Lodging Leaders

Gene Hammett works with companies to discover new strategies for growth. From small businesses to large corporations, he presents his ideas on becoming THE choice, not a choice, and unleashing the entrepreneurial spirit by activating internal brand ambassadors for companies. Gene’s podcast, Leaders in the Trenches, has been recognized by Inc. and Entrepreneur for its read more

Gene Hammett works with companies to discover new strategies for growth. From small businesses to large corporations, he presents his ideas on becoming THE choice, not a choice, and unleashing the entrepreneurial spirit by activating internal brand ambassadors for companies. Gene’s podcast, Leaders in the Trenches, has been recognized by Inc. and Entrepreneur for its insight on marketing and sales leadership. Gene is also the author of The Trap of Success: A Brutally Candid Guide to Overcoming Your Fears, Finding Significance, and Achieving Profound Success. A regular contributor to Entrepreneur, Gene has also been featured in Forbes, Success, Business Insider, and Inc. In This Episode, Gene Reveals: * A pivotal moment is his career where he lost $3 million overnight in a contract gone bad, and how that profound experience changed the course of his life. * How he would coach a hotelier to become a leader within their property, their community and the industry. * What his book, the trap of success, is about and who he wrote it for. Resources & Links * gene@leadersinthetrenches.com * Twitter * Facebook * LinkedIn * Instagram * Podcast: Leaders in the Trenches 2897 N. Druid Hills Rd, #188 Atlanta, GA 30329 Phone: 678-242-9957 * The Trap of Success: A Brutally Candid Guide to Overcoming Your Fears, Finding Significance, and Attaining Profound Success

Lucinda Hart, CAE, MBA, has over 22 years of association management and customer service experience in the areas of human resources, certification, membership, chapter relations, conferences/trade shows, nonprofit legal issues, and governance and administration. As HFTP Chief Operations Officer, Lucinda is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the association, managing 30 staff members, as well read more

Lucinda Hart, CAE, MBA, has over 22 years of association management and customer service experience in the areas of human resources, certification, membership, chapter relations, conferences/trade shows, nonprofit legal issues, and governance and administration. As HFTP Chief Operations Officer, Lucinda is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the association, managing 30 staff members, as well as representing HFTP at numerous industry global events. Lucinda received her Bachelor of Arts in Human Resource Management and her Master of Business Administration in Organizational Leadership and Management from Concordia University Texas. She is also a Certified Association Executive (CAE). Lucinda was awarded the Professional Excellence Award from the Texas Society of Association Executives (TSAE). She serves as a mentor for Leadership TSAE and Concordia University Texas. Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP®) established in 1952, is an international, nonprofit association, headquartered in Austin, Texas, USA, with offices in Hong Kong, United Kingdom and the Netherlands. HFTP is recognized as the spokes group for the finance and technology segments of the hospitality industry with members and stakeholders spanning across the globe. HFTP uniquely understands the industry’s pressing issues and assists its stakeholders in finding solutions to their challenges more efficiently than any organization. It does this via its expert networks, research, certification programs, information resources and conferences/events such as HITEC. HFTP also owns the world’s only hospitality-specific search engine, PineappleSearch.com. In This Episode, Lucinda Reveals: * What GDPR is, what kinds of data are included in these guidelines, and when it goes into effect. * How GDPR will impact multinational companies operating within and out of the EU, and why hotels in the United States need to be aware of it. * The role of Data Protection Officer (DPO) and how a hotel can determine if they need one. * Who might be responsible if their is a data breach, and the type of fines you can expect if you’re found to be non-compliant. Resources & Links Lucinda Hart * lucinda@hftp.org * LinkedIn Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP) * HFTP Website * Pineapple Search Engine

Chip is a hospitality veteran and he’s been serving the industry for more than 30 years. He’s done it all – from washing dishes, to the front desk, Assistant GM, General Manager, Sales Manager, COO, CDO, VP and more. For over 20 years, Chip served America’s Best Franchising as the brand grew from just a read more

Chip is a hospitality veteran and he’s been serving the industry for more than 30 years. He’s done it all – from washing dishes, to the front desk, Assistant GM, General Manager, Sales Manager, COO, CDO, VP and more. For over 20 years, Chip served America’s Best Franchising as the brand grew from just a few properties to a portfolio of nearly 300. After ABF was acquired by Vantage Hospitality a couple years ago, Chip began his hospitality consultancy, and he has helped multiple development and management groups not only grow profits, but identify key areas for improvement. In This Episode, Chip Reveals: * What worked for hoteliers 10-20 years ago won’t work in today’s world, from a younger generation of travelers, to new technologies, to stiffer competition. * How he approaches a new consulting opportunity, what he looks at, and how he uncovers the nuggets of gold that will separate his new client from the competition. * The importance of observing how the leadership interacts with the staff, as well as the guests, to get a feel for the heart of the property and establish a baseline for the property to build upon. * Why he starts by focusing on the things a hotel is doing well, finding ways to tweak them to make it even better, then addresses the areas that need improvement in a practical, actionable way, so the hotel can not only implement them, they have the tools and action plan to carry that out long after his assignment is complete. Resources & Links * chip@chipelbers.com * Chip’s Website * Chip on LinkedIn * Chip on Twitter * Chip on Facebook * Mobile: (404) 202-8377

Born and raised in Rhode Island, Holly began her hospitality journey at the age of 13 as a housekeeper. Like many hoteliers, she slowly worked her way up through the ranks. By the age of 30, she was managing a hotel, and by 33, she became the General Manager at a Hampton Inn. Today, Holly read more

Born and raised in Rhode Island, Holly began her hospitality journey at the age of 13 as a housekeeper. Like many hoteliers, she slowly worked her way up through the ranks. By the age of 30, she was managing a hotel, and by 33, she became the General Manager at a Hampton Inn. Today, Holly is a full time mom and chief educator at Lets Rock the Hotel. In This Episode, Holly Reveals: * Her favorite customer success story, and she shares a difficult guest situation and how she dealt with it. * Some tips on how hotels can maximize their revenue strategies, what key metrics she looks at, and in her opinion, where the GM come into this picture. * How hotels can gain more brand-loyal customers, even when the guests comes in via an OTA. * Something she sees hotel managers and owners getting bogged down with that they could easily delegate, but choose not to. * Her course, lets rock the hotel, which is a 9-module program for aspiring hotel general managers on how to effectively communicate, delegate and manage priorities to achieve management success. Download the FREE Guide 15 Must Ask Interview Questions When Hiring for Front Desk Agents Resources & Links Holly Arora * holly@letsrockthehotel.com * LinkedIn Lets Rock The Hotel * Website * tel: +1 650-466-8825 * FREE Download: 15 Must Ask Interview Questions When Hiring for Front Desk Agents

William D. Frye, Ph.D., CHE, CHO, CHIA is an Associate Professor and Program Coordinator at Niagara University’s College of Hospitality and Tourism Management and a doctoral graduate from the School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Recreation Management at The Pennsylvania State University. He teaches classes in hotel and resort management, hospitality and tourism law, and club read more

William D. Frye, Ph.D., CHE, CHO, CHIA is an Associate Professor and Program Coordinator at Niagara University’s College of Hospitality and Tourism Management and a doctoral graduate from the School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Recreation Management at The Pennsylvania State University. He teaches classes in hotel and resort management, hospitality and tourism law, and club management, and is the professor in charge of Niagara University’s club management and Disney internship programs. He holds a Master of Hospitality Management degree from the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel & Restaurant Management at the University of Houston. Dr. Frye has earned the designation of Certified Hospitality Educator from the Education Institute of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. He also serves as the editor of the Electronic Journal of Hospitality Legal, Safety and Security Research. In 2008, he co-authored a textbook, Managing Housekeeping Operations, available from the Educational Institute of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. With over 30 years management experience, Dr. Frye has been associated with the hospitality industry for the past 24 years, primarily in hotel operations and hospitality education. Previously he was the general manager of a resort lodging property in Taos, New Mexico. He has also been employed previously by the Sonesta Hotel Corporation, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels, and Penn State Hospitality Services. In 2012, Dr. Frye became only the 10 th recipient to receive the “Raphael Kavanaugh Champion of Education Award” conferred by the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education. In 2015 he was presented the prestigious “Anthony G. Marshall Award” by the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute. This award recognizes an individual who has made significant long-term contributions to the hospitality industry in educating future leaders. In This Episode, Bill Reveals: * The various types of theft in hotels, who steals more – guests or the employees – and Bill reveals the strangest thing he has heard about being stolen from a hotel. * That hotels owe a duty of reasonable care, and how that can change depending on the type of person on property, e.g. guests, employees and trespassers. * The invisible threats like carbon monoxide poisoning and Legionnaires disease, what can cause it, and what you can do to prevent it. * What an attractive nuisance is, things like the huge snow plow mound that can build up on property, how they can become a safety issue, and how the property can be liable if they don’t take steps to prevent or police it. * Examples of blatant negligence he’s seen or heard about over the course of his career, and he shares examples of less obvious situations where a hotel could be deemed negligent. * How to handle suicides at a hotel so that you minimize the impact on other guests without disturbing the scene for a police investigation. Resources & Links * wfrye@niagara.edu * Niagara University Website * Bill on LinkedIn

Corey McCarthy is VP of Marketing for the digital workplace app Beekeeper, and she has nearly twenty years of experience 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. In read more

Corey McCarthy is VP of Marketing for the digital workplace app Beekeeper, and she has nearly twenty years of experience 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. In This Episode, Corey Reveals: * What Beekeeper is it, what problem it solves and how it works. * That the platform includes apps for iOS and Android smartphones, as well as desktop computers, and how it can be integrated with an existing technologies like a Property Management System and Payroll software. * Several operational use cases of ways the platform can improve communication throughout the entire organization, from upper management, to various departments, to individuals. * Some of their new features like Inline Translation and Read receipts, and the impact these features are having on employees. * The cost you can expect to pay for their product. Download the FREE Guide Your 31-Point Assessment to Ensure GDPR Compliance Resources & Links Corey McCarthy * corey.mccarthy@beekeeper.io * LinkedIn Beekeeper * Website * Facebook * Twitter * LinkedIn * YouTube

As a multi-unit hospitality veteran of 30+ years, Roger Miller has established himself as one of the hotel industry’s leading sales and marketing technical advisors who offers results-driven, sales & marketing expertise to the industry. He brings a depth of experience as a strategist, trainer, leader, coach, mentor and industry resource for full service, select read more

As a multi-unit hospitality veteran of 30+ years, Roger Miller has established himself as one of the hotel industry’s leading sales and marketing technical advisors who offers results-driven, sales & marketing expertise to the industry. He brings a depth of experience as a strategist, trainer, leader, coach, mentor and industry resource for full service, select service, extended stay, resort and independent brands. Roger has represented more than 225 properties ranging in size from 60 to 600 rooms and $2.5 billion in assets across 42 states. His depth of knowledge across brands includes Marriott/Starwood, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG and Choice Hotels. He also has extensive experience with convention, resort and boutique independent hotels. In This Episode, Roger Reveals: * The challenges and opportunities in hospitality multi-unit sales & marketing support these days. * The major factors for success in producing a strong, results-oriented, on-property sales & marketing team, and the major characteristics of a successful above-property support team. * The major factors he looks at when recommending, or rejecting, a new development or acquisition project. * What owners should focus on when choosing a hospitality ownership or management company. * How he goes about analyzing and maximizing a hotel feasibility study to increase the value of that study. Resources & Links Roger A. Miller * ramiller718@gmail.com * LinkedIn * Direct: (678) 360-8559

Kayla Barrett Curry is President of Organization Impact, LLC and is a member of the Society of Human Resources Management, American Society of Training and Development, Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, and the National Association of Professional Women. She has over 25 years experience in both the corporate sector and non-profit market as Director of read more