Summary In this episode of the Travel Leader Podcast, Eunice Perez shares her inspiring journey in the hospitality industry, emphasizing the importance of helping others, resilience in the face of challenges, and the balance between leadership and empathy. She discusses her experiences as a single mother, the values that guide her leadership style, and her desire to empower others. Eunice reflects on her accomplishments, the self-doubt she has faced, and her vision for the future, which includes...
Jan 16, 2025•38 min
Summary In this episode of the Travel Leader Podcast, host Rachel Vandenberg interviews Davonne Reaves, founder and CEO of The Vonne Group. They discuss Davonne's journey in hospitality and hotel investment, the importance of branding, her leadership style, and the significance of building trust and integrity in business. She shares her experiences with imposter syndrome, her sources of inspiration, and the pressure of being a role model. She emphasizes the importance of setting high standards, ...
Dec 11, 2024•44 min
Highlights Empathy is a crucial element in leadership. Leaders should model the behavior they wish to see. Understanding employee feelings can lead to better solutions. Diversity in perspectives enhances decision-making. Self-awareness is key to effective leadership. Navigating hard times can lead to personal growth. Summary In this episode of the Travel Leader Podcast, Rachel Vandenberg speaks with Morgan Van Liew, the National Director of Operations at LAZ Parking. They explore the importance ...
Nov 07, 2024•53 min
Highlights Caring and listening are essential leadership qualities. Empowering others to grow is a leader's responsibility. Setting high standards is crucial for success. Inspiration comes from seeing others achieve their potential. Trusting your team fosters autonomy and growth. Listening goes beyond hearing; it's about understanding. Summary In this episode of the Travel Leader Podcast, Horace T. Brooks, the general manager of the Marriott Hotel in Key Largo, shares his journey in leadership w...
Oct 15, 2024•49 min
Highlights A desire to challenge oneself can lead to new opportunities and career growth. A strong sense of justice and fairness can shape one's values and actions. Leading by example, good communication, and a genuine interest in people are effective leadership skills. Humor and empathy can create a positive and productive work environment. Gaining perspective and not taking things too seriously can lead to better decision-making. In this episode of the Travel Leader Podcast, host Rachel Vanden...
Sep 26, 2024•30 min
Highlights Gumption, which means spirited initiative and resourcefulness, has been the red thread throughout Dina's career and personal life. Listening to feedback, reflecting, and adapting are essential for personal and professional growth. Self-acceptance and the willingness to evolve are key to becoming a better leader. Empathy, humanity, and emotional intelligence are crucial leadership skills for connecting with and empowering others. Success as a leader involves lifting and growing the ent...
Sep 05, 2024•44 min
Highlights Taking risks can lead to unexpected and great rewards in both personal and professional life. Self-care is essential for being the best version of oneself and making a positive impact. Having high expectations of oneself and others can drive personal and professional growth. Sharing personal stories and leading by example can inspire and motivate others. Living in line with one's values is crucial for personal fulfillment and success. Empowering others and providing opportunities for ...
Aug 21, 2024•51 min
Highlights: Modeling the behavior as a leader to build customer connections and create exceptional experiences Transparency, trust, and accountability are essential in effective leadership. Self-awareness and reflection are crucial for personal and professional growth. Empowering others involves building trust, clear communication, delegation, and celebrating their accomplishments. Advocating for oneself and asking for what you want is important in career advancement. Summary: Join us for an ins...
Aug 05, 2024•44 min
Highlights Leaving things better off than when you arrived Lan's commitment to bringing more women and underrepresented groups to conference stages. The impact of seeing diverse faces in leadership roles. Practical advice for overcoming obstacles and fostering ambition. The importance of mentors and champions in career growth. Summary Lan Elliott, Principal and Co-Founder of Acacia Hospitality, discusses her career and the impact she wants to have in the travel industry. She has always wanted to...
Jul 17, 2024•44 min
Highlights: The attraction of the hospitality industry Modeling change and innovation The importance of psychological safety Creating a culture of feedback Trust, empathy and treating team members as human beings Open communication Summary In this conversation, Rachel Vandenberg interviews Arun Upneja, the Dean of the School of Hospitality Administration at Boston University. They discuss Upneja's career in the hospitality industry and his role as an educator. Upneja emphasizes the importance of...
Jul 02, 2024•46 min
Highlights: -Finding your voice -Intentional communication/ speaking up -Balance in leadership -Feedback culture -Creating connections, clarity and authenticity -Role models and standards of behavior -Imposter syndrome, growth, learning Jason shares his journey of finding his voice and how it has shaped his career in the restaurant industry. He emphasizes the importance of intentional communication and speaking up for oneself and the team. Jason also discusses the significance of balance in lead...
Jun 11, 2024•48 min
A first-generation immigrant to the United States from Nicaragua, Karen Kühl has 35 years of rich and varying experience in the tourism industry. Though she now serves as the Executive Director of the Cayuga County Office of Tourism, she got her start in the industry as a young adult—working in hostess, bartender, and front desk agent positions. From there, she climbed her way to the top as an extension of her natural leadership skills. She took on roles as a restaurant manager and resort manage...
May 14, 2024•42 min
Jacob Messina, the CEO of Stayntouch, is a seasoned leader with a profound understanding of technology's critical role in the hospitality sector. Before taking the reins at Stayntouch, he served as the Senior Vice President of Technology & Innovation at MCR Hotels, where he oversaw technology for a portfolio of 150 hotels. With over a decade of experience at Loews Hotels & Co., his expertise spans hotel technology, distribution, and digital transformation. Jacob's unique blend of hotel a...
Apr 11, 2024•34 min
Dorothy Dowling, ISHC is a seasoned management consultant and growth advisor, with Horwath HTL with over 40 years of experience in the global hospitality industry. As the former Global Chief Marketing Officer and SVP of Sales at Best Western, she excelled at shaping marketing and commercial strategies. Dowling actively contributes to HSMAI and is a special advisor to the HSMAI Foundation Board. Her industry leadership earned her prestigious Lifetime Achievement awards from HSMAI, the NYU Investm...
Mar 20, 2024•46 min
Stephanie Sparks Smith, CHDM is CEO and Digital Matriarch at Cogwheel Marketing TM️ and partner and consultant at Cayuga Hospitality Consultants. Her agency focuses on helping hotel owners and management companies drive incremental exposure and revenue to their websites and online channels through hotel digital marketing and advertising. The expertise of Cogwheel Marketing is knowing the intricacies of the branded hotel systems and understanding where brand marketing stops and hotel level market...
Mar 04, 2024•47 min
As a graduate student deeply interested in hospitality, Krystal Qi is honored to contribute to the advancement of the hospitality industry. In her role as the program coordinator for corporate engagement at the University of South Carolina, Krystal facilitates connections and supports industry initiatives with humility and dedication. Leveraging her background in hotel operations, Krystal is committed to continuous learning and growth. With a focus on excellence and integrity, she navigates the ...
Feb 20, 2024•38 min
Allie joined the Uncommon Hospitality team in 2020 after relocating to Maine from Australia. She looks after the brand, voice, and identity of each hotel in the portfolio and creates strategic marketing plans to drive new guest acquisition, retention, engagement, and lifetime value. Allie utilizes a variety of tactics to introduce guests to the hotels and ensure they return again and again—she is an expert in digital marketing, social media, influencer management, local partnerships, and more. A...
Jan 29, 2024•49 min
Traveling through young adulthood with an intense fascination with maps and cartography in general, a career in land use management and geography seemed like a natural fit. Upon graduation from Clark University during the peak of the "Great Recession", like most other millennials, Paul refocused from his dream job towards something that would pay the bills. That lead him to the travel industry, specifically, a travel broker, where we channeled his past experiences and knowledge of the world to h...
Jan 15, 2024•48 min
Vanessa Miller is a chef and operations strategist with more than 18 years of experience in the food and beverage industry. Miller’s unique perspective on restaurants and hospitality combines front-of-house and back-of-house management experience with an analytical approach to operations, fueled by Economics and Political Science training from Tufts University, where she also played basketball. Starting in restaurants at the age of 16, Miller quickly climbed the ranks and, with no formal culinar...
Dec 03, 2023•53 min
Mimi Oliver ( www.waterwalk.com ) is chief executive officer of WaterWalk, the nation’s most innovative flexible lodging brand. Mimi is a true ground up WaterWalk expert having learned from the best—her grandfather and founder of WaterWalk, the late Jack DeBoer. Over the years, she has worked in most business units of WaterWalk, led the introduction of their Generation 2.0 concept and has raised over $110 million in equity and over $125 million in debt for the company. Mimi was recently recogniz...
Nov 15, 2023•37 min
Nicole Mahoney is an entrepreneur, speaker, and podcast host with a passion for business. She’s the founder of Break the Ice Media, a PR and digital marketing agency specializing in the travel, tourism, and hospitality industry, and also serves as the CEO of Travel Alliance Partners. In her weekly podcast, Destination on the Left, launched in 2016, she interviews tourism professionals from all over the globe on creativity and collaboration. She commissioned a first-of-its-kind research study in ...
Nov 03, 2023•48 min
Most recently Lou Zameryka has completed 17 years building global commercial strategies and teams at Booking.com. Lou also has served for over 15 years in various volunteer leadership positions at organizations such as the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association, as both the President of the Largest Chapter (NY) and as an America's Board member. Lou is a positive person with a passion for human potential and achievement. He enjoys the process of creating and refining ideas as well as support...
Oct 17, 2023•47 min
Saxton Sharad is the CEO of Revival Hotels, a firm specializing in aiding independent properties and unique hospitality brands. Before this, he expanded Graduate Hotels from 12 to 35 properties as its COO, initiating its international growth and establishing the Brand Operations Department for brand consistency and efficiency. He also spearheaded the development of Marine & Lawn Hotels & Resorts, a luxury golf hotel venture. Earlier, Saxton founded Post Script Hospitality, a groundbreaki...
Oct 05, 2023•54 min
On this episode of The Travel Leader we hosted SHaD Talk, a series of discussions highlighting participants of She has a Deal's pitch competition. We were joined by guest co-host Tracy Prigmore, founder of She has a Deal, Viviana Wilkens and Portia Hood. Learn more about She has a deal at www.shehasadeal.com and our guests below. The Travel Leader is brought to you by The Travel Leader Coach, a content and coaching platform founded by Executive Leadership Coach, Rachel Vandenberg. Learn more at ...
Sep 18, 2023•55 min
Stacia Harvey-Randall is the co-founder of the Black Women of Hospitality Organization. She has worked in the hotel industry for 22 years working for various brands. Stacia is originally from Berwick, Louisiana but resided in New Orleans, Louisiana for over 20 years. Stacia graduated from Southern University at New Orleans with a B.A. in General Studies, and a Minor in Print Journalism. Stacia also obtained a Master's Degree from University of Phoenix in Adult Training and Development. She start...
Sep 07, 2023•47 min
Michelle Hurtt believes empowering her teams is the way to bring out her teams full potential. She has been overseeing Pure Hotels LLc. hotels as their Regional Service Manager. She has 1,000's of hours of training that allow her to bring the knowledge to her teams. She currently has helped ownership start a new adventure with another hotel and brand. She was able to start as a housekeeper and work her way up by having the never give up attitude. She is a firm believer in every role in the hospi...
Aug 20, 2023•33 min
Gary Jamison is a highly skilled and guest-oriented Concierge with a remarkable career spanning over 20 years in the hospitality and tourism industry. Gary is known for his exceptional service to clients and tourists, always striving to exceed expectations. His track record includes mentoring newly hired personnel to improve their customer service focus on guests and visitors. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the tourism industry, Gary was honored with The Feb 2016 Hitmaker's A...
Jul 25, 2023•43 min
Sara joined Olympia in 2006 and spent several years at the property level, including the award winning Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, before joining the Home Office in 2013 as Vice President of Olympia Hotel Management, leading the company’s growing portfolio of independent hotels and restaurants. In 2019 Sara was promoted to President of Olympia Hotel Management, responsible for maximizing owner value through property performance and growing the organization’s managed portfolio of uni...
Jul 12, 2023•41 min
In May 2023 Dylan Beaumont was a guest on the Travel Leader Podcast. Dylan sadly passed away suddenly on June 24, 2023. In place of a new episode we are re-leasing his recent episode in his memory. For full details about Dylan's memorial service see information from his cousin Kristine Smith https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7079149215163035648?commentUrn=urn%3Ali%3Acomment%3A%28activity%3A7079149215163035648%2C7079257745765384194%29&dashCommentUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afsd_comment%3...
Jun 27, 2023•50 min
A former Hotelier of the Year, Jeff David has a pedigree that spans over twenty-five years and is a leader in the hospitality industry in opening luxury properties. Jeff’s expertise in the hotel start-up space credits him in opening $1.7 billion dollars worth of high-profile luxury assets in Aspen, Anguilla, Times Square, Nantucket, Washington DC, and most recently Los Angeles. In 2017, he founded his company, Jeff David Hospitality, to scale his experience into other facets of the service indus...
Jun 13, 2023•45 min
