Raj Singh is a Product Design expert from a family of hoteliers, and CEO at Go Moment, a company dedicated to making customer service instant. Go Moment’s Ivy is the world’s leading automated customer service platform for hotels.

Raj brings cross-discipline design, technology, and marketing experience from hundreds of large scale technology projects for leading brands like Virgin, Lady Gaga, and HEB Grocery Company. Blending his expertise in UX and market research, Raj works alongside leaders in hospitality to address the industry’s needs using next-generation technologies like Artificial Intelligence, automation, and IoT. In partnership with IBM Watson, Go Moment’s Ivy platform automates 75% of guest communication and is currently available to millions of hotel guests.

In This Episode, Raj Reveals:

* What Go Moment’s flagship product Ivy is all about and how it works.

* How guests opt in to the service, whether the platform integrates with the hotel’s PMS, and whether integration is required.

* How Ivy proactively checks in with the guest mid stay, and ultimately, how it can lead to an increase of favorable guest reviews.

* How quickly can they deploy a new client, whether they offer any analytics, and of course, what the typical cost is for their service.

Resources & Links

Raj Singh

* [email protected]

* LinkedIn

Go Moment

* Website

* Twitter

* Facebook

* Phone:  +1 (800) 701-0414

Robert Wallis is Director of Sales and Operations at Case Goods Refinishing. He came from a family of academics, but 25 years ago, after completing a master’s degree, he realized his passion was not in academics, but rather in working with his hands. He believes the predominant industry practice of letting case goods and public area wood furniture steadily deteriorate to prematurely end up in a landfill neither makes sense environmentally nor as a hospitality best practice. To keep case goods looking great all the time, and to extend their lifespan, is both attainable and fiscally responsible. It was this conviction that led Robert to develop, over five years, the green processes and business model that makes this possible.

Robert grew up in Sao Paulo, Brazil, graduated from The University of California at Berkeley in 1983 and earned a master’s degree from Regent University in 1990.

In This Episode, Robert Reveals:

* What case goods are, how often hotels typically purchase or replace them, and other areas of a hotel where refinishing makes sense.

* How case goods are typically maintained in hotels, and how those solutions can reduce the quality and longevity of the products.

* The process of case goods refinishing, whether the repairs are noisy or create toxic fumes, and generally speaking, how long until they can sell their newly refinished rooms.

* The consequences for not maintaining case goods, how brands often treat this area, and whether a lack of attention on case goods can lead to lower scores and ultimately lower profitability.

* The general costs per room for case goods refinishing, and how that compares to the cost of replacing them.

Resources & Links

Robert Wallis

* [email protected]

* LinkedIn

Case Goods Refinishing

* Website

* Phone:  757-617-4459

Buddy is the former Director of Florida’s State Fire Marshal’s Office and is internationally known as a fire safety expert. He earned a BA in Economics from Florida Atlantic University, and a MBA from Nova Southeastern University.

Buddy first entered the fire service in 1961 with the New River Fire Department in the Ft. Lauderdale, Florida area. He entered the U.S. Army in 1966, and served in Viet Nam where he was awarded the Bronze Star with “V” Device for Valor and First Oak Leaf Cluster. While stationed in Germany, Captain Dewar performed arson investigations throughout Europe. After leaving the U.S. Army in 1972, he became a member of the Plantation Fire Department where he served as a Battalion Chief. He began his tenure with the State Fire Marshal’s office as a Florida State Fire College Instructor in 1976, later becoming Superintendent of the Florida State Fire College in 1979, and Director of the State Fire Marshal’s Office in 1981 where he served until 1989. Buddy then worked for the National Fire Sprinkler Association for 26 years and retired as Vice President in 2015. He now serves as a fire safety consultant.

In This Episode, Buddy Reveals:

* What may have gone wrong during the fire that consumed the Hilton Sonoma Wine Country Hotel in Santa Rosa, CA on the evening of October 8-9, 2017.

* The fire safety measures a hotel is required to implement, where fire codes come from, and whether properties are ever grandfathered in to avoid compliance with new code requirements and laws.

* How often fire safety inspections should take place to ensure the equipment is fully functional, how often a hotel should review their emergency plans, and provide staff training.

* Some of the less obvious things a hotel may do to put their guests and staff at risk, including exceeding occupancy load limits, blocking exits and passageways, and altering a building without permits.

* Some of the things that he does as a guest to ensure he’s safe when he visits a new property.

Resources & Links

Buddy Dewar

* [email protected]

* LinkedIn

Jon is a motivational keynote speaker who works with organizations who want to create a culture of peak performance backed by purpose and passion. As an opening Keynote speaker, closing keynote speaker or combination of keynote and conference emcee, his quality, customization and energy is unsurpassed. Jon holds a Bachelors Degree in Communications Systems Management and Interpersonal Communications from Ohio University.

In This Episode, Jon Reveals:

His recent experience as a guest at the Hilton Sonoma Wine Country hotel in Santa Rosa, CA on the evening of October 8-9, 2017.

That night, Jon was one of many hotel guests completely unaware of a rapidly developing emergency in which 200 acres of burning wildfires, progressed to 20,000 acres in an unprecedented amount of time. In the end, the hotel burned to the ground.

While no fatalities were reported, after hearing Jon’s detailed accounting of his experience, and the lack of support he and other guests received during the evacuation, it’s a miracle that all survived.

Resources & Links

Jon Petz

* [email protected]

* LinkedIn

* Twitter

* YouTube

* Facebook

* Phone: (877) 457-3981

Jon’s Blog Post

* Escaping the Hilton Sonoma Wine Country Fire. What I did, learned and would change.

John Carpenter has been in recruiting for 7 years, two years of recruiting semi-pro/college basketball players, and 5 years in the hospitality industry. He currently serves as Hotel Division Executive Recruiter and Vice President of Operations at Snelling Hospitality in Akron, Ohio.

In This Episode, John Reveals:

* What you should expect when working with a good recruiter, both as a candidate and as a hotelier, why transparency is so important, and what separates a good recruiter from an average or bad one.

* How working with a recruiter could actually be the way to YOUR next job.

* Best practices for dealing with candidates, what he looks for when vetting candidates for a hotel client, and why the candidate AND employee experience is just as important as the guest experience.

* The prices you can expect to pay for Snelling Hospitality’s executive recruiting services.

Get a FREE Resume Critique

By an Experienced Hospitality Industry Executive Recruiter

Resources & Links

John Carpenter

* [email protected]

* LinkedIn

* Phone: (330) 836-9901 ext 211

Snelling Hospitality

* Website

* Facebook page

* Twitter

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

* [email protected]

* 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 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

* [email protected]

* 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 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

* [email protected]

* 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 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

* [email protected]

* 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 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

* [email protected]

* Niagara University Website

* Bill on LinkedIn