Hospitality 121 : Conversations On The Industry

An entrepreneur for more than 20 years, primarily in the hospitality industry, Bob Pacanovsky and his team had one opportunity to create both a "wow" experience and a lasting impression on his customers and clients. He has turned that expertise into a series of keynote speeches and trainings he calls the Black Tie Experience.   Through his work, Bob spent years observing people – how they act, behave, serve and lead. He combines that experience with business acumen to teach companies and leaders how to focus on engagement, retention, and loyalty – three tenets of the Black Tie Experience.    Bob launched a new company in January 2015 after selling his catering and event company that he founded in 2000. He has now turned his attention to delivering the Black Tie Experience to companies and associations of all sizes. Bob's website E-Mail Bob  

Rupesh Patel is a proven General Manager in charge of one of the top-rated hotels in Daytona Beach and is the founder of Smart Guests.com – which offers offer customer service solutions that improve your guest interactions, feedback and service scores He has worked with a variety of brands including Hilton, Marriott, IHG, Choice Hotels, Wyndham Hotels and many independent hotels. In addition to his success as a hotel manager, Rupesh enjoys speaking at hospitality events across the country.   Contact Rupesh

Adam Wallace is the founder and CEO of Spherical Communications, a digital agency specializing in design, content and social media for travel and hospitality clients. Spherical has quickly become a leading agency in independent lifestyle hotel website design and digital marketing, working with some of the industries most visible brands.  Prior to Spherical, Adam was known for his work as Director of Digital Marketing at the Roger Smith Hotel where he helped established the hotel's reputation as a pioneer in social media marketing in the hospitality industry, proclaimed by eConsultancy as "the most social media savvy hotel in New York -- if not the world". Adam has been featured as a speaker at dozens of conferences across North America and Europe and is widely recognized as an innovator in online marketing in travel and tourism. As a photographer and videographer, Adam is passionate about the impact of visual media in online branding. Spherical  

From manufacturing to healthcare and professional services to non-profit, Cara Silletto has worked with businesses in a plethora of industries. Her knowledge of industry jargon and her understanding of what keeps leaders in those businesses up at night is one of the many keys to her success. She is a successful speaker and author. Cara co-authored the book What's Next in HR with several industry leaders, then created the little purple book on The Millennial Mindset. Her newest employee retention-focused book, Staying Power: Why Your Employees Leave & How to Keep Them Longer, launched in March 2018.   Crescendo Strategies

Where we work….our environment…can be a major factor in determining our productivity and overall success.  Finding the right office space can be a challenge – and finding a suitable workspace when you are traveling can be even more difficult.    That's where Multipass comes in.  They offer an ecosystem of innovative spaces in locations across the country - and they are actively growing.  While each location has its own unique style or culture – they all share 4 main values in common: community, diversity, sustainability, and wellness.   Today we speak with co-founders Christian Johnson and Sarah Schlafly about what led them to create such a unique venture and what the future holds for innovative spaces.   Christian Johnson Christian Johnson is the co-founder of MultiPass, an Ecosystem of Innovative Spaces. He turned his passion for urban innovation, smart cities, and workplace design into a thriving company. Johnson is a US Army veteran, former St. Louis police officer, and

Sarah Pittson started her hospitality career as a Room Attendant and worked her way up through the Front Desk to General Manager and then she was off to IHG corporate as a Brand Service Delivery Consultant where she provided support to over 100 hotels.   Her time on the frontline and as a regional consultant has given her valuable personal experience with the challenges hotel managers face every day.  It also gave her incredible insights into what works and what doesn't when it comes to leading teams.   All of this led her to create a unique on-line learning experience, called the Hotel Leadership University.  It strives to help further develop leaders and speaks about building a winning culture.   Today we learn more about Sarah, her background, and her thoughts on the industry.    https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-pittson-5558ba30/ http://www.sarahpittson.com/

Chris Winterhalter is the CEO and co-founder of Hotel Rehabs, LLC a national hotel renovation contractor based in Chicago. Since 2010, Chris has completed dozens of major branded hotel projects across the country, from New York to San Diego. As CEO, Chris simultaneously manages the business' present operations and its future growth.  In addition to his work at Hotel Rehabs, Chris co-founded Sustainable Ventures, LLC in 2009. Today, the company owns 120 apartment units and has bought and sold dozens of residential properties. Chris is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati majoring in Operations Management. In his free time, Chris is an avid traveler of Latin America and is also fluent in Spanish.   Chris@HotelRehabs.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/chriswinterhalter/

Everyone has their own unique journey that leads them to where they are in the hospitality industry and Scott Koster, Regional Vice President of Two Roads Hospitality is no different.  Today we speak with Scott about his path in the industry – and also discuss the current hospitality industry trends….and Scott provides some valuable advice for those looking to make an impact in the hotel industry. https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-koster-6bb7076/ http://www.tworoadshotels.com/  

It's a special episode of the Hospitality One2One Podcast. March is National Women's History Month, and in honor of that, we speak with three distinguished women who are accomplished in their careers.  The discussion focuses on Women's Empowerment and it's a conversation about where we are in the 21st century and where we still need to go.  The panel includes: Keely Law, Sales Manager at the Marriott Shoals Hotel & Spa Brenda Diaz, Director of Sales & Marketing at the Four Points by Sheraton Boston-Logan Amanda Hammett – Keynote Speaker/"Millennial Translator"   It's a terrific conversation with some fantastic takeaways!

Caroline Stokes started The Emotionally Intelligent Recruiter with one goal in mind--to make recruiters thrive in the new AI or Artificial intelligence world! With nearly ten years as an executive headhunter and coach (with clients such as Autodesk, Sony, Microsoft, Electronic Arts, Disney and other innovation leaders) Caroline knows the challenges recruiters, candidates and hiring managers face.  Today Caroline speaks about her courses, her podcast and her speaking engagements….. she also provides some valuable advice.   E-Mail Caroline at: caroline@carolinestokes.co https://www.theeirecruiter.com/  

Tayo Rockson is on a mission to use his DIFFERENCE to make a difference as a storyteller, cultural translator, and brand strategist for change-makers. His ultimate goal is to build the next set of global leaders by teaching individuals how to communicate effectively across cultures and communicate with impact. He believes that the two reasons people don't think they can make a difference in the world is because of a fixed mindset and a limited worldview and so he works with individuals and organizations to improve their cultural competencies, exposure and grow their mindsets. In addition to his numerous speaking engagements, Tayo has a successful Blog and Podcast.  Today we have a fascinating discussion on his background and talk more about communicating across cultures.   Tayo's website: tayorockson.com/

It's word of mouth advertising for the 21st  century - Swayy is the leading online Influencer booking, campaign and relationship management tool for the hospitality industry. Today we speak with CEO David Gabriele. David was previously a City lawyer focusing on Corporate, Venture Capital and Technology matters. In 2010 David was admitted onto the tri-lingual MSc in Management and CEMS MSc in International Management programme run by the LSE & CEMS, as one of the youngest ever successful applicants. His graduating class was featured on Forbes as "the next generation of young business leaders". David has also had experience working at the global headquarters of 3 FTSE 100 companies and one of Europe's leading hedge funds. David is regularly invited to speak at hospitality/technology conferences both in the UK and internationally including at: - The Annual Hotel Conference (UK); - Future of Hospitality Summit (Switzerland); - Travel Technology Europe (UK); - Boutique Hotel Summit (UK); - Hotelympia (UK)

Carrie Luxem is a human resources professional specializing in the restaurant industry. In 2010, she founded Restaurant HR Group where she partners with hundreds of restaurateurs to take care of their greatest assets — their people. With a career that has spanned nearly 20 years, Carrie is frequently sought out for her modern, yet simple and effective advice and has been featured in Entrepreneur, Restaurant News, and Independent Restauranteur. Connect with her on social media or learn more at CarrieLuxem.com.  

Holly Arora started her career in the hotel industry as a young teenager working as a housekeeper. She gained experience working her way up as a Guest Service Supervisor and eventually as a General Manager.  Holly's passion for leading and educating lead her to create  "Let's Rock the Hotel" - a video-based online training program that shows you step-by-step how to run a hotel, manage staff and respond to ownership. It provides valuable training on how to become a successful General Manager.   Today she speaks more about her training program and her journey that brought her to where she is today.

We have exciting news about the growth of the Hospitality One2One Podcast, and the new website yourhotelrecruiter.com. More guests, great conversations, and a ton of resources for those in the hospitality industry! What is yourhotelrecruiter.com? It's a one stop location for videos, blogs, tips, and the podcasts (including the Hosptiality One2One Podcast!). It will be a resource for hotels, resorts, and their employees.  The website offers the following:   Interview Tips Resume Tips LinkedIn job search suggestions Tips on work/life balance Conversations with industry leaders The latest on industry trends For more on the Hospitality One2One Podcast or Yourhotelrecruiter, email chris: chris@hospitality121.com or chris@snellinghospitality.com

Kip Stehling is a Texas native and Marine Corps Veteran serving domestically, in Japan and diplomatic assignment in South Africa. Kip has spent 10 years as a hospitality leader and hotelier. For the past four years he has been General Manager of the DoubleTree by Hilton in Mundelein. Kip's heart lies in his faith, family, philanthropic organizations, and the local community.

Corey McCarthy, VP of Marketing for the digital workplace app Beekeeper, has spent nearly twenty years in the hospitality industry. Serving as the Associate Publisher of Lodging Hospitality magazine, VP Sales at Hotel Interactive and founder of Testarossa Marketing, she has extensive insights into all facets of the hotel business.

Nigel is CEO and Founder of When Labs: artificial intelligence for augmenting management, driving compliance, employee engagement, retention, and productivity.  Nigel's passion for HR and management comes from over two decades of building and managing teams from two to thousands around the globe, and led to his acquisition of Kenexa, a human capital management company, the 6th largest acquisition IBM had ever made. Nigel is a proven leader and innovator. As founding CTO of Footprint Software, a fintech startup, he engineered the largest retail banking system of its kind, building the fastest growing startup in Canada at the time, which sold to IBM. There, he architected IBM's entry into Open Source software, making IBM the first major corporation to embrace Linux and Apache, and was founding product line manager for their most successful organic software product of the last two decades, WebSphere. Along the way, he founded one of the earliest commercial bot companies, liketribe, which used artificial i

Keely has been a part of the hospitality network for over 15 years.  She is passionate about women's empowerment and karaoke, in that order.  Her personality can best be described as 1 part sales professional, 1 part skills developer, 2 parts community volunteer and 3 parts world traveler.  (Maybe 0 parts math genius?)  Equipped with a degree from the University of Life, Keely fosters authentic conversations that shed light on vulnerability, transparency, and truth.  She enjoys dancing to Prince songs (once onstage with him!), forcing her kids to take educational road trips, and chatting with total strangers.  

Greg DeShields currently serves as the Executive Director at PHLDiversity Multicultural Affairs Congress a division of the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau (PHLCVB), adjunct instructor for Temple University School of Tourism and Hospitality and Hospitality Educators. Greg is a Graduate of Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island, with an A.S. Degree in Hotel & Restaurant Management; and B.S. Degree in Hospitality Management. His professional certifications include: American Hotel & Lodging Association, Educational Institute – Certified Hospitality Educator – 2013 Asian American Hotel Owners Association – Certified Hotel Owner 2013 Recently Greg served as Managing Director of Business Development for Temple University Fox School of Business & School of Tourism and Hospitality Management. Professionally, Greg has been a manager in the hospitality industry for such companies as Hyatt Hotel, Omni Hotels, Sheraton