Hospitality Leaders - Interviews with hotel, event, and food service experts

This episode features a conversation with Madison Martin, Senior Event Manager at Hilton, who’s here to talk about the experiences of some of hospitality’s front-line workers.

While I often get the chance to speak with organizational founders and CEOs, Madison brings a ground-level perspective that is sometimes missing in discussions about the evolving needs and expectations of hospitality workers.

As Madison tells it, many organizations often neglect the tangible benefits that most employees are looking for in a post-Covid work environment. Competitive salaries, health insurance, parental leave and better working hours are all top priorities these days.

You can’t build a healthy company culture if you’re not meeting your staff’s basic needs, and Madison was outstanding in illuminating how hospitality leaders can work towards doing exactly that.

Hilton | Website - https://stories.hilton.com/ Chris Cano | LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrismcano/ Upshift | LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/upsh%C4%B1ft/

If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave a 5-star review. For more information and links to all of the resources mentioned in today’s episode, visit HospitalityLeadersPodcast.com

#Hospitality #Foodservice

I’m pleased to welcome Peter Ricci, Clinical Associate Professor and Director for the Hospitality & Tourism Management Program at Florida Atlantic University, to hear about the FAU hospitality certificate program.

One of the hallmarks of Peter’s approach to hospitality education is its versatility in its practical applications. People from all kinds of industries outside of hospitality have something to glean from Peter’s program.

As Peter sees it, hospitality isn’t just an industry but a philosophy of customer service that’s transferable to any organization. He instills a desire for excellence in all his students that they can utilize in any role or business. Not only that, but he also helps students find a place within the industry with skills that aren’t traditionally associated with hospitality.

Hospitality will always need accountants and HR leaders, and financial advisors and talent recruiters will always benefit from the commitment to customer service that defines hospitality.

Peter Ricci | Email - [email protected]

Florida Atlantic University | Website - https://www.fau.edu/

FAU Hospitality Certificate Programs | Website - https://business.fau.edu/undergraduate/minors-certificates/certificates/hospitality-and-tourism-management/

Chris Cano | LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrismcano/

Upshift | LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/company/upsh%C4%B1ft/

If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave a 5-star review. For more information and links to all of the resources mentioned in today’s episode, visit HospitalityLeadersPodcast.com

#Hospitality #FoodService

For the difficult work required in the hospitality industry, it’s essential to have a team that’s passionate about the organizational mission. That’s what I discussed on this episode with Kate Porter, Co-Executive Director at the Las Vegas Natural History Museum.

To create a guest-facing experience that’s fun and exciting, a lot of back-end work has to be done by a dedicated staff. If you don’t love what you do, burnout in that environment can be one bad day away. That’s why Kate goes out of her way to put together a team of people who are excited by the opportunity to create that guest experience, not deterred by the work it requires.

By offering continual opportunities for professional development, Kate keeps her staff engaged and passionate, even on the hard days. It’s an outstanding leadership style.

Kate Porter | LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-porter-7aa2371b/

Las Vegas Natural History Museum | LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/las-vegas-natural-history-museum/

Las Vegas Natural History Museum | Website - https://www.lvnhm.org/

Las Vegas Natural History Museum | Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lvnhmuseum/

Las Vegas Natural History Museum | Facebook -https://www.facebook.com/LasVegasNaturalHistoryMuseum/

Las Vegas Natural History Museum | Twitter - https://twitter.com/LVNHMuseum

Las Vegas Natural History Museum | email - [email protected]

Chris Cano | LinkedIn -https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrismcano/

Upshift | LinkedIn -https://www.linkedin.com/company/upsh%C4%B1ft/

If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave a 5-star review. For more information and links to all of the resources mentioned in today’s episode, visit HospitalityLeadersPodcast.com

#Hospitality #FoodService

On this episode, I’m pleased to welcome Sean Folkson, Founder and CEO of Nightfood, to talk about how Sean’s organization is pioneering new healthy choices for hotel guests.

Nightfood is a range of sleep-friendly snacks that provide guests with a healthier alternative to satisfy their late-night cravings. Nightfood manufactures cookies, ice cream, chips and more to accommodate all kinds of customer tastes.

To Sean, this is an important step in diversification for hotels. It’s an opportunity for them to capitalize on wellness trends and cater to guests that want more than junk food options in the lobby store. As he sees it, it’s part of a holistic approach to guest services that most hotels already engage in. Investing in the best mattresses, pillows, blackout curtains and white noise machines is all part of an attempt to give guests a better night's sleep. Nightfood is just one more outstanding step in that same direction.

Sean Folkson | LinkedIn -

https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanfolkson/

Sean Folkson | Twitter -

https://twitter.com/seanfolkson

Nightfood | LinkedIn -

https://www.linkedin.com/company/nightfood-inc/

Nightfood | Website -

https://nightfood.com/

Chris Cano -

https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrismcano/

Upshift -

https://www.linkedin.com/company/upsh%C4%B1ft/

If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave a 5-star review. For more information and links to all of the resources mentioned in today’s episode, visit HospitalityLeadersPodcast.com

#Hospitality #Foodservice

On this episode, I’m joined by Joe Gray, Co-Founder of SalesHop.io and VP of Sales at Glacier Hospitality, to hear how he’s using technology in conjunction with direct response marketing to reach new markets for his family’s hotel group.

Joe’s parents got into the hotel business before Joe was 10 years old, and he’s been a part of their sales and marketing team since college. After Covid-19, Joe struck out on his own to learn from career professionals in the marketing space. He founded SalesHop.io before returning to the family business, armed with an important new sales tool.

Direct response marketing is a method of reaching out to potential customers that is designed to elicit an immediate response. Whether it’s opening an email or clicking a social media link, this kind of marketing gets customers to engage with your organization right away. As technology, and especially AI, evolves in the hospitality industry, Joe encourages hospitality leaders to use their new digital tools to make their direct response marketing strategies more streamlined and efficient.

Joe Gray -

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-gray-10b245153/

SalesHop.io -

https://www.linkedin.com/company/saleshop-io/

Chris Cano -

https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrismcano/

Upshift -

https://www.linkedin.com/company/upsh%C4%B1ft/

If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave a 5-star review. For more information and links to all of the resources mentioned in today’s episode, visit HospitalityLeadersPodcast.com

#Hospitality #Foodservice

I’m excited to welcome Megan Thomas, Social Media Consultant and Owner of The Social Reserve, to the podcast to discuss the role of social media in hospitality.

Megan got her start in the hospitality industry working at the front desk of a hotel before eventually working her way up to Assistant General Manager. When the Covid-19 pandemic brought hard times to the industry, Megan branched out on her own to find ways she could help hospitality navigate that tumultuous period. She quickly found success as a social media consultant and strategist and founded The Social Reserve.

To Megan, social media is an opportunity for hospitality leaders to begin building a guest experience before the guest even gets to your property. You can engage in friendly dialogue, promote your latest attraction and respond to questions and concerns through a digital medium with a broad reach. It’s an outstanding vessel for personalizing customer interactions and encouraging guest loyalty.

Megan Thomas - https://www.linkedin.com/in/meganethomas/

The Social Reserve - https://www.linkedin.com/company/thesocialreserve/

The Social Reserve | Website - https://www.thesocialreserve.com/

The Social Reserve | Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thesocialreserve/

Chris Cano - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrismcano/

Upshift - https://www.linkedin.com/company/upsh%C4%B1ft/

If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave a 5-star review. For more information and links to all of the resources mentioned in today’s episode, visit HospitalityLeadersPodcast.com

#Hospitality #Foodservice

New technology has the potential to revolutionize the guest experience in the hospitality industry. Logan Nicholson, CEO and Founder of LocalEyes, is bringing the best of AI and process automation to hoteliers to help them improve guest satisfaction and increase revenue.

Guests are most likely to enjoy a hotel stay when they have a convenient way of communicating their needs and when those needs are promptly met. In the past, a flood of guest communications often meant that hotel staff were overwhelmed and unable to respond to each guest in a timely manner.

Logan’s AI assistant, Marie, brings together SMS communication and software automation to streamline this process. Texting provides an easy way for guests to voice their concerns, and the AI software responds to what it can while notifying staff of needs that require a human touch.

It’s an outstanding tool for prioritizing problems that require an immediate response. When implemented well, AI solutions like Marie can leave every guest extremely satisfied with the level of service they receive without overwhelming hotel staff.

Logan Nicholson - https://twitter.com/logs_nicholson

LocalEyes - https://localeyes.guide Marie AI - https://localeyes.guide/marie/ Chris Cano - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrismcano/ Upshift - https://www.linkedin.com/company/upshıft/

If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave a 5-star review. For more information and links to all of the resources mentioned in today’s episode, visit HospitalityLeadersPodcast.com

#hospitality #Foodservice

On this episode, I’m joined by Troy Springer, President at Elevate Production Group, to hear how he’s championing a return to live, in-person meetings and how his industry has evolved in a post-pandemic world.

Event planners all over the world were forced to construct entirely new business models in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The rise of virtual meetings meant that technology played a much bigger role in these events and industry leaders became comfortable forgoing in-person collaboration.

Troy is at the forefront of bringing live meetings back but in a very different way. He doesn’t want to abandon the technology that made virtual meetings possible but instead wants to use it to elevate the capabilities of in-person meetings. He also approaches his events with a new respect for efficiency and a desire to limit wasted time.

These considerations often flew under the radar just a few years ago, but Troy is now leveraging them to curate outstanding in-person events.

Elevate Production Group - https://elevateproductiongroup.com/ Chris Cano - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrismcano/ Upshift - https://www.linkedin.com/company/upsh%C4%B1ft/

If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave a 5-star review. For more information and links to all of the resources mentioned in today’s episode, visit HospitalityLeadersPodcast.com

#Hospitality #FoodService

On this episode, I’m joined by Randy McKay, President and CEO at the Carolina Theatre of Durham, to hear how he’s using his organization’s available resources to create unique experiences that his guests can’t find anywhere else.

Randy’s passion for theater goes back to his childhood days of wanting to be an actor, a passion which eventually shifted to encompass the behind-the-scenes production elements of live shows and concerts.

The Carolina Theatre of Durham is one of the most unique venues Randy has been a part of, owing to its rich local history and intimate size. Randy tries to capitalize on that uniqueness to provide a special guest experience to everyone who walks in the door. He can’t just rely on the venue itself but instead goes above and beyond to provide memorable customer service to create an atmosphere that sticks with his guests, long after the show is over.

It’s an outstanding way to differentiate himself from his competitors.

Randy McKay - https://www.linkedin.com/in/randybobstmckay/

Carolina Theatre of Durham - https://carolinatheatre.org/

Chris Cano - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrismcano/

Upshift - https://www.linkedin.com/company/upsh%C4%B1ft/

If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave a 5-star review. For more information and links to all of the resources mentioned in today’s episode, visit HospitalityLeadersPodcast.com

#Hospitality #FoodService

I’m pleased to welcome back Josiah Mackenzie, Publisher at HotelOperations.com, for his second appearance on the podcast, this time to discuss the role of AI in the future of hospitality.

As Josiah sees it, hospitality is a human industry through and through, and the foundation of success will always be meaningful human relationships. That doesn’t mean that technology won’t play an important role in shaping those relationships, though.

AI is an important pattern recognition and analytics tool. It has the capacity to automate monotonous tasks, freeing up associates to engage with guests in a more personal way. It can also provide important information to staff and allows them to cater to their guest on an individual level, providing personalized services and recommendations based on AI suggestions.

It’s an outstanding resource with the ability to enhance the human element of the hospitality industry, not replace it.

Josiah Mackenzie - https://twitter.com/JosiahMackenzie

HotelOperations.com - https://hoteloperations.com/

AI for Hotels | Article - https://hoteloperations.com/ai-hotels-hospitality/ Chris Cano - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrismcano/

Upshift - https://www.linkedin.com/company/upsh%C4%B1ft/

If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave a 5-star review. For more information and links to all of the resources mentioned in today’s episode, visit HospitalityLeadersPodcast.com

#Hospitality #Foodservice