Lodging Leaders

Jyoti Sarolia is a third-generation hotel owner from San Diego. She serves as Chief Operating Officer of Ellis Hospitality that operates seven properties and she just completed a one-year term as Chairman of the Choice Hotels Owners Council. Her original career choice was to be a lawyer, but now she is raising the bar in hospitality, and today we’re pleased that she is sharing her ideas with us.

In This Episode, Jyoti reveals …

* Her experience in recent role as chair of the Choice Hotels Owners Council (CHOC), the fact that she was the first female to serve as chair, and what she considers to be her most important accomplishments.

* Her experience as a third-generation hotelier, her family’s background in hospitality, and why she finally decided to follow in her family footsteps.

* Her candidacy for AAHOA Director At Large, why she’s running for nationwide office, and what her priorities are when elected.

* How mentors or sponsors have helped and supported her along the way.

Resources & Links

Jyoti Sarolia

* email: [email protected]

* Phone: (619) 227-1212

* LinkedIn

* Facebook

* Twitter

* Instagram

Mentioned in this Episode

* Ellis Hospitality

* Choice Hotels Owners Council (CHOC)

* AAHOA

Josh Galun is the Hospitality & Travel Lead at Excella in Washington, D.C. He’s has been at Excella for over 8 years and most recently joined the Excella Leadership Team in 2018. Josh has wide-ranging experience in project management, custom software development, process definition, IT security, data warehousing, and digital analytics. He currently focuses on the Hospitality and Travel sector, and leads teams at multiple industry clients. Josh also organizes the DC Hospitality Tech Meetup and is co-chair of the HEDNA Hotel Analytics Working Group.

In This Episode, Josh reveals …

* The various types of loyalty fraud, how they apply to the hospitality industry, and whether the trend is getting any better.

* The impact of loyalty fraud; on the brands, travelers and property owners.

* How the hospitality industry is doing at preventing loyalty program fraud, which industries are doing it better that we can learn from, and why AI is well suited to help solve the problem.

* What hoteliers can do at the property level to spot and prevent loyalty program fraud.

Resources & Links

Josh Galun

* LinkedIn

* email: [email protected]

Excella

* Website

* LinkedIn

* Facebook

* Twitter

James Nannos leads the Hotel Partnerships Team at Stay Wanderful, where he’s focused on hotel growth, loyalty programs, and customer success. Prior to joining Stay Wanderful, James was part of the original Breadcrumb POS team (acquired by Groupon), and has held numerous other startup and private-equity related roles. Outside of work, James is a Captain and Troop Commander of B-Troop, 1-104 Cavalry in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. James received his B.S. from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration, and his M.B.A. from Drexel’s Lebow College of Business.

In This Episode, James reveals …

* How to drive direct bookings and manage OTA contributions.

* What the guest booking process look like now, why OTAs have such a negative stigma, and what a healthy contribution mix looks like.

* How to get a new OTA guest to return to your property … and book direct, including some meaningful on-property incentives that work.

* The most cost-effective spend of your digital marketing budget, including some alternative (off the beaten path) options that are also effective.

Resources & Links

James Nannos

* LinkedIn

* email: [email protected]

Stay Wanderful

* Website

* LinkedIn

Dr. Rachel MK Headley has been in the trenches, dealing with unspoken conversations, barriers to team goals and success, and figuring out how to achieve impossible goals demanded by executive leadership. She believes the internal experience (iX) of an organization is a leadership choice. Partnering with Meg Manke at the Rose Group Int’l, they developed the critical, new (and practical) iX leadership framework. Rachel is a TEDx speaker and has spoken on stage in front of over 12,000 people. She is a Forbes Coaches Council contributor and serves on the Council of Trustees for South Dakota State University. She is a Mensa PhD scientist, a certified Project Management Professional, a global citizen, a choral singer, and an art patroness.

In This Episode, Rachael reveals …

* The internal experience (iX) leadership framework – what it is, how it works, and how to go about crafting an exceptional internal experience.

* iX as an organization’s culture, and the impact it has on employee success and retention.

* How to identify various culture types within your organization, their impact on productivity, and how can you leverage (and embrace) various culture types within your organization for sustainable success.

* How to navigate challenging times within an organization, and transform company tensions.

Resources & Links

Rachel Headley

* LinkedIn

* email: [email protected]

Rose Group Int’l

* Website

* Facebook

* Twitter

Mike Gelfond has more than two decades of expertise in digital marketing and advertising, with careers at iXL, Creative Digital Group, LBi and Mastermind. An expert in social media, digital strategy, mobile, ecommerce, reputation/crisis management, analytics, CRM and lead generation with key industry verticals.

Mike is a graduate of the University of Georgia, a frequent speaker and contributor to TV, radio and print, and a recipient of Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 40 Under 40 award in 2010.

In This Episode, Mike reveals …

* How to plan for and handle a digital crisis, including some scenarios (good and bad) brands need to be prepared to face on a daily basis, and which action to take when a crisis hits.

* The difference in strategy for the inevitable and sometimes daily online detractors, and a more significant crisis on social media.

* The most important social media channels for the hospitality industry, and whether there are any that should be monitored more closely.

* Best practices for protecting against and responding to an information privacy crisis.

Resources & Links

Mike Gelfond

* LinkedIn

* email: [email protected]

Mastermind Marketing

* Website

* Facebook

* Twitter

* LinkedIn

Dr. David Kubes is an international lawyer, avid entrepreneur, consultant, coach and certified facilitator of several Access Consciousness® special programs, including Right Voice for You and Right Riches for You.

After graduating from law school, Dr. Kubes finalized his Ph.D. in aviation law at the age of 25, and started working for Austrian Airlines in both Vienna and Washington D.C. After four years of training, he obtained his international lawyers license and, at the age of 28, and became one of Austria’s youngest lawyers. He specializes in aviation law, finance and international project management.

Dr. Kubes finalized his European license in coaching and alternative dispute resolution in 2012, and founded an international coaching and consulting company shortly after.

In This Episode, David reveals …

* How the pursuit of work-life balance may actually be distracting us from the happiness we are really yearning for.

* Tips for starting a successful business venture, and how to know when it’s the right time to take the leap.

* The power of our thoughts – good and bad, limiting beliefs, and manifesting what you believe.

* And, we talk about how to find more joy in all areas of our lives.

Resources & Links

David Kubes

* Website

* Email: [email protected]

Alex Shashou is the Co-Founder and President of ALICE, a top-ranking staff Task Management & Collaboration platform with a global customer base of 2,000+ hotels.

Born and raised in London, Alex grew up in the hospitality industry, and he’s become a sought-after hospitality thought leader, speaking on technology and innovation in hospitality at conferences around the world. In 2016, Alex was awarded the HFTP President’s Award, which recognizes a person who has made a significant contribution to the hospitality industry and in 2018, he received the Hotel Experience Next Generation Leader Award.

Alex earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Business.

In This Episode, Alex reveals …

* The ALICE platform, what it is, how it works, the vision behind it, and the problem they’re solving.

* How hospitality can be defined or measured in hotels today, and the most common challenges hotels face in delivering value for their guests.

* How can hotels improve how they service guests in the future, and Alex reveals what he would focus on as a hotel owner/operator.

* How hotels can be more than just a place to stay for guests, and what can they do to actually make the stay more meaningful.

Resources & Links

Alex Shashou

* LinkedIn

ALICE

* Website

* LinkedIn

* Facebook

* Twitter

Malcolm Davies is Principal/Managing Director of George Smith Parners, a leading, national provider of capital market services to the commercial real estate industry. Malcolm has over 20 years of experience as an award-winning capital advisor and developer, having advised and been involved with nearly $3B worth of financings, both in the equity and debt markets.

In This Episode, Malcolm reveals …

* The basics of financing for new hotel development, and some rookie mistakes to avoid.

* The types of hotels lenders and investors are looking to be involved in, and why.

* Which cities and locations are most desirable for lenders and investors now, and who some of the major financing players are in the market.

* How to set realistic revenue projections so that your property can withstand a significant dip for an extended period of time.

Resources & Links

Malcolm Davies

* LinkedIn

* Email: [email protected]

George Smith Partners

* Website

* LinkedIn

Franck Droin is the hotel manager at The Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, and his 19 years of hospitality industry experience includes working with big brand hotel chains across various destinations in Europe, The Middle East, Africa, and Asia.

Franck is passionate about promoting the concept of responsible luxury and has fueled ground-breaking conversations and initiatives. Some of the successful projects he is leading with his team include giving back to local communities, and ending the plastic waste catastrophe that the country is facing.

Franck believes education, technology and the right mentorship is what luxury brands need to reduce waste, become eco-friendly, and to empower employees to create a more sustainable future.

In This Episode, Franck reveals …

* What terms like responsible luxury, sustainable luxury and sustainable tourism mean, and the business case for why they’re important.

* How hotels can combine luxury and sustainability without compromising on quality or value from the guest’s perspective, as well as their profitability.

* What to do when implementing sustainability programs, including how to get everyone’s “buy-in.”

* Why giving back to local communities is important, and how to go about getting started.

Resources & Links

Franck Droin

* LinkedIn

Adam Knight is a 20+ year veteran of the luxury hotel industry and owner of Proven Principles, a hospitality consulting firm that helps vacation rental owners and customer service focused businesses drive better performance, productivity and profitability with best-in-class operations strategy, employee training and project management.

In This Episode, Adam reveals …

* How managers can go about building the best team, and the best way to get a team working towards a common goal.

* How managers can give purpose to the work that their employees perform.

* Some of the roadblocks that managers deal with in training or developing their teams, and what to do when an employee is working against you.

* How to build a strong internal culture – one where employees are raving fans of what they are doing.

Resources & Links

Adam Knight

* Email: [email protected]

* LinkedIn

The Proven Principles

* Website

* Facebook

* LinkedIn

* Instagram