Lodging Leaders

Greg Fisher is CEO and co-founder of TripShock, an activities and tours OTA based out of Santa Rosa Beach, FL.

Managing a high volume Destin hotel allowed Greg to focus on Customer Service, and to gain unique insight as to where the travel industry was heading. In 2009, Greg was approached by a respected charter fleet owner in Destin to assist in creating a reservation system. His hard work and dedication quickly got the attention of the local tour operators in Destin Harbor and beyond. The company now operates in 7 different destinations along the northern Gulf Coast with over 175 tour operators participating in the program.

In This Episode, Greg Reveals:

* What TripShock is, and how this rapidly growing company is growing profits for hotels.

* The process, the cost for hotels to use their service, and the types of commissions hotels can expect to earn.

* How they find the suppliers providing the tours and activities, and how they vet them to ensure that they’re providing a high quality service.

* The hotel’s role using TripShock, including best practices to get the most out of the platform, how support is provided, how issues are resolved, and who does the billing.

Even if you’re not in the Northern Gulf Coast area, you should still listen all the way through. TripShock is doing a lot to grow profits for hotels, while creating even more memorable experiences for the guests. So, even if they’re not currently servicing your market, you may get ideas of how you can grow revenues for your property.

Resources & Links

Greg Fisher

* [email protected]

* LinkedIn

* (850) 424-5125 ext. 1001

TripShock!

* Website

* Facebook

* Twitter

* YouTube

Dr. Aurora Dawn Benton (formerly Reinke) is a passionate and dynamic speaker and consultant who specializes in sustainability for the hospitality industry. Aurora launched Astrapto LLC to help owners and management teams with practical and strategic approaches to sustainability and corporate responsibility.

Aurora’s favorite quote, from Fernando Trias de Bes, is “Better a mediocre idea with brilliant execution than a brilliant idea with mediocre execution.” She believes sustainability strategies are generally straightforward, but require dedication and diligence to come to fruition. Her services and tools turn sustainability from a lofty idea to a feasible reality.

In addition to her love of sustainability, Aurora loves teaching and nurturing future leaders and entrepreneurs. She co-founded a social enterprise incubator, has judged international business plan competitions, and is a volunteer social entrepreneur coach.

In This Episode, Aurora Reveals:

* The power of triple bottom line impact – running a business with the goal of generating positive returns in three areas: People, Planet and Profit.

* Practical ways hotels can become more sustainable, including forming a “green team” and doing a purchase audit.

* The ROI for sustainability initiatives, the importance of measurement, for example, food waste, and building a solid business case.

* One trend hotels should really be going after as part of their sustainability strategy.

Download the FREE Guide

Step by Step Guide to Conducting a Simple Hotel Purchase Audit

Resources & Links

Aurora Dawn Benton

* Email: [email protected]

* LinkedIn

Astrapto LLC

* Website

* Twitter

* +1 443-561-4295

Key Hospitality Sustainability Resources

Rather than trying to become an expert on sustainability, follow these resources (on Twitter, subscribe to their newsletters, or check out their educational offerings) to learn what is most relevant for the hospitality industry.

* GSTC – the Global Sustainable Tourism Council sets forth recommend criteria for hotel sustainability certifications (such as Earth Check, Bioshpere Responsible Tourism, and Green Key)

* ITP – the International Tourism Partnership has created free tools such as the Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative and the Hotel Water Measurement Initiative

* AHLA Sustainability Committee publishes a number of helpful guidelines and basic business case scenarios for green initiatives

* GBTA – the Global Business Travel Association has a Sustainability Committee and has included sustainability criteria in their standard Hotel RFP template.

* WTTC – the World Travel and Tourism Council publishes economic impact and other industry indicators.

* UNWTO – the World Tourism Organization suppor...

Kelly Harvel, CHA is a life long hospitality professional with experience in all levels of the lodging industry, from local operation to national branding. He currently serves as President/COO of V&S Hospitality Management – a Full Service Hotel Management Company with a focus on operational customer excellence based in Palm Harbor, Florida.

In This Episode, Kelly Reveals:

* His 98/2 philosophy for guest service – that 98% of your guests are honest, forthright people who just want us to get it right; it’s the 2% that want to get something for nothing. The key is to focus on the 98% and ignore the 2%.

* His view on why the hospitality industry seems slow to adapt to changes in technology, and where tech is headed for hotels in the future.

* The importance of staff training and on-boarding, and generally speaking, whether hotels are doing enough to set their teams up for success.]

* Some of the common pitfalls that hoteliers face today, and as you heard in the opening soundbite, taking responsibility for your business … it is NOT the brand’s responsibility to be successful for you; you have to do your part.

Resources & Links

Kelly Harvel

* [email protected]

* LinkedIn

* Twitter

* Lake Tarpon Hotel website

* Vista Hospitality Solutions website

Hannah is the founder & Chief Emotionist(e) Officer at Hannah Béraud Digital Communications. She helps hotels, restaurants and travel companies create more human digital relationships to drive direct bookings and supports them in their digital transformation. Thanks to a network of partners with expertise in the communications, branding, technology & hospitality sectors, they create multi-dimensional, measurable and strategic solutions adapted to their clients’ resources and objectives.

Hannah earned a Bachelor of Arts in Hospitality Management & Marketing from Glion, and a Masters in PR from London College of Communications.

In This Episode, Hannah Reveals:

* The trends and challenges in the hospitality industry at the moment as they relate to the rise of technology and digital tools.

* The classic mistakes hoteliers makes when it comes to digital communications.

* How a digital communications strategy can help a hotel compete in the market, and the consequences for a hotel if there is no strategy in place.

* The top 5 digital communications trends for this year.

* The first steps a hotel should take when it comes to beginning their digital communication transformation.

Download the Free Guide

5 Minutes to Set up Your Hotel or Restaurant Instagram Page

Resources & Links

Hannah Béraud-Hindi

* Email: [email protected]

* LinkedIn

Hannah Béraud Digital Communications

* Website

* LinkedIn Company Page

* Facebook

* Twitter

* Instagram

David Durko is Founder, CEO and Chief Compliance Officer of Security Validation, the Hospitality Industry’s leading Managed Security Provider.

Prior to founding Security Validation, David was responsible for navigating Wyndham through their data security challenges culminating in Wyndham’s first successful PCI Compliance Filing in 2010. David continued to work with Wyndham achieving compliance again in 2011. During this period David was responsible for Security Compliance and Management of Wyndham’s portfolio of more than 6,000 franchised / owned and managed properties.

Following Wyndham, David became the Senior Vice-President of Incident and Crisis Management for MasterCard Worldwide. In this role David worked with this Global Brand to assist merchants who were dealing with Data Security issues.

In This Episode, David Reveals:

* What PCI Compliance is, why some hoteliers are just now starting to address it, and who is responsible for it – the hotel or the brand.

* What EMV / Chip and Pin technology is, and how it relates to PCI Requirements for the property.

* Some of the recent high profile data breaches, including Sabre Synxis and IHG, and how the IHG Data compromise differs from what we have seen in the past.

* What you can do to protect your hotel, what kind of fees you can expect, and the ROI for that investment.

Download the Security Validation Coupon

FREE 60-day analysis and protection of your property

Resources & Links

David Durko

* Email: david.durko[at]securityval.com

* LinkedIn

Security Validation

* Website

* LinkedIn Company Page

* Facebook

* Twitter

* Pinterest

* Google+

Dee Ann is a business leader, best-selling author and speaker. She started her career at Chick-fil-A in 1985 as an administrator in the Human Resources department. Selected as Chick-fil-A’s first female officer in 2001, Dee Ann has led various areas of the business including Human Resources, Franchisee Selection, Culture, Learning and Development, Talent Management and Talent Acquisition. She currently serves as the Vice President of Enterprise Social Responsibility.

In 2015, Dee Ann’s first book, It’s My Pleasure, The Impact of Extraordinary Talent and a Compelling Culture was released and became a best-seller. She speaks all over the United States and internationally for both business and non-profit organizations on the topics of leading culture, talent selection and talent development among others. During her tenure at Chick-fil-A, the organization has grown from 319 restaurants with $161M in sales, to over 2100 restaurants in 46 states and the District of Columbia with annual sales of over $8 billion.

In This Episode, Dee Ann Reveals:

* Chick-fil-A’s “Three C’s” for selecting top talent, and why they hire for Character, Competency and Chemistry.

* The key elements of a compelling culture, and why Chick-fil-A has such a low voluntary turnover rate, both at the corporate offices, and at the franchise level.

* Their core principles, like being closed on Sundays, and the importance of getting better as they get bigger.

* Her best-selling book, “It’s My Pleasure: The Impact of Extraordinary Talent and a Compelling Culture” that goes even deeper into some of the content we discussed in the interview.

Resources & Links

Mentioned in this Episode

* Chick-fil-A website

* Dee Ann’s Book: It’s My Pleasure: The Impact of Extraordinary Talent and a Compelling Culture

Dee Ann Turner

* Dee Ann’s website

* LinkedIn

* Twitter

* Facebook

* Instagram

Lina Patel’s goal is to climb mountains and her passion is to serve.

Born and raised in India, Lina immigrated to the United States in the early 80’s with her parents. She grew up working in the hotel, cleaning rooms, doing laundry, working front desk shifts, and even mowing the lawn. She remembers coming home after school and immediately racing to the hotel lobby to begin her shift.

Lina graduated from Wright State University with a degree in Management Information Systems and immediately started working with Lexis-Nexis, the online database company, to gain Corporate knowledge.

Ultimately, she rejoined the hotel industry and started investing in multiple franchises across the Eastern United States.

Lina served as an AAHOA regional ambassador program for 6 years, and she was just elected by the members to serve as AAHOA Female Director at Large to represent the Eastern Division.

In This Episode, Lina Reveals:

* How her journey as a second generation hotelier led her from working in the hotel growing up, to working in the corporate world for many years, to returning to hospitality and investing in multiple properties.

* Why she chose to serve on multiple boards, and how getting involved in a trade association has helped her survive the 2008 recession.

* That her employee retention rate is about 50%, which is better than the industry average, and some of the ways she connects with her team.

* Why she is passionate about mountain climbing, and how she has been able to use her hospitality skills on the mountain, and climbing skills in the hotel.

Resources & Links

Mentioned in this Episode

* AAHOA (The Asian American Hotel Owners Association)

Lina Patel

* Email: [email protected]

* LinkedIn

* Facebook

RJ Friedlander is the Founder & CEO of ReviewPro, the world leader in Guest Intelligence for the hotel industry. He recently negotiated the sale of ReviewPro to Shiji Group, a publicly traded company that is 15% owned by Alibaba and one of the largest hospitality technology companies in the world. Prior to ReviewPro, Friedlander worked extensively in the Internet and technology sector in Europe, US and Asia and spent 10 years at Grupo Planeta where he was the CEO of the Group’s Digital Media Division.

RJ is an advisor and investor in a number of technology companies, widely recognized as one of the top experts in hotel technology & online reputation management, and is on the advisory board of The Hotel School at Cornell University.

In This Episode, RJ Reveals:

* The various places a hotelier needs to look to manage their online reputation, and how that can differ depending on your location, product and market segment.

* The affects that TripAdvisor, Yelp and other social review sites have on hotels, including studies that suggest that if hotels can raise their average rating 1 star out of a 5 star rating system, they’ll be able to raise their prices by up to 11% without giving up any market share.

* How hotel guest feedback has changed over the years, and how hoteliers should be adapting to this change.

* Some action steps listeners can take to improve guest satisfaction and their online reputation.

Download the FREE Guide

How to Respond to Guest Feedback in Online Reviews, Surveys & in Person

Resources & Links

RJ Friedlander

* Email: [email protected]

* LinkedIn

ReviewPro

* Website

* LinkedIn Company Page

* Facebook

* Twitter

Paul H. Ingebretsen is a paragon of the hospitality industry. Through a career spanning four decades mostly in Latin America, he rose through the corporate ranks from Dishwasher to President. Iconic five-star hotels and resorts on four continents have benefited from his results-oriented leadership, and his excellency has allowed Paul the opportunity to host and serve over 100 heads of state, Fortune 500 CEO´s and celebrities throughout his distinguished tenure.

In This Episode, Paul Reveals:

* How his leadership role as GM, Director of Operations, and CEO has changed over the years.

* His experience as a hotel owner and why he decided to sell.

* His thoughts on staffing, winnowing the pool of potential candidates and hiring for personality and cultural fit over experience.

* The importance of on-boarding, initial and ongoing training, and how he develops engaged teams.

* His favorite management books which have assisted him in his career.

Resources & Links

Paul’s Favorite Management Books

* The New One Minute Manager, by Ken Blanchard and M.D. Johnson Spencer

* The Oz Principle: Getting Results Through Individual and Organizational Accountability, by Roger Connors, Tom Smith, and Craig Hickman

* NOTE: Email Paul for his complete list of favorite management books

Paul Ingebretsen

* Email: [email protected]

* LinkedIn

* Facebook

Dina Patel, CHO was born in Bardoli, India, and immigrated to USA with her family in 1988, when she was 10 years old. Two years later, Dina’s parents bought their first independent motel in San Antonio, Texas. From day one, Dina helped out in every part of the motel.

Dina earned a BBA (magna cum laude) with a minor in Spanish from the University of Houston in 1999, then began her career working as a System Analyst for Hanover Compressor Company. Several years later, Dina left the corporate world to pursue her dream of business ownership and in 2007, she and her husband opened their first hotel, a brand-new 35-room Scottish Inn and Suites.

Since joining AAHOA, Dina has served as a Southeast Texas Regional Ambassador and completed the AAHOA Certified Hotel Owner (CHO) program. In 2015, she was elected to a three-year term as AAHOA Female Director at Large (Western Division) and to co-chair of the AAHOA Women’s Committee. Dina also serves on the AAHOA Education Committee, is an AAHOA Lifetime Member, and has been an active participant in AAHOA legislative events.

In March 2017, Dina started her new role as Vice President of Sales and Marketing with Mirage Hospitality where she will be responsible for the growth the company.

In This Episode, Dina Reveals:

* How she made the transition from employee in the oil business to hotel owner, how she chose the brand and location, how she got financing, and some of the expensive lessons she learned along the way.

* The three most important skills she developed over the years that enabled her to build her first property.

* The pressures and challenges she has faced as a female entrepreneur, why she’s involved in AAHOA, and the growth of women in leadership roles in the industry and within the association.

* The power of networking and how to build meaningful relationships with like-minded industry professionals.

Resources & Links

Mentioned in this Episode

* AAHOA (The Asian American Hotel Owners Association)

* AAHOA – Certified Hotel Owner (CHO) program

Dina Patel

* Email: [email protected]

* LinkedIn

* Facebook

* Mobile: (832) 754-2759

Mirage Hospitality

* Twitter

* Facebook