Lodging Leaders

Michael (Mick) McKeown is the Executive Director of the Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC) and Campaigns at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He brought over fifteen years of expertise in state, city, and local government prior to his appointment at DHS. As Executive Director, Mick oversees the Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC) and its read more

Michael (Mick) McKeown is the Executive Director of the Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC) and Campaigns at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He brought over fifteen years of expertise in state, city, and local government prior to his appointment at DHS. As Executive Director, Mick oversees the Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC) and its 40 Council members as well as the ongoing policy work of the subcommittees; He leads the Blue Campaign which heightens the public’s familiarity with human trafficking and its identifiers; and heads the “If You See Something, Say Something®” campaign which raises public awareness on the indicators of terrorism and terrorism related crimes and how to recognize them. In This Episode, Mick Reveals … * Where the “If You See Something, Say Something®” campaign came from, and what the DHS is focusing on. * What suspicious activity is, what to look for, what to do, and how to report it. * How the campaign effects us as both citizens and as leaders in the hospitality industry. * How can folks get involved and help spread the campaign’s message. Together, We Can Keep Our Communities Safe. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is committed to strengthening hometown security by creating partnerships with state, local, tribal, and territorial governments; the private sector; and the communities they serve. Campaign partners play an integral role in keeping our communities safe. To learn how you can become a campaign partner, click here to download the free 1-pager. Download the FREE Partnership 1-Pager If You See Something, Say Something Resources & Links Mick McKeown * Email: mick@pennovia.com * LinkedIn Department of Homeland Security (DHS) * Email:  seesay@hq.dhs.gov * DHS Website * If You See Something, Say Something * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * LinkedIn * YouTube

Robert Russell has been an innovative leader in digital, social and mobile marketing for over 20 years. He has worked with major global brands and smaller companies in almost every aspect of digital marketing and e-commerce, including reservation and transaction software, mobile applications, social media marketing, search engine optimization, email marketing, and website user experience. read more

Robert Russell has been an innovative leader in digital, social and mobile marketing for over 20 years. He has worked with major global brands and smaller companies in almost every aspect of digital marketing and e-commerce, including reservation and transaction software, mobile applications, social media marketing, search engine optimization, email marketing, and website user experience. His clients and leadership roles have included Hotels, Retailers, and Restaurant chains across the US, Caribbean and Latin America. He has been a featured speaker at leading hospitality technology conferences, such as HITEC, and written articles for many industry publications. He has recently published The Hotel Handbook For Online Revenue. Robert currently advises dozens of large and small hotels as President of Resort Income Optimization. In This Episode, Rob Reveals … 14 ways to boost revenue and profits, including: * Direct bookings may cost more than OTAs * Deposits and cancellation policies may be scaring your customers away * Discounting doesn’t have to mean lower revenue * You get better promo results with “unique” offers for targeted groups * High occupancy can signal a problem (prices are too low) * Value-Add promos can be more profitable * Your Facebook Followers are probably not seeing your posts (you have to pay) * Email Marketing is still a killer app (and you own it) * Content Marketing can be automated with software * Google Maps is separate from Google * You can place your direct booking engine on TripAdvisor, Google, Facebook, and other places * Airbnb can be your friend * Education is now in snack sizes – and perhaps better * Revenue Management can be done remotely Rob prepared a free 17 page guide for the listeners called Revenue Is Oxygen: Online Channel Management for Boutique Resorts If you are struggling to understand how to combine channels, software, websites, clouds and services, then Rob’s Revenue is Oxygen guide is a great place to start. Download the FREE guide: Revenue Is Oxygen Online Channel Management for Boutique Resorts Resources & Links Rob Russell * rob@resortincome.com * LinkedIn Resort Income Optimization * Website * Facebook * Twitter * LinkedIn * info@resortincome.com * 1-678-534-7125​

Jordan Hollander is the co-founder of Hotel Tech Report, the premier global research platform for hotel technology. He was previously on the Global Partnerships team at Starwood Hotels & Resorts. Prior to his work with SPG, Jordan was Director of Business Development at MetWest Terra Hospitality and Research Associate at Sapience Investments where he covered read more

Jordan Hollander is the co-founder of Hotel Tech Report, the premier global research platform for hotel technology. He was previously on the Global Partnerships team at Starwood Hotels & Resorts. Prior to his work with SPG, Jordan was Director of Business Development at MetWest Terra Hospitality and Research Associate at Sapience Investments where he covered consumer and technology stocks. Jordan received his MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management where he was both a Zell Scholar and Pritzker Group Venture Fellow. He holds a bachelors degree in both Philosophy and Political Science in from Williams College. About Hotel Tech Report: More than 45,000 hoteliers in over 50 countries have used HotelTechReport.com to research and vet technology products for their properties. The firm works closely with 350+ hotel technology partners around the world to leverage the power of transparency by collecting unbiased feedback from authenticated product users to help hoteliers make better technology decisions for their businesses. In This Episode, Jordan Reveals: * How hotels can protect themselves from disruptors * Why any good hotel tech sales rep should help you compare their product with the competition * Why your hotel should never buy closed ecosystem technologies * How to quickly research and pitch technology products to property owners * How to identify hotel technology vendors that will be true partners after the sale Resources & Links Jordan Hollander * LinkedIn Hotel Tech Report * Website * Twitter * LinkedIn * Facebook

Jeff Craven is a self-described copywriter, speechwriter and presentation whisperer. He is the President of Thoughtcraft LLC, a communications company that serves senior executives, consultants and business advisors. In This Episode, Jeff Reveals: The speech writing process he used while helping me prepare for my recent talk at the Vesta Hospitality Annual Meeting, including: Setting read more

Jeff Craven is a self-described copywriter, speechwriter and presentation whisperer. He is the President of Thoughtcraft LLC, a communications company that serves senior executives, consultants and business advisors. In This Episode, Jeff Reveals: The speech writing process he used while helping me prepare for my recent talk at the Vesta Hospitality Annual Meeting, including: * Setting the experience of the event – The where and why, aligning or complimenting your speech with what your audience expects from that event. * Setting the tone of the Speech – Will it be big concepts, vision and inspiration, educational or workshoppy, or reflective and encouraging. * Setting the feedback from the audience – When you’re done talking, what feedback do you want to hear from the audience. * Setting your topic – Let your audience’s shared interest guide you. Take a page from their diary so you capture their attention. * Setting your unique Point of View – Focus on the kind of experience your audience expects, and what you can do if you’re not sure what it is. Download the FREE guide: Zero to Speech Make the task of writing your speech faster and much less painful Resources & Links Jeff Craven * jeff@thoughtcraft.co * LinkedIn ThoughtCraft * Website

Hoperator is a sales and messaging platform designed to help travel and hospitality businesses increase revenue, provide customer service and build guest intelligence by connecting with their potential customers and guests in their preferred messaging channel. Chris Douglas – CEO/Cofounder Prior to cofounding Hoperator, Chris built a career in advertising as a creative. During this read more

Hoperator is a sales and messaging platform designed to help travel and hospitality businesses increase revenue, provide customer service and build guest intelligence by connecting with their potential customers and guests in their preferred messaging channel. Chris Douglas – CEO/Cofounder Prior to cofounding Hoperator, Chris built a career in advertising as a creative. During this time he managed creative and digital teams to develop digital campaigns and digital products for some of the world’s largest brands. His experience spans brand building, user experience, product development and digital strategy. He also holds a patent for a social gaming application. Michael Foltz – CTO/Cofounder Besides being an accomplished software architect, Michael owned and managed a group of award-winning hostels in Poland. During this time, he led the development of their own property management software that they licensed to other accommodations. With Hoperator, Michael combines his experience as a technologist with his passion for the travel and hospitality industry. In This Episode, Chris and Michael Reveal: * The vision behind Hoperator, the problem they’re solving, and who you serve. * A few business cases for how their customers are using the platform, and how easy it is to use. * How Hoperator integrates within the existing technology infrastructure at the property, whether integration required, and whether the platform is app-based, web based or both. * The cost for their services. Wanna learn how messaging can drive revenue for hotels? This is the first in a series of Hoperator reports to come where they analyze data from their platform, share how Hoperator is being used and the opportunities it creates for hoteliers. This version of the report is exclusive to Lodging Leaders listeners. Download the FREE Report: What is the Cost of Real-Time? How Sales-Focused Live Chat and Messaging Drives Revenue. Resources & Links Chris Douglas * cdouglas@hoperator.com * LinkedIn Michael Foltz * mfoltz@hoperator.com * LinkedIn Hoperator * hello@hoperator.com * Website * Facebook * Instagram * Twitter

I just had the honor and privilege of speaking at the Vesta Hospitality Annual Meeting in San Diego, Calif. Knowing that I’d be addressing their amazing team of GMs, Directors of Sales, and Corporate Office Executive staff, I decided to talk about the power of a tribe. This episode is that speech. Enjoy! In This read more

I just had the honor and privilege of speaking at the Vesta Hospitality Annual Meeting in San Diego, Calif. Knowing that I’d be addressing their amazing team of GMs, Directors of Sales, and Corporate Office Executive staff, I decided to talk about the power of a tribe. This episode is that speech. Enjoy! In This Episode, I Reveal … * The power of a tribe * How tribal culture relates to your team * How to build an amazing team * Why you have to lead yourself first Resources & Links * Vesta Hospitality Website

Gary Douglas is an investor, a business owner, and a multi-millionaire. He’s also a psychologist, and a sought-after international speaker who empowers people to know that they are the source for creating a life that goes beyond the limitations of popular beliefs and conditioning. Gary founded Access Consciousness® 25 years ago – a $10M+ global read more

Gary Douglas is an investor, a business owner, and a multi-millionaire. He’s also a psychologist, and a sought-after international speaker who empowers people to know that they are the source for creating a life that goes beyond the limitations of popular beliefs and conditioning. Gary founded Access Consciousness® 25 years ago – a $10M+ global movement which is now practiced in over 173 countries, which advocates a more human focus to business life as the only way to sustainable financial success. He’s written several best-selling books on finance and business including, Rich Riches for You, Beyond the Utopian Ideal, and Money Isn’t the Problem, You Are. In This Episode, Gary Reveals … The three key elements to being an effective leader in today’s modern workplace, including: * Be interested, not interesting * Encourage failure in your staff * See beyond job titles And, Gary reveals what he considers to be the most vital tool to effective modern leadership, empowerment. Resources & Links * gary@accessconsciousness.com * GaryMDouglas.com * AccessConsciousness.com * Facebook * Twitter * Google+ * YouTube

Jared Galbut serves as Managing Principal of Menin Hospitality, the Miami-based company known for its experiential, boutique hotel, restaurant and nightlife brands, including Mondrian South Beach, Bodega Taqueria y Tequila and The Gale Hotel. A Miami native, Galbut discovered his passion for the hospitality industry as a teen, working for his uncle at Crescent Heights read more