Lodging Leaders

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 Organizational Strategy, Director of Human Resources and Director of Staff Development. Kayla’s experience allows her to walk alongside organizations to help them identify their people development needs, then helps them discover a hands-on approach that advances the organization’s vision. She is the author of “Leadership Shorts: Practical Tips When You Are at Wit’s End” and the Amazon #1 bestseller “The Complete Experience: Unlocking the Secrets of Online Reviews that Drive Customer Loyalty.” Kayla holds a B.S. and M.S. in Organizational Communication from Murray State University in Kentucky. In This Episode, Kayla Reveals: * Who she serves, why she decided to create her company, Organization Impact, and some of the emerging trends she is seeing in the world of talent strategy. * Why setting the vision and mission for your company, creating an intentional culture, and getting super clear about what you’re looking for in a team is so important. * Some of the way hoteliers can achieve higher employee retention and engagement. * What you can do if you’re a discouraged leader … remember, a dead battery can’t charge another … so you have to get yourself out of that negative place and shift your mindset to focus on the positives. Resources & Links Kayla Barrett Curry * kayla@organizationimpact.com * LinkedIn * Facebook * Twitter Organization Impact, LLC * Website Kayla’s Books * Leadership Shorts: Practical Tips When You Are At Wit’s End * The Complete Experience: Unlocking the secrets of online reviews that drive customer loyalty

Dave Austin is Founder of Extreme Focus and Co-Author of the international best-selling book, “Be A Beast: Unleash Your Animal Instincts for Performance Driven Results.” Dave brings out the best in his clients, many of which are the elite and professional athletes you watch on TV everyday. He is a highly sought after “mental performance read more

Dave Austin is Founder of Extreme Focus and Co-Author of the international best-selling book, “Be A Beast: Unleash Your Animal Instincts for Performance Driven Results.” Dave brings out the best in his clients, many of which are the elite and professional athletes you watch on TV everyday. He is a highly sought after “mental performance coach” who has worked, not only at the professional sports level, but also at every other level along the way. The principles he teaches not only work on the field, they work in the boardroom, as his work translates exceptionally well for companies, entrepreneurs, and sales teams. In This Episode, Dave Reveals: * His views on mental performance, mindset, setting intentions and being authentic * An amazing hotel experience he had where every touchpoint he encountered made a lasting impression. * That hotels are about connection – and if you can connect with people at the heart-level, they’ll remember you forever. * The main reason some people make it to the top and others don’t, even when given the same opportunities. * What his international best-seller, Be A Beast: Unleash Your Animal Instincts for Performance Driven Results, is about and who it’s for. * A game-changing exercise you can use immediately to improve your mental performance and experience extreme focus. Resources & Links Dave Austin * daa@extremefocus.com Extreme Focus * Website * LinkedIn * Facebook * Twitter * YouTube

Tony is a #1 best-selling author, international speaker and the founder or co-founder of five companies ranging from customer experience consulting to small business training to television production. Tony’s research in the area of human experience has helped companies improve their sales, marketing conversion and customer satisfaction. As a certified Mental Performance coach, he has read more

Tony is a #1 best-selling author, international speaker and the founder or co-founder of five companies ranging from customer experience consulting to small business training to television production. Tony’s research in the area of human experience has helped companies improve their sales, marketing conversion and customer satisfaction. As a certified Mental Performance coach, he has trained Navy SEALs, Army Rangers, professional athletes and executives how to use their mind and emotions to achieve peak performance. Tony received the Award of Excellence from the Life Mastery Institute for his coaching. Tony’s started his career in hospitality as a housekeeper during high school. He later joined Gaylord Entertainment and built the analytics practice for the hotel and entertainment divisions. Tony revolutionized how Gaylord designed their hotels, most notably, Gaylord National near Washington, DC. He then rebuilt the guest and meeting planner experience programs to help the brand achieve record satisfaction scores during the economic downturn in 2008-2009. Now Tony consults with award-winning brands and startups to craft their customer experiences in a way that drives sales and profitability. In This Episode, Tony Reveals: * His recent LinkedIn post, 7 Steps to Transform Your Customer Experience Micro-Moments in 30 Days. * What micro-moments are, and he provides some real-world examples for hotels. * How to audit your feedback from customers who gave you a less that perfect score to identify clusters of themes around touch points, and then selecting clusters that involve processes that provide nearly immediate feedback. * Why going on the customer journey, exactly as the customer would, is important. * How to find micro-moment(s) during the customer journey that set false expectations AND that have a measurable negative impact on behaviors, and then transform those micro moments so they set appropriate customer expectations that can be met in an excellent manner consistently by your company. * That you should monitor and measure results so you can make adjustments where necessary. Resources & Links Tony Bodoh * Tony@TonyBodoh.com * Website * LinkedIn * Facebook * Twitter * LinkedIn post: 7 Steps to Transform Your Customer Experience Micro-Moments in 30 Days

Rafael Museri has over fifteen years of experience in international real estate development. Eight years ago, Rafael moved from Tel Aviv to Panama City, Panama. In 2008, he founded the Dekel Group where his knowledge and expertise have been invaluable in the aggregation of Dekel’s extensive portfolio of real estate assets. Rafael’s vision has facilitated read more

Rafael Museri has over fifteen years of experience in international real estate development. Eight years ago, Rafael moved from Tel Aviv to Panama City, Panama. In 2008, he founded the Dekel Group where his knowledge and expertise have been invaluable in the aggregation of Dekel’s extensive portfolio of real estate assets. Rafael’s vision has facilitated the growth of Dekel and its team – it took Rafael three years to find the village of Pedasi through careful research and then he found the correct team to help take his imagination and turn it into reality. He is the founder and CEO of Selina, a rapidly growing, new generation of lifestyle hostels with 13 locations in Latin America. His personal and successful business record has drawn a lot of successful business groups with great influences to invest in his company. In This Episode, Rafi Reveals: * The inspiration for Selina, how was the idea born, and where it all started. * Their target demographic, digital nomads ages 20-35, and why he believes their product is such a good fit for them. * What makes Selina different than other hostels in the hospitality industry, including Summer Camps, Retreats, Educational Programs, Eco-Tourism and more. * The positive effect their Hospitality Academy has had on Selina employees and interns. * Why social responsibility is important to them, how they get involved in local communities, and the steps they take to ensure that they have a positive impact wherever they choose to develop. Resources & Links Rafael Museri * rafael@selinahostels.com Selina Hostels * Website * Facebook * Instagram * YouTube

Last month, I featured Ron Whitfield and Dr. Kate Price-Howard, and we took a deep dive into How to Create an Awesome Internship Program. Click here to listen to that episode. This is part two in the hospitality internship series. Today’s guests are ResortQuest Interns Jordon Bonner, Nick Delaney, Allison Johnstone and Yaminah Cummings, and read more

Last month, I featured Ron Whitfield and Dr. Kate Price-Howard, and we took a deep dive into How to Create an Awesome Internship Program. Click here to listen to that episode. This is part two in the hospitality internship series. Today’s guests are ResortQuest Interns Jordon Bonner, Nick Delaney, Allison Johnstone and Yaminah Cummings, and their Internship Advocates Ron Whitfield and Dr. Kate Price-Howard. In This Episode, the Interns Reveal: * How they learned about the internships, what attracted them to this opportunity, and whether the information provided was different from their expectations. * What they learned during their internship experience, from job-specific training to hospitality mentoring, and they share what they liked most, and what was most challenging for them. * Whether housing was an important factor, how it worked, how much they paid, and what they thought of the whole roommate situation. * Their future plans, and one of the interns reveals their opportunity to transition to a full-time ResortQuest employee. Download the FREE Guide 14 Tip for Creating an Awesome Internship Program Resources & Links Previous Episodes * LL092 | Value-Added Amenities with Kate Price-Howard * LL096 | Manager as Coach with Ron Whitfield * LL119 | How to Create an Awesome Internship Program with Ron and Kate Mentioned in this Episode * ResortQuest by Wyndham * ResortQuest Destin Jordon Bonner * jbonner132969@gmail.com * Jordon on Facebook Yaminah Cummings * yaminahcummings@gmail.com * Yaminah on LinkedIn Nick Delaney * tuf42239@temple.edu * Nick on LinkedIn Allison Johnstone * ajohnstone@mail.niagara.edu * Allison on LinkedIn Ron Whitfield * ron.whitfield@wynvr.com * Ron on LinkedIn * Phone: 850-428-2360 Dr. Kate Price-Howard * pricek@troy.edu * Kate on LinkedIn

Suresh Chawla was born in Burlington, Ontario, Canada, and moved with his parents (Dr. and Mrs. V.K. Chawla) and brother Dinesh to America in 1977. He has worked with Chawla Hotels since they opened their first property in Greenwood, MS in 1989. He currently serves as President and CFO of Chawla Hotels, which owns 17 read more

Suresh Chawla was born in Burlington, Ontario, Canada, and moved with his parents (Dr. and Mrs. V.K. Chawla) and brother Dinesh to America in 1977. He has worked with Chawla Hotels since they opened their first property in Greenwood, MS in 1989. He currently serves as President and CFO of Chawla Hotels, which owns 17 limited service hotels, and is currently developing the first Scion Hotel in Cleveland, MS. Suresh earned a BBA in 1990 and an MBA in 1991 from Millsaps College in Jackson, MS. In This Episode, Suresh Reveals: * The challenges his father Dr. VK faced nearly 30 years ago when he built his very first property. * His father’s desperate phone call to now President Donald Trump in the late 80’s, and how that conversation helped him get the financing he so desperately needed. * Their current portfolio of 18 properties, including the world’s first Scion property currently under development, and the three conversions to the American Idea brand currently under way. * How he feels about the risks of converting to two unproven brands, and why he feels confident that they will succeed. * Their experience working with the Trump Organization, from first contact, to negotiations, to the official announcement of their partnership at Trump Towers this past June. Resources & Links Mentioned in this Episode * Asian Hospitality Magazine * July 2017 Issue * Subscribe * Trump Hotels Website * Developer Information * Email: development@trumphotels.com Suresh Chawla * deltamotels@yahoo.com Chawla Hotels * Chawla Hotels * P.O. Box 1701 | Greenwood, MS 38930 * Phone: (662) 453-1822

Eric Danziger is the chief executive officer of Trump Hotels, the world-renowned luxury hotel brand and management company, and is responsible for the strategic direction, growth and performance of the business. With more than 45 years of experience in the hotel business, Eric, who started as a bellman at The Fairmont San Francisco at the read more

Eric Danziger is the chief executive officer of Trump Hotels, the world-renowned luxury hotel brand and management company, and is responsible for the strategic direction, growth and performance of the business. With more than 45 years of experience in the hotel business, Eric, who started as a bellman at The Fairmont San Francisco at the age of 17, has served as the head of several of the industry’s leading hotel companies. He joined Trump Hotels following roles as President and CEO of Starwood Hotels, President and COO of Carlson Hotels Worldwide and President and CEO of Wyndham Hotel Group. Most recently, Eric was president and CEO of Hampshire Hotels Management, now Dream Hotel Group, where he introduced a collection of lifestyle hotel brands. His first executive role was with DoubleTree Hotels, where he was part of the team which created the iconic DoubleTree cookie. Eric was instrumental in the exponential growth and success of each organization he led. As an example, he is credited with greatly expanding the footprint of Wyndham Hotel Group, and he was the visionary that first leveraged the organization’s strength and synergies across its brands. He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors and actively involved in industry associations and major universities. In This Episode, Eric Reveals: * How the idea of a franchise model for Trump Hotels came about. * Their new franchise brands, including Scion – their upper upscale, full service, 4-star design focused brand, and American Idea – their 3-star, budget friendly brand. * The launch of the first Scion property being developed by Chawla Hotels in Cleveland, Mississippi, and how it’s aligned with the Trump Hotels vision. * Their agreements with Chawla Hotels to convert three properties to the American Idea brand, what Trump Hotels is looking for when considering conversions, and what their pipeline looks like. * His philosophy on brand standards, and why he believes the brand, and it’s owners, should be treated differently then they are by most franchisors. * The projected cost per key they expect for conversions to the American Idea brand. Resources & Links Mentioned in this Episode * Asian Hospitality Magazine * July 2017 Issue * Subscribe * Chawla Hotels Trump Hotels * Email: development@trumphotels.com * Website * Developer Information * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * YouTube * Google+ * Pinterest

Dr. Rick Garlick is the Global Travel and Hospitality Practice Lead at J.D. Power. He is responsible for providing industry thought leadership to the company’s clients in the hotel, destination, rental car, airline, and cruise line industries, as well as for creating new products and revenue opportunities to grow the practice. Rick joined J.D. Power read more

Dr. Rick Garlick is the Global Travel and Hospitality Practice Lead at J.D. Power. He is responsible for providing industry thought leadership to the company’s clients in the hotel, destination, rental car, airline, and cruise line industries, as well as for creating new products and revenue opportunities to grow the practice. Rick joined J.D. Power in 2013 after nearly 20 years of consumer and employee research experience with two of the most prestigious research companies in North America: The Gallup Organization and Maritz Research. He has been a trusted advisor to many senior leaders of premier organizations, as well as a nationally recognized thought leader in the area of hospitality and employee engagement research. He has a diverse research and consulting background that includes extensive experience with travel and hospitality research; employee engagement measurement and training; talent selection; brand research; customer satisfaction and loyalty programs; image and awareness studies; and national opinion polling. Earlier in his career, Rick worked in financial services, utilities, manufacturing, entertainment, media, retail, association, and not-for-profit research. Prior to entering the private sector, he taught courses in research methods, marketing, and persuasive communication at Michigan State University and DePaul University in Chicago. A frequent conference speaker, Rick has published numerous articles in industry and academic journals. He has also appeared on such national media outlets as MSNBC, CNBC, CNNfn, Bloomberg Television, and National Public Radio, as well as being quoted in a number of national publications. Currently, Rick serves as chair of the Research Committee for the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association (HSMAI) Foundation Board. Previously, he served in a similar function for Meeting Professionals International (MPI). Rick received a Ph.D. in communication studies from Michigan State University. In This Episode, Rick Reveals: * The JD Power’s 2017 North American Hotel Study which ranks over 80 brands based on comprehensive ratings by over 60K recent hotel guests. * How they approached the measurement of guest satisfaction, which brand topped the rankings this year, and you might be surprised at the results. * Some industry trends they’re seeing, like the rise of mobile, and how it’s impacting the guest experience. * How some brands are trying to engage in more direct bookings, and whether or not they succeeding. * How social feedback is becoming more important than ever, and what the study says about social feedback and the need for hotels to respond. * How YOU can get a copy of J.D. Power’s 2017 North American Hotel Study. Resources & Links Dr. Rick Garlick * richard.garlick@jdpa.com * LinkedIn J.D. Power * Website * Facebook * Twitter * LinkedIn