Today's guest has almost 40 years of international experience in the hospitality industry. His personal guiding principle is “be kind and treat your associates the way you expect them to treat your guests and they will definitely reward you”.

Tim Ananiadis was born and raised in Greece and studied Business Administration at Ryerson University in Toronto. He moved to the US, where he started his career in the hospitality industry. As General Manager, he held positions in the USA at the Hyatt Regency in Pittsburgh, Coral Gables and Miami. In 1999 he joined Hyatt International as the General Manager of the Hyatt Regency Thessaloniki in Greece and the Grand Hyatt Mumbai. In 2003 he joined Starwood Hotels and Resorts, returning to Greece as General Manager/ Managing Director of the Hotel Grande Bretagne until 2020. From 2006 until 2017, he was Area Manager for Greece, Turkey, Cyprus & the Balkans, overseeing the Starwood-affiliated hotels. Currently, he divides his activities between the U.S. and Greece.

Tim Ananiadis has been a member of the Board of Trustees of ACS Athens since almost his arrival to the school, and last year he was elected as the Chairman of the Board.

Mr Ananiadis talked to us from his home in Florida. Here's some of the things we discuss with him: