Checking In

In this episode we’re joined by Robin Chiang, Senior Vice President of Growth at OpenTable. Robin discusses the ways in which the platform helps hotels drive revenue growth, how hoteliers can leverage guest data to fully optimise their restaurant dining experience and the importance of attracting local guests to your hotel’s F&B sites. This episode was sponsored by Hop Software. Visit hopsoftware.com to book your free demo.

This episode is sponsored by Hop Software:

https://www.hopsoftware.com/

In this episode we speak to Tommie Eaton, Director of Clean the World UK. He spoke about how he first became an advocate for sustainability, the ways in which Clean the World helps hotels revolutionise their plastic recycling, the importance of a circular economy, and why it could be the future of hotels.

This week we're joined by James McGinn, Managing Director of Hastings Hotels in Northern Ireland. We spoke about how and why he pivoted away from accounting to hospitality, his multi-decade career with Hastings Hotels, how being Managing Director differs from his time as General Manager of the Europa Hotel, and his thoughts on how to attract and nurture the next generation of hospitality professionals.

This week we are joined by Julie White - CCO Europe & North Africa at Accor. Julie discusses how her previous experience in the airline industry helped her prepare for her future roles, the complexities of managing and implementing strategies across such a large portfolio, and her advice to women who want to pursue leadership roles.

This week we speak to Andrea Signanini, Food & Beverage Director at Pan Pacific London. Andrea spoke to us about his journey from footballer to F&B Director, how to remain competitive in the luxury hotel space, and the key ingredients for creating a memorable luxury dining experience in hotels.

This week we are joined by Mark Lewis, CEO of hotel distribution consortia HotelREZ. We discussed how fostering good relationships with hoteliers is key to HotelREZ's success, how AI will help shape the hospitality space in the future and why people are truly what makes this industry so unique.

In this episode we’re joined by Scott Brown, the UK Director of Sales for Meliá Hotels International. Scott tells us about the importance of believing in your own offering when it comes to selling, what makes for a successful and strong sales team, and the ways in which Meliá ensures its hotels stand out from the crowd.

This week we’re joined by Lionel Benjamin, the co-founder of AGO Hotels. We discuss the launch of AGO Hotels, the company’s hybrid profit lease business model and the challenges of launching a new venture in the midst of a pandemic.

This week we spoke to Will Davies, Director at HBD Partners and co-founder of Checking-IN, the inter hotel LGBTQ+ network. He spoke about his transition from hands-on hospitality to recruitment, how the industry has evolved in its approach to talent acquisition and the work Checking-IN does to support the LGBTQ+ community within hospitality.

This week we are joined by Jim Cockell, the owner of the boutique hotel The Old Stocks Inn. We discussed Jim’s decision to acquire the hotel back in 2014 and what he learned during the significant renovation project that followed, what skills he thinks are needed to create a successful revenue management strategy and why hoteliers should always look out for opportunities to diversify their revenue streams.