In this episode of Hotel Moment, host Karen Stephens is joined by Brian Murphy, the Group Customer Relationship Management Executive at Cliste Hospitality. Together, they explore the history of Cliste Hospitality, discuss how adaptability sustains success and builds resilience, and delve into leveraging AI to enhance the guest experience.

In this week’s episode of the Hotel Moment podcast, Karen Stephens, Revinate CRO, and Ellis Connolly, CRO of Laasie.ai, challenge the status quo of traditional loyalty programs and open up the idea of experience-led and value-based loyalty programs. Connolly shares his views on why loyalty should go beyond points. Instead, he advocates for serving guests with personalized rewards to help participation truly stick. Tune in to get a closer look at how your sales and marketing teams can go to market with strategies to promote loyalty programs that excite and actively engage guests across platforms.

In this week’s episode of the Hotel Moment podcast, Karen Stephens, Revinate CRO, and Andrew Ladd, VP of Marketing at Noble Hotels & Resorts, go below the surface to discuss what it means to gain the trust of guests. Hoteliers are at a huge advantage when it comes to leveraging technology to gather data to better understand their guests, but Ladd reminds us that keeping in mind data privacy and security are equally important to that mission. Tune in for an eye-opening conversation on championing personalization to create experiences that guests will love and appreciate while making trust a priority to remain transparent in your brand’s operations.

First-party data — ‌capture and launch. 🚀 As a hotelier, first-party data is at your fingertips. All you need to know is how to capture it and how to launch it with personalized campaigns to reach loyal guests and new‌ ones. Because it’s a big data world out there and the better you are at managing your data, the better you’ll be at targeting the right guests. Guests appreciate that personalization when they see it. 😉 In this episode #74 of the Hotel Moment podcast, we’re featuring a webinar from our sister series, Hotel Moment Deep Dive, titled “A hotelier’s guide to unlocking the power of first-party data.” Listen as Revinators Darya Subotka, Director of Customer Success, EMEA, and Dylan Cole, Managing Director, EMEA, help you champion a first-party data strategy to drive direct bookings for all your properties.

This week on the Hotel Moment podcast, Karen Stephens, Revinate’s CRO, and Matthijs Welle, CEO of Mews, get technical as they dive into cloud-based software. You’ll learn how moving to the cloud benefits your operations, simplifies data management, and helps you address the root cause of inefficiencies within your hotel.

In this week’s episode of the Hotel Moment podcast, Karen Stephens, Revinate CRO, and Lori Kiel, Chief Commercial Officer of The Kessler Collection, break down the history of commercial strategy and how it’s traditionally been approached within hospitality. Kiel explains several ways technology acts as a vehicle to advance commercial initiatives while helping teams commit to one goal as compsets change. Tune in for inspiration on how to improve your commercial strategy and make it easy for guests to choose your hotel over any other. From driving traffic to your website to narrowing down guest segments — every team is part of a “commercial-first” mission.

In this week’s episode of the Hotel Moment podcast, Karen Stephens, Revinate CRO, and Patrick Norton, VP of Sales and Marketing at Brittain Resorts & Hotels, discuss how building guest profiles is a journey — a journey hoteliers need to take if they want to reduce their reliance on OTAs and stay competitive. Norton also champions data-driven tech stacks, explaining why they not only prevent hoteliers from falling behind the competition but serve to support a more productive staff. Tune in to discover some key truths about what it takes to position your hotel as a data-driven property, and why learning as much as possible about your guests is foundational to increasing direct bookings.

In this week’s episode of the Hotel Moment podcast, Karen Stephens, Revinate CRO, and Shawn Jereb, Senior VP of Revenue Management & Distribution, Montage International, take on the idea of “approachable luxury.” Jereb explains what it means and how technology has helped their hotel ensure every guest feels welcome, meets their needs, and exceeds expectations. Is your hotel ready to embrace luxury that attracts guests and builds long-term connections?

In this week’s episode of the Hotel Moment podcast, Karen Stephens, Revinate CRO, and Caryl Helsel, Founder and CEO of Dragonfly Strategists, dissect the parts of a revenue strategy to find out what makes one successful. Helsel stresses the importance of collaboration and testing so that teams can see what works and what doesn’t. If you’re looking to improve your revenue management strategy, tune in and find out how.

In this week’s episode of the Hotel Moment podcast, Karen Stephens, Revinate CRO, and Vinny Cuneo, Vice President of Sales and Revenue Strategy at AutoCamp, dive into one of the hottest lodging trends: airstreams! Cueno details the steps to success for operating in both the hospitality and the outdoor industry and why departmental unity matters more than you think. Find out how to ensure your teams deliver consistent experiences, maximize guest preferences, and drive revenue.

In this episode of Hotel Moment, host Karen Stephens is joined by Jason Pirock, Corporate Director of Marketing at Springboard Hospitality.Join them as they: Discuss everything that Springboard Hospitality encompasses Highlight the importance of a top-tier website Explain why you need quality content Explore retargeting methods Jason Pirock is the Corporate Director of Marketing at Springboard Hospitality where he oversees all integrated marketing strategy, customer acquisition, and growth through digital and traditional marketing efforts. He has over sixteen years of marketing experience across hospitality and retail and is a recipient of the Brand Innovators 40 Under 40 Midwest. We cannot wait for you to hear what he has to say!If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts, instructions on how to do this are here.Links and resources:Learn more about Springboard Hospitality at: https://www.springboardhospitality.com/Jason Pirock: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonpirock/Karen Stephens: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenstephensrevinate/Podcast Page: https://www.revinate.com/podcast/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RevinateHotel Moment is presented by RevinateProduced, edited, and published by Fame

The hospitality industry sometimes seems to be behind the curve when it comes to technology.How can we in hospitality be more innovative and adopt technology with confidence?Fabricio Titiro, the Director of Product Management at Oracle, joins us to talk about just that. Oracle has always been one of the most innovative companies in our industry and Fabricio shares their newest offering, OHIP, which he calls an "enabler for innovation". Links:Fabricio Titiro: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabriciotitiro/Oracle: https://www.oracle.com/Oracle Cloud PMS: https://www.oracle.com/industries/hospitality/cloud-platform/Oracle Marketplace: https://cloudmarketplace.oracle.com/marketplace/hospitalityOHIP: https://blogs.oracle.com/hospitality/post/ohip-introduces-state-of-the-art-streaming-api-and-rich-analyticsKaren Stephens: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenstephensrevinate/Podcast Page: https://www.revinate.com/hotelmomentpodcast/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RevinateHotel Moment is presented by RevinateProduced, edited, and published by Make More Media

In this week’s episode of the Hotel Moment podcast, we’re peeling back the layers to get to the heart of what makes this industry special. You’ll hear about pivotal moments in the careers of past guests as they highlight instances of true leadership or life-changing interactions with guests. These stories remind us of the community that is the foundation of hospitality, working together to create amazing experiences for guests and the people who serve them. Tune in and listen to encouraging perspectives that you can use to uplift your teams and improve your hotel operations. Links:Karen Stephens: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenstephensrevinate/Podcast Page: https://www.revinate.com/hotelmomentpodcast/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RevinateHotel Moment is presented by RevinateProduced, edited, and published by Make More Media

Budget season is upon us.This week we get a hotelier's perspective. We talked to the CRO of Charlestowne Hotels, Johnathan Capps, about forecasting accurately, drilling down comp sets, and including tech adoption in budgeting.Links:Johnathan Capps: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnathan-capps-78609011b/Charlestown Hotels: https://www.charlestownehotels.com/Karen Stephens: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenstephensrevinate/Podcast Page: https://www.revinate.com/hotelmomentpodcast/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RevinateHotel Moment is presented by RevinateProduced, edited, and published by Make More Media

In this week’s episode of the Hotel Moment podcast, we’re reflecting on memorable moments in hospitality. Our past guests share their favorite travel adventures and the hotels that made their trips extraordinary — welcoming them with open arms and exemplifying what exceptional guest service looks like. You’ll also find recommendations for cuisine around the world that you can look forward to trying on your next‌ vacation.Discover what brings this industry together and how you can facilitate guest experiences that make memories.Links:Karen Stephens: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenstephensrevinate/Podcast Page: https://www.revinate.com/podcast/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RevinateHotel Moment is presented by RevinateProduced, edited, and published by Make More Media

In this week’s episode of the Hotel Moment podcast, Karen Stephens, Revinate CRO, and Heidi Cosio, Senior Vice President of Revenue Effectiveness at Aimbridge Hospitality, take a granular approach to analyzing your hotel’s revenue trends. Cosio also explains why a stellar guest experience often originates with a deep understanding of your ancillary offerings and pricing those appropriately. Links:Learn more about Aimbridge Hospitality at: https://www.aimbridgehospitality.com/Heidi Cosio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidi-cosio-20351386/Karen Stephens: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenstephensrevinate/Podcast Page: https://www.revinate.com/podcast/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RevinateHotel Moment is presented by RevinateProduced, edited, and published by Make More Media

This week on the Hotel Moment podcast, Karen Stephens, Revinate CRO, and Ross McAlpine, Director, CRM at EOS Hospitality, provide practical tips for targeting repeat guests at low cost. Spoiler alert: user-generated content plays a significant role. McAlpine also shares ways to use first-party data to personalize guest communication and encourage direct bookings.  Links:Learn more about EOS Hospitality at: https://www.eoshospitality.com/Ross McAlpine: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ross-mcalpine/Karen Stephens: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenstephensrevinate/Podcast Page: https://www.revinate.com/podcast/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RevinateHotel Moment is presented by RevinateProduced, edited, and published by Make More Media

This week on the Hotel Moment podcast, Karen Stephens, Revinate’s CRO, and Sunish Sadasivan, Vice President of E-Commerce & Revenue Management at Chroma Hospitality, explore the unconventional decision to reduce their reliance on OTAs for a period of time. Sadasivan explains the shocking results and how hoteliers can implement aggressive strategies like this one to secure more direct bookings and connect with their guests.  Links:Learn more about Chroma Hospitality: https://www.chromahospitality.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/chromahospitality/Karen Stephens: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenstephensrevinate/Podcast Page: https://www.revinate.com/podcast/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RevinateHotel Moment is presented by RevinateProduced, edited, and published by Make More Media

In this week’s episode of the Hotel Moment podcast, Karen Stephens, Revinate’s CRO, and Tom Luersen, President of CoralTree Hospitality, explain how brand storytelling breaks free from traditional hotel service and creates a more memorable guest experience. Luerson also shares why experimenting with hotel technology sparks innovation, which is essential for hoteliers within the industry, especially during times of economic downturn. Links:Tom Luersen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-luersen-20839113/Learn more about Coral Tree Hospitality: https://www.coraltreehospitality.com/Karen Stephens: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenstephensrevinate/Podcast Page: https://www.revinate.com/podcast/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RevinateHotel Moment is presented by RevinateProduced, edited, and published by Make More Media

In this week’s episode of the Hotel Moment podcast, Karen Stephens, Revinate’s CRO, and Chip Rogers, President and CEO of the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA), reveal ways hoteliers can reframe their perspective of the staffing shortage to maximize opportunities to builder a stronger workforce. They also dive into the topic of sustainability within hospitality and why hoteliers should be tracking this trend in order to satisfy guests.Links:Chip Rogers: https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-chip-rogers/American Hotel & Lodging Association: https://www.ahla.com/hotelsactKaren Stephens: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenstephensrevinate/Podcast Page: https://www.revinate.com/podcast/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RevinateHotel Moment is presented by RevinateProduced, edited, and published by Make More Media

This week on the Hotel Moment podcast, Karen Stephens, Revinate’s CRO, and Billy Skelli-Cohen, CEO of the Zien Group, take a look at the influence of sustainability initiatives in the hotel industry. They discuss green practices hoteliers can adopt while also revealing how sustainability is becoming a major focus for guests across the globe.Links:Billy Skelli Cohen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billy-skelli-cohen/Zien Group: https://www.theziengroup.com/Karen Stephens: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenstephensrevinate/Podcast Page: https://www.revinate.com/podcast/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RevinateHotel Moment is presented by RevinateProduced, edited, and published by Make More Media

This week on the Hotel Moment podcast, Karen Stephens, Revinate’s CRO, and Dr. Jeffrey O, Chief Executive Officer at St. Justine, explore the concept of luxury in hospitality. Dr. Jeffrey offers a compelling perspective on how hotel technology as well as humble yet, exceptional service, are foundational elements of luxury. He also explains his obsession with the pursuit of luxury and how hoteliers can benefit from that same pursuit to create a stunning guest experience. Links:Dr. Jeffrey 0: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjeffreyo/St. Justine: https://www.stjustinehotels.com/Karen Stephens: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenstephensrevinate/Podcast Page: https://www.revinate.com/podcast/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RevinateHotel Moment is presented by RevinateProduced, edited, and published by Make More Media

This week on the Hotel Moment podcast, Karen Stephens, Revinate’s CRO, and Sean Dee, Chief Commercial Officer at Outrigger Hospitality Group, uncover ways to strengthen guest relationships that go beyond simple messaging. They share specific examples of how to improve connections and act on guest feedback to ensure a quality experience.Links:Sean Dee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deesean/Outrigger Hospitality Group: https://www.outrigger.com/Karen Stephens: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenstephensrevinate/Podcast Page: https://www.revinate.com/podcast/Hotel Moment is presented by RevinateProduced, edited, and published by Make More Media

This week on the Hotel Moment podcast, Karen Stephens, Revinate’s CRO, and Amanda Du, Head of Ecommerce at Penta Hotels, dive into the evolving digital landscape. They also reveal how technology creates opportunities to use guest data in emotionally intelligent ways to elevate the guest experience.Links:Amanda Du: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-du/Penta Hotels: https://www.pentahotels.com/homepageKaren Stephens: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenstephensrevinate/Podcast Page: https://www.revinate.com/podcast/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RevinateHotel Moment is presented by RevinateProduced, edited, and published by Make More Media

In this week’s episode of the Hotel Moment podcast, we’re highlighting the women making a difference in the hospitality industry. Learn about the women our past guests have highlighted as particularly impactful and hear their inspiring stories.Listen in to hear how women are leading the charge in the workplace and initiating success for hoteliers around the world.Links:Karen Stephens: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenstephensrevinate/Podcast Page: https://www.revinate.com/podcast/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RevinateHotel Moment is presented by RevinateProduced, edited, and published by Make More Media

This week on the Hotel Moment podcast, Karen Stephens, Revinate’s CRO, and Tobias Koehler, Chief Commerical Officer at BIG MAMA Hotels, share how hoteliers can adopt technology to tap into new opportunities. Koehler also provides tools hoteliers can use to provide further education on digitization in hospitality.  Links:Tobias Koehler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobiaskoehler/ BIG MAMA Hotels: www.bigmamahotels.comHSMA: www.hsma.deRemote Hotel: https://www.hsma.de/de/fachbereiche/technology/das-remote-hotel Backoffice Automation: https://www.hsma.de/de/fachbereiche/technology/backoffice-automatisierungKaren Stephens: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenstephensrevinate/Podcast Page: https://www.revinate.com/podcast/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RevinateHotel Moment is presented by RevinateProduced, edited, and published by Make More Media

This week on the Hotel Moment podcast, Karen Stephens, Revinate’s CRO, and Pete Sams, Chief Operating Officer at Davidson Hospitality Group, explore what compels guests to travel and how hotels can capitalize on this motivation to deliver an exceptional guest experience. Sams also sheds light on how creating a culture that supports hotel staff is critical in providing quality service.  Links:Pete Sams: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petesams/Davidson Hospitality Group: https://davidsonhospitality.com/Karen Stephens: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenstephensrevinate/Podcast Page: https://www.revinate.com/podcast/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RevinateHotel Moment is presented by RevinateProduced, edited, and published by Make More Media

This week on the Hotel Moment podcast, Karen Stephens, Revinate’s CRO, and Philip Bates, Managing Partner at TMC Group, take a look at the history of social group travel. They also explore how the industry’s increasing tech adoption has the potential to simplify challenges for this particular travel segment.

We’re wrapping up this season of Hotel Moment! Thank you to all our listeners. We hope you’ve learned a lot and enjoyed getting to know our guests.

In this industry, we know guests crave exceptional experiences. And increasingly, they want their stays to offer the flexibility they need while making them feel like true locals.

Not everyone starts at the top. It can take years to build your career, but the experiences you have and the lessons you learn along the way make the journey worth it.

This episode covers the ins and outs of cloud-based software while diving into the benefits of upgrading hotel technology to better manage guest data.

This week on the Hotel Moment podcast, Karen Stephens, Revinate’s CRO, and Rob Mangiarelli, President and COO at Atrium Hospitality, discuss how global travel impacted their views on hospitality.

This week we talk with Paul Hitselberger, COO of First Hospitality as he delivers a compelling perspective as to why people are at the heart of this industry.

Budget season is upon us. This week talk to the CRO of Charlestowne Hotels, Johnathan Capps, about forecasting accurately, drilling down comp sets, and including tech adoption in budgeting.

The hospitality industry always seems to be behind the curve when it comes to technology. Fabricio Titiro, the Director of Product Management at Oracle, joins us to talk about innovation and tech adoption in the hospitality and tourism industry.

Peter Ricci, the Clinical Associate Professor and Director of the Hospitality & Tourism Management Program at Florida Atlantic University, joins us to talk about what he's seeing with labor trends in the hospitality industry. And we also talk about what we can do to make jobs in the industry more attractive.

The Hotel Moment podcast is back! Our Chief Revenue Officer, Karen Stephens (aka Prof K) sits down with Noreen Henry, Chief Revenue Officer at Sojern, to discuss the rebound in the travel industry and what we can expect for growth as we look at cautious optimism for the travel industry in late 2022.

Jennifer Suski is back!After a few months out, she is hosting the Hotel Moment podcast again.With a 4-month-old around (we're not telling if he made an appearance!), Jen sat down to chat with Tammy Pahel, VP of Spa & Wellness Operations at Carillon Miami Wellness Resort.Spas were high on the list of 'unsafe places' to visit during the pandemic. We all heard the notices. What did a wellness resort that relies on revenue from the spa do in that situation? Did they pivot? To do what?Technology and touchless wellness experiences helped us along, says Tammy.Listen in to learn how Carillon Wellness Resort made technology an integral part of their spa, handled the staffing crisis, came out ahead. Valuable lessons in here for all of us!Links:Website: https://www.carillonhotel.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarillonHotelTwitter: @CarillonHotelInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/CarillonHotel/ActivePure: https://www.activepure.com

This week on the Hotel Moment podcast, we sat down with Mark G. Vincent, Chief Information Officer at Millennium Technology Group and CIO for Rosen Hotels & Resorts in Orlando. With over 25 years of experience, Mark has so much to share! He talks about the return of travel, streamlining processes, the staffing crisis, and tips to retain staff  (hot tips here!). One important takeaway from Mark. (Spoiler alert): Spread kindness. What he means is that hotels and hotel staff are getting pushed to their limits. Something for us all to remember that next time we go somewhere that is short-staffed!Have you shown appreciation to anyone in the hospitality industry recently? Random acts of kindness go a long way! 

Do you set reminders on your phone to take a break from your work? Do you have an alarm that reminds you to switch off and chill out?If that sounds familiar, you'll love this week's Hotel Moment podcast featuring "Everybody's homie, Dr. Romie"Dr. Romie Mushtaq is the Chief Wellness Officer at Evolution Hospitality (she got her nickname 'Everybody's homie' there) and a highly sought-after speaker and physician.She brings together neuroscience, integrative medicine, and mindfulness and is on a mission to transform the brain health of companies, leaders, and organizations.Work in the hospitality industry? You are on Dr. Romie's much-loved list.As one of the hardest-hit industries during the pandemic, she talks of the increased stress impacting all of us in the industry.What is a busy brain? And where do you stand?Take the busy brain test at (https://drromie.com/test). Dr. Romie says that 82% of people taking the test have not only a busy brain but also brain strain - where the stress levels are so high that it causes physical symptoms.Tune in and listen to Dr. Romie's takeaways about what you can do to cure your busy brain and brain strain today.

1.73 million. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists 1.73 million job openings in the hospitality and leisure industry.Too many jobs and no takers. What do we do as an industry?Max Starkov, a Hospitality & Online Travel Tech Consultant & Strategist has the answers. He talks with host Rey Rodriguez this week on the Hotel Moment podcast on what the labor shortage means for the industry.Max believes that the way out of the labor shortage is through innovation - in our hotels' business model, service delivery methods, and use of tech. And he has a list of ways on hand.From creative auxiliary services (think tickets to local attractions, on-site workout classes, or hosting local artist exhibits) to a la carte amenities, creativity is key to finding new ways to drive revenue and deliver services.Listen in. "It's a do-or-die situation we are in" says Max.

How many staff do you think it takes to run a 272 room citizenM hotel in Boston?If you guessed 7, you’re correct!This week on the Hotel Moment podcast, we chat with Tyler Lavin, VP of Development and Investment - North America, at citizenM hotels.Tyler explains how their company culture and innovative ideas contribute to citizenM's well-run hotels.We uncover what their company culture is really like, how they maintain it, and how they use tech to support it.What are some of citizenM's most innovative ideas? Tyler highlights owning and developing their assets, providing subscriptions to their guests.If you've stayed at a citizenM hotel, you'll know exactly what Tyler is talking about.If you haven't yet stayed at a citizenM hotel yet, this episode will have you wanting to stay in one to experience it yourself.

What did the first contactless elevator at a New York City hotel look like way back in 1995?David Millili knows. He was the GM at that New York hotel - opening it when he was in his mid-20s.As a hospitality tech veteran, he has chalked up a few firsts in his career so far. Ask him about the first booking engine and you’ll hear a story you won’t forget.This week on our Hotel Moment podcast, we talk with David Millili about hotels’ adoption of technology and how they should be marketing it widely.You’ll want to hear Millili’s stories and his take on the contactless elevator, the need to simplify room rate cards, the voice assistant in rooms, and more.

Chipotle set the standard high for restaurants by offering competitive benefits and career pathing. Will someone do the same thing for hotels? It may be necessary as hotels are trying to quickly ramp up and rehire staff, and are discovering that no one wants these jobs. This week on the Hotel Moment podcast, we revisit one of our most popular episodes - "Unlocking the Staffing Crisis".We got together with former hoteliers, front line staff, academics, and corporate managers to discuss the future of the industry and the current staffing crisis. Will tech play a bigger role at hotels in 2025? What will it take to get employees back to work? Tune in to hear what long-time experts believe the future holds and what impacts the staffing crisis may leave behind. 

For four months in a row, meetings and events bookings across US hotels have been going up. In May this year, the number of attendees reached 2019 levels already. What’s next? How can sales teams at hotels collaborate with meeting planners? How can they nurture relationships and create customers for life? We speak with the newly appointed Chief Product Officer, Kristi White about bridging the gap between hotel sales teams and meeting planners. As group meetings scale past 2019 levels, Kristi shares insights about hybrid events, local meeting destinations, and the roles of sales teams. If you work in hotel sales, you’ll want to take note of Kristi’s insights. With two decades of experience in hotel and revenue management, Kristi knows the path to take to profitability. 

Ever seen the laundry space of a hotel? Sheets, towels being meticulously washed, ironed, folded? In September, if you are in Orlando, Florida, you can walk into a hotel with an open plan laundry space. Modeled along the idea of an open kitchen, this new concept may be crucial to ease any lingering preoccupations that guests have with cleanliness and hygiene. This week we speak with Alex Ekbatani, president of ette hotels on the novel housekeeping theatre that he is all set to bring to the hospitality industry. Listen in on Ekbatani explain why this is a far more important idea than stickers on room doors loudly proclaiming their sanitized status. 

As hoteliers, we have one more thing to look forward to now.Meetings and events are back in demand. Group data from Knowland (the leader in meeting and event data) for May indicates a 28.4% increase in meetings held across the US. The attendee levels have already reached 2019 levels. What does this mean for hotels and event organizers? On this week's episode of the Hotel Moment podcast, we are joined by Jeremy Marquard, Director of Global Accounts at ConferenceDirect, to discuss the return of group meetings and events at hotels.Jeremy shares expertise about what groups and hotel staff can expect as the demand for in-person events increases.We cover everything from contracting the event space to the current staffing crisis. Tune in!  

This summer may give rise to the concept of ‘revenge travel' after months of being confined to our homes. Hotels properties and staff are bracing for the surge.This week, Nicholas Gandossi, a Hospitality Advisor at Onni Group and former General Manager at OPUS Hotel joins us on the Hotel Moment podcast.Nicholas believes that the key to creating confidence in guests as they return stems from establishing a strong company culture. How do we establish that culture? Listen in to his hot tips to include in day-to-day staffing activities. 

“4 people applied to my job ad from last month”Across our hospitality industry, we are in a staffing crisis.  As hotels try to quickly ramp up and rehire staff, they are discovering that no one wants these jobs. How did we get here? Were we building to this point of inflection over the years? What’s the way forward? We got former hoteliers, front line staff, academics, corporate managers from Texas. New York. Oklahoma. Florida. together to answer these questions. What a conversation it was! Wicked storms raged outside and our panel carried right on.Melissa DelBuono, CEO and Co-founder, Project Save HospitalityDavid Dickinson, General Manager, Aimbridge HospitalityPeter Ricci, Clinical Associate Professor and Director, Florida Atlantic UniversityJD Bryant, Director, Procurement Services, Choice Hotels InternationalRaj Singh, CEO, Go Moment (host and moderator)This panel is part of our Hotel Moment podcast special series on the staffing crisis in our industry. 

Miami is on a roll. The week ending May 15, saw Miami reporting higher ADR and  RevPAR than even 2019, reports STR. The figures reflect a trend that has been consistent for months. What is Miami doing different? How is it coping with the staffing crisis that we see rampant across our hospitality industry? Wendy Kallergis has a unique vantage point as the President of the Greater Miami Beach Hotel Association. Listen to her talk us through all these issues with a nuance and positivity that comes with years of experience. This episode is part of the Hotel Moment Deep Dive on the staffing crisis. 

We speak with Stephanie Leger, Chief Excellence Officer, Firstrate Hospitality from Miami, Florida in this Hotel Moment episode. As a trainer in the hospitality industry, Stephanie has her pulse on the staffing crisis that we are seeing today through her work. Listen to her easy -to-implement tips for hotel owners and employees - without compromising on guest experience!(Also, how do hotels in China differ from the US? Stephanie knows!)

Within the hospitality industry, we have a HUGE reason to celebrate! Guests are slowly finding their way back to hotels after a forgettable 2020.What are the implications of this? Celebrations aside, we are looking at a staffing crisis and a related staff training gap. Listen to Zana Usher, CEO and founder of hospitality coaching organization, ZD Hospitality, talk about how to address that gap effectively. Her practical, easy-to-implement ideas make listening to this episode a must do for hotel owners and managers! 

Returning guest Calvin Tilokee updates us on his new and revamped social media endeavors, including Revparblems,  Scotch & a Suitcase, Midlife Crisis Podcast, and several other social pages focused on career growth in the hospitality industry. 

Listen to Ken Patel talk about why using data to increase guest satisfaction and create fantastic guest experiences is better.Ken Patel, CEO at EV Hotel Group has over 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry. 

Lydia Essex-White, Regional Sales Manager for Caesars Entertainment chats with us about the transferrable skills she's learned in the journey in and out of the hotel space.

Featuring Rob Smith, EVP at Aimbridge Hospitality

Brian Cooke gives us an inside look at Freehand Hotels and how they've reimagined what accommodations look like for an everyday traveler in 2021. Check out Freehand Hotels at https://freehandhotels.com/

Listen to Caesars Entertainment's Alix Mendonca on how he has helped hoteliers navigate through 2020 and his plans for our industry in 2021.Check out JBHH - Just Because Happy Hour on  Linkedin & Facebook! https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13621401/https://www.facebook.com/groups/150899839181392

As Angela is reading the 2021 forecasts, she is making plans to open a third property. Angela Harrington is the owner of The Highlander and Hotel Grinnell, two boutique hotels in Iowa.She has a proven track record of surviving and thriving in crises.In July 2020, Angela opened The Highlander in Iowa City after a $5 million renovation and took the property up to No.3 position on TripAdvisor for the city.It wasn’t the only time she bucked the trend. She’s survived the 2008 crash too.Join us this Thursday to hear Angela’s tips and strategies, as we all plan and look forward to what 2021 will bring.

In Season 3 of our Hotel Moment podcast, we’re here to listen to stories of creativity and positivity as we prepare for the upswing.On January 7, our first guest is Kingsley Egbuchunam from Project Save Hospitality.A hospitality industry professional who lost his job in the pandemic, Kingsley will be live with me to talk about the job fair that his organization will be hosting at the end of January.Want to know who will be there? Who is recruiting? What kind of jobs are available?

Two weeks to go before we say goodbye to 2020 and at Hotel Moment, we’re still at it.This week, I’m talking with Andrea Chang, VP of Finance and board member at Meeting Professionals International (MPI).If you aren’t familiar with MPI, they are the largest meeting and event industry association today with 60000 members in over 70 countries worldwide.I’m going to ask Andrea about MPI’s special events, education programs and talk about a plan to get us through the next 18 months.With news of the vaccine peaking this week, 2021 suddenly promises to be different. For all of us in the hotel industry, it is news we’ve been waiting for.

Looking for inspiration as we race towards 2021?You will want to hear Jonathan’s story.This week on my podcast, I talk with Jonathan Holcomb, CorporateDirector of Finance and Revenue Strategy at Storey Hotel Management Group, about how they’re planning a hotel opening this year.Right in the middle of a pandemic that has impacted our hospitality industry.Calling Jonathan Holcomb and his team at Storey Hotel Management. Group courageous doesn’t even cover it.How did they do it? What does it take to start on a project like that?

45 days to 2021. Whatever the new year will bring us, one thing is for sure. We need to get operations planning for 2021 done. And we need to get it done now. My guest this week, Britney Zanders is the General Manager at Candlewood Suites Atlanta.And Britney will be chatting with me about operations planning for 2021. 

This Week's Guest:  Karen Tang, Director of Sales & Marketing for Accor Hotels.How are other hotels surviving the pandemic?The new season of Hotel Moment is focused on hoteliers on the front lines. Every other week we will highlight a new hotel in a new market.These events will be live-streamed on Facebook. You can review old episodes on the website below or on the Go Moment Facebook page. This week, Karen Tang is going to talk us through being a DOS at Pullman San Francisco Bay this past year. 

Join Jennifer Suski as she chats with Kristina Arntz, the Director of Sales and Marketing at Aikens Group. Kristina oversees 7 limited-service properties on the East Coast in the leisure and corporate travel markets.

This Week's Guest:  Hannah with Duetto! Guys, we are reviewing the newest Pulse Report that's being released Thursday morning!

This Week's Guest:  Joel Contor, Director of Sales & Marketing for The Kimpton Gray Hotel in ChicagoOver the past couple of months, many of you have been talking about new and creative ways to sell meeting space. Joel was featured in Hotel News Now on his use of Hybrid Meetings. He's agreed to join us to discuss what hybrid meetings are and how best to execute them.

This Weeks Guest:  Tammie Carlisle, Head of Hospitality for Milestone Inc.Tammie is the budget lady! As many of us are wondering how we even begin to tackle budgets this year, she's been thinking about it for months.How do you plan with still so many unknowns? Join us tomorrow and find out!Tammie will have a nice takeaway at the end of the call as well!

Kelly is the General Manager for Vintage Hotel's flagship property Prince of Wales Hotel & Spa. She is overseeing our Rooms Division Re-opening Task Force and has graciously agreed to come on and talk about what she's learned from this pandemic.

Today's guest is Kristi White with Knowland. She is going to be discussing her article on the 5 Things Meeting Planners Want From Hotels That Are Reopening.

Jan is SVP for STR and has been with the company for 18 years. He's an expert in all things forecasting.Jan is going to give us a sneak peak into his next HotelDataConference. Join us to learn more about the current state of the industry and our new 2021 forecast. 

Join our guest moderator Rey Rodriguez as we discuss fellow hotelier Christine Trippi's new book, Yes Is the Answer, and how positivity can be transformative. 

Bill has spent over 10 years in Hotel Revenue Management. He Co-founded Kriya RevGEN with Dallas-based hoteliers in 2013 where they service over 400 properties.Bill and I are going to give our predictions on what's to come in the remainder of 2020 and 2021. 

Jennifer Suski chats with Robert Rauch about the changes that are occurring in the meeting and events business. 

The good, the bad, the ugly. What are some of your most memorable guest interactions? Real stories from hotel staff. 

The hospitality industry and its people are in a state of transformation. Hear the call for hopeful leadership and the opportunities for positive change.