Hotels and Restaurants at Sage Hospitality Group. Daniel joins the host Dan Ryan to share his views on the hospitality industry and talks about how enriching lives can lead to a better experience for everyone.

Takeaways:

The true purpose of hospitality is to enrich the lives of the guests, associates and the communities that you serve. You want to have a positive impact on the people who are coming into your restaurant or your hotel, and without having that impact then hospitality truly can’t be reached.
There’s no way to get a better sense of how your culture is thriving within your company than spending time with your team. Take the time to sit down and hear what members of your team are saying and see what you can do to help them.
There is a misconception that you need to have worked in operations or previously worked as a general manager at a hotel to be promoted to being a general manager. You could be in almost any position to be promoted to a general manager as long as you show the skills and determination to do the job right.
Many people have heard of having a work/life balance, but there is also work/life presence. This is a newer mindset where instead of focusing on how many hours someone works, you focus on what they do in those hours and what work they get done.
Providing competitive benefits and having a positive reputation with your employees is a great way to attract more people to work with you, and it will help you retain employees as well.
There is a tangible energy with a company that is creating a positive culture and that energy will bring the right people to your company.
As a leader, it’s important to have each member of your team contribute to the greater good and have everyone on the same page to achieve the same company goal. You want people to feel like they belong to something so special in the making.

Quote of the Show:

1:41 “Hospitality then for me is really about enriching lives.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldelolmo/
Website: https://www.sagehospitalitygroup.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dsquare32/?hl=en

Shout Outs:

0:32 Independent Lodging Congress

0:48 The Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS)

23:10 Danny Meyer

32:02 Small Giants by Bo Burlingham

45:02 Fred Reichheld

46:22 Net Promoter Score

47:14 Winning on Purpose by Fred Reichheld

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
YouTube : https://youtu.be/eVmE78VGboc

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Takeaways:

The true purpose of hospitality is to enrich the lives of the guests, associates and the communities that you serve. You want to have a positive impact on the people who are coming into your restaurant or your hotel, and without having that impact then hospitality truly can’t be reached.
There’s no way to get a better sense of how your culture is thriving within your company than spending time with your team. Take the time to sit down and hear what members of your team are saying and see what you can do to help them.
There is a misconception that you need to have worked in operations or previously worked as a general manager at a hotel to be promoted to being a general manager. You could be in almost any position to be promoted to a general manager as long as you show the skills and determination to do the job right.
Many people have heard of having a work/life balance, but there is also work/life presence. This is a newer mindset where instead of focusing on how many hours someone works, you focus on what they do in those hours and what work they get done.
Providing competitive benefits and having a positive reputation with your employees is a great way to attract more people to work with you, and it will help you retain employees as well.
There is a tangible energy with a company that is creating a positive culture and that energy will bring the right people to your company.
As a leader, it’s important to have each member of your team contribute to the greater good and have everyone on the same page to achieve the same company goal. You want people to feel like they belong to something so special in the making.

Quote of the Show:

1:41 “Hospitality then for me is really about enriching lives.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldelolmo/
Website: https://www.sagehospitalitygroup.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dsquare32/?hl=en

Shout Outs:

0:32 Independent Lodging Congress

0:48 The Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS)

23:10 Danny Meyer

32:02 Small Giants by Bo Burlingham

45:02 Fred Reichheld

46:22 Net Promoter Score

47:14 Winning on Purpose by Fred Reichheld

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
YouTube : https://youtu.be/eVmE78VGboc

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Today’s guest found his passion for hospitality at a young age. He is a results driven global hospitality executive with extensive operational and development experience, as well as being a passionate, driven leader with a no-nonsense approach. Keith Pierce is the Executive Vice President of Franchise & Development at Sonesta. Keith joins the host Dan Ryan to share his viewpoints on the benefits of franchising a hotel and Sonesta’s unbelievable climb to being the 8th largest hotel in the United States.

Takeaways:

At its core, hospitality is the business of caring. This means that you care for your employees, your guests, the development team and the community. Without that sense of caring it will be hard for your hotel to be genuine.
During the pandemic, Sonesta managed to create a truly remarkable feat by growing from just 50 hotels to over 1200 hotels that they own or operate. This growth happened when the reit that owned 300 hotels elected to take hotels from the brand they currently had and put them into the Sonesta brand.
In 2019 the hospitality industry was thriving and seeing the best business it had seen in 40 years, but once 2020 came along that brought the industry down to the lowest it has ever been in 40 years.
Sonesta today has a franchise model, a management model and an ownership structure, all which are unique for the Sonesta brand.
Having a culture of caring for your franchisees helps to sway independent hotels in the decision of who they want to partner with.
Sonesta Hotels acts as an owner and operator of a franchisee which helps to provide a comfort level to their franchisees.
Creating a level of caring and a good culture at a company starts with hiring the right people and having everyone work in the office together. This will help to make sure that everyone has the same goal in mind and works together well.

Quote of the Show:

1:19 “I define hospitality as the business of caring.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-pierce/
Website: https://www.sonesta.com/

Shout Outs:

0:33 Marriott Desert Ridge

3:26 John Murray

3:33 SVC

4:27 Adam Portnoy and the Portnoy Family

4:44 Marriott

4:45 IHG

4:47 Wyndham

4:48 Radison

7:15 Candlewood

7:20 Residence Inn

7:55 Redline Hotel Company

11:48 MIT

31:55 Lodging Hospitality

32:01 New York Hotel Show

32:07 Mandarin Oriental

32:09 Time Warner Center

33:05 Waldorf Astoria

33:30 Hawthorne Suites

33:32 Joe McInerney

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
YouTube : https://youtu.be/P4pHq99wmMs

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Today’s guest is passionate about the design of communities, spaces, and experiences that connect people. She is an architect, innovator, and culture advocate. Alex Lopatynsky is a Principal & The Managing Director of the NY Office at Cooper Carry. Alex joins the host Dan Ryan to talk about her views on hospitality and what it all means to her.

Takeaways:

Hospitality doesn’t necessarily have to be about the place itself where you are staying. It’s more about the feeling you receive from the employees and the feeling the room gives you when you arrive.
Even at the smallest of spaces, or minimally designed spaces, as long as you are welcoming people as if you are welcoming them to your home then it will be a memorable experience.
The hospitality industry has been a big influence on many aspects, not just hotels. Nowadays, a business will look at gathering spaces for their employees or design rooms in a certain way to make people feel welcome.
Culture and hospitality have interconnecting points where they interact with each other. Culture is looked at as the human element and hospitality can bring everyone together.
Our best work and best collaboration is often done in person. Humans by nature are social creatures and there are great opportunities to enhance an idea of design when talking with a co-worker or friend.
There is a lot of value in having people come to the office. It allows for people to interact with each other and feel connected to everyone around them.
Everyone brings a unique perspective to solving issues within the hospitality industry, which allows the industry to expand with new ideas.

Quote of the Show:

1:27 “Hospitality is less about, in my mind, the physical place, but it's the emotional feeling you experience from entering it.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandra-lopatynsky-85305810/
Website: https://www.coopercarry.com/

Shout Outs:

3:37 Graffiti

3:41 Jehangir Mehta

17:29 Stephanie Hopkins

17:30 Marriott

31:36 Julia Cosencos

31:42 Ribas

25:15 George Sawiki

25:54 Ukrainian Scout Organization

35:24 Sawiki Tarella

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/rWUDni_sUhY

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Today’s guest loves helping create spaces and experiences where people will make lasting memories. With hospitality being engrained in her soul, she is ready to see it make a comeback. Stephanie Hopkins is the Senior Interior Design Manager at Marriott International. Stephanie joins the host Dan Ryan to talk about her journey in this beautiful industry and how she sees hospitality through her eyes.

Takeaways:

Hospitality is more about the overall experience that you get and experiencing everything there is to offer.
Growing up in Texas, Stephanie’s mom was the example she had for what hospitality really is because she was always entertaining and providing a welcoming environment for friends and family.
Stephanie spent time working in London and New York doing interior design, and that is where she discovered her passion for hospitality and design.
Working with an independent hotel and boutique hotels will help you to learn how to think on your feet and find solutions to unique problems.
Every piece of detail matters to a guest and it impacts their experience at a hotel. You want to make sure that you are planning out every detail as much as you can and using the detail to make the guest have a wonderful experience.
Not every brand or hotel is for every person. You want to build a hotel and think about the customers that you are trying to attract without also confusing the design of the brand for other hotel designs.
Through the pandemic, a lot of people developed a longing for travel as that was taken away from them. People are now wanting to go out and experience new places and see beautiful hotels.

Quote of the Show:

3:56 “What hospitality means to me it's more of that kind of that overall experience, kind of that 360 degree view.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-hopkins-28445a71/
Website: https://www.marriott.com/default.mi

Shout Outs:

1:10 Kristen Conry

1:16 Marriott

2:04 BDYN

7:20 Tony Chi

7:58 Chip Conley

9:19 Bridgeton

10:58 Journey East Hampton

11:14 Atit Jariwala

18:25 Johnny Marsh

24:38 Oswaldo Barrios

25:00 Arnie Sorenson

25:17 Hilton

25:18 Accor

27:55 Edition

31:36 Kelsey Linz

31:51 Reggio Emilia

40:06 Mindclick

41:30 JoAnna Abrams

46:36 Airstream

47:40 Mattel Rancho

48:33 Bunkhouse

48:37 Liz Lambert

48:53 McGuire Lambert Hospitality

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
YouTube : https://youtu.be/7cAbPtTrW00

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Today’s guest is an accidental hospitality leader. She has been in the hospitality industry for more than a decade and half, all while managing the ongoing renovation work across the growing portfolio for the 8th largest hotel company in the US. Bridget Rooks is the Senior Director, Renovation and Capital Projects at Sonesta Hotels. Bridget joins the host Dan Ryan to share her journey through the hospitality industry and how her playwriting skills have influenced her views on hospitality.

Takeaways:

Hospitality is like a warm welcome to a guest. You are ready to greet the guest and meet any needs they have for their occasions, all while being prepared to exceed those expectations.
For customer renovations, think of your design narrative as your thesis statement or elevator pitch. The stakeholders are a part of this process so don’t forget to include them as well.
Don’t be afraid to say that you don’t know the answer to something. You will never get the right answer or learn how to properly do something if you aren’t vulnerable and ask questions.
In order to make your work process better, it’s important to learn from past experiences. You can look back and see what you could do differently and make the process run better.
Getting feedback from the development team is important for making sure that a design is going in the right direction. This will help guide you toward what the client had in mind and what else might need to be included.
The needs for clients and guests will vary between the quality of a hotel. For example, an upscale hotel would have different needs than an upper upscale hotel.
You won’t be able to respond to what each guest says that can be improved in a hotel. But it’s still important to try and balance all of them and hear what guests are saying and improve the hotel in the best way possible for everyone.

Quote of the Show:

2:22 “I would define hospitality as a warm welcome” - Bridget Rooks

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bridget-rooks-9452934b/
Website: https://www.sonesta.com/

Shout Outs:

1:23 Brian Quinn

6:40 Trader Joe’s

7:03 Benjamin West

7:33 Toby Nudelman

8:45 Vicky Smith

37:18 Sonesta Select Prototype Hotel

37:20 Foxboro, MA

37:50 DLR Group

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube :

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Today’s guest is accredited by the American Institute of Architects, LEED AP, and certified with the National Council of Architecture Registration Boards. He also has over 25 years of experience with award winning projects around the world. Chris McDonough is the Principal at The Gettys Group Companies. Chris joins the host Dan Ryan to share his journey through the hospitality industry and what it all means to him.

Takeaways:

Every design has a story behind it and it can transport you to a different mindset when you are there. That is part of the beauty of hospitality.
Hospitality can be a form of escape from the daily lives that everyone lives. Oftentimes a change in scenery or design can really change a person's perspective or outlook.
Interior Architecture is a marriage between interior design and architecture. Combining both of these creates a very successful process for designing a unique space.
Not only does a space need to be beautiful, but it needs to function and work well. If it doesn’t meet both of these standards, then the space will remain empty and unused, leaving you frustrated.
When you are building a hotel, you have the freedom to test it against the market knowledge and see what works as a design aspect and what doesn’t work.
You want to create a space that makes guests want to come back and tell others about the amazing experience that they had and how much they loved it.
When it comes to building a brand or a soft branded hotel, you want to narrow what your demographic is and if you focus on catering to the small group of people who will always return, then you will have created raving fans.

Quote of the Show:

3:05 “My heart’s really in hospitality mostly because of the feeling you get or the feeling that we want to give to guests and people that are experiencing the spaces we design.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-mcdonough-aia-leed-ap-a8650211/
Website: https://www.gettys.com/

Shout Outs:

0:42 Wilco

9:58 University of Illinois

10:07 Chicago Cubs

10:08 Chicago White Sox

10:46 Admirals Club

10:45 San Francisco International Airport

10:51 Joe DiMaggio

17:54 Hotel of Tomorrow

18:41 John Lasseter

24:41 The Farnham in Omaha

25:34 Curio

27:25 Roger

27:25 Andrew

27:26 Ron

34:34 Leveque Tower

34:57 Empire State Building

35:09 Roger Hill

35:32 Hotel Verdant

53:52 BDNY

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/2pFTRNfHYaQ

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Today’s guest is an entrepreneur and leader with a passion for change. He’s the host of the podcast “Scaling Culture” and the author of a couple of books - Outrageous Empowerment & Scaling Culture. Ron Lovett is the Founder and Chief Community Officer at VIDA. Ron joins the host Dan Ryan to share his hospitality journey and what it all means to him.

Takeaways:

When you are looking at building your business, you want to cut 10% of the company out and own 70% of that 10% that you saved for yourself.
If you break down great customer service, it comes down to the ability to care for those around you and put yourself in their shoes.
If you are adding new members to your team, consider trying to find out how they would react to something in the real world. This way you can see who they are as a person instead of just hiring someone because they smile and seem nice.
You can’t teach empathy as a skill. It’s something that you are either born with or you won’t be able to learn the skill.
Having core values as a company is incredibly important as they are your guiding light, but when it comes to interviews you don’t need to screen potential hires based on your core values. Instead you can screen for other factors.
During difficult times, it’s important to look at the things that are going right and try to brighten your current viewpoint.
When you design a new space, you want to create a sense of community and belonging for everyone that lives there.

Quote of the Show:

10:41 “If you think what attribute drives excellent customer service,it's the ability to care for those around you to put yourself in someone else's shoes.”

Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ronnielovett?lang=en
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ron-lovett/?originalSubdomain=ca
Website: https://www.vidaliving.com
Book Link: shorturl.at/lnxPU
Podcast: https://scalingculture.podbean.com/

Shout Outs:

1:29 MIT

4:12 Verne Harnish

6:35 Uncommon Service by Frances Frei

10:34 John DiJulius

11:36 Danny Meyer

11:41 Setting the Table by Danny Meyer

12:11 Ashley Goodall

12:15 Marcus Buckington

14:17 Southwest Airlines

30:46 Joyful by Ingrid Fetell Lee

26:49 Jay-Z

37:19 Nicole Kidman

43:51 Jack Daily

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
YouTube : https://youtu.be/ybZSHeGc69I

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Today’s guest is an interior designer with a focus on and passionate about hospitality design. Valentina Castellon is the Principal and National Hospitality Design Leader at DLR Group based in Minneapolis. She enjoys seeing a project work its way from birth to completion. Valentina was also a Boutique 18 Inductee in 2020. Valentina joins the host Dan Ryan to share her journey and thoughts about the hospitality industry in the built environment.

Takeaways:

Hospitality is all about opening up your home and yourself to provide a memorable experience for anyone who stays with you.
The hospitality industry is not for everyone, as it requires long hours and a lot of attention to detail, but the people who stay are bit by the “hospitality bug” and want to bring great designs to other people's lives.
Whenever you think about hotel design, it might look pretty but there is a deeper meaning to it. Not only is the design aspect important, but it needs to serve a functional purpose as well
Working in a collaborative process allows you to get voices from multiple different avenues. This can help point you in the right direction for a design or give you more data points for what works and what doesn’t.
When working on designs for different companies or spaces, you don’t want to stay stagnant. You want your designs to be different and unique to the point that people will be asking who designed rather than it being the same design over and over again.
When you have an influx of demand, you have to think about the three C’s for your company; Your capacity to do the project, if it’s a creative fit for your company and if you like working with the clients.
Hospitality is a space that is meant to be shared and enjoyed by others. It allows you to reach people and their feelings all over the world and not just one particular area or group.

Quote of the Show:

1:15 “Hospitality for me is…this idea of really opening yourself up and catering to other people.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valentina-castellon-77a35650/
Website: https://www.dlrgroup.com/

Shout Outs:

5:17 Staci Patton

17:34 Dream Hotel Group

17:40 Hyatt

28:37 Bricklle, Miami

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
YouTube : https://youtu.be/ugLkgHQK2-M

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Today’s guest is a master at hospitality design. She is a 2022 Platinum Circle Inductee, as well as designing projects with major hotel brands from Four Seasons, to Fairmont, Marriott, Ritz Carltons, sonesta, Hilton, Hyatt, and InterContinental, as well as independent hoteliers. Miriam Torres-Smalankas is the Co-owner and co-founder at Parker-Torres Design Inc. She joins the host Dan Ryan to talk about her journey through the world of hospitality and what it all means to her.

Takeaways:

Hospitality is the relationship between a guest and host. It’s the embodiment of caring and providing a welcoming environment where you share what you have with the guest.
In all projects, there will be a lot of research that you need to do. The narrative or the story of the design space will drive the rest of the project and what it will look like.
Hospitality design is the mother of all designs. The influence it has stretches from corporate, to healthcare, to education and all areas in between.
The people who go into the hospitality world are very passionate about what they do, they don’t do it for the money but rather the love of creating something beautiful and memorable.
When looking at expanding your team, consider hiring people that are better than you. You want them to motivate you to become better at what you do.
When people start off in a new venture, they might think to themselves that they are a fraud or an imposter but you have to accept that you aren’t a fraud, but rather a strong and brave individual for taking a chance.
Perseverance is an important trait to have in the hospitality industry. Others may tell you a design might not work but keep trying until you get it just right.

Quote of the Show:

2:21 “hospitality is the relationship between a guest and a host.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miriam-torres-smalanskas-1042581a8/
Website: https://www.parkertorres.com/

Shout Outs:

4:37 Ken Hurd

4:49 Waldorf Astoria

5:19 Ritz-Carlton

6:43 Barbara Parker

8:29 Graham International

10:18 Hyatt

10:21 Fairmont Copley

10:25 Marriott Marquis

10:57 Henry David Thoreau

12:41 University of Massachusetts Amherst

12:51 MIT

14:43 Hilton

23:12 Cornell

30:54 Alan Benjamin

41:41 Leaning In by Sheryl Sandberg

44:51 Larry Summers

44:59 Barack Obama

45:02 Facebook

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/XYhAynf1VaQ

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Today’s guest is a creative design sage. With more than 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, today’s guest is truly an expert in this field. Andrew Alford is the Founder/Owner/Designer/ Chief Creative officer/chef/cook and bottle washer of Andrew Alford Creative. Andrew worked his way from answering phones at a high-end residential design firm to leading his own company where he gets to let his true creativity shine. Andrew joins the host Dan Ryan to talk about his journey through design and hospitality and what it all means to him.

Takeaways:

The real innovation in hospitality comes from the people who grew up with little to nothing to their name. People like that grow up wanting a luxurious environment and want to give that idea of luxury to everyone.
Hotels should be an experience that helps lift away any suffering you have and transport you to a better state of mind. They are the backdrop to our most precious memories.
The whole objective for design is not to make something look good or to be a background in a selfie. The actual point is that design should be something that makes you stop and appreciate the beauty around you and be a transformative experience in itself.
A work life balance is something that is incredibly important and can help prevent you from feeling burnt out. You want to make sure that you aren’t working after your normal hours and set boundaries so that you can enjoy your work and not have it feel like a chore.
When it comes to design, you want to make sure that you stand out and that you are unique. The same bland, beige and boring designs won’t get noticed. If you are going to stand out like a unicorn, stand out like a unicorn in every way.
The word “interbeing” comes from a Buddaheist poet Thich Nhat Hanh. It describes the relationship between everything in the world and how it all works together in order to create the environment we see around us.
Design has been so serious for many years, and it’s time that the seriousness needs to be stopped and new, creative ideas need to be implemented. Every design doesn't have to copy something else that is already out there.

Quote of the Show:

15:37 “Design [is] not to make it pretty, it's not a selfie background. It's a transformative experience.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewalfordcreative/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrewalfordcreative/

Shout Outs:

4:41 Kimpton Hotels

5:22 IHG

9:44 Ed Labrano

13:25 Raptor roller coaster

14:46 SpringHill Suites by Marriott

26:25 Hospitality Design Summit

28:00 Alec Baldwin

41:58 American Utopia by David Byrne

43:18 Thich Nhat Hanh

45:14 Free Think

46:58 Star Trek

47:09 Reasons to be Cheerful

50:00 Soho House

50:20 Delano

50:21 Philippe Stark

50:32 Ace Hotels

53:10 Modern Elder Academy

53:12 Chip Conley

1:02:38 The Hoffman Process

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/UCzEZwSoRIU

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Today’s guest is a recognized leader in domestic and international real estate, travel, lodging, and restaurant industries. He is a proven, articulate thought leader and has delivered exceptional results in the hospitality industry. Brian Quinn is the Chief Development Officer at Sonesta. Brian joins the host Dan Ryan to share what he had learned through his journey in the world of hospitality.

Takeaways:

In the hospitality industry, everyone works together to help achieve a goal. A great design can only come to life if someone is willing to put it in their building.
If you are an owner or operator of a hotel or hospitality business, you will bring a different level of energy and care to a project. You will be more focused on the return on investment in that aspect.
In 2012 the RMR Group acquired hospitality spaces, bringing a whole new level of finance and real estate expertise into the hospitality industry.
During the COVID pandemic, there was a higher demand for extended stays and economy-style hotel stays as more people worked from home.
The top three things that make Sonesta a good brand to join are the market availability, the access to an executive team, and the last piece is the owner lens.
There are a few ways to underwrite a CapEx renovation; one is to think about what happens to your performance if you do nothing, and the other way is to check for any headroom in the market and see if you can perform better.
Whether a recession comes or not, if unemployment remains low then people are going to spend their disposable income on dining, travel, and other hospitality experiences.

Quote of the Show:

“Whether we technically go into a recession or not, if unemployment stays low, people are going to spend their disposable income on dining out and traveling.” - Brian Quinn

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-quinn-778b9018/
Website: https://www.sonesta.com/careers

Shout Outs:

2:26 Holiday Inn

7:17 The RMR Group

10:58 Marriott

11:00 IHG Hotels

12:00 John Murray

12:04 Keith Pierce

12:06 Wyndham

12:09 Red Lion

13:58 Intercontinental

13:59 Kimpton Hotels

14:00 Crowne Plaza

14:01 Candlewood

14:02 Staybridge

19:26 Hilton

19:27 Statler

20:47 Jeremy Selman

23:50 The Benjamin

23:53 The Shelbourne

23:57 The Gardens

24:07 The James

33:04 Wells Fargo

33:09 Wachovia

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
YouTube : https://youtu.be/dcPalDoHZPE

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Today’s guest is a hospitality guru. He’s an innovative industry leader who is an architect by training as well as a raving fan of interior design. Oswaldo Barrios is the Senior Director of Design & Project Management Luxury Brands at Marriott International. After getting a degree in Architecture in Venezuela, he started from the bottom and worked his way to a very important role at Marriott. Oswaldo joins the host Dan Ryan to share more about his journey through hospitality and how he sees this industry through his eyes.

Takeaways:

When it comes to the hospitality industry, it’s ok to question why things are done in a certain way. This can lead to a new emergence of ideas or help to create a beautiful space.
Hospitality is a combination of multiple different senses, ranging from how you feel about something and the experience that you are getting out of a space, to how the space feels and smells. It’s a very carefully done process to bring out the best in any space.
Putting together a memorable space and experience is almost like being on a stage. You want to make sure that all the pieces are in the right spaces and that everyone is doing their part to make it run smoothly.
There is a certain level of detail that goes into hospitality that overlaps with architecture as well. These two aspects can be combined to help create a memorable experience in a space that evokes an emotional response.
It’s important for everybody to know their role in a design project and to protect that role because if you don’t then you can end up with a mishmash of ideas and the piece won’t be as creative or strong.
The hardest part of any design project is getting the teams and donors to understand the non-public areas that you need to serve as a product.
When it comes to working on a hotel, you develop a really strong relationship with everyone who was a part of the project.

Quote of the Show:

"Hospitality is a combination between what you feel and the experience that you get into the space." - Oswaldo Barrios

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oswaldo-barrios-80407289/
Website: https://www.marriott.com/default.mi
Edition Hotels: https://www.editionhotels.com/

Shout Outs:

0:41 Ian Schrager

0:52 Addition Hotels

5:54 Grammercy Park Hotel

22:04 Mies van der Rohe

48:49 Arne Sorenson

51:22 Starwood

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
YouTube : https://youtu.be/9iPo9CrVjPk

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Today’s guest is a hospitality champion and an ingenious thought leader. He is a lifestyle hotel advisor and entrepreneur. Jeremy Selman is the Principal at Fishtown Collective and HN Capital Partners. Jeremy is breaking the mold of luxury for hospitality and wants to give each guest an experience that is unique to them and brings a smile to their face. Jeremy joins the host Dan Ryan to share his thoughts about the hospitality industry and what it means to him.

Takeaways:

In hospitality, you are touching upon all human needs. In a hotel, you are given the opportunity to provide a holistic experience to every guest in a way that dining can’t reach.
The traditional standard of luxury was where the brand defined what luxury was and delivered that in a formulaic way. Jeremy is focusing on the ability to read a guest and understand what will make them smile.
A hotelier is similar to a conductor or producer on a movie set in the sense that they manage the big-picture items going on. Hoteliers' taste often changes with age as well, so you shouldn’t base your designs on taste at the exact moment.
Being a hotelier requires a high level of collaboration in order to make sure everything runs smoothly. If everyone isn’t on the same page or rowing in the same direction, then the end goal can’t be achieved.
In the hospitality industry, you can’t be afraid to try new ideas. Not everything will work, but it’s worth pioneering and trying to see if there is a new way to uplift an old project or create a new idea from scratch.
When going into a new market, you have to really believe that you can get people to buy into what you are presenting and reach the goal of having a beautiful space that all can enjoy.
Jeremy is excited about the challenge of balancing technology and service in the hospitality industry.

Quote of the Show:

“I think culture is something that needs to be openly spoken about and talk.” - Jeremy Selman

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-selman-1900b68a/
Website: https://hncapitalpartners.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jselmannyc/?hl=en

Shout Outs:

6:13 The Nomad

6:22 The Line in DC and LA

15:18 Hotel Per La

15:23 Adam Sydenham

21:01 Danny Meyer

29:30 Scott Rudin

28:23 Daniel Del Olmo

38:45 Vipin Nambiar

43:48 Michael Eisner

44:08 Gary Berman

44:09 Berman Falk

52:52 Amazon

52:53 Jeff Bezos

53:20 Mark Zuckerberg

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
YouTube: https://youtu.be/OfOIMtOULNw

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Today’s guest is an expert in conducting the symphony of insanity of what it takes to open a hotel. He’s a hospitality leader in the Luxury, Full Service, Select Service, Branded, and Independent hotel spaces and is well-versed in the various needs and variables in all sectors. Scott Hammons is the President of Design and Construction of HEI. Scott joins the host Dan Ryan to share his journey through the hospitality industry and what it all means to him.

Takeaways:

The way the market is right now if a hotel is going to acquire that is because there is room to improve the hotel or reinvent it. This can happen when a branded hotel gets bought by another company or when it goes independent.
First-party project management is a term that Scott has coined to describe his new company, Ground Floor Hospitality. It’s a subsidiary of HEI but he refers to it as “first-party project management” because he oversees the whole project rather than someone he is not affiliated with.
The hospitality industry is such a dynamic industry. It evokes so many different emotions and uses all 5 senses in order to create an unforgettable experience.
Being in an entrepreneurial environment allows for more flexibility for new operations and provides room for growth in process improvements.
Scott is excited about the diverse opportunities in the hospitality industry. There are many different aspects of hospitality that you can branch into and each project is its own experience.
You want to find a space where when you go to work every day, it doesn’t feel like a typical work day or feel draining. You want to work in a place where you find yourself being passionate about what you do.
If you are a mentor, you want to prepare your team leaders or other people in your company for a meeting they are about to walk into but still make them walk in the meeting. This will help them to prepare and feel more comfortable for what will happen during that time.

Quote of the Show:

“There's no business like the hospitality business.” - Scott Hammons

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottkhammons/
Website: https://www.heihotels.com/

Shout Outs:

0:51 Aaron Anderson

1:35 Josh Pearlman

15:02 Mohawk Mountain House

17:40 Kimpton

17:47 Schrager

19:35 Marriot

29:19 Mark Wilson

29:20 Yoko Ishihara

33:05 Clark Henrati

49:51 Christopher Nassetta

51:42 Avengers Infinity War

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
YouTube: https://youtu.be/rnnG9aI3BY0

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Today’s guest is a hospitality hero to many in the industry. She is highly skilled at architectural design and believes good design is good business. Kavitha Iyer is the Head Of Design Strategies for the Americas 14 out of the 17 global brands at InterContinental Hotels & Resorts. Kavitha joins the host Dan Ryan to share her journey through hospitality and what it all means to her.

Takeaways:

Just because something has been done before doesn’t mean that it’s right. Different people can have different ideas and you can always improve upon something that has already been done.
It’s important to make your designs feel like they enrich the lives of those who come into the space and also find a way to give back to the community that is hosting your space.
When you are living in a community, you are not just a guest but you are a part of the community and you welcome others in as well.
Hospitality is being generous with your time and sensibilities. Doing this will bring joy to those around you that you can notice in the little moments by their smile or by helping them discover something new.
You want to make people feel like they are wanted. It’s more than just making them feel relevant, you have to make them feel like they are special as they walk through the door.
In the Indian culture, there is a phrase “Atithi Devo Bhava” which means “Guest is God”. This speaks to hospitality is built into the Indian culture and something that all hotels and restaurants can take note of.
You want to think about what you bring to the table in terms of design and how unique it is. The more unique your style is the more likely you are to find a place that will appreciate that.

Quote of the Show:

16:10 “I think that's what hospitality is, you are generous with your time and you're generous with your sensibilities.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kriyer1/
Website: https://www.ihgplc.com/en/

Shout Outs:

3:50 University of Madras

22:17 Damon Lawrence

30:17 Frank Lloyd Wright

35:11 Plato’s Republic

52:19 David Bowie

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
YouTube : https://youtu.be/8mqzEwb0eJA

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Today’s guest has been immersed in the hospitality industry since the age of 13. Will Guidara is the author of many books, including a new one called “Unreasonable Hospitality”. Will has been trained in the dining rooms of Tribeca Grill, Spago, and Tabla and opened the restaurants at the Museum of Modern Art. Will joins the host Dan Ryan to discuss his journey through hospitality and what it all means to him.

Takeaways:

Having board games along with fine dining provides an experience that makes the guest feel comfortable and at home. It reminds them of home-cooked meals and time with family and friends.
Will has always had a passion for creating spaces where people can get together and enjoy being around friends and family. This is part of what led him to be in the hospitality industry.
America used to be a manufacturing economy but now 65% of our GDP is driven by the service industry. This means we have shifted the focus of our economy to be in the service industry and provide people with memorable experiences of hospitality.
The culture of your company is a living, breathing tangible thing. It’s not just part of a checklist; if you don’t live by the cultures of your company, then the culture will die.
The best way to talk about hospitality is to compare it to service. Service is bringing the right plate to the right person on time but hospitality is how you make them feel when you bring them their food.
Your values transcend everything. If you bring your values to the front and make them a core part of who you are, then those values will drive you and help you succeed.
Don’t be afraid to look at yourself and tell yourself that you can handle anything that comes your way.

Quote of the Show:

9:24 “It has always brought me joy to create spaces where people can come together.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-guidara-b64952243/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wguidara/?hl=en
Book Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B13W5GPT/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0
Welcome Conference: https://www.thewelcomeconference.com/

Shout Outs:

1:36 The Nomad

05:47 Simon Sinek

25:39 James Corden

25:43 Balthazar

25:51 Keith McNally

36:09 Rookie Smarts by Liz Wiseman

Eleven Madison Park

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
YouTube : https://youtu.be/o2-7Ko4_P9w

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Today’s guest has worked on big and small projects, from multimillion-dollar resorts to small home renovations and everything in between. Geoffrey Cramer is the Partner at Murphy Cramer Design. Geoffrey is passionate about creating distinctive architecture and interiors for private and corporate clients. He joins the host Dan Ryan to share his journey through hospitality and what it all means to him.

Takeaways:

At the end of the day, you have to be willing to take a chance on yourself and know that you will find the solution to whatever problem you face.
Don’t be in a place where you think you have the answer to a conversation. Build up the courage to ask a question and don’t be afraid to hear the answer.
It’s better to take your time on a design project and push the deadline out further to show something beautiful rather than force everyone to meet tight deadlines and turn in an average-looking design.
The work that is done on a project is just as important as the content. You always want to put all your effort into every design project and make it a welcoming space.
When it comes to hospitality, it is all about providing strangers and guests with a sense of comfort and a warm, friendly, and welcoming environment.
You want to slowly shift your focus as new opportunities arise. This will allow you to be more adept in different areas and hone new skills.
In the hospitality industry, you want to try and predict your guest's needs ahead of time and anticipate what they might want in a certain situation and have that ready for them.

Quote of the Show:

19:05 “Really it's being or providing strangers or guests, kind of this comfortable, warm, friendly, welcoming sort of experience.”

Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/geoffreycramer
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/geoffreycramer/
Website: https://www.mcdesign.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/murphycramerdesign/?hl=en

Shout Outs:

2:58 Morgan Brody

4:29 Pat Murphy

4:30 Susan Seifert

5:44 Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

8:26 Helen Jorgenson

8:28 Venus Williams

11:00 Hilton

12:01 Larry Traxler

24:49 The Blind Side by Michael Lewis

37:07 IHG

37:09 Marriott

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
YouTube: https://youtu.be/l40KPcrf4NM

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Today’s guest is an industry innovator who uses her talented mind to create beautiful spaces. Alexandra Cole is the Principal and US Managing Director at DesignAgency. Alexandra is incredibly skilled at Interior design and running teams across many different timezones. She joins the host Dan Ryan to share her journey through hospitality and what it all means to her.

Takeaways:

After discovering that she has dyslexia, Alexandra looked forward to the creative arts in school and she found the arts to be a creative outlet.
Hospitality is the feeling of welcoming, accepting, and coming together and sharing experiences with people.
There are certain scenarios that exude hospitality like a nice warm farm and a comfortable couch and armchairs. These are part of the overarching feeling of having a space where you feel like you belong.
The “instagramable moments” are a faux pa in the design world. You don’t make designs to be seen on Instagram, you make designs that are comfortable and make the guest feel warm and invited.
It’s always a good idea to push the envelop of curiosity and try to increase your knowledge about your industry and the world around you.
Coming out of COVID, there has been a lot of opportunities in the hospitality industry for branded spaces to really take off.
People will get used to certain brands and staying at the same hotels because it provides them with a sense of familiarity and a feeling of welcomness.

Quote of the Show:

15:17 “It's really kind of about that feeling of welcoming and acceptance and the coming together of experiences and people.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandra-cole-15aab316/
Website: https://www.thedesignagency.ca/

Shout Outs:

1:18 Dune

6:08 Vito Lotta

6:09 Hilton

23:49 Ennismore

23:50 Hoxton

24:03 David Collins

24:38 The Connaught Bar

25:00 Ritz-Carlton

26:15 Aliya Khan

36:36 ILC

44:28 Bentley Residences

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/BDAFehGxzxY

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Today’s guest is a passionate hospitality leader with more than 25 years of experience in growing hospitality brands and nurturing successful partnerships in more than 70 countries around the world. Daniel del Olmo is the President & Chief Operating Officer of Sage Hotel Management. Daniel stopped by to preview the upcoming Independent Lodging Congress!

Takeaways:

The 2022 Independent Lodging Congress is being held at the Line Hotel in Los Angeles from October 11th-13th. The link to register is included below.
The welcome cocktail will be held at the newly opened Hotel Per La on the first day of the Independent Lodging Conference.
What sets the ILC apart from other hospitality industry conferences is that it feels more like a community than a typical conference. Instead of standard presentations, the ILC is about bringing like-hearted people together to share their diverse experiences.
From its inception, ILC has brought together many different points of inspiration from both inside and outside the hospitality industry. This basis is still felt today and it’s hard not to be inspired by the varied perspectives on display.
The ILC highlights the extended family of the hospitality world by featuring all of the disciplines that interact with hospitality, like music, art, culture, etc.
If you’re on the fence about going to ILC, ask yourself when was the last time that you felt inspired by going to a conference. Also, set some goals for yourself and your company and see how many of them overlap with those of people attending ILC.

Quote of the Show:

2:19 “In the case of ILC, I've always found that it's a platform that brings together people that are like-hearted, different minded, and with a whole slew of different experiences and perspectives”

Links:

If you plan to go to The Independent Lodging Congress in Los Angeles October 11-13, use “DefiningHospitality” when checking out and save 10%. Buy passes here: https://ilcongress.com/ilc/indie-congress-2022
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldelolmo/
Sage Hospitality Group website: https://www.sagehospitalitygroup.com/

Shout Outs:

3:00 Andrew Benioff
5:26 Hotel Per La
5:36 Jeremy Selman

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube: https://youtu.be/LUvU2mkFSmc

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Today’s guest is the most decorated black interior designer of our time. Kia Weatherspoon is the President and Founder of Determined by Design. Kia focuses on making interior design a standard for all, not a luxury for a few. Kia joins the host Dan Ryan to share her powerful journey of finding her way into the hospitality industry.

Takeaways:

Kia’s first introduction into the hospitality industry was during her time overseas in the military where she made space out of three sheet walls inside a tent. In that space she felt comforted and felt solace.
Hospitality is all about being people driven. You want to focus on making sure that you are giving the people a sense of belonging and a place they can be comfortable in and call home.
To serve people, you have to be grounded and be people focused. That way you can be the best advocate for equal design outcomes for everybody.
Don’t be afraid to advocate for yourself as that shows how worthy you think you are. It’s often the small things that leaders forget. You want to humanize people and not go by just their title then you will find the right people to design for.
Getting recognized is the least important thing. Instead of being recognized, it’s important to make a change in the world and help others when you can.
Radical hospitality is this feeling of being welcomed, embraced, included, accepted, and seen, but without any barriers, bias or judgment.
To help build the pipeline for people of color that are in creative industries there will need to be $30 Million in 30 years.

Quote of the Show:

13:35 “Being people driven is always about hospitality in my mind.”

Links:

Twitter: DetrminedDesign
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kiaweatherspoon/
Website: https://www.determinedbydesign.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kianweatherspoon/

Shout Outs:

1:14 Stacy Shoemaker

10:31 Alvin Ailey

20:20 Cheryl Durst

37:31 Sequoyah Hunter Sujay

42:16 Jack Travis

42:57 Ashli Johnson - Executive Director Marriott-Sorenson Center for Hospitality Leadership at Howard University

43:20 Arne Sorenson

43:21 Marriott

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
YouTube : https://youtu.be/YcfLBt3voG4

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Are you looking to make your big break into the hospitality industry? Well, look no further because today’s guest is looking for an Intermediate Interior Designer! Sonya Haffey is the Principal at V Starr, the design company that was founded by Venus Williams. Sonya joins the host Dan Ryan to talk about the need to hire in this industry and what to look for in new employees. Links to the job opening in the show notes.

Takeaways:

When you are looking at hiring someone, you want to try and hire someone that is smarter than you and can push you to be better yourself.
It’s essential to give new hires space to be themselves but also space to fail. It’s important for them to use failure as a learning lesson and grow from it.
You don't want to deal with drama in the workplace. Hire people that are not going to bring negative energy into the workplace or cause issues.
In the hospitality industry, it is very common for people to burnout and not have a good work/life balance. At V Starr, they make sure to have to keep that balance to avoid burnout.

Quote of the Show:

1:18 “My goal in life is for you to prove me wrong at least three times a day. If you can prove me wrong, you'll make my day, I'll be the happiest person alive.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonya-haffey-b054b320/
Website: https://www.vstarr.com/
Intermediate Interior Designer job opening: https://www.vstarr.com/careers/

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
YouTube : https://youtu.be/CRg1clxzZFk

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Today’s guest has over 25 years of experience in luxury hotel and residential design. With each project, she brings an unparalleled amount of knowledge. Anne Wilkinson is the Principal at BAMO, Inc. Anne joist the host Dan Ryan to share her hospitality journey and what it means to her to be a part of this industry.

Takeaways:

Working with different principles is similar to working with different clients where each one has a different style that they like and a different process of getting work done.
At its core, hospitality is about caring. It's about taking care of people that come to stay with you and paying attention to their needs.
A lot of the “check boxes” for what makes a hotel a luxury hotel can be seen as outdated and they aren’t the end all be all for the standard of luxury hotels.
Everybody is focused on bringing people back to the office, so they are looking at having the office spaces be redesigned to be fun and exciting and create a sense of identity amongst the people who work there.
It’s important to try and look at ways to make your design or space more sustainable so that in the long run it will be better for everyone.
There are some designs that remain timeless and can be used in any setting. Design actually reflects what is going on in the current world.
When you are designing a space for anyone, it’s a good idea to listen to what the people who will be using the space are looking for and try to meet their needs and wants.

Quote of the Show:

9:40 “At its core, hospitality is about caring.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-wilkinson-70738512/
Website: http://www.bamo.com/

Shout Outs:

28:43 Justin Herman Plaza

28:49 Embarcadero

31:46 Tahmahlah

34:43 Mindclick

38:35 Carmelo Resort

44:12 The Aesthetics of Joy

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/2rq5SDrxPzg

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Today’s guest is very keen on visualizing spaces in 3 dimensions. He also holds state licenses in architecture and interior design. Vito Lotta is the Vice President of Architecture & Design at Hilton Worldwide. Vito joins the host Dan Ryan for the first-ever live, in-person episode of Defining Hospitality! Vito shares his journey through the hospitality industry starting with using a drafting board that his father had all the way to being an integral part of Hilton.

Takeaways:

Boredom is an excellent state of mind to be in because it allows you to really drill down into your imagination. It’s hard to be imaginative if your mind is constantly coming up with new things.
Being in the hospitality industry is providing a certain level of service to your customers, such as teaching guests who can’t dance how to dance and better themselves and providing them with an unforgettable experience.
To improve yourself for your company and your personal life, it’s best to focus on your strengths and hone those skills to be even better.
Hilton is going in a unique direction where it’s going to be more playful, energetic, and younger.
When it comes to innovation, there are technical, digital, and physical spaces to it all now. You need to find a way to incorporate all those aspects into your design.
We still live in an analog world. There are millions of apps out there but they aren’t the answer to coming up with a great design space.
There are different levels of privacy that guests might want that you can integrate into your hotels. Some guests might want more privacy by using an alias while others might not care as much.

Quote of the Show:

16:50 “we're in the business of hospitality. You're supposed to use your gift of dance to make our customers, our guests feel as elegant and graceful as they aspire to be.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vito-f-lotta-464228/
Website: https://www.hilton.com/en/corporate/

Shout Outs:

27:13 American Institute of Architects

32:24 Know Your Strengths by Donald Clifton and Marcus Buckingham

34:40 David Goggins

44:33 Getty’s Group

46:04 Larry Traxler

46:05 Hyatt

46:56 Gensler

50:12 Hotel of Tomorrow

50:37 Ron Swidler

50:51 Rodd Kidley

52:08 Oculus

1:00:54 Wayne’s World

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
YouTube : https://youtu.be/SWU9VheTiYs

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Today’s guest plays an extraordinary role in the hospitality industry. He is the founder and producer of The Lodging Conference, one of the world’s premier events for hotel owners and hospitality executives. Harry Javer is the President of the Conference Bureau. Harry joins the host Dan Ryan to share his journey through this beautiful industry and what it all means to him.

Takeaways:

The Lodging Conference was designed to be a hospitality industry event that goes on forever, not just a one-time event that gets put to the side because of different trends.
A conference owner and a hotel owner actually have a lot in common, but the main commonality is that they both want their guests to leave happy.
In order to have a successful conference, you need to be well-rounded and have a natural sense of curiosity.
The lodging conference industry is a very resilient industry that has always bounced back from difficult times.
When you are planning a conference, you want to have a plan B just in case things don’t go right or the exact way you were planning them.
One way to stay inspired is to have a great team around you. They will help you come up with new and fresh ideas.
Some conferences can have a massive impact on how people do business or interact with others. The Lodging Conference has impacted hundreds of lives for the better.

Quote of the Show:

14:18 “Running a conference is not much different than running a hotel. We basically want the same thing. We want our guests to leave happy.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harryjaver/
Website: http://www.conferencebureau.com/
The Lodging Congress: https://bit.ly/3RzVAyg

Shout Outs:

5:34 Tommy Trojan

5:41 Sublime

8:45 Tony Robbins

8:53 Bernie Seigel

9:18 Barbara Sher

21:59 Forest Gump

33:18 Bruce Springfield

37:22 Robert Kiyosaki

37:32 Mark Cuban

37:41 Al Gore

37:43 Donald Trump

37:47 Magic Johnson

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/Q-u0AYBb3FY

Defining Hospitality is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

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It’s a big celebration for Defining Hospitality! We celebrate a year of podcasting with some of Dan’s most popular guests. Throughout the past year, we have heard many great stories and learned so much about what hospitality means to those who work in this beautiful industry. Listen in as Dan guides us through some of his favorite clips and conversations for this week.

Takeaways:

Even though there are devastating moments, there are silver linings that lead to greater opportunities. Use the difficult times as your inspiration to push forward.
There is a shift in how to interact with design from the perspective of hotels. You have to keep in mind who you are designing for and create memorable experiences.
The true reason hospitality exists is to bring people closer together. It helps to strengthen the common bond between people.
Every project you work on will be narrative driven and it should reflect the values of the community the project is in.
Providing a welcoming environment and a certain level of service in a hotel is something that can never be replaced by a robot or an Airbnb.
Part of hospitality is how you make people feel. You want each and every guest to leave with the best experience they have ever had.
Hospitality is like a gathering spot for everyone to come together and find out how close we all are to each other.

Quote of the Show:

"I walk away from each conversation completely energized. And I think that also taps into what makes our industry so special to really put others first we must excel at openhearted listening"

Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/thedailydanryan
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/
Website: https://www.ninesixseven.com/

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/mJFJucL3X7s

Defining Hospitality is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

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Today’s guest is highly skilled in corporate law and real estate. He joins the show to share his unique journey through #hospitality. Stephen Wendell is the CEO of Mountain Shore Properties. Stephen joins the host Dan Ryan to talk about what hospitality means to him and his passion for the industry.

Takeaways:

Hospitality is one of the hardest asset classes within commercial real estate. You have to deal with a lot of local politics and there is more to navigate.
When opening up a boutique hotel or restaurant, you want to make something that the locals really care about and tourists will love and appreciate.
There are more money-conscious decisions that you can make to save money when looking at making a hotel. You don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on high-speed internet when you can get it for $150.
Hospitality is made of small moments that add up to be something meaningful for the guests. Whether it’s coffee or a well-placed reading nook, it’s a welcoming feeling.
When designing a space, you should consider if what you are going for benefits the guest and the community you are in as a whole.
You don’t have to always agree with someone you are working on a project with. A healthy discussion can lead to a better product.
When it comes to running a restaurant or a hotel, it’s important to praise the employees working through the pandemic and keeping those places open.

Quote of the Show:

17:47 “It really is the small moments which then makes developing these hotels so difficult because what really translates to the guests and gets them excited is a very, very small moment.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-wendell-5417291a/
Website: https://mountainshoreproperties.com/

Shout Outs:

0:37 Kate Rohrer

0:38 ROHE CREATIVE

1:13 Horst Schulze

1:14 Ritz Carlton

1:59 Hampton Inn

2:19 Clarence Kerr

2:22 American Motor Inns

2:29 Sheraton

2:30 Holiday Inn

3:09 REIT

3:28 Proskauer Rose in New York

3:30 Philadelphia Eagles

4:09 Marriott

4:10 Hilton

6:51 Miranda Mancuso

6:57 Andres Belos

7:26 Bunkhouse

9:12 Andrew Benioff

9:14 Independent Lodging Congress

13:20 A League of Their Own

20:57 Ramshackle

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube: https://youtu.be/bTEWgtZEsAI

Defining Hospitality is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

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Today’s guest has a passion for hospitality. He spearheads Wimberly interior’s entertainment, gaming, nightlife F&B, and retail design environment. Josh Held is the Vice President & Director of Entertainment at Wimberly Interiors. Josh joins the host Dan Ryan to share his passion for community and his hospitality journey.

Takeaways:

The spaces that are being made in hospitality are all about making connections with others in the same space.
When you think about the places you tend to go back to as a guest, you go back there because you feel comfortable and it gives you a sense of belonging.
Burning Man created a sort of petri dish of a community with all different groups of people coming together with a common interest.
It’s important to open your mind and let go of preconceived notions of the world around you and instead see the experiences around you and build upon the world with that.
The best ideas often come from when you aren’t trying so hard to come up with an idea. Giving your mind space to breathe is an indispensable tool.
The future is undefined and unpredictable, which makes it exciting for people in the hospitality industry to try and innovate for the future.
Don’t be afraid to push the limit. You need to be confident and know your stuff, but pushing the boundaries is the only way to innovate with new ideas.

Quote of the Show:

5:59 “Think about the places that you tend to go back to as a guest. Just as being a normal person who interacts with spaces, you tend to go back to the places that make you feel comfortable, that give you that sense of belonging there.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshheldnyc/
Website: https://www.watg.com/
Instagram: @joshheldnyc

Shout Outs:

8:09 Marque in New York

17:29 David Allen

32:58 Rockwell Group

33:00 David Rockwell

33:02 David Mexico

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/ciybaWoXQPg

Defining Hospitality is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

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Today’s guest is highly skilled at space planning. He is known for fostering excellence within his design team and uses a client's creativity, focus and experience to turn their dreams into a reality. Marc DeSmet is the Associate Principal at TruexCullins Architecture + Interior Design. Marc joins host Dan Ryan to share his #hospitality journey and what it all means to him

Takeaways:

Where you live in the world will influence the way you look at your design space, a faster paced environment will feel and produce a different look than a slower one.
Hospitality isn’t just about little gift baskets in hotel rooms or flowers. It’s a feeling of welcoming and greeting someone to make them feel comfortable.
Hospitality is about creating backdrops for memories. You want to create a positive memory for your guests and have it be something they look back upon fondly.
Music can play a large role in hospitality as well, as it can influence the way a setting is received by a guest.
As an architect, it’s important to consider projects that are longer form and can be multi-generational as that can allow the space to really develop.
You want to create a location that people will want to go back to over and over again.
Net Zero hotels are starting to be looked at as the way of the future for hotels to help the environment.

Quote of the Show:

9:24 “I don't think of it as a thing anymore. I think it's not a noun. Hospitality is a verb. It's an action of greeting. It's an action of welcoming.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-desmet-5a325833/
Website: https://truexcullins.com/

Shout Outs:

0:54 Jeffrey Beers

4:37 Platinum Circle Awards

4:52 Larry Traxler

14:31 Rockwell Group

14:34 David Mexico

15:26 Mies van der Rohe

15:27 Louis Kahn

15:47 Morris Lapidus

15:58 Philip Johnson

19:20 The Cliff House

23:12 Hotel Jackson

23:59 Omni Mount Washington

26:13 Foundation Hotel

27:13 Simone Deerie

27:53 KISS

29:57 RGA Loyal

31:16 Phish

32:25 Mike Gordon

40:38 Hotel Marcel

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/z3unMKOSp3s

Defining Hospitality is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

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Today’s guest is responsible for guiding the design of all North American projects for the Canopy, Tempo and Motto brands at Hilton. He has a fabulous eye for interior design and it shows in his work. Barry Sullivan is The Senior Director of Lifestyle at Hilton Worldwide. Barry joins host Dan Ryan to share his #hospitality journey and what it all means to him.

Takeaways:

Hospitality is about making others feel comfortable in a place that is unfamiliar to them or a new environment. You want them to find the versions of the things they find familiar in a new setting.
People gravitate towards areas that they are most comfortable with. You want to create a sense of comfort with them.
A soft brand is a hotel that can be whatever it wants to be but the infrastructure might not be all the same.
As your business grows, you need to keep your passion alive and be involved enough for it to grow in the right direction and not lose sight of the ultimate goal and culture.
The pandemic has made some projects go on longer than were originally planned, so you want to make sure you are ready for a project to be extended in certain cases.
It’s a rewarding experience to see a hotel from the beginning all the way to the finished project.
How you treat your team members is how they will treat guests. You want to make sure you are taking care of the team so they can give the guests their best experiences.

Quote of the Show:

12:16 “Hospitality is making people feel comfortable, or my definition is making them feel comfortable, welcome, and warm in an environment that's not their own.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barry-sullivan-04933637/
Website: https://www.hilton.com/en/corporate/

Shout Outs:

0:57 Steve Higgins

1:11 Jim Northcut

2:04 Linda Ronstadt

2:13 Harry Dean Staton

2:19 Kevin Bacon

2:43 Eda Hallinan

2:50 Armistead Maupin’s “Tales of the City”

6:03 Wimberly

31:44 Larry Traxler

32:29 Sue Firestone

32:42 Design One

32:57 James Northcut Associates

42:24 Margaret McMahon

44:05 Small Giants by Bo Burlingham

49:54 Chris Nassetta

51:14 Conrad Hilton

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/_VMn34qsFXo

Defining Hospitality is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

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Today’s guest started his hospitality career in hospitality by working in High Rise architecture, but quickly became a hospitality wizard. He has an eye for decatant design. Dieter Cartwright is a Partner at Dutch East Design. Dieter joins host Dan Ryan to talk about his journey through #hospitality and what it all means to him.

Takeaways:

You want to design a place where people can gather and enjoy their experience.
As the designer, you can build a beautiful space but it is up to the owner and manager to maintain it and keep it lively.
When designing a space, don’t be afraid to hand it over to and acknowledge someone else’s direction.
You want to create an environment that doesn’t alienate people but instead it bring others together.
Net Zero is a goal to go away from the dependency on fossil fuels and rather sustainable ways of providing energy.
The barriers to any change are institutional practices. If you surround yourself with the right team you can help to change things for the better.
Whatever you are considering building, none of it possible without the use of energy.

Quote of the Show:

9:59 ”As a designer, we can build the car, we can give you the keys, but you have to drive it.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dieter-cartwright-assoc-aia-ba859318/
Website: https://www.dutcheastdesign.com/

Shout Outs:

0:48 David Kaplan

0:50 Death and Company

1:33 Demond

3:07 Setting the Table by Danny Meyer

17:19 Hotel Marcel

19:15 Tapestry by Hilton

29:54 Rich, Brilliant and Willing

32:44 Bruce Becker

39:15 Mindclick

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/RFn09BsS2qc

Defining Hospitality is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

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Today’s guest loves to take on new and unfamiliar typologies and approach them from a hospitality point of view. He has combined strengths in architecture and interior design. Greg Keffer, the Partner at Rockwell Group, leads design studios in the firm’s New York and Madrid offices. Greg joins host Dan Ryan to talk about #hospitality and what it all means to him.

Takeaways:

You want to surround yourself with people who view projects in a different way than you and bring something new to the table.
At the end of the day, hospitality helps to bring out the commonality and real life experiences that connect people.
Hospitality is all about bringing people together. There is a lot going on in the world now and hospitality can help ease the stress and find the common bond between people.
You need to consider the needs of your clients as every project and client is going to require a different approach.
When creating a hospitality space, it needs to be unique and create a memorable experience for the guests so they want to come back.
We all get caught up in our day to day lives but it’s important to take time to show gratitude and appreciation.
There is a larger sense of community now in the hospitality industry, and it’s important to be engaged with the community you are in.

Quote of the Show:

6:53 “To me, the true reason hospitality exists is to bring people back together. We need spaces and places and something that is a common bond between people.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-keffer-aia-leed-04aa101b/
Website: https://www.rockwellgroup.com/index.php

Shout Outs:

4:40 Imagination Playground

10:17 Neuehouse.com

10:31 WeWorks

11:31 Union Square Cafe

11:32 Danny Meyer

15:42 Glen Coben

19:32 Skidmore

19:45 Eva Maddox

20:21 Todd DeGarmo

20:35 David Rockwell

28:55 Empire Diner

37:57 Aluminairium

45:56 Aaron Richter

45:58 Equinox Hotel

47:18 Nobu Hotels

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/DAx8QdXp8OQ

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Today’s guest has a keen eye for design as well as being an innovator in the hospitality industry. He is a licensed architect with the American Institute of Architects. Rado Ivanov is the Vice President of Global Design for the USA and Canada at Marriott International. Rado joins host Dan Ryan to talk about his journey through #hospitality and what it all means to him.

Takeaways:

When designing a space, you want to think about making that space feel like a home and feel welcoming.
We as humans are very good at pointing out things that we don’t like, but we can’t really define things we do like.
Hospitality is an experience. It is something that affects all the major 5 senses in a good way and leaves a lasting impression.
Hospitality makes the world a smaller and better place through the power of travel.
You want people to feel comfortable with the space they are in. You don’t want to make it cold and impersonal.
The cabinet of curiosities is a wall that shows items that are related to the people who work at the Marriott hotels.
With the latest innovations in technology, there is a lot interesting ways you can incorporate that into a hotel room, ie

Quote of the Show:

12:28 “Hospitality to me is an experience.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/radoivanov/
Website: https://www.marriott.com/default.mi

Shout Outs:

1:18 Marriott Bethesda Downtown at Marriott HQ

3:15 Arne Sorenson

7:25 Ty Breland

10:36 Jeff Voris

24:08 David Aleman

33:16 Gensler

48:47 AC Marriott

48:48 Courtyard Marriott

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/nWcA0EfMKiA

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Today’s guest began his journey through hospitality working in a small property on the California coast and then built the number one hotel marketing blog in the world. He’s the publisher of Hospitality Daily, which is dedicated to helping hoteliers provide better guest experiences. Josiah Mackenzie is the Principal at Benchmark Research Partners, and he joins host Dan Ryan to share his experiences and passion about #hospitality and what it all means to him.

Takeaways:

Hospitality is a gift that you can give to others. It is the feeling of safety, of being creatively free and being inspired by others and what is around you.
The hospitality career path is more steep than it has ever been now and that makes it a perfect time to join this industry.
People who work in the hospitality industry have a desire to meet new people from across the world and serve these people.
Hospitality is something that you learn from observation and seeing how the professionals handle themselves and clients.
When designing a great guest experience it is important to focus on the F&B moments as those can allow you to create moments to surprise and delight guests
Hospitality isn’t just welcoming people to your hotel. There is a lot of behind the scenes work that goes into getting everything.
Real estate is becoming a better environment to work in and it is worth investing your money into hospitality.

Quote of the Show:

2:21 “I think hospitality at its core is really a gift. It's a feeling of being safe, of being free, of being inspired.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josiahmackenzie/

Shout Outs:

1:00 Skift

1:28 Andrew Benioff

1:30 Independent Lodging Congress

3:55 Aaron Richter

3:58 Equinox

13:34 Adele Gutman

15:41 The Grand Hotel

16:47 Remington Hotels

20:56 Horst Schulze

35:25 Sweet Green

37:26 Hoxton Hotels

38:14 Sharan Pasricha from Ennismore

38:52 IHG

38:58 Kimpton

40:45 Zoku

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/XSWERxaustQ

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Today’s guest has more than 14 years of experience in the lodging industry. She also has a passion for people and pineapples. Davonne Reaves is Founder/Hospitality Strategist at The Vonne Group. She is also the author of How To Buy A Hotel - Roadmap to Hotel Ownership. Davonne joins host Dan Ryan to talk about her journey in hospitality and what it all means to her.

Takeaways:

Owning a hotel requires a lot of work, you have to keep up with the land and raise capital and hire staff among many other things.
When starting your own business, you want to start small and work your way up to becoming a bigger company.
When looking at buying a hotel, you want to know the surrounding community and have them feel comfortable with you.
People are what make the hospitality industry so special and unique, most people will stay at a hotel for the human connection and interaction.
You need to know your purpose, if you don’t have a clear purpose for your business that it will not last.
Knowing how to invest the right money into the right places for buying a hotel can help you to financially be all set.
There will always be people who don’t believe in your dream or help you along the way, so it’s important to have thick skin and move past it.

Quote of the Show:

18:52 “You could automate the hospitality industry as much as you possibly can, it's the people, it's even some people who would prefer to stay in a hotel over an Airbnb, just because of the human connection and that human interaction.”

Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/thevonnegroup
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davonnereaves/
Website: https://thevonnegroup.com
Book Link: https://www.amazon.com/TIDBITS-EMERGING-PINEAPPLE-PROFESSIONAL-DEQUAN/dp/1791966365

Shout Outs:

3:50 ACS

4:05 Hyatt

4:42 Jessica Meyers

31:30 Shannon Steel

31:45 Dr. Mina James

31:58 Andre Arbrieten

57:35 Skift

57:39 Highgate

57:41 JLL

58:43 Swiss Hotel

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/ZLMSqY07U2Q

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Today’s guest has extensive global experience in designing mixed use developments. He has a passion for design and uses that passion to create beautiful spaces. Host Dan Ryan is joined by Aaron Richter, The Senior Vice President of Design for Equinox Brands at Equinox to talk about hospitality and what it all means to him

Takeaways:

Having a good sleep cycle is incredibly important to having a productive day and keeping you on track.
Building a community around your hospitality center and making it all in a walkable area is one way to feel a sense of community.
People don’t go to hotels to drink at the pool anymore. Now, people are considerate of their health and want to travel to a place where they feel healthier and get a better experience.
Being social is an important part of your well being. You want to be a part of the community that you are in.
You don’t need to have your hospitality space be the “cool new thing” or be a different space for everyone. Instead, just build your space to the people you want to attract to the space.
Make sure that you are showing appreciation for all the members of your team so they feel recognized and their hard work is being noticed.
When designing a hospitality space, you want to keep the guests on the property and part of that is by having everything be visible to the guests as they are more likely to engage with something if they can see it first.

Quote of the Show:

13:34 “People are waking up again to the fact that oh I should take care of myself. My health is important. My immunity is important. This is all very topical and germane at the moment. People are saying I want to live a different way.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-richter-7b7b45/
Website: https://careers.equinox.com/

Shout Outs:

0:40 Starwood

3:39 Barry Sternlicht

3:42 Park Lane Hotel

3:46 Patrick Jwuan

3:51 Vespa

11:09 Eurov

20:43 Josiah McKinsey

22:47 Dina Lamanna

22:49 HOK

23:00 Nike

23:09 Pottery Barn

24:30 “Rookie Smarts” by Liz Wiseman

25:07 John Hoke

32:18 Johnny Ives

32:19 Steve Jobs

46:23 Whole Foods

46:26 Trader Joe’s

50:43 Seattle Mariners

51:00 Tiki Barber

1:00;18 Lone Tree Scout Reservation

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/54p3A9mNfFA

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Dina Lamanna is the Principal, Director of Hospitality Interior Design at The HOK NY Studio. She is a seasoned veteran in the design and development of international hotel projects. Her passion for guiding the next generation of designers is evident in her work as an adjunct professor at New York School of Interior Design. Dina joins host Dan Ryan to talk about her journey through #hospitality and what it all means to her.

Takeaways:

There’s a visual aspect to learning and teaching design, and it doesn’t always come to people naturally so you have to get creative with it.
There’s a stigma against being a designer that tends to scare people away but it is very different from what people would expect it to be.
Hospitality is providing guests and patients with an experience and a feeling when they enter a certain place.
People spend 90% of their time indoors, so designers have a responsibility to create spaces that are unique and feel different from other places.
If you can make a space feel familiar and comfortable, then the stress level for that person will go down.
The last two years have actually opened up a tremendous opportunity for design to create the next space of buildings and environments that define our future.
Collaboration with others can help to unlock a new potential or opportunities for the design space.

Quote of the Show:

7:26 “We want to bring a return on investment that isn't always measured in a spreadsheet, that there's an instant impact that our guests or our patients feel when they enter these spaces.”

Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HOKNetwork
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dina-lamanna-aa827430/
Website: https://www.hok.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hok_nyc/?hl=en

Shout Outs:

9:52 Aaron Anderson

25:46 Rudy Ruettiger

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/7KtOlKYME8k

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Jim Looney is the Owner and Founder of Looney & Associates. With over 35 years of experience in the hospitality industry, he’s an industry leader and a mentor to many. His passion for hospitality is obvious in how he carries a tradition of integrity, quality and service in all of his projects. Jim joins host Dan Ryan to talk about his journey though #hospitality and what it all means to him.

Takeaways:

You want to make sure that you are always meeting your deliverables and that you are keeping the clients and your employees happy.
Gaining the trust of a client is a big responsibility. It is your responsibility to make sure that trust is rewarded.
Hospitality is making others feel comfortable in your presence. You want others to feel comfortable around you.
Travel is something that can inspire people and help them come up with new and innovative ideas.
It’s important to sit back and take time to yourself occasionally and disconnect from all the technology around you.
The pandemic allowed people to explore hospitality and the world around them in a different lens.
A design has to feel immediately comfortable. You want guests to feel welcomed by the design and enjoy being where they are.

Quote of the Show:

11:01 “Hospitality to me is making people feel comfortable in your presence.”

Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/looneydesign
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-looney-209a15a/
Website: https://www.looney-associates.com/
James D. Looney Award at Fay Jones School of Architecture at University of Arkansas - https://uark.academicworks.com/opportunities/22004

Shout Outs:

4:36 Michael Bedner

4:41 Lenny Parker

4:51 Trish Wilson

12:38 Dallas Independent School District

22:12 Museum of Modern Art

23:52 Marriott Wailea

24:39 John Stobbe

34:28 James Dunlop

29:24 Jim Romelspa

43:40 The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

43:43 Ayn Rand

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/qC4W3Ta10lw

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Staci Patton is a Principal of Hospitality Interior Design Director at DLR Group. She's a passionate and creative designer who creates indigenous and authentically curated spaces. Staci joins host Dan Ryan to talk about her journey through #hospitality and how she brings her southern hospitality charm and collaborative effort to a wonderful industry.

Takeaways:

Leadership in the hospitality industry is incredibly important and it can lead to new ideas in the industry.
Innovation can bring different perspectives to a project and can help separate you from others in your field.
Hospitality is the soul and spirit of how we welcome people in. It’s not limited to just hotels and restaurants.
Southern hospitality is a big influence for the meaning of hospitality as it provides people with a sense of feeling welcomed and at home.
You want to make others feel like you are working together, especially with clients. You want them to feel like it’s a collaborative effort.
As a leader, it is your responsibility to teach others and have them reach their highest points so that they can become a leader themselves and continue the cycle.
Putting others first is a key trait in this industry. You want to make sure there is space to grow for others and have their ideas heard.
A lot of people have left the hospitality industry during the pandemic, and now with things returning to normal there is a staffing shortage and it makes it more complicated to work on a project.

Quote of the Show:

16:35 “It's the soul and the spirit of how we welcome people in. It doesn't have to be a hotel. It doesn't have to be a restaurant. it's really about how you welcome someone in and what are those delights that you want them to receive?”

Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DLRGroup
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/staci-patton-107bb726/
Website: https://www.dlrgroup.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/staci_patton_sp/

Shout Outs:

5:56 Joe Chikora

8:28 Ed Williams

9:07 Concord Hospitality

30:26 Hilton Hotels

33:06 Sherman Associates

42:37 Joanna Abrams

42:38 Mindclick

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube: https://youtu.be/jwXFEb93iGM

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Will Meyer is the Owner and Co-Founder at Meyer Davis Studios Inc. He believes that great design works on multiple levels and designs seamless physical experiences tailored to his clients individuality. Will joins host Dan Ryan to talk about his journey through #hospitality and what it all means to him.

Takeaways:

When working in a partnership, it’s important to have respect for the other person's ideas and recognize that it doesn’t matter where the idea comes from as long as it is good.
Residential and hospitality projects have similar demographics which can make for interesting design options.
Hospitality is an elevated sense of home. You want people to feel comfortable and connected to the elements in hospitality and have it feel welcoming.
It’s important to encourage people and make a special environment that allows them to grow and flourish.
The work that is done in the hospitality world tends to look like it is based on where it is and who it is about rather than being about the designer themselves.
Using the environment as inspiration for your design in hospitality is something that creates an even better experience for guests and the community.
Use design as a way to connect with guests and the surrounding areas.

Quote of the Show:

21:37 I look at hospitality as an elevated sense of the home. A heightened sense of residential comforts and elements that create a new space within the hospitality world that make people feel comfortable, make people feel inspired that create a new turning of the dial of their experience in hospitality. But grounded by that sense of residential home feel that makes people feel comfortable.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-meyer-7685677/
Website: https://www.meyerdavis.com/

Shout Outs:

1:01 David Gaddie

1:02 “A Beautiful Dreamer” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVCNh6_YpI8

3:30 HD Summit

3:57 Michael Bedner

3:59 Trish Wilson

5:55 “Rookie Smarts” by Liz Wiseman

7:35 Auburn University

8:42 David Raleigh

14:24 V Bar in Las Vegas

14:31 David Raybin 1

4:32 Will Regin

15:21 Venetian

17:10 Moss Farmhouse

28:30 Four Seasons

28:31 Mandarin Oriental

28:32 Rosewood

28:36 W Hotels

34:50 Baccarat

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/phYIUjTnxwQ

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Jennifer Barnwell is the President of Curator Hotel & Resort Collection. She can see through the maze of real estate economics and is passionate about hospitality. She is also a member of and also on the Board of Advisors at the Boutique Lifestyle Leaders Association. Jen joins host Dan Ryan to talk her journey in #hospitality and what it all means to her.

Takeaways:

You want to surprise and delight your guests. You want to make them feel welcomed and at home when they stay at your hotel.
Sometimes a switch in products or a switch in systems is something that can really help drive your bottom line.
Make sure that your team is being used efficiently. You don’t want to overload them or put them on tasks that aren’t their strong suit.
Having the owner's finger on the pulse helps to make decisions and changes run smoother.
Hospitality is about the experience. You want to peak the senses of your guest and make them feel interested and excited about where they are.
You want to create memories for your guests and have them be positive and something they can take with them when they leave the hotel.
Independent hotels have the ability to connect to a place in a very powerful way. It feels authentic and natural.

Quote of the Show:

22:12 “For me, it's all about the experience. I step inside, how does it make me feel, what catches my eye, what do I see? That's interesting. What kind of peaks my curiosity, what about all my senses? That's how I tend to define it, because that is what is memorable to me.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-barnwell-a8689ba/
Website: https://blla.org/

Shout Outs:

0:48 Pebblebrook

0:50 CapEx

1:09 Independent lodging Congress

8:49 Bill Kimpton

9:34 Sir Francis Drake in San Fransico

28:16 Death & Company

28:17 Dave Kaplan

28:59 Bashar Wali

41:33 Cameron Sperance

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/4J-0t8VjsqE

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Ian Rolston is the Founder of Decanthropy and the President at Interior Designers of Canada He knows how huge of a role that community and diversity play in hospitality and design, and he wants everyone else to see that. Ian joins host Dan Ryan to talk about his journey through #hospitality and what it all means to him.

Takeaways:

Hospitality is a great opportunity to serve humanity. It allows you to connect with others and the world around you.
Interior design really speaks to the guests as a whole. It brings a sense of community to the guest and makes them feel welcomed and at home.
You want to try and collaborate with other professionals who are not like you or think differently than you, as that brings a whole new perspective to your work.
Align with other great organizations and community leaders so that you can better solve issues within your community.
It’s important to shift the conversation around diversity to how it really is a fantastic business approach for companies and organizations
You need to have the confidence to stand up if you are being overlooked but also some vulnerability as well.
Part of hospitality is about sharing. Everyone can benefit from sharing and it can help shorten other people’s journeys.

Quote of the Show:

5:40 “There's just something about interior design that I think really speaks to the heart, body, mind and soul of end-users that provides this real sort of connective tissue to both the community of users and how they're interacting with space.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-rolston-51180215/?originalSubdomain=ca
Website: https://decanthropy.com/

Shout Outs:

2:04 Yabu Pushlberg

2:07 Hirsch Bedner

31:51 AiLun Ku

31:53 Opportunity Network

35:26 Chief Robert Joseph

45:24 John Doyle

47:27 Alice Stanky

47:30 Anne Garis

47:47 Talking Heads

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/6uzJeu-P6MQ

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Clodagh is the Founder of Clodagh Design. After suffering a horrible accident, she found her passion for being a designer. Her Irish heritage gives her a unique perspective of design, which she approaches with love and reckless abandon. Clodagh joins host Dan Ryan to talk about her journey through #hospitality and how she got to where she is now.

Takeaways:

Approach design with love and reckless abandon. You need to be brave and bold to create something new and innovative.
At the age of 17, Clodagh opened her first business. She used her determination to persevere through all the challenges.
The BBC made a documentary about Clodagh called The Fashion Designer. She has been all over the world and met many interesting people during that time.
Hire people that are better than yourself. That way you can surround yourself with people who can make you better and teach you more.
Focus on trying to design the irritations out of people’s lives. You want to bring them joy and make the furniture feel like it is giving them a hug.
Everyday, take a breath of the new day and appreciate where you are. Taking a moment to sit down and just focus on your breathing brings you a calming sensation.
Take some time to get outside and enjoy your surroundings.

Quote of the Show:

22:00 “All of my learning comes from observation really, since I haven't had any formal training of any kind, just observing what makes people happy…I'm trying to design the irritations out of people's lives.”

Links:

Website: https://clodagh.com/

Shout Outs:

9:43 Irish Cancer Society

9:48 Hibernate Hotel Ireland

9:59 Irish Times

10:26 Henri Bendel

10:29 Lord and Taylor

11:56 The Fashion Maker documentary by BBC

19:43 Ashford Castle

28:07 Cranwell

29:15 Robert Kennedy

30:46 Sarah Klymson

30:47 Hyatt

34:45 Brickell Miami

35:39 Caledonia

45:45 Edward DeBono

45:59 Dr. Richie Davidson

49:38 Coretta Scott King

49:39 Martin Luther King Jr

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/H9AuinR_CrU

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Kristen Conry is the Senior Vice President of Global Design for Marriott International. She is a hospitality design guru and is the embodiment of the spirit of generosity. She’s worked with some of the most influential leaders in this industry and she shares their passion for creating unique experiences for guests. Kristen sits down with host Dan Ryan to talk about her journey in #hospitality and what it all means to her.

Takeaways:

Innovation and new design ideas are something that should be at the forefront of all aspects of hospitality.
Hospitality has influenced other settings such as corporate settings and other places. The design aspect has launched a new way of looking at spaces.
Many hotels don’t live up to the value of “people first”. You want to make sure the core of your industry is reflected by how you treat your employees.
Hospitality is the spirit of generosity. It is the feeling you get when you give to others in a way that is selfless to you.
Design can’t make up for bad service. It is still important but you need to make sure the service you provide is at the top of its game.
Given the constraints with architecture now, it has forced companies to be more creative and create different experiences by focusing on what really matters and what has the most impact.
We’ve seen the baseline for design in American culture elevate in recent years and that is a positive and exciting aspect.

Quote of the Show:

19:09 “To me, hospitality is that spirit of generosity. And it's when we anticipate and we delight people and we do it in that really selfless way that it delights us to do so.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristen-conry-32aba558/
Website: https://www.marriott.com/default.mi
Panel: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/conry_im-speaking-at-hd-expo-conference-2022-activity-6921903747656757248-s5CE?utm_source=linkedin_share&utm_medium=member_desktop_web

Shout Outs:

0:33 Hyatt

0:36 Larry Traxler

13:18 Arnie Sorenson

16:01 Marriott Bethesda Hotel

16:07 Berman Falk

16:49 Marriott Sorenson Center for Hospitality Leadership

16:55 Howard University

16:56 Damon Lawrence

34:40 United Nations

36:15 Ed Webber

36:23 Scott Fortman

36:24 Richard Gibbons

38:07 John Meiser

38:27 Emily Keip

38:54 Jordan Mozer

39:01 Adam Lara

39:26 Jay Pecotte

45:05 Back to the Future

47:34 Starwood

1;01:23 HD Expo

1;01:24 BDNY

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/Kl5fFwQjppg

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James Cull is the Design Director at Rottet Studio. He has had a passion for design since he was 10 years old, and he brings that passion to every project that he works on. James sits down with host Dan Ryan to share his journey through #hospitality and what it all means to him.

Takeaways:

It’s the job of the hospitality expert to take a hotel and make it a special place that feels warm and kind.
There are two approaches to design, you want to understand the customer and the ethos of the brand. That way you can tailor the design to the guests.
You want the guests to leave the hotel where they feel like they had an enriching experience and make sure to interest them.
Hospitality is all about making people feel comfortable in a space that isn’t familiar to them. You want to make them feel like it’s a home away from home.
Don’t be afraid to think outside the box. That is how innovation is created and it allows for new opportunities.
It’s good to have people with different views or ways of working all on the same project. That can allow for different perspectives to overlap and create new ideas.
There is a lot of flexibility and openness in different disciplines of design.

Quote of the Show:

15:55 “There’s a romance in that, I think ties back to this idea of hospitality and making people feel comfortable in a space that they're not typically because they're not familiar with it.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameserwincull/
Website: https://www.rottetstudio.com

Shout Outs:

0:43 Marriott Headquarters Hotel

0:52 Arne Sorenson

8:44 Pratt Institute

10:09 Barack Obama

23:00 Yabu Pushelberg

23:10 Lizette Viloria

23:15 Rockwell

23:26 George and Glenn

24:26 David Davis

24:27 Lauren Rottet

30:59 Platinum Circle Awards

31:03 Larry Traxler

31:13 Jordan Mozer

38:44 Belmond

39:12 LVMH

44:57 “Drawing From the Right Side of the Brain” by Betty Edwards

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/4lihXw-97BY

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Shari Bayer is the Founder and President at Bayer Public Relations. She’s been working in the restaurant industry since she was 16, so she knows the industry inside and out. Her passion for this beautiful industry is evident, especially through her podcast “All In the Industry”. She sits down with host Dan Ryan to talk about her journey through #hospitality and what it all means to her.

Takeaways:

Hospitality has the most transferable “soft skills” that anyone can have. Hospitality isn’t just limited to hotels and restaurants, it is everywhere.
Every restaurant is different with what is unique and what their story is. It can be hard to talk about yourself but it’s important to be vulnerable and show the world who you are.
Hospitality is all about making the guest feel welcomed and important. You want the guest to leave feeling happy and return often.
Design plays a huge role in the feeling of a restaurant or a hotel. It’s part of the complete package that is hospitality.
The pandemic has changed how restaurants work, with the guidelines shifting from outdoor to indoor dining back and forth.
You can’t teach someone to be a nice person, but you can teach them nice skills. When hiring someone, you want them to have the right personality. Hire for culture and not skills.
Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself. Push yourself outside of your comfort zone pieces at a time.

Quote of the Show:

12:44 “When people understand hospitality or get it right, they make you feel so special and so welcome, and so important and that they're genuinely happy to see you. They want you to feel good.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shari-bayer-2272862/
Website: https://www.bayerpublicrelations.com/
Podcast: https://www.allintheindustry.com/

Shout Outs:

3:39 Sullivan Street Bakery

4:30 Jim Lahey

5:37 Mark Bittman

5:40 New York Times

13:33 Glen Coben

13:46 Architect's Cookbook by Glen Coben

18:30 Barbara Sibley

18:31 La Palapa

21:36 Independent Restaurant Coalition

22:25 Prune

22:26 Gabrielle Hamilton

25:22 Danielle Boulud

31:41 Gramercy Tavern

32:34 Le Bernardin

34:36 Danny Meyer

41:37 Line Hotel

42:38 Spoken English restaurant in DC

49:32 Heritage Radio Network

49:34 Roberta’s Restaurant

51:59 Charlie Trotter

57:40 HOST Conference

52:58 William Vale in Brooklyn

1;01:12 Jimmy Yui

1;07:03 Rock Bottom Brewery

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/wBp1GBCqVJk

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Shaun de Vries is the Founder and Director at Open Pantry Consulting as well as the co-founder and host of the long running and very popular Principle of Hospitality podcast. He sits down with host Dan Ryan to talk about what #hospitality is like in Australia and his journey working in this beautiful industry.

Takeaways:

North America has always been a figurehead of the best level of hospitality around the entire world.
Hospitality is a collection of moments. These are all very special moments to the people who are involved and people in the industry are honored to share these moments.
Depending on what your brand is, it might be more beneficial to start in a suburban area and then expand into cities to test if that is a viable market.
The hospitality industry was hit hard during the pandemic, especially in Australia. They recorded the world’s longest lockdown period.
In hospitality you teach service, empathy and how to walk in someone else’s shoes to better understand where they are coming from.
It’s a challenge to hire people right now so you want to make sure when you bring a new person on board, the first six weeks are positive and exciting.
You want to learn and listen from those around you. People you surround yourself with have a great depth of knowledge you should take advantage of.

Quote of the Show:

9:05 “I think like anything in hospitality is a collection of moments. We're fortunate in the hospitality industry, the fact that we get to share some of the most important moments in people's lives. And that might be a surprise engagement, there might be a birthday, there might be some other form of celebration. It might be a first date, it might be a wedding, all these different things that people trust us with is really, really important when you think about it as a hospitality professional.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaun-de-vries-80bbb685/?originalSubdomain=au
Website: https://www.openpantryconsulting.com/
Podcast: https://principleofhospitality.com/

Shout Outs:

12:03 Grilled, Australia

14:08 Facebook

21:35 Four Fingers Crispy Chicken

23:50 Kath and Kim

34:28 LA Crows

52:03 Stumptown

52:18 Grumpy’s

53:05 Nick Stone

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/bmA8imF22Tc

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AiLun Ku is the President and CEO of the Opportunity Network. She sees the talent in the next generation and is committed to making sure they are given the same chances as others. AiLun sits down with host Dan Ryan to talk about her view on #hospitality and how to give everyone the sense of being welcomed.

Takeaways:

Inspiring the youth can have such a great lasting impact. They are the ones who can change the world for the better.
It’s ok to admit that you don’t know everything and open up about the mistakes that have been made because that creates room for growth.
You want to claim your identity and be proud of who you are. You can use that to guide your journey in life.
Hospitality is a state of exchanging culture. It feels warm and inviting, like it was meant to be that way all along.
The way we think about social justice in mass experience injustice. You can train people so that injustices aren’t a part of your company.
We are not truly in a space where opinions or voices from people of color are being taken with as much weight as they should be, but that doesn’t mean it can’t change for the better with the younger generation.
It’s important to open the mind of the next generation to hospitality opportunities and what is going on in the world.

Quote of the Show:

6:49 “We don't know everything. And when we don't know it, we'll try to figure it out together. And so for so long, our students, our alumni, they say, tell us, bring in more speakers that are willing to talk about failures and the mistakes. We gesture to the idea of mistakes and failures. And so when we normalize it right in conversation, then it becomes normalized for our young people.”

Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ailun_ku
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ailun-ku-8770211/
Website: https://opportunitynetwork.org/

Shout Outs:

8:27 Catskill Mountains

15:39 Carl Jackman

27:48 MIT Media Lab

27:52 Local Voices Network

29:10 Worth Doing Wrong by Arnie Malham

31:08 Cortico AI

33:01 Star Trek

37:41 OppNet Gala

39:22 Brian Weinstein

39:29 Independent Lodging Congress

41:10 Damon Lawrence

49:31 NYU’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/3GOUbsyoZWw

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David Tracz is the Partner and Founder at 3877. He knows the importance of building a good relationship with your clients and making sure you are working with them on a project. He sits down with host Dan Ryan to share his thoughts on #hospitality and what it all means to him.

Takeaways:

You want to make your clients feel welcomed and comfortable in the environment that you build for them.
When working with clients, don’t treat it like it’s a job but treat it like you are working together with them. You want to build a relationship and connection with them.
Building trust with your clients is important. You want to prove you can get the work done in a timely manner but also have respect for them.
You learn something new everyday. It’s ok to not have the right answer and try something new and see if that works, that is how you grow.
Working with residential clients allows you to better understand your clients than you would if you work in an office or with commercial clients.
There are many different types of hospitality and while they may differ, they all learn from each other and take inspiration from each other.
Technology allows for a greater development in hospitality allowing the experience to be more tailored to each guest's liking.

Quote of the Show:

12:06 “I think we really focus on just building that relationship, talking to them. It's not about the job. It's about us working together. I just hope that it's going to come eventually because we're good at what we do. And we like to execute on beautiful projects. And, I think that mentality is just a better way to look at things.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-tracz-2ab33a/
Website: https://www.3877.design/

Shout Outs:

0:41 Aliya Khan

0:42 Marriott

2:19 Pepe Moncayo

2:59 Boqueria Restaurant in DC

3:03 Jaan

8:29 Business of Architecture Podcast

11:26 Knead

14:22 Succotash in DC

26:19 OPX

33:05 Bashar Wali

35:24 Independent Lodging Congress

41:31 Setting the Table by Danny Meyer

44:24 James Bond

46:03 Nvidia

46:07 BMW

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/cj7qFKFCvTE

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Christina Flannery is the Director of Design at Park Hotels and Resorts. She uses her keen eye for renovation to help the design of hotels and provide a sense of community and belonging to them. She sits down with host Dan Ryan to share her journey through the world of #hospitality and what it all means to her.

Takeaways:

Hospitality is all about being social and feeling that sense of community and belonging when you are at home or away.
There is a higher level of engagement in multifamily living spaces, which contributes to the sense of community.
Springtime is a time of rebirth, and it will be a great time for travel and for the hospitality industry to bounce back.
Your front staff is incredibly important. They are the ones who are talking with guests daily and know what it takes to make guests feel welcomed and at home.
It’s the little gestures of hospitality that really keep people going and keep them coming back.
Technology advances for hospitality can help to make guests feel more at home. It can allow them to set whatever temperature they want or any lighting setting they want.
The design of a place can change the entire mood of a person walking into it.

Quote of the Show:

11:21 “Springtime is around the corner and it's always a nice rebirth. You're kind of shedding that cold winter and into something new and fresh. And I feel the light at the end of the tunnel here with where we're headed. It’s exciting for hospitality because I think everybody's going to want to be traveling and they're getting out there, seeing what's out there and plan their next vacation or their next business trip. It's gonna really focus around the amenities and what the property has to offer.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christina-flannery-15732937/
Website: https://www.pkhotelsandresorts.com/

Shout Outs:

3:23 The Hilton in Ocean City, MD

3:41 Marriott

10:04 ALoft Marriott

16:27 Digital Key

29:30 Signia by Hilton

29:33 Waldorf Astoria

31:04 Hilton Hawaiian Village

46:49 Doubletree Hotel

47:38 Dave Kaplan

47:39 Death and Company

48:10 Equinox

48:11 Merivale

48:22 Tiger King

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/GCQbm8tU5KE

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Karin Harrington is the Principal at Studio Partnership. With almost 30 years of experience in the industry, she has a keen eye for quality design. She has won many awards from many of the major hospitality brands. She joins host Dan Ryan to talk about her journey through the world of #hospitality and what it all means to her.

Takeaways:

The hospitality industry is full of people who love what they do. They don’t view it as a job but rather something that they are lucky enough to do.
Going on a vacation is aspirational. You want to go somewhere where you feel relaxed and comfortable in the environment.
A sense of community can bring a positive impact to a business. You want to make employees feel welcomed where they are.
You need to be empathetic with others. Everyone who plays a role in hospitality is important and if you don’t have that, then your space will never see success.
The first step in the design process is programming. It’s your responsibility to make sure that you communicate effectively with the clients to make sure everyone is on the same page.
Hospitals and doctors offices are spots where hospitality hasn’t really taken hold yet. There are a lot of factors at play as to why this hasn’t happened yet.
COVID has changed it so that people have really slowed down and focused on what is most important to them.

Quote of the Show:

16:34 “Hospitality is so different. It is really a lifestyle. People ask like how you asked me to explain it and it goes all the way to the root of my being. It is the way I was brought up as well as it is part of my personality type. It is both of those things.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karin-harrington-568b95b/
Website: https://studiopartnership.net

Shout Outs:

Aaron Anderson

6:41 Rebecca Jones

14:30 ACE Hotel

15:50 Capital One

15:54 TD Bank

18:50 Verdans

19:38 Chevy Chase Club

33:01 Mercy Hospital in Baltimore

39:25 Amy Jacobowsky

41:07 Christina Hart

46:41 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/41Xr1HU5XPM

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David Allen is the Founder at the David Allen Company. He’s also the author of many books, including “Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress Free Productivity”. Having your mind open and a clear space can help to keep you functioning at a high level and be better at what you do. David sits down with host Dan Ryan to share his thoughts on #hospitality and what it all means to him.

Takeaways:

Having a clear space in your mind allows you to deal with surprise and change in a better way.
Hospitality is all about making others feel a welcome experience. You want those around you to feel at home.
You need to have authentic conversations with those around you. If you are at a hotel and you don’t like your room, it’s ok to say so.
Managing your staff in the right way is a key to success. You want to set a good standard for them to follow and make sure they keep up with it.
A checklist is an incredibly important part of everyday life. Making a checklist can help to make sure that everything that needs to get done is actually done.
Communication is key. You want to make sure those around you feel appreciated and know that you are engaged in the conversation.
When working on a project, you want to think of two key components. You want to think of the outcome desired and the actual step required to reach that.

Quote of the Show:

7:08 “When I think about when I have felt hospitable or being hospitable towards people with me, it was heartfelt. It was authentic and it was service oriented. It's a real communication from a caring place. It says, how can I help? How can I serve? So I think hospitality is not just for the industry. I think it's for the human being as an experience.”

Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/gtdguy?lang=en
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidallengtd/
Website: https://gettingthingsdone.com/
Book Link: https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Things-Done-Stress-Free-Productivity-ebook/dp/B00KWG9M2E

Shout Outs:

0:59 Danny Passman

10:21 Raul Leal

10:24 S.H. Hotels

12:07 Four Seasons San Francisco

13:24 Nanci Sherman

13:42 Hilton Hotel Miami

16:09 The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande

17:30 Kepler’s Books in Menlo Park, CA

17:35 Jerry Garcia

17:38 The Warlocks

17:39 Grateful Dead

21:05 Being Mortal by Atul Gawande

21:17 E-Myth Revisited by Michael E Gerber

32:48 Suzuki

32:49 Alan Watts

34:32 Franklin Covey

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/KJY9_ORrWtU

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity [Paperback] [Apr 22, 2015] David Allen

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Carrie Tolman is the Associate Principal at KTGY Simeone Deary Design Group. She has a keen eye for interior design and uses her roots in southern hospitality to help influence the style she uses today. She joins host Dan Ryan to share her #hospitality journey and how she got to where she is now.

Takeaways:

Hospitality by definition is temporary lodging. You want to make it feel like more than that though, you want to make it a home away from home.
Architecture is sculpture in motion.
Design can be part of a beautiful experience. It can help create a beautiful view and it is a work of art.
Southern hospitality is world renowned and it’s an expectation when you go there. It’s an art of how you entertain and host.
Interior design and hospitality are both about the service level and how you can create an experience for your guests.
Reconnecting with those around you is important. It’s a nice idea to get away and really focus on those you love and share personal experiences.
Right now we are experiencing the great American migration. They are leaving urban environments and moving out to spaces that don’t cost as much.

Quote of the Show:

7:45 “If you look at hospitality, what it is by definition is a temporary lodging, a domicile away from your own home. Whether it's an extended stay or, or not. And so those skills that I learned how to make people feel welcome and good within those spaces at a home applied, just in a much larger scale for hospitality.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carrie-tolman-9a775a5/
Website: https://www.simeonedeary.com/

Shout Outs:

5:47 Peninsula Beverly Hills Hotel

6:25 House Beautiful

6:27 Alessandra Bronca

8:19 Hirsch Bedner

8:21 Regent Beverly Wilshire

8:59 President Reagan

9:16 Warren Beatty

14:14 Whitney Museum

19:14 White Lodging

19:19 Brush Creek Ranch

38:49 Meyer Davis

41:44 The Naked Gun

45:44 Gibson’s

47:03 Nat King Cole Bar

49:00 Vincent Van Gogh

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/2Ef_4g_w9q8

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Dyonne Fashina is the Principal at Denizens of Design Inc. She sees the beauty in designs and the passion it takes to create them. She sits down with host Dan Ryan to share her #hospitality journey from her memories about Canadian art culture to where she stands now.

Takeaways:

You have to learn to pick yourself back up when you get knocked down. In life, it’s not about how you fall but how you get back up.
Hospitality spaces have always been about empathy but it needs to shine through now more than ever.
There needs to be a certain identity to each design. If it doesn’t have something unique to separate it from other designs, then no one will notice the difference.
If you are designing something based on the latest trend, it will not last. But if you design something based on the environment and a good feeling, then it will last.
Life experiences will help you understand what kind of space that you need to create. Research also helps because every space is different.
Always bring positive energy and the feeling of being invested into every project that you do.
A sense of community is incredibly important. It will help you get through difficult times and give you a strong support system.

Quote of the Show:

9:45 “Empathy needs to come into the design and the business world and into the hospitality world more than it had in the past.”

Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/denizensofdes?lang=en
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dyonne-fashina-8567431a4/?originalSubdomain=ca
Website: https://www.denizens.ca
McMichael Art Collection: https://mcmichael.com/

Shout Outs:

0:30 Stacy Shoemaker

0:37 HD Awards

12:43 Clay Restaurant at the Garden Museum

12:56 KPMB Architects

25:49 The MicMichael Art Collection

31:13 HDAC

31:23 Aaron Anderson

32:55 Bashar Wali

32:56 Damon Lawrence

32:56 Nina Grondin

34:17 Lenny Kravitz

34:20 Venus Williams

36:00 Black Architects and Interior Designers Association of Canada

36:08 Camille Mitchell

36:09 Gensler

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGll0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/-RGsghJRfuc

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Christian Schnyder is the owner at Beleco. He’s been inspired and informed by over 30 years of experience. He specializes in hospitality and residential interiors. He’s used his roots from Switzerland to influence his view on the world and #hospitality. He joins host Dan Ryan to talk about his journey into the world of hospitality.

Takeaways:

The culture in Switzerland is driven towards service. Because of the lack of other resources, they have shifted their focus to providing good services.
It’s important to keep your end goals in mind. You want to have a way to know how you want to finish a project.
Giving a strong environment for people to fill a space with is part of the process of making a space more livable.
Hospitality is about having an open door policy. You can have people come over and talk about anything they want, and you want them to feel a sense of belonging.
We are thinking less about the impact of our words on others. Technology has advanced which is nice but it also takes us away from our human connections.
Staying in touch with those around us is important for keeping us motivated and keeping coworkers focused.
You’re not designing for designers, you are designing for people.

Quote of the Show:

16:09 “As a designer you have a design done and it's approved and you go forward and then halfway through, they're basically saying, well, no, guess what? The design, it's not going to work. You need to go and keep what's there. And I think that's what I love about this is like, okay, now here is sort of that hurdle you have to jump over. How can you make something look effortless?”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-schnyder-a04a118/
Website: https://belecodesign.com

Shout Outs:

1:17 Hirsch Bedner

1:19 Kirk Nix

12:12 Kimpton Gray Hotel

19:05 IHG Hotels and Resorts

19:43 Jennifer Ramsey

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/tcoQmPdGnx8

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Avi Brosh is the CEO and Founder of Palisociety. At his core, he is a modern day inn keeper. He’s been involved in real estate and hospitality for over 30 years. He joins host Dan Ryan to talk about his #hospitality journey all the way from a small school in New Jersey all the way to Malibu, California.

Takeaways:

It’s better to get up earlier and accomplish some goals earlier in the day. It’s a good way to work and sets you apart from others.
Hotels should be able to tell a story about their place. It can make the stay at the hotel feel more like a home and you feel connected with it.
You want to manufacture an environment that doesn’t actually feel manufactured. The environment should feel like it is inviting and it all feels natural.
It’s not easy to create something that makes you feel a certain type of way. It can be a difficult process but it is rewarding in the end.
Every kind of hospitality is different. Once you find your style of hospitality, it needs to be something that you can do repeatedly and consistently.
You need to have an uncompromising vision. Once you have an idea in your head, go for it and make that dream a reality.
If you are going through a tough spot, you have to keep going. You need to keep believing in yourself and keep going.

Quote of the Show:

36:31 “I'm very particular at our hotels and restaurants and what have you that It's a certain kind of hospitality, which is not the same hospitality you would get at a four seasons in Paris. It's different then the motel six off a highway in Cincinnati. You have to decide what it is that you want to deliver in terms of the style of hospitality you want to deliver.”

Links:

Website: https://www.palisociety.com
Instagram: @avibrosh

Shout Outs:

3:31 Saddle River Country Day School

3:35 Joe Auginello

6:44 “Howard’s End” by E.M Forster

7:34 Boston University

12:17 Misha Bedner

12:39 Michael Bedner

24:42 Ian Schrager

24:43 Philippe Starck

25:22 Mondrian Los Angeles

26:15 Royalton

28:30 Keith McNally

39:43 Aman Tokyo

47:59 Ritz-Carlton

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/twTexxyH0Ms

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Sara Duffy is a Principal Partner at Stonehill & Taylor Architects. She recalls moments from her childhood at a restaurant where they treated everyone like family, and that has led her to her career in hospitality. She joins host Dan Ryan to share some of her #hospitality experiences and what it all means to her.

Takeaways:

Hospitality is the true sense of being welcome. You want to feel a sense of belonging and feeling like you are part of a family.
When designing a space, you don’t want to pigeon hole yourself into one design style. You need to think about the different kinds of people coming in and make it welcoming for all of them.
You want to work with people who might see something from a different perspective than you. They could have a point of view you never thought of.
Finding creative solutions to problems is a good idea. COVID made it so people couldn’t be together so people used video calls to talk with each other.
The routines we have are what can set us free. It’s good to be creative and step outside of your comfort zone every once in a while.
You want your employees to be happy and productive. Employees tend to be more engaged in their work when they are excited to come into work.
Broaden your horizons. There are so many opportunities in life and work, it’s important to grab them and take advantage of them. You’ll never know where they lead.

Quote of the Show:

7:29 ”When I was a kid growing up on the upper west side of New York. There was this really terrific Italian restaurant that we went to on 79th street. Every Friday night and they knew us.

It was kind of like, cheers. Everybody knows your name. I loved it there and I think that was my first sort of foray into the true sense of being welcomed into a space and true hospitality. And they were so nice to me. I would get tired at the end of the night and they would let me sleep across two chairs or they'd let me sit at the bar and watch TV and talk to the bartender. It was just like I was supposed to be there.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-duffy-aa11338/
Website: https://stonehilltaylor.com

Shout Outs:

5:43 Paul Taylor

8:55 Tony’s restaurant in New York

9:30 House of Gucci

12:19 Canby Hotel

12:25 Ritz-Carlton

13:02 Patrick Ewing

16:39 NBA

24:47 Revit

25:11 “Checklist Manifesto”

33:33 MTV 33:35 Beavis and Butthead

36:33 Carson Daly

36:39 Adam Perry

36:55 Kurt Loder

37:46 Remote Control

37:50 John Stewart

37:54 Mike Judge

38:44 Madonna

39:09 Kurt Cobain

39:11 Courtney Love

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/IlmzzxMZb4A

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David Kaplan is the Founder of Death & Company, the CEO at Gin and Luck, Co-author of several books including “Cocktail Codex”, the Co-Founder of Midnight Auteur. He likes to create human connections and memorable moments through cocktails and wonderful hospitality service. He sits down with host Dan Ryan to share his insight on #hospitality and how important it is to just be nice.

Takeaways:

Hospitality is defined by creating moments of human connections. It’s all about connecting people within communities or total strangers to each other.
Walt Disney didn’t like movies because there was a finite end and no way to improve it once it was out there. Be like Walt and always strive for improvement where you can.
Fans, followers and guests are the reason why a business is successful. Crowdfunding is a great way to offer equity in your business to those people.
Now is the time for independent boutique hotels, as these are spaces that are often overlooked.
The best hospitality feels really authentic because it is. You want the guests to feel the warmth and compassion in the bar, hotel or restaurant.
An experience starts at the door. You want to create a memorable experience once a guest steps right through the door.
It’s a tough time with a lot of hospitality services being short staffed but it’s important to have a great culture even through these difficult times.
You want to make sure what you are doing is something that gives back to the community that it is located in.

Quote of the Show:

9:18 “Hospitality for me and for our company is defined by creating moments of human connectivity, moments and stages for that human connectivity. For us it really starts with our teams, our staff, our investors, forming a community and connectivity within those folks within our worlds, and then extends out to our guests, fans, followers. Those are moments of hospitality. Those are our spheres of hospitality, and then cascading that connectivity out into the community.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-kaplan-a2644212/
Website: https://www.ginandluck.com/
- https://www.deathandcompany.com/about-death-and-company/
- http://proprietorsllc.com/

Shout Outs:

1:42 BDNY

3:35 EOS

4:08 Ryan Diggins

4:11 Ramble Hotel

8:01 Walt Disney

13:01 SeedInvest

15:03 “The Great Game of Business”

15:45 New York Times

15:47 Forbes

15:48 Wall Street Journal

19:44 Star Trek

23:01 “Little Giants”

30:05 Delta

49:27 “Things To Do In Denver When You Are Dead”

49:49 Andy Garcia

54:34 Jerry Orbach

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/FD2QZ6RF4UQ

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Aliya Khan, VP of design lifestyle brands at Marriott, promotes a positive lifestyle for brands and global design strategy. In 2019, she was an honoree for women in design from Hospitality Design magazine. Aliya joins host Dan Ryan to discuss her view on #hospitality and how important it is to be more open to change and face it with a positive attitude.

Takeaways:

Hospitality is about bringing people together from all walks of life. Sometimes you know them, sometimes you don't. It’s about experiencing new things in life with others.
The environment, the experience and the memory all add up to play important roles in delivering hospitality.
Often it can be the small things that make an experience so much more meaningful. You want to make sure all your guests' needs are met, even the small ones. It shows thoughtfulness and caring
You can learn so much from watching people. You’ll learn what they like and dislike and can use that to make a hospitality experience more relatable and enjoyable.
When you embrace change, you always see everything as an opportunity. You need to find a positive outlook and build that culture in your work and life.
Surround yourself with people who have the same view on change as you do. That way when you are going through change, they can help you get through it if you struggle.
Everything in a restaurant is designed to work together to create a memorable experience.
You want to celebrate the core foundational pieces of a hotel or restaurant when taking it over. You can update some things but it’s worth keeping some core things the same.

Quote of the Show:

2:54 “One of my grandmothers on one side of my family [I'm one of eight grandchildren] didn't have a big enough dining table for eight children and the parents that came with them. So she had this rug and we would literally, I'm not kidding, sit around that rug. We would go serve ourselves lunch and sit on the floor. Cross-legged on that rug. And I think to myself, when I think about that, I think about how it brought a group of people together, it always brought us back together.

So I sort of see it like a metaphor for hospitality. It brings people together. It brings you together from all over. Sometimes you know the people, sometimes you don't. But it literally is this gathering spot.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliya-khan-8245461/
Website: https://www.marriott.com/default.mi

Shout Outs:

10:28 “American Utopia” by David Byrne

14:59 Aaron Ritcher

22:05 Marriott

22:09 Arne Sorenson

28:22 Moxie

28:26 Westin

30:39 Aloft Hotels

31:51 Equinox Hotels

33:15 Heavenly Bed

36:27 Mitchell Gold

36:36 Robert Polin

36:41 Christine McGinnis

41:16 Kristina O’Neil

44:11 Beverly Hills Hotel

44:14 St. Regis Hotel

45:24 Westin St. Francis

45:26 The Clift

45:53 Michael Mina

46:04 Larry Traxler

47:54 The Royalton

48:14 W Hotels

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/8bv5EGJPC2A

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Ron Swidler is the Founder of the Hotel Tomorrow and the Chief Innovation Office at the Gettys Group for 33 years. He knows that it takes courage to be innovative and creative. Ron’s passion is to strive for the best for his company and clients. He joins host Dan Ryan to talk about his experience with #hospitality and how he views it.

Takeaways:

It takes many hours to become an expert in a certain area, but it also takes a certain amount of luck as well.
Surround yourself with people that you trust that can be advisors or mentors. That way when you start a new project you’ll have a supporting cast helping you.
It takes a lot of courage to be vulnerable and admit when you need help. Asking for help isn’t a terrible thing to be ashamed of, it’s what a good leader does.
Hospitality has evolved into noticing how you make people feel. When we are at our best we are caring for others.
There is a bit of selflessness in hospitality, as it is about giving back to others and making others feel comfortable and welcomed.
You need a signature for your company. You need something that when someone thinks of your company, they have an image in mind that fits your brand (i.e. Disney and Mickey Mouse or Cinderella's Castle).
Bringing people’s attention to a better way to do projects (i.e. sustainability, community focus, etc.) is important as you can influence someone to have a better impact on a community.

Quote of the Show:

10:02 “Most people are familiar with Maya Angelou's quote about forgetting what I've said or what I do, but remembering how I make you feel. And I think ultimately that's what hospitality has evolved into. And I have an interesting theory about how that's going to progress out into the future because we're only at one step of that evolution. But I think when we're at our best, we're caring for others. There's a bit of selflessness in that.”

Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ronswidler?lang=en
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ron-swidler-521a848/
Website: https://www.gettys.com

Shout Outs:

3:24 “Outliers”by Malcom Gladwell

3:59 Roger Hill

4:00 Andrew Fay

6:17 Marriott

7:49 Phil Cordell

7:53 Hilton

10:04 Maya Angelou

11:52 TripAdvisor

14:12 Disney Castle

18:59 Matt Phillips

21:57 USA Today

24:54 HD Expo

25:05 Howard Wolff

25:08 Starwood

25:13 Christian Strobel

25:38 Parsons School of Design

33:37 “Exponential Organizations” by Salim Ismail

35:56 “The Inevitable” by Kevin Kelly

37:46 Blair Batwani

40:33 Kraig Kalashian

44:46 “Radical Evolution” by Joel Gero

44:46 Bill Joy

45:06 Ray Kurzweil

48:47 Chris Milk

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/K17KGIxhzcA

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Siobhan Barry, Principal, Design Director, Hospitality Practice Area Leader North East at Gensler has been creating what she refers to as “Instagram moments” for over 20 years. She shares her outlook on #hospitality and her journey through the industry. Siobhan discusses with host Dan Ryan how hospitality can split into two different segments and how we can bring hospitality to all aspects of life.

Takeaways:

As a designer, you have to create moments that are memorable for people. You want it to be captured and remembered, and this is referred to as an “instagram moment”
Designers can find a way to make people feel certain emotions when entering a room.
There is the “Big H” and “Little H” hospitality. The Big H is hotels, restaurants and the likes while the little h is everything else ranging from hospitals to stadiums.
When you think of the best times you’ve had, they weren’t digital and probably had some element of spontaneity to them.
After 9/11, Siobhan went into business with a friend to open a nightclub to try and lift people’s spirits and provide for them a place to go.
Designing for celebration is a key aspect when thinking about creating a space. You want the room to feel joyous and full of energy.
Travel is making a comeback now and it is now seen as a basic human need, along with having new experiences.
To create the most innovation, you have to be willing to push the boundaries and try something different and unique.

Quote of the Show:

8:14 “I call it big H hospitality and small h hospitality. And what I mean by that is there's sort of the realm of the industry that we know, so that's the big H. I think of that as hotels, restaurants, spas, cruise ships, the things that we kind of know are in this industry category.

And then there's this small H which to me is everything else where, or every other arena in which our clients, our customers are, are expecting a different way of engaging than they have in the past been used to.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siobhan-barry-93072643/
Website: https://www.gensler.com
Instagram: Siobhanjthomas

Shout Outs:

0:43 Product Runway

1:20 ICRAVE

14:23 Sid’s Gold

16:11 Blondie

16:11 Gwen Stefani

16:21 Dusty Springfield

16:25 Patsy Cline

16:33 Fitz Gold

17:07 Calvin Klein

19:05 Swan Reserve

21:01 Lionel Ohayon

22:08 Prada

22:11 Madison Avenue

24:21 Dorsia

25:54 Crowbar

30:13 Airbnb

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/yiwVCXTHD1g

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John DiJulius, President of the DiJulius Group, started his enterperinaul career operating a hair salon with his wife in Cleveland. Now, he is an international consultant, working with companies like the Ritz-Carlton. He’s the author of many books, including the must read “Customer Service Revolution.” John joins host Dan Ryan to talk about his views on #hospitality and what it all means to him.

Takeaways:

There are 10 rules to follow when it comes to customer service and making sure you provide a world class experience.
Hospitality is the emotional warmth that you get from someone. It’s not just contained to hotels and restaurants but applies in all aspects of life.
The hospitality aptitude is a person's ability to recognize, meet and exceed customers expectations regardless of the circumstances.
Hospitality can be defined by the five E’s; enthusiastic greeting, ear to ear smile, eye contact, engaged, and educate.
You want to be excited to have new clients or new guests at your hotel or restaurant. Excitement shows that you are and are interested in them.
There’s a gift in every conversation if you’re paying attention to it. You listen to what the other person is saying and send them a follow up, just to let them know you heard them.
F.O.R.D - Family, Occupation, Recreation, and Dreams. These are great ways to get to know someone and communicate with them.
John looks forward to the future where technology becomes better and better and makes all of our lives easier.

Quote of the Show:

5:50 “I don't believe hospitality is an industry. I believe it's a piece of the experience every company should deliver. I think PricewaterhouseCoopers, lawyers, whatever industry manufacturing, we should be in the hospitality business, all of us that happens to have really smart lawyers, accountants, widget makers, whatever that means. I really believe it and how I define hospitality is, it's a feeling you give me. Ideally it's an emotional warmth, but it's emotional.”

Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/johndijulius
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dijulius/
Website: https://thedijuliusgroup.com
Book Links: https://www.amazon.com/Relationship-Economy-Building-Stronger-Connections/dp/1626346437
- https://www.amazon.com/Best-Customer-Service-Quotes-Ever/dp/1632990873
- https://www.amazon.com/Customer-Service-Revolution-Overthrow-Conventional/dp/162634129X
- https://www.amazon.com/Whats-Secret-Providing-World-Class-Experience/dp/0470196122

Shout Outs:

0:03 Ritz-Carlton

1:38 Chick-Fil-A

1:40 Starbucks

1:52 Spirit Airlines

10:00 Danny Meyer

10:01 Union Square Cafe

14:01 “How to Make Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie

15:30 Balthazar, Keith McNally restaurant

20:50 New Day USA

48:48 Tesla

48:50 Peloton

48:51 Lulu Lemon

48:54 Apple

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
YouTube: https://youtu.be/cI4awAsf7_s

The Relationship Economy: Building Stronger Customer Connections in the Digital Age

What's the Secret?: To Providing a World-Class Customer Experience

The Customer Service Revolution: Overthrow Conventional Business, Inspire Employees, and Change the World

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A former firefighter now turned hotelier, today’s guest talks about how his experiences with his grandma’s hostel has influenced his view on hospitality. Aaron Anderson, a board member of the Hospitality Diversity Action Council (HDAC) and the CEO of 26 Co, joins host Dan Ryan to talk about how the lack of diversity in higher up positions of #hospitality can be viewed as a more prominent issue and how important it is to have empathy and listen to others with an open heart.

Takeaways:

When coming up with a business plan, you need to have a clear goal or thesis that represents your values and what you want in the future.
Hospitality is providing a warm and safe environment for a guest. No matter what the guest is going through, making sure they are feeling safe and welcomed can bring plenty of relief.
Getting to know people on a personal level and understanding what their feelings are is a big part of hospitality.
It’s important to keep an open heart and listen to others, as it helps you understand not only the guest but also yourself.
You can always build empathy. It’s ok to admit you don’t know the right thing to say or do, but as long as you approach the situation with an open heart then you can learn.
The hospitality industry is diverse but only at the lower level positions. As you get higher and higher in the rankins to the c-suite level, you see less and less diversity which is an issue.
Don’t take any moment for granted. We get caught up in the tough love we put ourselves through, but everything will work out like it’s meant to.

Quote of the Show:

6:58 “I think hospitality is really just providing that place of warmth for someone. Due to it being, traveling due to being their friend that needs to come over and to sleep over and spend some time with you because they're that they're going through something. That moment when my grandmother owned the shelter for women and children, we were in hospitality. We're providing meals, we're providing a warm bed to stay, providing clothes. Hospitality is just not hotels or restaurants. It's really providing a cozy place in a safe place.”

Links:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/aforchrist
Website: the26co.com

Shout Outs:

0:36 Hunter Conference

8:19 Jason Caldwell

8:24 HD Summit

20:53 Black Lives Matter

21:38 George Floyd

23:01 HDAC

23:27 Nina Grondin

23:28 Damon Lawrence

23:28 Bashar Wali

25:30 Entrepreneur’s Organization

28:59 Blockbuster

29:06 Netflix

29:29 Tom Healy

31:49 ACE Hotel

31:51 Brad Wilson

35:12 Malcom X College

40:00 Cliff Eric

40:04 Ralph Angerberger

40:06 Laurie Horvath

40:09 Steve Shoat

40:13 Scott Hammons

40:25 Karen Harrington

40:34 Angela Clark

41:26 Cliff Derkin

43:24 Scott Hammons

43:27 Alan Benjamin

47:20 Mikey Dobin

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/LO7cXUf2AvI

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Creating a sustainable environment in hospitality and all aspects of life is incredibly important; it allows us to live healthier lives and give back to the environment and the world. Sharing this view is JoAnna Abrams who is not only the Founder & CEO of Mindclick, Inc but she’s also been named a hospitality industry innovator by Lodging Magazine. She joins host Dan Ryan to talk about how sustainability plays a big role in hospitality, and how guests are becoming more aware of the need for a change in going green, and how guests are now more likely to stay in a hotel that does more for the environment than one that does not.

Takeaways:

Sustainability is an important part of hospitality. You want to make sure the products you are using will last for a long time and are good for the environment.
While it’s worth noting the profit motive for trying to have more sustainability in hotels, it’s also worth doing for the health of the planet. All big banks have committed that by 2050, 100% of their lending will be carbon neutral.
Guests will choose to stay in a hotel that cares about the environment and commits to a healthier lifestyle rather than one that doesn’t.
The power of hospitality is made from the people who work in the industry and strive to create fun, enjoyable experiences anywhere in the world.
Designers have struggled with being overwhelmed by all the certifications that are out there, so if a top 100 firm hires them it’s a big help and influence.
Nature continually adapts and evolves and we need to as well, in regards to sustainability and the environment.
Taking an idea, executing it and implementing it in your company is really the basis of what being an entrepreneur is.
You don’t always have to take positions that you think are the ones that you think you have to have to advance your career. Life isn’t a straight line and sometimes a new position can provide helpful life changes.

Quote of the Show:

16:20: And then a huge, huge component of hospitality is service. It really is that experience that you have is based upon the environment that's created through a service orientation. And it was interesting in the research that we did, a digital marketing campaign for a courtyard that was renovated in Southern California, where we told guests about the positive impacts of products chosen for a quarter.

It had been following a renovation, both environmental and social, and health and so on. And we did, we then looked at the research results and saw 150% increase in satisfaction and loyalty and all these key measures. And we interviewed these folks who had seen the marketing campaign and said, okay, Talk to us about this.

What would this mean to you? And over and over and over again, we heard that people saying a hotel that has gone out of its way to choose products that are better for me and the planet, is really taking care of us. And that really stands out and I'm going to choose that hotel over others.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannaabrams/
Website: https://mindclick.com

Shout Outs:

1:57 Heather Gatineau

2:23 Toyota

4:03 Diana Dobin

4:24 Valley Forge Fabrics

7:47 Marriott

8:14 Hyatt

8:15 IHG

8:18 Wyndham

9:01 Dave Lippert

12:12 Larry Fink

13:15 Gretta Turnberg

14:49 Real Time with Bill Maher

21:00 Avinash Rajagopal

21:02 Metropolis Magazine

30:06 Paul McElroy

32:20 Susan Suhar

37:58 Prius

38:00 Tesla

39:57 Dean Witter Reynolds

40:09 Arthur Anderson

41:27 Warburg Pincus

1:03:09 Arnie Mahlham

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/TzMzQ1Ant6I

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Today’s guest started her career in hospitality in a very unusual place; McDonald’s! She focused on how architecture and design could connect with the customers at the restaurant. Now, Sarah Klymson is the Vice President of Product Brand Development at Hyatt Hotels. She joins host Dan Ryan to discuss her journey through #hospitality and how she views the industry.

Takeaways:

You can use architecture to create a warm and inviting feeling for guests when they come across a hotel or restaurant. The same can be done for design.
Hospitality isn’t just about providing a great service, it’s also about inspiring your guests so that they take that inspiration with them when they leave.
It’s important to remain authentic and genuine in the hospitality industry. Staying with what makes your brand stand out is always important to keep.
Your hotel or restaurant should be more than just a destination. You want to bring something that no one else can bring to the table.
Being present in the moment is a beautiful feeling. It’s important to take time to be away from all the technology and just relax.
Being intentional is the ultimate form of mindfulness.
It’s important to be aware of the things in your life that upset you and try to find a way to overcome those things and better yourself as a person.
You can create a beautiful space, but the key point is making sure the experience itself is something that can change someone’s life for the better.

Quote of the Show:

9:09 “One of the biggest things that I actually was reminded of this week when I traveled is how important inspiration is in a hospitality experience. Inspiring people and creating experiences for them that they will take into their lives. That's what hospitality is about. It's not just about caring for people and creating a wonderful experience when they're there, but it's also inspiring them, getting them to think about things in a different way.

When they go back into their normal lives, they take that sense of inspiration and hopefully it bleeds into other areas of their lives. I think that's really what's at the core. And I think that's why people are so passionate about this industry is because it inspires them. The sense of passion can come out and what we create either through design or the experiences that we create on property.”

Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sklymson
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahklymson/
Website: https://www.hyatt.com
Instagram: @sarahklymson

Shout Outs:

1:44 McDonald’s

10:29: Miraval

14:46 Mark Hoplamazian

39:57 Hoffman Process

46:50 Jerry Seinfeld

54:05: Rookie Smarts

56:57 Vasu Dora

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/Q6DiFfEeG-4

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Improving your life can seem like an incredibly daunting task, but if you just take some simple steps in doing so, you can accomplish anything. Keith Roberts is the Founder and Creative Director at Zenman & US Director at emBlue, as well as the Creator & Author of the “Oak Journal” and an upcoming book “Becoming Zenman”. He has searched the world to find ways that people can use to make incremental changes in their lives for the better, like setting one personal goal, one family goal and one business goal a day to become a balanced individual. He joins host Dan Ryan to share his insights on #hospitality and how mastering your goals can create a better you!

Takeaways:

Life is too short to learn from experience. It’s helpful to provide people with roadmaps on how to accomplish goals that they have set for themselves in life.
If you want to reach your goals in life, you need to work on it everyday and have a structured system to get it done.
To be a balanced individual, everyday you need to make incremental improvements in one business goal, one personal goal and one family goal.
Hospitality isn’t just the food or the location, but it’s also the atmosphere and going above and beyond for those staying at your hotel or restaurant.
Start your day with gratitude. It gets your day going on a positive note and makes you a happier person overall.
Following Warren Rustand’s 10-10-10 rule will change your life for the better. You start your day with 10 minutes of meditation, 10 minutes of reading and 10 minutes of positive journaling.
To make sure you reach your goals, the oak journal that Keith wrote created a three step process; state your goals, visualize it and then actually feel the emotion from it.
As Henry David Thoreau once said, “Suck all the marrow out of life”. That is advice that Keith would give to his younger self.

Quote of the Show:

11:18 We've all heard that story about that, the forgotten Teddy bear. But I think it's in so many books because it's such a perfect example. Kid forgets the Teddy bear and can't sleep.

Dad calls the four seasons and says, Hey, I forgot my Teddy bear. I convinced little Billy to go to bed because Teddy bear stayed for an extended vacation. They not only sent the Teddy bear back, but they sent a photo book of the Teddy bear playing golf, the Teddy bear at the spa with cucumbers over his eyes.

So they spent an hour, the employees probably had a blast doing it, and it's in dozens of books on culture, business, customer service, leadership, that example. You never know what little above and beyond thing, and for me, for the journal, I get paid to speak. But if there's one person that I meet at an airport, I will give my keynote

If I've got time to that person and share the knowledge, the tools, and hopefully inspire them to be the best version of themselves.”

Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Zenman42
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zenman/
Website: https://www.zenman.com/

Shout Outs:

2:16 Bodhisattva

3:41 Warren Rustand

4:03 Gino Wickman

28:49 Machu Picchu

32:18 Henry David Thoreau

33:08 Walden Pond

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/bvDcall04eM

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Harsha L’Acqua, Founder of Saira Hospitality, wants others to develop the “hospitality gene” for others. She has created a unique business to help students interested in hospitality find their way to the industry through what she refers to as pop up hospitality schools. Harsha shares with host Dan Ryan how to grow and develop this hospitality gene and her take on defining hospitality.

Takeaways:

When we first make hotels, walls are the first thing that are put up. To the community it comes off as that it is a boundary they aren’t allowed to enter, but they should feel welcomed by these additions to their areas.
Hospitality is more a gene that people have. It is based on empathy and the ability to understand the needs and feelings of others.
Not everyone has the ability to make others feel comfortable. It’s a skill that can’t be taught, some are just born with it. You can hone that skill to better serve your guests.
Hospitality now has a need to hire anyone and everyone, and that includes giving chances to those who were formerly incarcerated. Everyone deserves a second chance.
It’s important to take a minute and listen to those around you. You don’t always need to have an answer, just knowing that someone is being heard is enough.
Harsha’s advice to others is to be more open minded. Listen to those around you and be open to new experiences and journeys.

Quote of the Show:

7:36 ”It isn't a universal thing to make people feel comfortable. And we talk about what we're calling the hospitality gene, and we teach that in week two. The hospitality gene is more of a mentality that we believe people have that's based on empathy and the ability to understand not only the needs of other people, but the feelings of other people. And so hospitality itself is very much along those lines. To me it's not the hotel. It's not, unfortunately, the design to me, it's the feeling they can be met if you look at the hierarchy of needs. And you're like, okay, great. I've got shelter, I've got food, I've got water. I'm good. Or they could be met hopefully in kind of true hospitality to another level where your needs are being exceeded, needs that you didn't even know that needed to be met, are being met.

But the beauty of that in terms of hospitality is that once there's, those needs to whatever level. And I think that really goes along the spectrum of luxury to kind of entry-level hotels. But once they're met, that leaves this space for the guest to then be able to feel, to come back to who they are as people.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harsha-l-acqua-9719877/
Website: https://www.sairahospitality.com

Shout Outs:

1:51 Rosewood

1:52 Four Seasons

1:52 Virgin

4:03 ACE Hotel

4:06 Home

10:26 Kevin Austerhouse

10:47 Soho House, London

12:40 Six Senses

24:53 Chris Voss

31:48 Coss Marte

32:20 Saks Fifth Avenue

32:44 CONBODY

38:13 Andre Balazs

38:15 William Beaver House

40:27 “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie

45:13 ASG

49:14 Citibank

56:59 Mother Teresa

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/

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Lionel Ohayon, Founder and CEO of ICRAVE Design, lives by the philosophy of “when one door closes, another door opens.” He has created groundbreaking designs at places like terminal 5 at JFK, as well designing parts of the Memorial Sloan Kettering hospital. Lionel joins host Dan Ryan to share how his life experiences have influenced the way he views and creates #hospitality.

Takeaways:

Lionel designed terminal 5 for JetBlue at JFK, and when designing it he focused on trying to make people feel comfortable and relaxed with flying.
Hospitality is an ever-growing part of everyday life for people. The interaction between humans can be hospitality and how we perceive it is important.
Understanding the essence of hospitality is more important than having the nicest hotel or restaurant.
Your paradigm in life shouldn’t be “why me?”, but rather “try me,” facing any issues that come into your life head on and accepting new challenges.
You must be the hero of your own journey. Life can throw unexpected twists your way but it’s important to handle them the right way and see the silver lining.
There are great opportunities to profoundly impact our world. With the advancement of technology and virtual reality, these can be used for good to bridge the divide between people.

Quote of the Show:

13:10 “I tell clients so often, like I can guild your place in gold, but if you don't understand the essence of hospitality, what the triggers are to make people feel comfortable to, or to allow people, those opportunities to step through the looking glass and learn something new about themselves, right?

To experience color in a way that they haven't because you are leading, you have an expectation about what the emotional response will be. Or what the inputs are of place, that is more about placemaking than about understanding the way things look and feel. I think that hospitality today is critical. It's an ever-growing important piece of the human interaction that we're all concerned about.”

Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lionelohayon?lang=en
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lionelohayon/
Website: https://www.icrave.com

Shout Outs:

0:09 Memorial Sloan Kettering

0:59 Stacy Shoemaker

2:48 JetBlue

8:42 Tesla

9:51 Disney Cruise Ships

19:23 Tao

21:18 Crowbar

26:17 St. Jude’s

27:33 St. Luke’s

30:40 Compass Group

31:15 “Why Me?” book by

44:14 Michael J. Fox

44:18 Doc Hollywood

49:33 The Hotel of Tomorrow

49:44 Oculus

50:10 Ready Player One

50:14 Wall-E

52:15 Ken Burns Civil War documentary

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/Vzic6OgdVpk

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The most valuable asset anyone has is time, but you also need the energy to use that time. Today’s guest learned this after feeling burnt out after years of working at a chocolate production business in Belgium. Natalya Berdikyan is an energy coach, teaching people how to properly take advantage of their energy and put it to their best use. She is also the founder of Life By Design Academy. Listen as she joins host Dan Ryan to share her thoughts on #hospitality today!

Takeaways:

Everyone likes the feeling of home away from home, and that is a key part of providing a great hospitality experience.
Energy attracts both the positive and negative feelings of the place and people around you.
You need to be aware of yourself, where you are and the other people you are with. These all play a big role in the energy you are feeling.
Taking a step back and taking a deep breath can help clear your mind if you are feeling out of sorts.
Don’t take anything personally, don’t judge yourself and don’t judge others. These are tips that will help you keep your energy in a positive direction.
To get ourselves out of a low energy situation we need to understand why we are in that kind of situation in the first place.

Quote of the Show:

3:18 “We are all being served one way or another from which gives me, gets me to that definition. Feeling comfortable being supported, being heard and being understood, whether it is at the hotel or the restaurant at the hospital, at the airport, at the airplane, it's making people feel comfortable.

And then we have a beautiful phrase, feeling home away from home. That's great. What if you're on the way and you are feeling in the space of comfort and of being like you not being stressed and frustrated that you're on the way somewhere. I would also find as the hospitality part.”

Links:

Twitter: @NatBerdikyan
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/natalyaberdikyan
Website: lifebydesign-academy.com

Shout Outs:

13:36 Pick You Ups

19:54 Bruce Schneider

19:56 Energy Leadership Methodology

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/28i2ualQLdo

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The hospitality industry is incredibly diverse as a whole, but not when it comes to the higher up positions. That’s what today’s guest wants to change for the better. Damon Lawrence, the Co-Founder of Homage Hospitality, is working with Howard University to create an outstanding hospitality program at his alma mater, Howard University. Listen to this week’s episode as he shares #hospitality insights with Dan Ryan today!

Takeaways:

There is a labor shortage in the hospitality industry because it’s not an employee centric industry. Employees work long hours and went from seeing no one in a pandemic to being face to face with guests again.
Hospitality is a feeling you give to your guests. Whether they are in your hotel, restaurant or even your home, it is all about how you treat the guests and put them in a position to succeed.
It’s important to have conversations regarding race in the country. To make a positive change in the world, it starts with what might be an uncomfortable conversation for most.
There needs to be more African American hotel owners and developers. To help achieve this, Damon is working on building up the hospitality program at Howard University.
The hospitality industry is very diverse as a whole, but most of the diversity is sitting at the very bottom. The low entry, hourly jobs are the most diverse, and the further you go up the more the diversity dwindles.
If people listen, take notice, and then take action that could cure a lot of ills in the hospitality industry. This could also benefit society at large.

Quote of the Show:

7:58 “Hospitality really is a feeling. What I've always noticed,whether it's traveling or I'll be working in this space, is how do you make somebody feel when they enter into your space or a space that you have dominion over?

Just because you are a hospitality brand doesn't mean that you wouldn't exude or create a hospitable experience. So hospitality really is how you make people feel. Whether they're dining at your restaurant or dining at your home. Like I said before, understanding what everyone goes through and making sure that you can put people in the best position to succeed, creates that hospitality experience that you want to provide to your consumers.”

Links:

Damon’s Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hauspitality/
Company website: https://www.anewkindofhospitality.com
Twitter: @hauspitality

Shout Outs:

1:11 Thompson Hotel

1:34 Jason Pomerantz

1:35 Stephen Brandman

1:57 St. Regis

1:59 Ritz Carlton

2:00 Four Seasons

3:33 Craigslist

10:33 Howard University

10:49 University of Louisiana, Lafayette

11:33 Mardi Gras

12:20 Halle Berry

12:22 Paula Patton

19:27 Independent Lodging Congress

20:14 Arne Sorenson foundation

20:17 Marriott foundation

23:28 ALIS Conference

25:21 Determine by Design

25: 24 Kia Weatherspoon

36:00 LGBTQ

51:39 HDAC (Hospitality Diversity Action Council)

52:58 Bashar Wali

53:00 Nina Grondin

53:03 Aaron Anderson

53:07 Stacy Shoemaker

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/k_ETfrerldA

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Jason Caldwell is the definition of an adventurer. He’s rowed across the Atlantic ocean twice, setting a world record on one run, and the Pacific Ocean setting a world record for the fastest time as well. He's trekked through the oldest desert in the world. Caldwell, CEO and Founder of Latitude 35 Leadership and author of “What IF”, joins host Dan Ryan to talk about his experiences with cross ocean rowing and how that has influenced his view on leadership and hospitality.

Takeaways:

Hospitality isn’t always about the place you are staying or eating. It’s about creating a positive feeling for your guest or those who are around you, making them feel comfortable.
Ocean rowing requires four people in a 30 ft fiberglass rowboat. On the trip where Jason broke the world record across the Atlantic, two of the four teammates had to leave the race only 600 miles in, with 2,400 miles left to go.
Jason created a comfortable environment in an uncomfortable rowboat situation by playing to his co-passengers' strengths.
Having quick, daily meetings with your team helps your team to feel connected to the leader and also feel valued.
There is a difference between being a leader and being a captain. A leader works with the team, while a captain is the one to give the orders to a team.
When leading a team, you don’t want your co-workers or teammates to dread working for you, you want them to feel grateful to working alongside you.

Quote of the Show:

3:30 “When I think of hospitality, I'm thinking from my experiences at hotels, at restaurants and that stuff. I'm always the person who's being catered to. For me, the definition of hospitality is really ways that I can create a level of comfort, whether that's a physical comfort, mental comfort, or an emotional comfort for people in my world. My people are my teammates and as leaders of these teams that row across oceans and do all these extremely dangerous and endurance driven things and incredibly difficult, I have kind of the burden, but also the opportunity and privilege to find different ways that I can create that comfort.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-caldwell-44121119
Website: https://lat35.co
Book Links: https://www.amazon.com/What-IF-Jason-Thomas-Caldwell/dp/1543461123
- https://www.amazon.com/Navigating-Impossible-Extraordinary-Shatter-Expectations/dp/1523086718
Instagram: @Jason_t_caldwell

Shout Outs:

1:13 Hospitality Design Summit in Lake Tahoe

23:57 Verne Harnish

24:01 Rockefeller Habits, book by Verne Harnish

30:55 Sonoma State

31:05 Vesper Boat House

31:32 Yale

31:32 Princeton

31:34 Dartmouth

42:41 JFK

52:07 Herman Melvile

52:09 Moby Dick

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Youtube : https://youtu.be/rXTNNR9-BJE

Navigating the Impossible: Build Extraordinary Teams and Shatter Expectations

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Stacy Shoemaker Rauen advocates that great hospitality isn’t just about great design, it’s also a necessity for our overall well-being. By designing buildings in certain ways, this can help lead us to make healthier and more productive changes in our lives. Rauen is the Editor in Chief of Hospitality Design Magazine, as well as the Senior Vice President at Design Group at Emerald. Listen as she sits down with host Dan Ryan to share her thoughts on #hospitality today!

Takeaways:

In hospitality, you want to be the glue that holds people together, but not the force that binds it.
The root of hospitality is inviting people into your home or your kitchen, so the best hospitality is making your guest feel like it is an extension of your home.
Sleep and taking care of our health are very important and these goals can be achieved in new and different ways through unique hotels and building environments that place an emphasis on these matters.
The hospitality industry is having an incredible impact on plenty of other industries for the better, and it is now an industry that is having a great moment.
Stacy helped bring more diverse voices and writing to Hospitality Design magazine in an effort to showcase the diversity in our world.
One small action can have a massive ripple effect. The start to a positive change begins with a small start and a small idea. You don’t have to take on everything, you just have to take on one thing.

Quote of the Show:

9:36 “For me, hospitality is going back to what hospitality started as, right? It’s hotels used to be owned by individual people and it was an extension of their home. It was inviting you in. Restaurants were run by usually a family, or one individual, and it was opening up their kitchen to people.

So to me, the best hospitality, and obviously it has evolved and changed in so many ways. But I think when you go back to the true definition of what hospitality is, and that is an extension of somebody's home, that you are inviting them in to experience something that is different or greater than what they've experienced elsewhere.”

Links:

Twitter: @StacyRauen
Instagram: @StacyRauen
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacy-shoemaker-rauen-766b253/
Website: https://www.emeraldx.com
Podcast: https://hospitalitydesign.com/people/podcasts/bonus-episode-stacy-shoemaker-rauen-hospitality-design/

Shout Outs:

1:32 Jason Goldberg

2:32 Michael Adams

3:42 Hospitality Design Podcast

8:44 HD Expo

8:56 Rachel Long

11:28 BDNY

13:25 The Well

13:37 A bearish

16:03 Equinox

16:25 Six Senses

16:27 Jacobs CEO

17:53 One Medical

18:29 BHDM

18:50 Rockwell

19:13 Lionel from iCrave

19:16 Sloan Kettering

19:50 Susan Healey

23:19 HDAC

23:46 George Floyd

23:47 Black Lives Matter

25:05 Couture

27:16 NEWH

28:13 Curioso

29:41 Bashar Wali

29:43 Damon Lawrence

29:44 Nina Grondin

29:45 Aaron Anderson

33:04 Cheryl Doris

33:31 Melville Wilson

36:49 Marie Brenner

36:58 TIME magazine

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Youtube : https://youtu.be/swjQ9VqykIY
GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/hdac-booth-at-hd-expo?member=12590963

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Being a hotelier wasn’t always the goal for Brigette Breitenbach. Back in 2006, one of her clients came to her and asked if she could do some branding for a new hotel that was being opened, and she never looked back. Brigette, now the owner and founder of B&Co as well as an owner of the Iron Horse Hotel in Milwaukee, joins host Dan Ryan to talk about what hospitality means to her.

Takeaways:

Hospitality isn’t a service, it is to meaningfully care for the guests. It’s all about trying to make the guest feel cared for.
It’s important to know what your guests want. Understanding their wants and needs can help to establish your brand. The market and the guests will tell you what they want.
The younger generation spends more money on travel and experiences more so than previous generations.
Hotels are like a book, you need to have a compelling story, but every chapter also needs to make sense.
The best hotels are the ones that offer a variety of different experiences within one space.
If you are struggling with something, it’s always better to say that. If you’re willing to do that, it can help with client relationships and staff relationships.
Sometimes we are defined by the business we don’t take. Sometimes saying no to business can help make sure your staff isn’t overwhelmed.

Quote of the Show:

2:24: “All of our projects start with a discovery phase and we tell all of our clients that with the exception of a few markets, we don't know their market. We don't know the city that they're from. We don't know the local community.

And so we start to dig in and we almost come at every project with the perspective of being the guest. And so we try to dig in and we understand kind of what's happening in that market. What's new and exciting. And then we really drill down to, okay, who do you think your target audience is? Who are you building this property for?

Or rebranding it for? Because until you define their passions, interests and values really don't know what you're going for. And so to understand that market and guest exploration piece of the puzzle, you're never going to get to the foundational brand. So it really starts with who are you trying to please.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brigettebreitenbach/
Website: https://bcobranding.com

Shout Outs:

0:25 Independent Lodging Congress

10:52 The Iron Horse Hotel

10:58 Lehman Brothers

11:11 Hilltop

29:53 Bashar Wali

30:22 Andrew Friendly

31:57 Jason Caldwell

32:10 David Rockwell

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
Youtube : https://youtu.be/veOjMFAHF6I

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Creating a welcoming environment in a hotel or bar is a purposeful endeavor. Nina Grondin, Founder and Partner of Curioso, has created a collective where people such as architects, artists, interior designs and more work together to create meaningful experiences through design. Listen to this week’s episode as she shares #hospitality insights with Dan Ryan today!

Takeaways:

Hospitality isn’t confined to just hotels and bars. It covers a wide range of topics. The basis of hospitality is one person attending to the needs of another.
As humans we crave love and attention. It’s important in hospitality to feed those human needs and make sure the guest feels comfortable and seen.
In hospitality, you are offering a service but more importantly you are anticipating someone’s needs. This creates deep connections with the guests.
It’s important to listen to the community where you plan to put hotels or a hospitality business. Those in the community can tell you what they want and what they think would fit in.
To create change, it’s important to start with having a conversation about how to be more inclusive. This applies to more than just hospitality, but all industries.
Don’t lose sight of what drives you and gets you motivated throughout the day. We all get so busy in our daily lives but it’s important to keep your motivation and your passion alive.

Quote of the Show:

1:50 “When I think about hospitality, it's really one person attending to the needs of another person, but doing it with thoughtful intention and doing it in a way that makes them feel welcome. It makes them feel appreciated. It makes them feel seen. And it's really about that human connection. And so it's not really defined or confined to hotels and restaurants and bars, but really at any place where humans reside. And I think that ability to really make one another feel good and feel appreciated, that's what hospitality is all about.”

Links:

Nina’s Profile: linkedin.com/in/nina-grondin-0ab5901
Company website: curioso.us
Instagram: @imissed

Shout Outs:

14:42 Instagram

17:48 El Paso, TX

18:54 Beto O'Rourke

20:37 Detroit, MI

23:20 HDAC: Hospitality Diversity Action Council

23:41 Stacy Shoemaker

23:49 George Floyd

24:07 Bershard

27:10 Hoffman Institute

27:37 HD Expo

27:48 Carlos Herrera

28:23 Damon Lawrence

28:30 Erin Anderson

28:55 LGBTQ

29:48 Independent Lodging Congress

31:58 Marquise Stillwell

36:13 Holiday Inns

36:15 Hampton Hotels

43:24 Dan Pierce

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s

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Dr. Chloe Carmichael is a world renowned psychologist, entrepreneur, and public speaker. She is also the author of “Nervous Energy - Harness the Power of Your Anxiety”, teaching people how to manage their anxiety. She’s here to give a unique perspective on the overlap between hospitality and psychology. Listen to this week’s episode as she shares #hospitality insights with Dan Ryan today!

Takeaways:

There is an overlap when it comes to hospitality and psychology. There is a level of empathy that needs to be reached in each one.
Reflective listening is when you are hearing someone talk to you but then you're able to feed it back to them in a concise manner.
There is a healthy function to anxiety, so it’s not healthy to want to get rid of it. The best way is to manage it and focus it in a constructive way.
Mental Shortlist Technique is when you are hyper focused on something coming up, so to make sure you don’t lose focus of everything else you make a short list of other things to keep you focused.
Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. It can be nerve wracking but in the long run it will be extremely beneficial and rewarding.
Taking care of yourself mentally is extremely important. Often we get so busy in our daily lives that we don’t take time to focus, breathe, and relax and ease our busy minds.

Quote of the Show:

2:10 “When I even saw the title of your podcast, Defining hospitality, I got really curious about the etymology or the Greek roots of that word. So I was just looking it up and noticing that the Greek word in ‘hospa’ is going to be traced to caring for people. Not only as a host, but that it also pertains as a guest. And I thought it was interesting to see it was the same route that we applied to hospital.

So I personally have almost had that emergency room feeling like, get me to a fine dining experience or a great hotel. I need that, my soul needs to be taken care of. Because actually also in psychology, the Greek word, ‘psyche’ traces to spirit. So I do think that there's so much overlap with psychology and hospitality, that level of empathy that we need to bring to people.

Links:

Chloe’s Profile: www.linkedin.com/in/chloecarmichael
Company website: drchloe.com
Twitter: @DrChloe_
Book: https://www.amazon.com/Nervous-Energy-Harness-Power-Anxiety/dp/1250241219

Shout Outs:

0:14 Deepak Chopra

0:57 Entrepreneur Organization

20:26 Zone of Control technique

33:42 Baker McKenzie law firm

34:15 Corporate Counseling Associates

36:42 Flatiron District

50:31 YPO event

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
YouTube: https://youtu.be/dA03rKxaPIU

Nervous Energy: Harness the Power of Your Anxiety

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Kraig Kalashian is the owner of KKAD, Pocono Modern, and Westmore Hotels and Restaurants, which includes Pren Kitchen. After spending years playing in a band, Kraig realized he has a passion for solving problems and he discovered the best way to do that is through architecture, food and music. He’s here to give a unique perspective on hospitality through a different lens. Listen to this week’s episode as he shares #hospitality insights with Dan Ryan today!

Takeaways:

Architecture isn’t about how to make money, but rather how to solve problems. It’s all about finding ways to fit everything you can imagine into a given space.
Hospitality is a feeling you get when you are taken care of. It’s knowing that somebody is devoting 100% of their time and attention to you and making sure all your needs are met.
Today, travel and dining out are not the luxuries they were once considered to be, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need to do it well.
Kaizen is the Japanese word for making small, incremental improvements over a period of time.
Acknowledging that a mistake has been made is something that is very important when it comes to life and business.
It’s important to listen to the staff and hear what their opinions are. They might have a great idea on where to better locate certain things to make their life easier (ie, making sure each floor has a linen closet).
The Einstein approach is working on ideas for a long period of time, but sometimes the answer to each one arrives at the same time, making it seem like it was all done at once.
Everybody gets the same 168 hours during the week. After sleeping and working, we are left with 50 hours of freetime. How you carve out that freetime is up to you, but you can use it to master your craft.
The backbone of hospitality is inclusivity. People from all walks of life are part of hospitality so finding ways to include them and making them feel wanted is the essence of the industry.

Quote of the Show:

3:37 “Hospitality is a feeling, it's the feeling like somebody is taking care of you. It's the feeling like somebody sees who you are and what you need and, and gives you that. For me, the best way that I could define it is just this feeling I used to get from going to my grandmother's house when I was a kid.

So if you asked what's hospitality, I would say it's, it's the way my grandmother treated me. Like when I was a kid, like when I would go to my grandmother's house, like she would just basically give me a hundred percent of her time and attention while I was there. She would always have things that were special for me.

It was really like this feeling of being treated in the best way, like you would imagine royalty gets treated and somebody stopping, whatever they're doing to just make you feel at home or accommodated or, you know, just pay attention to what you need. And so I think that for me, the idea of hospitality is just thinking about other people and how to, and how to make them feel seen and how to make them feel taken care of.”

Links:

Kraig’s Profile: linkedin.com/in/kraig-kalashian-ra-ncarb-leed-ap-916b388
Company website: poconomodern.com
Personal website: kalashian.com

Shout Outs:

5:56 Dominique Ansel, creator of the Cronut

10:25 Independent Lodging Congress event in Brooklyn

10:29 David Rockwell

12:46 Danny Meyer

20:20 W Hotels

22:03 Blackberry Farm

24:46 John George

25:54 Hygge, Scandinavian Design

36:13 Libby Patrick

40:26 Amman

40:27 Four Season

40:29 Mandarin Oriential

49:13 Joe Rogan

49:14 Marc Maron

50:47 Game of Thrones

51:20 Target

51:26 Starbucks

58:54 DoubleTree Hilton

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
YouTube: https://youtu.be/BDd0WGhX8xY

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Arnie Malham is the founder of a number of different companies and organizations, including BetterBookClub.com. He’s also the author of “Worth Doing Wrong,” where he discusses how to build a sustainable business model through company culture. Listen to this week’s episode as he shares #hospitality insights with Dan Ryan today!

Takeaways:

At work, your team will never treat clients better than how the boss treats the team. That is one of the many forms of hospitality.
If you put people in a position and don’t pay them well and they don’t believe in the team then there is a discomfort that grows.
Core values start with a team leader. It’s easy for a leader to praise certain values but it’s important that the leader also is willing to help with even the little things and show they are invested and they care.
Embrace growth, always be confident, be optimistic, and prepare. These are 4 core values to have going through life.
It’s the little things that can make a difference for a guest. Things like certain types of bedsheets and toilet paper can make them feel important and known.
As a team, don’t say no to any idea. It’s ok to be wrong, but saying no creates a roadblock and might discourage people from sharing anymore of their ideas.

Quote of the Show:

6:26 I'm a believer in that the core values and culture start with the leader. And in fact, they start and end with a leader, that leader. The leader of an organization, a team that is the number one thing that sets the tone for culture and core values.

And then what that leader does versus what that leader says. It's easy to go down a list and determine if those two things match up. I'll quote Jack Daly again. I'm pretty sure he said, ‘I can tell you your values based on your calendar. I can look at your calendar and tell you your values, because it doesn't matter what you say, the question is, are you doing the things that match your values, that match your priorities?’

It's little things. It's where the leader parks, it's where the leaders are willing to participate in and the cleanliness of the environment. It's what he or she accepts and praises, but almost more importantly, what he or she tolerates. What a leader tolerates in their business, in themselves, in their direct reports and in the entire team, I think has as much to do with setting the tone of a culture than anything else.”

Links:

Arnie’s Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arniemalham/
Company website: https://www.worthdoingwrong.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/amalham
Book: https://www.amazon.com/Worth-Doing-Wrong-Quest-Culture/dp/159932587X

Shout Outs:

0:18 MIT Entrepreneurial Masters Program

3:54 Jack Daley

19:13 Andrew Scarlett

22:50 Andrew Benioff

22:52 Independent Lodging Congress

22:57 Nico

22:59 Pan Pacific in Seattle

34:34 Loren Brill

34:35 Sweet Loren’s

43:22 John DiJulius

46:05 Verne Harnish

58:28 Hilton Hotels

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1mEu_pueA8

Worth Doing Wrong: The Quest to Build a Culture That Rocks

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When it comes to life changing events, there is nothing quite like travel. Joseph Diaz is the co-founder of AFAR Media, and he has taken it upon himself to use travel as a way to enrich the lives of the younger generation that doesn’t have the same opportunities. There’s a lot to be said about going to a completely new place and truly immersing yourself in the culture, and seeing what you can do to contribute to the community. Listen to this week’s episode as he shares #hospitality insights with Dan Ryan today!

Takeaways:

The hospitality world has been flipped upside down. In 2019 it was very guest centric, but today it is a two way street. It is a concept that embraces the idea of mutual benefit, and what the guest can bring to the community.
A form of hospitality where you put the guest on a pedestal is limiting and creates a fear of messing up. But what the guest truly craves is connection to the place they are visiting.
Travel is the best form of education. Getting young people to travel and explore the world will provide them opportunities they might not have ever had and can change their world.
You need to create a message to attract people to come visit your town or location not just during tourist season, but at all times of the year.
How do we continue to stay open to new experiences? The good, the bad, the ugly? We have natural tendencies to run away from things we don’t like, but those experiences are just as important.
The generation coming up is more in tune with their values and more open to travel and exploring other communities.

Quote of the Show:

1:34 “A 2019 definition of hospitality would be one that is extremely guest centric, where it's focused on the desk, doing everything to make the guests feel welcome, feel at home. You know, there's tons of definitions that are similar to that in our world. And the way that we're thinking about things today, hospitality for us is a two-way street.

It is a concept that really embraces the idea of mutual benefit and what the guests can also contribute to the equation. You know, I think JFK, his famous ‘ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.’ Similarly ask, ‘not what your travels can do for you; ask what your travels can do for the communities where you're traveling and the planet in which we are living.’”

Links:

Joseph’s Profile: https://linkedin.com/in/josephdiaz
Company website: www.afar.com
Twitter: @JoeDiazAFAR

Shout Outs:

0:26 Independent Lodging Congress

5:09 White Lotus

9:01 “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey

9:45 Laura Redmond

9:49 Ben Pundole

13:42 Teach for America

14:13 Rosa Linda Elementary School in South Phoenix, AZ

16:10 JFK

16:16 Peace Corps

26:08 Reykjavik

26:09 Venice

30:20 Asheville, North Carolina

31:45 Vanuatu

36:51: Airbnb

1;04:44 Amika Moran

1;07:08 Staples

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
YouTube: https://youtu.be/Bl5TRqnVWiw

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Today’s guest has a unique business and with that brings his positive attitude about life and hospitality to everything he does. Dan is joined by Michael Bedner, a partner at SOLi, and part of Hirsch/Bedner Associates. Listen to this week’s episode as he shares #hospitality insights with Dan Ryan today!

Takeaways:

In the hospitality industry, there are three major rules to live by. One, always do your best job. Two, you better enjoy what you do. And three, you must grow and learn from any mistakes.
The best way to describe hospitality is that it is ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen.
Hospitality is all about making guests feel comfortable and at ease.
The replacement of not having people at check in desks has turned it from a place of human gathering to a place where iPhones gather, it’s not as magical as it used to be.
Comfort is not just your surroundings, it’s also how you are perceived. You want to make people feel glad they are at the place they chose to be, making sure they don’t feel like a burden.
California has 1600 different building area codes, which makes it incredibly difficult to bring in new and innovative projects to the area.
Michael is hopeful that in the future there will be enough people that are willing to try new and innovative ideas and change the way that the hospitality industry functions.

Quote of the Show:

7:49 “The most important element of hospitality is making someone feel totally comfortable at ease and enjoy the experience. You could do that in an empty room with nothing around. If the service is wonderful and we have a view. Or 98% of the time, you don't always have that amazing view. So you have to provide the atmosphere where you feel where you have, as Howard would say a sense of place.”

Links:

Michael’s Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-bedner-ab3b23176/
Company website: https://www.soli.space

Shout Outs:

5:08 Howard Hirsch

5:32 Beverly Rodale Hotel

6:39 Porsche

6:40 Ritz-Carlton

34:18 Tesla

41:20 Buckminster Fuller

49:30 UC San Diego

51:44 Disneyland

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/

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Today’s guest spent time working in Japan and brings his cultured view to hospitality. Andrew Benioff is the Founder and Managing Partner of the Llenrock Group. He’s also the Founder of the Philadelphia Real Estate Council and the Independent Lodging Congress. Listen to this week’s episode as he shares #hospitality insights with Dan Ryan today!

Takeaways:

Service is the act of serving, but hospitality is the feeling an empathic employee gives to a customer. It’s difficult to have good hospitality without great service.
Japanese culture is a mentality. A big part of it is the wellbeing of a group of people over an individual.
In Japan, perfection is expected in your work. While it can be demanding, it brings out the best work in the person and allows them to achieve the highest goals they have.
While perfection is expected in Japan, it’s not always a good thing. It’s ok to fail at something that is a new attempt. Failure can be a great teaching moment.
Try to be flexible in your thinking. A new approach to a process might be an idea that can turn out to be helpful.
Two things that hotels absolutely need to have: a shower with great water pressure and a comfortable bed. If a hotel has those two features all other issues are forgotten.
Be patient and have an open mind. Try not to think that things need to go a certain way, it’s almost more important to know what you don’t want rather than to know what you want to do.

Quote of the Show:

48:32 “The longer I've done ILC (Independent Lodging Congress), the more I've become interested in indie hospitality in indie hotels.

I think that the indie space is fascinating for so many reasons in that it takes so much more attention to detail to work on one of those projects. And it also takes so much more of a connection to the community and the area that the project is in. And so I'm working on a number of different projects that are all indie focused, and I love them because each one of them is so distinct and different.

And I love that focus of really digging into the community.”

Links:

Andrew’s Profile: linkedin.com/in/llenrockgroupbenioff
Company website: https://precouncil.org
Twitter: https://twitter.com/indiecongress?lang=en

Shout Outs:

3:06 Danny Meyer

4:12 Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company

6:00 Four Seasons

6:10 Rosewood

8:23 The Rock House in the Bahamas

12:38 Team Building ILC

16:18 McDonald’s

19:46 Jiro Dreams of Sushi documentary

24:07 Penn Pacific in San Francisco

24:08 Nico in San Francisco

24:10 Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco

44:44 The Birth of Sake

49:44 Fairfield Inn

49:45 Hampton Inn

50:15 Hortz Schulze, founder of Ritz-Carlton

51:45 Michael Bedner

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/

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How do you feel when you first step into a hotel or a restaurant? The excitement in the air, the feeling that you have found some place that is truly unique is part of the allure of the hospitality industry.

Dan is joined by a renowned designer, innovative thinker and creative Entrepreneur, Marquise Stillwell. Marquise is also the founder of Deem Journal, ArtMatr, Openbox, Opendox, and Urban Ocean Lab. Listen to this week’s episode as he shares #hospitality insights with Dan Ryan today!

Takeaways:

Hospitalities, especially hotels, are like tiny little cities. They are open 24 hours, they never stop and there are 24 hours of activity going on.
Hotels serve the purpose to be surprised, meaning each time you walk in, you should feel it is a unique experience. This is also known as Creating the Conditions to be Surprised.
Sometimes luck plays a big role. The proximity of luck is when you go out to a restaurant or a hotel and you begin to talk to someone near you, that person could be your next connection.
Restaurants and hotels that reflect the community are the ones of the future.
When you meet people who are in close proximity to you (ie a hotel) that is called Density of Network.
The younger generation is going to get tired quickly of the rapid change in employment and treating employees like they are on a conveyor belt.

Quote of the Show:

24:31 “Hospitality right now is in a place where we need to rethink our model. Restaurants were already struggling. We need to rethink that model, we need to make it more human and people centered. We need to make sure people can afford to live and work off their salary. We need to do the same thing in hotels. We need to make sure the front staff is just as respected as the office staff and that they have a livable wage. That’s a larger conversation but it goes to every aspect of what it means to serve. If you're in the service industry, and you’re providing food and you’re serving food and you can’t even afford the food you’re serving, that’s a problem.”

Links:

Marquise’s Profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/quise/
Websites
- https://www.opnbx.com/team/marquise-stillwell
Twitter
- https://twitter.com/quise7?lang=en

Shout Outs:

3:54 Ramada Inn and Hotel

12:38 Ramada Inn University and Hotel in Columbus, Ohio

31:15 Westin Hotels

31:30 Equinox Hotels

32:38 Scent Dawn and Samantha Goldworm

49:19 Hoffman Process

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s

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The hospitality industry has roots in all sorts of other lines of work, even in journalism.

Dan is joined by the author of the Moon Boston Travel guide and world traveler, Cameron Sperance! Cameron is also a hospitality beat reporter at Skift. Listen to this week’s episode as he shares #hospitality insights with Dan Ryan today!

Takeaways:

Hospitality boils down to providing that home away from home experience. It’s all about providing caring service with a smile and making a pleasant stay for the guests.
You can tell if people are being treated well at the hotel they work at by the way they treat their guests, and a positive attitude creates a better experience.
In Cameron’s experience reporting about hospitality, you have to build genuine connections with people.
During the pandemic, many industries have tried to replicate how the hospitality industry makes their guests feel, showing that hospitality has its roots in many industries.
The concept of doing some self isolation and meditation has taken off in recent years, and it’s a great way to recharge with a busy life.
There is a lot of tension around who will stick in the hospitality industry in terms of the labor level employees, the ones who work long hours and demanding schedules.
A struggle some hotels face is finding the balance between being exclusive while also being fair to your clients and guests.

Quote of the Show:

28:33 “There was always a hospitality element to how we work that I think that's why it made it so successful and popular, pre pandemic.

And I mean, it just kind of runs the gamut. There's so many different, Industries out there that are trying to get a little bit more hospitable that I think this has been a wake-up call of just like how the tentacles of hospitality span out into so many different industries.”

Links:

Cameron’s Profile - linkedin.com/in/cameron-sperance-988505a
Company website: skift.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cameronsperance
Book: https://www.amazon.com/Boston-Travel-Guide-Cameron-Sperance/dp/1631218859

Shout Outs:

2:41 Boston Bureau

2:51 Ghelfi and Laura Posa

3:04 Skift

4:16 Alice conference

8:01 Daily Planet from Superman

8:01 J. Jonah Jameson from Spider-Man

8:41 Boston Herald

11:14 Wall Street Journal

11:15 The Real Deal

11:16 The New York Times

12:01 Boston University School of Hospitality

12:02 Pinnacle Advisory

17:20 Hilton

17:21 Marriott

21:18 Soho House

21:19 Rosewood in Hong Kong

32:54 Walden Pond

33:04 Henry David Thoreau

32:20 Parker Torres

35:39 The Lorraine Motel

37:06 Dubrovnik, Croatia

37:30 Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones

41:46 Russian River

52:16 SoulCycle

52:22 Equinox

56:46 Michael Lastoria

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/

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When you design your space, are you thinking about the next generation?

In this week’s episode, Dan Ryan is joined by Glen Coben, President of Glen & Company, and his daughter Maya Coben of Rialto Capital for our first ever double guest episode! Listen in as they share their combined, multi-generational perspective on the future of hospitality, nurturing growth, developing intuition, and more great insights!

Check out some takeaways from this episode below:

Hospitality is about creating a community. We can build community by having empathy and listening to others, and pivoting to whatever the guest needs to feel like they’re most important.
Work for the people instead of yourself. Identify the unique aspects of your client’s vision by approaching them with empathy and understanding.
When you design a space, it’s not just for the current generation. You’re designing for the next generation as well. “The best way to stay relevant is to make sure that your 12-year-old child is teaching you” - Glen Coben
Nurture growth within your own company by giving people opportunities to learn and develop. The mutual desire for success can lead to more than just satisfied clients.
Negative feedback can be an opportunity to delight a client on the next revision, but success doesn’t have to be based on fear and intimidation. Hospitality and empathy drive successful students and future industry leaders.
Glen’s most important question when taking on new clients; Who is going to be making the decisions? The best answers to that question are the honest answers. If the whole family is going to review and approve a presentation, they should be in the room so they have all the information.
Intuition is built not just by listening and learning, but by asking questions. Be a sponge.
Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know the answer.” Asking for more information is a sign of strength, not weakness. Be okay with feeling that nervous energy, because it’s a sign that growth is coming!
One positive change from the pandemic: taking non local projects becomes easier. Collaboration tools will always be better in person, but our ability to adapt to remote working enables us to think more globally about new opportunities.

Quote of the Show:

22:46 - You remember those days when we were talking about “how do you design for the millennial?” That bothered me because the millennial is going to no longer want that cool hip thing. So we have to figure out a way to strike a balance through our design skills, that there are Instagram moments, there is technology, but there's also, we're designing across a broader spectrum. - Glen Coben

53:07 - I think that asking questions is the most important thing. And whenever I ask at the end of an interview, or just any conversation I have with anyone, a mentor, a friend, what advice do you have for me? Ask questions, be a sponge. Those are the two main things that I've heard time and time again. How can you learn as much as humanly possible in your career and through each experience that you're a part of? - Maya Coben

Links: Guest’s info

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/glen-coben-bb298a1/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/maya-coben/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GlenCoben
Company website: https://glenandcompany.com/
Architect's Cookbook: A Culinary Journey Through Design

Shout Outs:

4:20 - Danney Meyer of Union Square Hospitality Group - “Hospitality is a Team Sport”

7:19 - Stacey Shoemaker’s HD Summit

8:50 - The Architect’s Cookbook, Max & The Magic Mushroom

10:10 - Grey Kunz

11:53 - The French Laundry

16:13 - Gabriel Kreuther

35:36 - William Grimes of the New York Times, Moda

59:59 - Nervous Energy by Dr. Chloe Carmichael

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBOU_S-CF0Y

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For the last year and a half, people have holed up in their rooms, unable to go anywhere. Now more than ever is when people are craving the need to explore, travel and interact with other people.

Dan is joined by thought leader in the industry, SVP and global director of Wimberly Interiors, Margaret McMahon! Margaret has seen the world and is a travel enthusiast, and she’s here to share why she thinks travel can really lift someone’s spirits. Listen to this week’s episode as she shares #hospitality insights with Dan Ryan today!

Takeaways:

You can go and get anything you set your mind to. Using phrases like “call me back if you want” won’t do you any favors.
Visualisations of what you want to achieve are incredibly important. Creating a vision board can often help you focus your goals and terms and make them achievable.
Travel is incredibly important. It doesn’t matter whether you are down the street or going across to another country, seeing the beauty in this world is something that can provide a whole new outlook on life.
Hospitality is all about service and whatever that means. It’s not just delivering room service but it’s a service that is provided to give an experience.
You have to be able to read a room and understand what is appropriate and what isn’t. Not only do other cultures view actions in a certain way, but even other co-workers might not think like you do.
We all have to want each other to succeed. In this day and age, everything is extremely competitive but we still need to be human and hope for the best for everyone, including the competition.
Residential projects have skyrocketed lately. With people moving away from the cities, the need for residential projects and houses has really exploded since the start of the pandemic.
Margaret’s advice to her younger self: Lighten up. We all do a million different things each day but we should try to lighten up.

Quote of the Show:

11:05 “Whether you're driving down the road to a Holiday Inn Express, or you’re hopping on a plane, or you’re taking a road trip or you’re glamping, whatever it is, I think that brings joy to everyone. I bet that if you were to survey people that have been holed up in their houses for a year and half, everyone is really craving not only travel but interaction.

I think that what’s really about is all us giving service to create a memorable experience and bring joy to people. I know that sounds super lofty, you’re not finding the cure for cancer, you’re not splitting the atom or anything like that. Whether you're staying in an AirBnB, whether you’re staying in a pension, whether you’re staying in a tent, traveling our planet to be able to see it is a really beautiful thing.”

Links:

Margaret’s Profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaret-mcmahon-02403b12/
Company website: https://www.watg.com/wimberly/

Shout Outs:

3:33 The Power of Intention by Wayne Dyer

5:38 Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut

6:10 Rodney Dangerfield’s film, “Back to School”

7:26 Margo House

8:43 Charian Cerilo

8:54 Hotelier of the year award

9:13 Four Seasons

9:14 Ian Schrager

9:20 Forbes Travel

11:05 Holiday Inn Express

12:27 AirBnB

17:06 Pan-Am

23:03 Wimberly Interiors

25:11 Trishia Wilson

25:52 Entenmann’s Donuts

32:30 Soho House

39:34 Starbucks

42:35 Boca Raton Resort

44:34 Laws of Attraction book

55:52 Dr. Faucci

1;01:11 Balthazar Restaurant

1;02:03 Bill Murray in Stripes

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube : https://youtu.be/0kjGr4s7uUM

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Having a positive outlook on life is the key to success.

Dan is joined by industry thought leader, former adjunct at NYU and host of the “No Vacancy” podcast, Glenn Haussman. Glenn is also the board member at the Long Island Hospitality Association and the president of Rouse Media. Listen to this week’s episode as he shares #hospitality insights with Dan Ryan today!

Takeaways:

The true spirit of hospitality is the notion of giving without expecting anything in return.
If you show interest in what people are saying, are genuine and positive, people will feel comfortable with you and that can create great connections.
As times change, it’s always good to try and adapt to what the new times bring.
Always push harder than the next person, the hard work will pay off in the long run.
All the old rules that hospitality used to follow are out the window and now is the time to challenge yourself and try new business strategies.
You can use technology to understand your guests. Find out what your guests like and try to connect with them on that level.
Mass customization is the notion of creating individualized experiences for the masses of people.
Don’t let the fear of rejection hold you back. The only thing holding you back is yourself and how you feel about yourself.

Quote of the Show:

7:34 “Back in the 1990’s as I was starting my career in hospitality, my buddy happened to be an extremely successful video editor. He was like the guy cutting every single hip hop video you would see on MTV, BET and those networks. I went with him to go run the business side of it for him as I was building my writing career.

Every single person I met in that Hollywood music universe, and I met a lot of people, 99% of them were not people I want to have anything to do within my life. Nasty, negative, not the right type of human beings.

In hospitality, it’s completely flipped on its head. Nearly everybody is universally amazing, open and terrific.”

Links:

Glenn’s Profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/glennhaussman/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TravelingGlenn?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
Podcast: https://novacancy.libsyn.com
Book: https://www.amazon.com/Adapters-Hospitality-industry-adapting-innovating/dp/1662905408

Shout Outs:

0:30 NYU

1:01 BDNY Trade Show

5:56 No Vacancy live podcast

7:44 MTV, BET

27:54 The Adapters book

28:12 Seán Worker

29:14 The Adaptors.net

32:12 Phish

41:08 Hunter Conference

44:44 Jon Stewart, Remote Control TV show

44:56 Jimmy Kimmel, Win Ben Stein's Money TV show

47:19 The Big Cypress Indian Reservation, Florida

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
YouTube: https://youtu.be/C1oO0ydL8l8

The Adapters: How the Travel, Tourism and Hospitality industry is adapting and innovating to connect the world!

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How do you stay positive when you’re emotionally drained?

Sarah Dandashy of AskAConcierge likes to remember that every guest interaction is a chance to be a part of someone’s positive memory. Listen to this week’s episode as she shares #hospitality insights with Dan Ryan today!

Check out some takeaways from this episode below:

Though she first found success on Instagram, Sarah finds LinkedIn is a powerful way to grow her network. It’s not just a great way to connect with others in #hospitality and #travel, it’s a platform that values substance.
The concierge is the original influencer. They take their first hand experiences in travel and introduce others to new opportunities.
“Sometimes thoughtful things don’t cost that much. It could be a handwritten note or a cocktail.” - Sarah Dandashy. It’s the time invested that’s meaningful to your customer.
Anticipation is a powerful tool for great guest experiences, but presentation matters. Too much personalization can be creepy, so aim for thoughtfulness.
The most impactful ways to provide hospitality are often simple. Most of the time, people just want to feel listened to.
“If you change your mindset and just get creative about it, it’s amazing what you can do.” - Sarah Dandashy
Recommendations are better when you take the time to understand the guest. Talk with them to find out more about their desired experience.
We need to take care of the frontlines of our industry. If you want people to treat this as a profession, you need to treat them like professionals.
“if we just always keep our mind open and we just have these real conversations with our colleagues in whatever field they're in, it's amazing what we can learn from each other.” - Sarah Dandashy
Sarah’s advice to her younger self: always remember you get to be a part of somebody’s positive memory

Quote of the Show:

13:15 - “But it was this intersection between human connection and thoughtful experience because really when you, when you look at it, hospitality, it is all about the human connection. Yes. There might be a digital aspect, but it's all about connecting on that human level. That's where hospitality comes from, you know, way back when, where people inviting people to their homes, like they're breaking bread over, over a meal, that's all hospitality and that's a human connection.

And then the thoughtful experiences. Are what make it unique and make it special? You know, it's more than just inviting somebody into your home or having somebody over for dinner. It's having those conversations and, and it is finding those thoughtful experiences, whether it's playing on something like, oh, I know . That you really love XYZ and tying that into it.

So all of that kind of ties in into really what I think makes hospitality that. The good stuff that we love.” - Sarah Dandashy

Links:

Sarah’s Profile - linkedin.com/in/sarahdandashy
Websites
- www.askaconcierge.tv (Company Website)
- www.sarahdandashy.com (Personal Website)
Twitter
- Sarahdandashy
- AskAConcierge

Shout Outs:

18:14 - Le Clefs d’Or Concierge

13:58 - Ritz Carlton in Berlin

43:19 - Christian Giordano (from Defining Hospitality Episode 7)

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrpt8C461L_9n_6vezzZtkQ

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How do you handle unhappy clients?

Christian Giordano, President and co-owner of Mancini Duffy, approaches any situation by thinking about what he can do to improve it. He joins Dan Ryan to talk about #architecture, #hospitality, & more in this week’s episode. Check it out now!

Check out some takeaways from this episode below:

Christian’s show, The Anti-Architect Podcast, originated with his unique perspective on the architecture industry, and figuring out how to listen, understand, and connect with his clients. Whether you’re a black cape architect or a junior designer at a corporate firm. The best thing you can do is listen.
Hospitality comes from incredible service and listening. From those two points, we can begin to anticipate customer needs and implement them into how we impact their experience.
Giving clients more information up front can help facilitate decision making, especially since budget plays a critical factor. For example, Christian’s team shows different sized dollar signs ($) in early designs and discussions to give them a visual cue into their options. The reactions and conversations that come out of it can inform new and better ideas.
Building & maintaining culture during a pandemic is challenging, but Christian’s firm weathered it by having open, agendaless Zoom calls twice a week and being flexible with how people work. Giving everyone an opportunity to contribute, regardless of seniority or experience leads to better ideas and a more engaged workforce.
It’s not our place to tell clients they’re wrong, it’s our place to come to them with a different solution.
Companies don’t have to follow their industry trends for workspaces anymore. Instead, they should focus on planning a space that works for them and their business’ specific needs.
Christian’s advice to his younger self: Enjoy the journey, and don’t be so stressed out along the way.

Quote of the Show:

32:36 - We have to respond to them a certain way. We always have to be positive. Right. You never want to tell a client? "No, you're wrong. No, that's ridiculous." I mean, as many times as you, you may want to, that's not really our place. I always found our place to be: we have to come back with a solution. If they're not happy or they don't think this is correct. Well then it's, it's not on them. It's on us to find the right solution. And most of the time I will say we do.

I think I take that approach on a lot of things is, "Well, maybe it's me." And I think if you take that approach, "Well, it's not them. So what am I doing wrong? How can I make this situation better?" Because think about it, if you're in a situation and someone is beating up on you the entire time, you kind of lose interest in it and it's no fun anymore.

So that level of trying to figure out what is it that I can do to improve the situation? Always helps in that. And I think our clients appreciate that. You know, we don't say, "you're wrong or no, that's impossible. No that won't fit over there. Don't you understand scale?" You know? We will say, "No, let us take a look at it, and give you some options." And usually that works. - Christian Giordano

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cdgiordano/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/archifella
Company website: https://www.manciniduffy.com/
The Anti-Architect Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-anti-architect-podcast/id1552247664

Shout Outs:

1:40 - Carrie & Lauren of Brand Groupies

6:20 - Gensler

9:43 - Isadore Sharp & the Four Seasons service model

19:15 - The Arlo Hotel in NYC

27:45 - Mancini Duffy Lux

30:00 - Mark Green

41:40 - UCLA’s faculty Frank Gary & Thom Mayne

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrpt8C461L_9n_6vezzZtkQ

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When was the last time you deeply listened to someone else? When was the last time you deeply listened to yourself?

Hilary Illick, senior faculty member at the Hoffman Institute, joins Dan Ryan to discuss open-hearted listening, #sustainability, creativity, and more on this new episode of Defining #Hospitality! Listen to this episode now!

Check out some takeaways from this episode below:

The Hoffman Institute’s approach to hospitality is by meeting everyone with a deep unconditional welcome. Nonjudgemental listening gives people the opportunity to speak their truth.
Teaching a disruptive student requires patience and listening. While it’s not good for the group if one student requires the majority of a teacher’s attention, what a disruptive student wants most is to be understood and soothed.
Sustainability is something that’s being taken more into account in hospitality now, especially as investors begin to see the positive impacts both economic and environmental, and it’s important to consider as we continue to build into the future.
“I don't think we can underestimate the power of open-hearted listening. Actually. I think. I think we really needed as kids, we all needed to be heard and seen and understood. And as adults, if we can give that experience to each other of actually really listening to someone, how they're feeling, what they're up against. Very often people come to their own solutions. It's like the body, the body heals itself, the body's this miraculous healing organism. And so is the psyche. If given the proper care, I think we heal ourselves really well. And often when I'm deeply listening, people are making suggestions that they might not even hear themselves saying about their own solutions.”
“I think the creative process is a process of deep listening. Actually, you're listening to spirit, you're listening to the creative muse. Michelangelo said, “David was in the stone.” He didn't think “Oh, I’m gonna make this man out of the stone.” He worked with the stone. He was actually listening to the contours of the rock to make this incredible statue.” - Hilary Illick
You have to create for your audience. “Who’s your psychographic? Who's the ideal person or people that you want walking through and smiling and laughing and being their best selves in this place?” - Dan Ryan
There’s so much neuroplasticity in the brain that it’s always possible to change and improve as a person. The brain is constantly rewiring itself and reforming, “You can absolutely regenerate right now” - Hilary Illick
The inequities in our world need to be discussed with open hearts and active listening.
Writing can be a tremendous method of regenerating yourself, especially in conjunction with meditation and self-reflection. Like travel or new experiences, writing can be its own terrain of discovery.
Hilary’s most craved food - fresh green vegetables - “They make me feel cared for”
Hilary’s advice to her younger self: It’s trial and error. You’re not supposed to be someone, you already are who you are. You just need to listen to yourself to find out.

Quote of the Show:

20:52 “I don't think we can underestimate the power of open-hearted listening. Actually, I think we as kids, we all needed to be heard and seen and understood. And as adults, if we can give that experience to each other of actually really listening to someone, how they're feeling, what they're up against. Very often people come to their own solutions. It's like the body. The body heals itself. The body's this miraculous healing organism. And so is the psyche. If given the proper care, I think we heal ourselves really well. And often when I'm deeply listening, people are making suggestions that they might not even hear themselves saying about their own solutions. “ - Hilary Illick

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hilary-illick-263035158/
Company website: https://www.hoffmaninstitute.org/
https://hilaryillick.com/about/

Shout Outs:

17:10 - The Graduate in New Haven CT, Hotel One in Brooklyn NY

19:50 - Danny Meyer’s Hospitality Quotient

24:37 - Arthur, on PBS

40:17 - Warren Rustand’s 10-10-10 system

45:31 - Bob Hoffman: “I’m changing the world one person at a time.”

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrpt8C461L_9n_6vezzZtkQ

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What makes you feel most at home? Is it some comfy furniture, a familiar scene, or is it something far deeper?

Mikey Dobin, President of Valley Forge Fabrics stops by to share his perspective and swap stories with his lifelong best friend, Dan Ryan. Listen to the episode for more laughs & poignant insights into the hospitality industry like the ones below!

Takeaways:

“Hospitality is a place where I feel like it's home away from home.” - Mikey Dobin
What makes a hotel feel like home is a good environment mixed with social aspects. Places where you can joke with the front desk clerks, or have a good conversation with employees there. Rigorous processes can get in the way sometimes.
The best way to engage with people is to listen. People want to be heard. In Mikey’s experience, getting down to real human connection immediately gets people to open up to him faster.
Culture is more important than a good strategy, but culture is more than a buzzword & a ping pong table. Culture is how you work, how you interact when you work, how you interact when you’re having fun.
“I feel like I never really knew how to run a business until the pandemic” - Mikey Dobin
There is a measurable ROI when putting your people first, because it translates to the client that the company takes care of its employees. Your output from investing in culture is a better quality of service.
The pandemic has magnified large divides not just economically, but in terms of safety & comfort. It has also shown just how resilient humankind can be.

Quote of the Show:

“You could definitely feel the difference in a hotel that's going to be your part of a transaction versus a hotel that is a little bit more owned by someone with a little bit more passion for the business.” - Mikey
2021 is going to be the Year of Hugs #YOH

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikey-dobin-04308468/
Twitter: @jmikeyd
Company website: https://www.valleyforge.com/

Shout Outs -

31:36 - The W Hotel in San Francisco

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrpt8C461L_9n_6vezzZtkQ

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Is anything as universal as a cookie?

Loren Brill, founder and CEO of Sweet Loren’s, stops by to talk about continuing her company's meteoric growth during a pandemic, building an inclusive culture, and setting an example for the next generation of female entrepreneurs. Check out some takeaways from this episode below:

Food is more than just nourishment, it’s a way for us to connect with each other. Sharing food, especially healthy food, is a great way to build communities & make our bodies feel better in the process
Loren’s advice for getting people to feel comfortable and open up: no judgement. Trust your team & celebrate their diversity by creating an open & welcoming environment.
Loren grew her company on both coasts during the pandemic by non-work team building opportunities and being flexible with things like scheduling or remote working. And going up against established giants in the packaged food industry, their success comes from thinking about how they can outsmart their competition, rather than try to spend millions on marketing.
One of the best ways to promote gender diversity in entrepreneurship is to give more visibility to female entrepreneurs. It helps normalize the idea for young girls that they can achieve their dreams and be part of the next generation of business leaders.
The key to a good hospitality experience: make everyone feel important. Going the extra mile for your customer, whether it’s a hotel guest or purchaser for a supermarket chain, is something that can be set up as a system and built into your culture.
Innovation and growth can come from anywhere, even customer suggestions. Good customer relationships can allow you to test new ideas in a way that creates honest and constructive feedback, while still relying on traditional industry research to identify open space in the market for innovation.
Loren’s advice to her younger self: Take advantage of every day. Make sure you’re enjoying as much of life as possible, and don’t be so hard on yourself. Because you’re capable of conquering your wildest dreams.

Quote of the Show:

20:46 - “We have amazing fans and we get emails and messages all the time from parents that say that their daughter loves our cookie dough and loves seeing the back of our package. I have the story of how I created Sweet Loren's in a picture of me. And I think them just seeing that and being like, oh my God, that's it, that's a pretty young female, like, I could do that. I can do whatever I want, and I think just having more, seeing more role models out there of women just normalizes it so that, whoever you are, whatever age you are, you don't think it's weird or super hard. You're not at a disadvantage. If you're female it's totally been done, it's totally doable. And women should dream as big as they want.” - Loren Brill

Links:

Website: www.SweetLorens.com
Twitter: @SweetLorens, @LorenBrill
Email: hello@sweetlorens.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sweet-loren's-llc/

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrpt8C461L_9n_6vezzZtkQ

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What makes a strong leader?

According to Chris Green, President & CEO of Chesapeake Hospitality, a good leader is like a river guide - they’ve been through the rapids before, but know how to get the best out of their team without jumping in and paddling for them. Listen in as Chris joins host Dan Ryan to discuss the different ways leadership can be nurtured and cultivated while navigating the rushing waters of the hospitality industry.

Check out some takeaways from this episode below:

Leadership requires not only being able to trust your people, but to give them the tools they need to be leaders themselves.
Tough decisions can be painful, but they can be the right choice in the end. Navigating tough times while putting people first involves creating plans that are customized for individuals and groups.
Hospitality is something you should practice everyday. It’s about having a genuine concern for a positive outcome for others. Chris draws on his family & southern upbringing when thinking about how to go the extra mile for someone in your care.
Take the time to get to know the individual. “People are not to be blueprinted, everybody’s different.” - Chris
The number one trait in future leaders is curiosity. People who ask questions show engagement with the task at hand.
A strong-willed leader can overcome difficult challenges, but they can also lead a team in the wrong direction at times.
Advice to Chris’ younger self: Learn from your leaders, for good or for bad. Don’t be too hard on yourself, but learn from your mistakes.

Quote of the Show:

13:15 -”To me it's just genuine care and concern for a positive outcome for others. And that, that is hospitality. And that's, what's cool about that is it's our, my living and it's also my life. And what I mean by that is, just because I make money doing it in the hotel business, hospitality is something that you should practice every day, whether it's with your neighbor or with the person that's the grocery store or whatever, the person who's frustrating you at a grocery store, you know, it's, it's how we treat our fellow humans.”

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wchrisgreen/
Company website: https://www.chesapeakehospitality.com/

Shout Outs:

49:50 - Warren Rustand, “The Leader Within Us”

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrpt8C461L_9n_6vezzZtkQ

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When something goes wrong, how do you react? Do you throw your hands up in frustration and surrender, or do you try to fix the problem?

Misha Bedner, President of Agency 967, advises to remain calm when things go haywire, because he knows the best thing you can do is approach the situation with a positive attitude and focus on the customer experience. Check out the podcast for more great insights like the ones you see below!

Takeaways:

Hospitality is about service. A great customer interaction can be more impactful than outstanding design or furniture fixtures.
Misha credits his dad Michael with introducing him to the hospitality industry, & how to create a shared experience with customers - “If a client invites you to do karaoke, you go out and do karaoke!”
When something happens that’s out of your control, it’s how you approach the problem that creates a good or bad experience. Relying on policy can make service feel automatic, when the focus should be on the customer’s experience.
When you go to a new destination, take in something that is culturally unique to where you are. Visit a museum or landmark, try local food, find something that you’ve never done before & try it!
It’s important to bring a sense of mindfulness to hospitality & be intentional in the space, in the interaction, in the connection.
Misha learned how to deal with tough customers by serving bodybuilders at the Firehouse in Santa Monica. But being aware, specific, & mindful about specific customers’ needs can help build stronger relationships.
“S#!& is gonna happen, it’s all about how you fix it.” - Misha
New projects are starting to return in the post-pandemic world, but there’s a bottleneck in the supply chain that affects timelines. Patience is important, because we’re moving onwards & upwards, even if it’s not as quickly as we’re used to right now.
Advice for Misha’s younger self: Take more risks

Quote of the Show:

"The process of a hotel coming into being is so many people working, designing, and coming together and combining their forces to make something beautiful. I think it's spectacular. And there's people who are involved on the design side. And if you, look over their shoulder and they're, space planning a guest room, or they're drawing out what light fixture that's gonna fit next to the bed. All those, those million different little facets of how a hotel comes together. That's so beautiful to me. The sad thing is, that's like 2% of how a hotel comes together. All that, all that fun design, all the sexy stuff. It's such a small little thing in the whole big picture." - Misha

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/misha-bedner-0868b85/
Company website: https://www.ninesixseven.com/

Shout Outs:

5:27 - Justin in Santa Monica

10:23 - Michael Bedner

19:30 - National Museum in India

35:57 - The Firehouse In Santa Monica

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts:https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HbcIcdw9_g

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What do you remember most about a hotel experience? For some, it may be the furnishings or fabulous architecture. But for Bashar Wali, Founder & CEO of Practice Hospitality and This Assembly, it’s about the moments of real human interaction and connection that matter most.

In this episode, Bashar Wali joins Dan Ryan to talk about what hospitality means to him, ways we can improve diversity throughout the industry, & the future of hospitality. Check out some takeaways from this episode below:

“Fundamentally the difference between the service industry, which is what you deliver, versus the hospitality industry is the following: hospitality is how you make people feel.”
Authenticity is more than just having an unapologetic point of view, it comes from a place of being yourself.
Hospitality is not just about luxury, it comes from believing that you are there to make someone’s life better for more than just one moment in time.
The new definition of luxury is ultra personalization. Understand the wants and needs of the customer, and utilize available technology to serve those needs.
You can’t train on culture & community, but you can build it by showing your employees that they treated as more than just part of the team
Don’t treat guests differently based on market segment or source of business - treat them as an opportunity to win over a new customer.
Diversity in hospitality is one sided - while the lowest levels have tremendous diversity, leadership has far less. To improve this, we can do a better job of encouraging & creating opportunities for underrepresented groups. It’s a lot more than just talk, and it can take generations to fix.
The future of hospitality is in sustainability & utilizing big data to optimize human experiences. As our society breaks down binary barriers, hospitality has an opportunity to be at the center of it all.
Don’t think of technology as cutting on cost, but to remove friction from human interactions
Every new customer, every new person you talk to, is an opportunity to see the world through their eyes & understand their wants and needs.
“Never turn down a meeting, because you’ll never know what you will learn.” - Bashar

Quote of the Show:

“People ask me why I got into this business. Where I grew up, there's a saying that goes, ‘When a stranger shows up at your door, feed him for three days before you ask him who he is, where he's from, where he's going to. Because by then, he'll either be strong enough to tell you, or you'll be such good friends it won't matter.’ That is hospitality.” ~ Bashar Wali

Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/basharwali/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/basharwali
Websites:
- https://practicehospitality.com/
- https://thisassembly.com/
- https://linktr.ee/waliworld
- https://basharwali.com/
- Hotelier.life

Shout Outs:

10:24 - The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman

11:36 - Danny Meyer - Union Square Hospitality Group - “The Hospitality Quotient”

26:09 - Bill Kimpton’s Core Principles

26:38 - Joie de Vivre / Chip Conley

38:27 - Damon Lawerence, Homage Suite

41:03 - Independent Lodging Congress

51:32 - MaidBots

55:39 - Simon Sinek, Start With Why

Ways to Tune In:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
Google Podcasts:https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j31mN1dIGhg

Defining Hospitality Podcast: Recent Episodes

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