Defining Hospitality

Dyonne Fashina is the Principal at Denizens of Design Inc. She sees the beauty in designs and the passion it takes to create them. She sits down with host Dan Ryan to share her #hospitality journey from her memories about Canadian art culture to where she stands now. 

Takeaways: 

• You have to learn to pick yourself back up when you get knocked down. In life, it’s not about how you fall but how you get back up.
• Hospitality spaces have always been about empathy but it needs to shine through now more than ever. 
• There needs to be a certain identity to each design. If it doesn’t have something unique to separate it from other designs, then no one will notice the difference.
• If you are designing something based on the latest trend, it will not last. But if you design something based on the environment and a good feeling, then it will last. 
• Life experiences will help you understand what kind of space that you need to create. Research also helps because every space is different.
• Always bring positive energy and the feeling of being invested into every project that you do. 
• A sense of community is incredibly important. It will help you get through difficult times and give you a strong support system. 

Quote of the Show:

9:45 “Empathy needs to come into the design and the business world and into the hospitality world more than it had in the past.”

Links:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/denizensofdes?lang=en
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dyonne-fashina-8567431a4/?originalSubdomain=ca
• Website: https://www.denizens.ca
• McMichael Art Collection: https://mcmichael.com/

Shout Outs:

0:30 Stacy Shoemaker

0:37 HD Awards

12:43 Clay Restaurant at the Garden Museum

12:56 KPMB Architects

25:49 The MicMichael Art Collection

31:13 HDAC

31:23 Aaron Anderson

32:55 Bashar Wali

32:56 Damon Lawrence

32:56 Nina Grondin

34:17 Lenny Kravitz

34:20 Venus Williams

36:00 Black Architects and Interior Designers Association of Canada

36:08 Camille Mitchell

36:09 Gensler

Ways to Tune In: 

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGll0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
• Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• Youtube : https://youtu.be/-RGsghJRfuc

Christian Schnyder is the owner at Beleco. He’s been inspired and informed by over 30 years of experience. He specializes in hospitality and residential interiors. He’s used his roots from Switzerland to influence his view on the world and #hospitality. He joins host Dan Ryan to talk about his journey into the world of hospitality.  

Takeaways: 

• The culture in Switzerland is driven towards service. Because of the lack of other resources, they have shifted their focus to providing good services. 
• It’s important to keep your end goals in mind. You want to have a way to know how you want to finish a project. 
• Giving a strong environment for people to fill a space with is part of the process of making a space more livable. 
• Hospitality is about having an open door policy. You can have people come over and talk about anything they want, and you want them to feel a sense of belonging. 
• We are thinking less about the impact of our words on others. Technology has advanced which is nice but it also takes us away from our human connections. 
• Staying in touch with those around us is important for keeping us motivated and keeping coworkers focused. 
• You’re not designing for designers, you are designing for people. 

Quote of the Show:

16:09 “As a designer you have a design done and it's approved and you go forward and then halfway through, they're basically saying, well, no, guess what? The design, it's not going to work. You need to go and keep what's there. And I think that's what I love about this is like, okay, now here is sort of that hurdle you have to jump over. How can you make something look effortless?” 

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-schnyder-a04a118/
• Website: https://belecodesign.com

Shout Outs:

1:17 Hirsch Bedner

1:19 Kirk Nix

12:12 Kimpton Gray Hotel

19:05 IHG Hotels and Resorts

19:43 Jennifer Ramsey

Ways to Tune In: 

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
• Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• Youtube : https://youtu.be/tcoQmPdGnx8

Avi Brosh is the CEO and Founder of Palisociety. At his core, he is a modern day inn keeper. He’s been involved in real estate and hospitality for over 30 years. He joins host Dan Ryan to talk about his #hospitality journey all the way from a small school in New Jersey all the way to  Malibu, California. 

Takeaways: 

• It’s better to get up earlier and accomplish some goals earlier in the day. It’s a good way to work and sets you apart from others. 
• Hotels should be able to tell a story about their place. It can make the stay at the hotel feel more like a home and you feel connected with it. 
• You want to manufacture an environment that doesn’t actually feel manufactured. The environment should feel like it is inviting and it all feels natural. 
• It’s not easy to create something that makes you feel a certain type of way. It can be a difficult process but it is rewarding in the end. 
• Every kind of hospitality is different. Once you find your style of hospitality, it needs to be something that you can do repeatedly and consistently. 
• You need to have an uncompromising vision. Once you have an idea in your head, go for it and make that dream a reality.
• If you are going through a tough spot, you have to keep going. You need to keep believing in yourself and keep going.  

Quote of the Show:

36:31  “I'm very particular at our hotels and restaurants and what have you that It's a certain kind of hospitality, which is not the same hospitality you would get at a four seasons in Paris. It's different then the motel six off a highway in Cincinnati. You have to decide what it is that you want to deliver in terms of the style of hospitality you want to deliver.” 

Links:

• Website: https://www.palisociety.com
• Instagram: @avibrosh

Shout Outs:

3:31 Saddle River Country Day School

3:35 Joe Auginello 

6:44 “Howard’s End” by E.M Forster

7:34 Boston University

12:17 Misha Bedner

12:39 Michael Bedner

24:42 Ian Schrager

24:43 Philippe Starck

25:22 Mondrian Los Angeles 

26:15 Royalton

28:30 Keith McNally

39:43 Aman Tokyo

47:59 Ritz-Carlton

Ways to Tune In: 

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
• Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• Youtube : https://youtu.be/twTexxyH0Ms

Sara Duffy is a Principal Partner at Stonehill & Taylor Architects. She recalls moments from her childhood at a restaurant where they treated everyone like family, and that has led her to her career in hospitality. She joins host Dan Ryan to share some of her #hospitality experiences and what it all means to her. 

Takeaways: 

• Hospitality is the true sense of being welcome. You want to feel a sense of belonging and feeling like you are part of a family. 
• When designing a space, you don’t want to pigeon hole yourself into one design style. You need to think about the different kinds of people coming in and make it welcoming for all of them.
• You want to work with people who might see something from a different perspective than you. They could have a point of view you never thought of. 
• Finding creative solutions to problems is a good idea. COVID made it so people couldn’t be together so people used video calls to talk with each other. 
• The routines we have are what can set us free. It’s good to be creative and step outside of your comfort zone every once in a while.
• You want your employees to be happy and productive. Employees tend to be more engaged in their work when they are excited to come into work. 
• Broaden your horizons. There are so many opportunities in life and work, it’s important to grab them and take advantage of them. You’ll never know where they lead. 

Quote of the Show:

7:29 ​​”When I was a kid growing up on the upper west side of New York. There was this really terrific Italian restaurant that we went to on 79th street. Every Friday night and they knew us.

It was kind of like, cheers. Everybody knows your name. I loved it there and I think that was my first sort of foray into the true sense of being welcomed into a space and true hospitality. And they were so nice to me. I would get tired at the end of the night and they would let me sleep across two chairs or they'd let me sit at the bar and watch TV and talk to the bartender. It was just like I was supposed to be there.”

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-duffy-aa11338/
• Website: https://stonehilltaylor.com

Shout Outs:

5:43 Paul Taylor 

8:55 Tony’s restaurant in New York

9:30 House of Gucci

12:19 Canby Hotel

12:25 Ritz-Carlton

13:02 Patrick Ewing

16:39 NBA

24:47 Revit

25:11 “Checklist Manifesto”

33:33 MTV 33:35 Beavis and Butthead

36:33 Carson Daly

36:39 Adam Perry

36:55 Kurt Loder

37:46 Remote Control

37:50 John Stewart

37:54 Mike Judge

38:44 Madonna

39:09 Kurt Cobain

39:11 Courtney Love

Ways to Tune In: 

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
• Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• Youtube : https://youtu.be/IlmzzxMZb4A

David Kaplan is the Founder of Death & Company, the CEO at Gin and Luck, Co-author of several books including “Cocktail Codex”, the Co-Founder of Midnight Auteur. He likes to create human connections and memorable moments through cocktails and wonderful hospitality service. He sits down with host Dan Ryan to share his insight on #hospitality and how important it is to just be nice. 

Takeaways: 

• Hospitality is defined by creating moments of human connections. It’s all about connecting people within communities or total strangers to each other.
• Walt Disney didn’t like movies because there was a finite end and no way to improve it once it was out there. Be like Walt and always strive for improvement where you can. 
• Fans, followers and guests are the reason why a business is successful. Crowdfunding is a great way to offer equity in your business to those people. 
• Now is the time for independent boutique hotels, as these are spaces that are often overlooked. 
• The best hospitality feels really authentic because it is. You want the guests to feel the warmth and compassion in the bar, hotel or restaurant.
• An experience starts at the door. You want to create a memorable experience once a guest steps right through the door. 
• It’s a tough time with a lot of hospitality services being short staffed but it’s important to have a great culture even through these difficult times.  
• You want to make sure what you are doing is something that gives back to the community that it is located in. 

Quote of the Show:

9:18 “Hospitality for me and for our company is defined by creating moments of human connectivity, moments and stages for that human connectivity.  For us it really starts with our teams, our staff, our investors, forming a community and connectivity within those folks within our worlds, and then extends out to our guests, fans, followers. Those are moments of hospitality. Those are our spheres of hospitality, and then cascading that connectivity out into the community.” 

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-kaplan-a2644212/
• Website: https://www.ginandluck.com/
  • https://www.deathandcompany.com/about-death-and-company/
•  
  • http://proprietorsllc.com/
•  

Shout Outs:

1:42 BDNY

3:35 EOS

4:08 Ryan Diggins

4:11 Ramble Hotel

8:01 Walt Disney

13:01 SeedInvest

15:03 “The Great Game of Business” 

15:45 New York Times

15:47 Forbes

15:48 Wall Street Journal

19:44 Star Trek

23:01 “Little Giants”

30:05 Delta

49:27 “Things To Do In Denver When You Are Dead”

49:49 Andy Garcia

54:34 Jerry Orbach

Ways to Tune In: 

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
• Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• Youtube : https://youtu.be/FD2QZ6RF4UQ

Aliya Khan, VP of design lifestyle brands at Marriott, promotes a positive lifestyle for brands and global design strategy. In 2019, she was an honoree for women in design from Hospitality Design magazine. Aliya joins host Dan Ryan to discuss her view on #hospitality and how important it is to be more open to change and face it with a positive attitude. 

Takeaways: 

• Hospitality is about bringing people together from all walks of life. Sometimes you know them, sometimes you don't. It’s about experiencing new things in life with others.
• The environment, the experience and the memory all add up to play important roles in delivering hospitality.
• Often it can be the small things that make an experience so much more meaningful. You want to make sure all your guests' needs are met, even the small ones. It shows thoughtfulness and caring
• You can learn so much from watching people. You’ll learn what they like and dislike and can use that to make a hospitality experience more relatable and enjoyable.
• When you embrace change, you always see everything as an opportunity. You need to find a positive outlook and build that culture in your work and life.
• Surround yourself with people who have the same view on change as you do. That way when you are going through change, they can help you get through it if you struggle.
• Everything in a restaurant is designed to work together to create a memorable experience.
• You want to celebrate the core foundational pieces of a hotel or restaurant when taking it over. You can update some things but it’s worth keeping some core things the same.

Quote of the Show:

2:54 “One of my grandmothers on one side of my family [I'm one of eight grandchildren] didn't have a big enough dining table for eight children and the parents that came with them. So she had this rug and we would literally, I'm not kidding, sit around that rug. We would go serve ourselves lunch and sit on the floor. Cross-legged on that rug. And I think to myself, when I think about that, I think about how it brought a group of people together, it always brought us back together.

So I sort of see it like a metaphor for hospitality. It brings people together. It brings you together from all over. Sometimes you know the people, sometimes you don't. But it literally is this gathering spot.”

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliya-khan-8245461/
• Website: https://www.marriott.com/default.mi

Shout Outs:

10:28 “American Utopia” by David Byrne

14:59 Aaron Ritcher

22:05 Marriott

22:09 Arne Sorenson

28:22 Moxie

28:26 Westin

30:39 Aloft Hotels

31:51 Equinox Hotels

33:15 Heavenly Bed

36:27 Mitchell Gold

36:36 Robert Polin

36:41 Christine McGinnis

41:16 Kristina O’Neil 

44:11 Beverly Hills Hotel

44:14 St. Regis Hotel

45:24 Westin St. Francis

45:26 The Clift

45:53 Michael Mina

46:04 Larry Traxler

47:54 The Royalton

48:14 W Hotels

 Ways to Tune In: 

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
• Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• Youtube : https://youtu.be/8bv5EGJPC2A

Ron Swidler is the Founder of the Hotel Tomorrow and the Chief Innovation Office at the Gettys Group for 33 years. He knows that it takes courage to be innovative and creative. Ron’s passion is to strive for the best for his company and clients. He joins host Dan Ryan to talk about his experience with #hospitality and how he views it. 

Takeaways: 

• It takes many hours to become an expert in a certain area, but it also takes a certain amount of luck as well. 
• Surround yourself with people that you trust that can be advisors or mentors. That way when you start a new project you’ll have a supporting cast helping you. 
• It takes a lot of courage to be vulnerable and admit when you need help. Asking for help isn’t a terrible thing to be ashamed of, it’s what a good leader does. 
• Hospitality has evolved into noticing how you make people feel. When we are at our best we are caring for others. 
• There is a bit of selflessness in hospitality, as it is about giving back to others and making others feel comfortable and welcomed.
• You need a signature for your company. You need something that when someone thinks of your company, they have an image in mind that fits your brand (i.e. Disney and Mickey Mouse or Cinderella's Castle). 
• Bringing people’s attention to a better way to do projects (i.e. sustainability, community focus, etc.) is important as you can influence someone to have a better impact on a community.

Quote of the Show:

10:02 “Most people are familiar with Maya Angelou's quote about forgetting what I've said or what I do, but remembering how I make you feel. And I think ultimately that's what hospitality has evolved into. And I have an interesting theory about how that's going to progress out into the future because we're only at one step of that evolution. But I think when we're at our best, we're caring for others. There's a bit of selflessness in that.”

Links:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ronswidler?lang=en
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ron-swidler-521a848/
• Website: https://www.gettys.com

Shout Outs:

3:24 “Outliers”by Malcom Gladwell

3:59 Roger Hill

4:00 Andrew Fay

6:17 Marriott

7:49 Phil Cordell

7:53 Hilton

10:04 Maya Angelou

11:52 TripAdvisor

14:12 Disney Castle

18:59 Matt Phillips

21:57 USA Today

24:54 HD Expo

25:05 Howard Wolff

25:08 Starwood

25:13 Christian Strobel

25:38 Parsons School of Design

33:37 “Exponential Organizations” by Salim Ismail

35:56 “The Inevitable” by Kevin Kelly

37:46 Blair Batwani

40:33 Kraig Kalashian

44:46 “Radical Evolution” by Joel Gero 

44:46 Bill Joy 

45:06 Ray Kurzweil

48:47 Chris Milk

Ways to Tune In: 

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
• Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• Youtube : https://youtu.be/K17KGIxhzcA

Siobhan Barry, Principal, Design Director, Hospitality Practice Area Leader North East at Gensler has been creating what she refers to as “Instagram moments” for over 20 years. She shares her outlook on #hospitality and her journey through the industry. Siobhan discusses with host Dan Ryan how hospitality can split into two different segments and how we can bring hospitality to all aspects of life.

Takeaways: 

• As a designer, you have to create moments that are memorable for people. You want it to be captured and remembered, and this is referred to as an “instagram moment”
• Designers can find a way to make people feel certain emotions when entering a room.
• There is the “Big H” and “Little H” hospitality. The Big H is hotels, restaurants and the likes while the little h is everything else ranging from hospitals to stadiums.
• When you think of the best times you’ve had, they weren’t digital and probably had some element of spontaneity to them. 
• After 9/11, Siobhan went into business with a friend to open a nightclub to try and lift people’s spirits and provide for them a place to go.
• Designing for celebration is a key aspect when thinking about creating a space. You want the room to feel joyous and full of energy.
• Travel is making a comeback now and it is now seen as a basic human need, along with having new experiences.
• To create the most innovation, you have to be willing to push the boundaries and try something different and unique.

Quote of the Show:

8:14 “I call it big H hospitality and small h hospitality. And what I mean by that is there's sort of the realm of the industry that we know, so that's the big H. I think of that as hotels, restaurants, spas, cruise ships, the things that we kind of know are in this industry category.

And then there's this small H which to me is everything else where, or every other arena in which our clients, our customers are, are expecting a different way of engaging than they have in the past been used to.”

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siobhan-barry-93072643/
• Website: https://www.gensler.com
• Instagram: Siobhanjthomas

Shout Outs:

0:43 Product Runway

1:20 ICRAVE

14:23 Sid’s Gold

16:11 Blondie

16:11 Gwen Stefani

16:21 Dusty Springfield

16:25 Patsy Cline

16:33 Fitz Gold

17:07 Calvin Klein

19:05 Swan Reserve

21:01 Lionel Ohayon

22:08 Prada

22:11 Madison Avenue

24:21 Dorsia

25:54 Crowbar

30:13 Airbnb 

Ways to Tune In: 

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
• Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• Youtube : https://youtu.be/yiwVCXTHD1g

John DiJulius, President of the DiJulius Group, started his enterperinaul career operating a hair salon with his wife in Cleveland. Now, he is an international consultant, working with companies like the Ritz-Carlton. He’s the author of many books, including the must read “Customer Service Revolution.” John joins host Dan Ryan to talk about his views on #hospitality and what it all means to him. 

Takeaways: 

• There are 10 rules to follow when it comes to customer service and making sure you provide a world class experience.
• Hospitality is the emotional warmth that you get from someone. It’s not just contained to hotels and restaurants but applies in all aspects of life. 
• The hospitality aptitude is a person's ability to recognize, meet and exceed customers expectations regardless of the circumstances. 
• Hospitality can be defined by the five E’s; enthusiastic greeting, ear to ear smile, eye contact, engaged, and educate.
• You want to be excited to have new clients or new guests at your hotel or restaurant. Excitement shows that you are and are interested in them.
• There’s a gift in every conversation if you’re paying attention to it. You listen to what the other person is saying and send them a follow up, just to let them know you heard them.
• F.O.R.D - Family, Occupation, Recreation, and Dreams. These are great ways to get to know someone and communicate with them.
• John looks forward to the future where technology becomes better and better and makes all of our lives easier. 

Quote of the Show:

5:50  “I don't believe hospitality is an industry. I believe it's a piece of the experience every company should deliver. I think PricewaterhouseCoopers, lawyers, whatever industry manufacturing, we should be in the hospitality business, all of us that happens to have really smart lawyers, accountants, widget makers, whatever that means. I really believe it and how I define hospitality is, it's a feeling you give me. Ideally it's an emotional warmth, but it's emotional.”

Links:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/johndijulius
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dijulius/
• Website: https://thedijuliusgroup.com
• Book Links: https://www.amazon.com/Relationship-Economy-Building-Stronger-Connections/dp/1626346437
  • https://www.amazon.com/Best-Customer-Service-Quotes-Ever/dp/1632990873
•  
  • https://www.amazon.com/Customer-Service-Revolution-Overthrow-Conventional/dp/162634129X
•  
  • https://www.amazon.com/Whats-Secret-Providing-World-Class-Experience/dp/0470196122
•  

Shout Outs:

0:03 Ritz-Carlton

1:38 Chick-Fil-A

1:40 Starbucks

1:52 Spirit Airlines

10:00 Danny Meyer

10:01 Union Square Cafe

14:01 “How to Make Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie

15:30 Balthazar, Keith McNally restaurant

20:50 New Day USA

48:48 Tesla 

48:50 Peloton

48:51 Lulu Lemon

48:54 Apple

Ways to Tune In: 

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
• Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• YouTube: https://youtu.be/cI4awAsf7_s

A former firefighter now turned hotelier, today’s guest talks about how his experiences with his grandma’s hostel has influenced his view on hospitality. Aaron Anderson, a board member of the Hospitality Diversity Action Council (HDAC) and the CEO of 26 Co, joins host Dan Ryan to talk about how the lack of diversity in higher up positions of #hospitality can be viewed as a more prominent issue and how important it is to have empathy and listen to others with an open heart. 

Takeaways: 

• When coming up with a business plan, you need to have a clear goal or thesis that represents your values and what you want in the future.
• Hospitality is providing a warm and safe environment for a guest. No matter what the guest is going through, making sure they are feeling safe and welcomed can bring plenty of relief.
• Getting to know people on a personal level and understanding what their feelings are is a big part of hospitality.
• It’s important to keep an open heart and listen to others, as it helps you understand not only the guest but also yourself.
• You can always build empathy. It’s ok to admit you don’t know the right thing to say or do, but as long as you approach the situation with an open heart then you can learn.
• The hospitality industry is diverse but only at the lower level positions. As you get higher and higher in the rankins to the c-suite level, you see less and less diversity which is an issue.
• Don’t take any moment for granted. We get caught up in the tough love we put ourselves through, but everything will work out like it’s meant to. 

Quote of the Show:

6:58 “I think hospitality is really just providing that place of warmth for someone. Due to it being, traveling due to being their friend that needs to come over and to sleep over and spend some time with you because they're that they're going through something. That moment when my grandmother owned the shelter for women and children, we were in hospitality. We're providing meals, we're providing a warm bed to stay, providing clothes. Hospitality is just not hotels or restaurants. It's really providing a cozy place in a safe place.”

Links:

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/aforchrist
• Website: the26co.com

Shout Outs:

0:36 Hunter Conference

8:19 Jason Caldwell

8:24 HD Summit

20:53 Black Lives Matter

21:38 George Floyd

23:01 HDAC

23:27 Nina Grondin

23:28 Damon Lawrence

23:28 Bashar Wali

25:30 Entrepreneur’s Organization

28:59 Blockbuster

29:06 Netflix

29:29 Tom Healy

31:49 ACE Hotel

31:51 Brad Wilson

35:12 Malcom X College

40:00 Cliff Eric

40:04 Ralph Angerberger

40:06 Laurie Horvath

40:09 Steve Shoat

40:13 Scott Hammons

40:25 Karen Harrington

40:34 Angela Clark

41:26 Cliff Derkin

43:24 Scott Hammons

43:27 Alan Benjamin

47:20 Mikey Dobin

Ways to Tune In: 

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
• Podbean: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• Youtube : https://youtu.be/LO7cXUf2AvI