Distinguished
Welcome to the Distinguished podcast with Dean Arun Upneja of Boston University School of Hospitality Administration.
We skip the small talk and get right into the top-of-mind topics in the world of hospitality, including and certainly not limited to inflation; recruiting and retaining talent; the need to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion; wellness and wellbeing of our team and our guests; climate action; and the impact of robotics and a.i. on the future of Hospitality. And that’s just to name a few.
On this show, you’ll hear from executives, general managers, founders, and investors who live and breathe Hospitality. The “distinguished” guests on this podcast represent all areas of our industry from hotels and restaurants to entertainment and sporting venues, travel and tourism, and of course, a favorite pastime for many of us —shopping — because, to put it simply, Hospitality is, at play in most parts of our lives and livelihood.
Episodes
29 episodes
Aldau Development: Modern Hospitality Meets Millennia-Old Treasures
Aldau Development has earned a reputation for excellence in both Real Estate and Hospitality, with developments in Egypt and the United Kingdom. Their strategic partnerships with marquee brands suc...
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Season 3
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Episode 2
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38:29
Tipping & Wages Series: Politics Play Up the Benefits of Eliminating Taxes on Tips
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump both have proposed eliminating taxes on tips for service workers. While seemingly beneficial, it might just not add up according to renowned economics expert
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Season 3
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Episode 1
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16:25
Leadership Series: Practical Strategies for Bridging Leadership Gaps with Executive Coach Lori Mazan
What does it take to truly redefine leadership in today's fast-paced world? Lori Mazan, co-founder and Chief Coaching Officer at Soundi...
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Season 2
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Episode 12
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35:23
Saru Jayaraman Fights for One Fair Wage
The battle over raising the minimum wage for tipped workers and permitting tip pooling bounces to the Massachusetts ballot this November. Saru Jayaraman, President of
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Season 2
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Episode 11
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52:10
Tipping Series: The Psychology of Tipping with Michael Lynn, Ph.D., Professor of Services Marketing, Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration
Beyond good, bad, and mediocre service, how much we tip and why we tip is rich with psychological implications. Find out what tipping reveals about us as consumers and our need for affirmation and societal status. Shedding light on the ...
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Season 2
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Episode 10
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40:06
Leadership Series: Dondra Ritzenthaler Embarks on a New Leadership Role
Recognized for her leadership, Dondra Ritzenthaler now sets sail toward a new horizon, taking the helm as Chief Executive Officer of Azamara Cruises, the award-winning, l...
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Season 2
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Episode 9
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34:28
The Matters that Massachusetts Restaurant Association Wages for (and against) with Stephen Clark
Restaurant work is undeniably tough. Long hours, fierce competition, and thin profit margins characterize this demanding profession. The challenges only intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic, testing the resilience of workers and business ow...
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Season 2
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Episode 8
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42:36
Tipping & Wages Series: Restauranteur's Dilemma of Balancing Equity and Economics with TJ Callahan
TJ Callahan transformed neighborhood eateries into thriving “go-to” destinations with his acclaimed farm-to-table restaurants in the heart of Chicago. He is the co-founder and ow...
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Season 2
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Episode 7
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43:44
Revolutionizing the Hostel Experience with Oliver Winter, Founder & CEO of a&o Hostels
Think back to your youthful days of travel, hostels along the way were a hub for forging connections with fellow wanderers and were part of the adventure. If you traveled in pre-Internet days, some 20-30 years ago, you didn’t always know what y...
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Season 2
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Episode 6
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34:27
Leadership Series: Demystifying the C-Suite Search with Ann Fastiggi of Spencer Stuart
So, you want to be a C-suite executive? It will certainly give you a leg up to hear about the steps to filling those corner office suites from a search firm expert,
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Season 2
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Episode 5
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40:31
40,000-foot-view of Customer Care with Allison Ausband, Executive Vice President, and Chief Customer Experience Officer at Delta Air Lines
Imagine the triumph of human ambition as we glide through the skies, a testament to our enduring quest to conquer the very elements — thirty thousand feet aloft, inside a slender cylinder of steel. Within this confined space, humanity gathers, ...
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Season 2
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Episode 4
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41:22
Leadership Series: Radical Mentor with Cindy Novotny, Managing Partner of Master Connection Associates
Continuing our Leadership Series, we spotlight Cindy Novotny, who earned the “Radical Mentor” moniker for her no-nonsense approach to delivering results in the areas of leadership, sales, and customer service excellence. Having traveled more th...
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Season 2
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Episode 3
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36:34
Big Brand Hotels: Striving to be Guests’ Everything with Julienne Smith, Chief Development Officer, Americas of IHG Hotels & Resorts
The “You Can Be Anything” Barbie slogan could apply just as easily to the ever-expanding brand choices of major hotel groups such as
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Season 2
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Episode 2
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33:51
Leadership Series: How to Identify a Positive, Values-Based Organizational Culture
If you have ever worked in a toxic workplace, you have learned the hard way that dysfunctional organizational cultures are harmful and hinder employee performance. Taylor Peyton,...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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24:13
The Virtuous Cycle of Purpose Driving Profit with Niren Chaudhary, Chairman of Panera Brands
Being the CEO of globally recognized companies for decades is much like driving a race car at high speed: both thrilling and intensely challenging. Reaching a finish line after being on the fast track represents a tremendous feat. After the fan...
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Episode 14
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32:36
More Fun and Less Friction with Tim McLaughlin, Cofounder and CEO of GoTab
Waiting to be served drinks and food and settling the tab rank most certainly as the pain points of the dining experience. As the famous song goes, "You got to accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative." In that spirit, to relieve the fri...
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Episode 13
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33:13
California Raises Minimum Wage for Fast-Food Workers
California Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed a new law that raises the minimum wage from $15.50 to $20 per hour for fast-food workers starting April 1, 2024. C...
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Episode 12
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24:57
Hospitality by Design with Steven Upchurch, Co-Managing Director of Gensler
Good vibes. That’s probably the ultimate compliment when one enters into a space. An environment viscerally impacts how we feel and interact with one another. Imagine creating those just-right vibes for large-scale spaces and places such ...
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Episode 11
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33:30
Beyond Running Shoes with Keith Craig, Senior Director of Development of NB Development Group
New Balance has made an indelible footprint not only in fashion and sports but also in the real estate sector. Keith Craig, Senior Director of Development of
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Episode 10
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28:06
Daily Table Offers a Hand, Not a Hand-Out with Doug Rauch, Founder and President of Daily Table
For the many Trader Joe’s dedicated shoppers, Doug Rauch is a name you might not know as well as “Joe.” As President, he helped grow the business from a small chain in Southern Ca...
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Episode 9
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29:21
Old-world Charm Meets Automation: New England Inns & Resorts with Deborah Burns, Executive Director of New England Inns & Resorts Association
New England’s old-world charm is best captured by the idyllic, charming inns and resorts down backcountry roads, in the midst of beachside towns, and on the perches of snowy mountains. New E...
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Episode 8
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18:51
Columbus Hospitality Group’s Approach(ability) to Fine Dining with Mark D’Alessandro, Director of Operations
While some fine dining experiences come with a side of pretension, Mark D’Alessandro, Director of Operations of the renowned
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Episode 7
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30:01
Sharing Sonesta’s Secret with Vera Manoukian, Chief Operating Officer of Sonesta International Hotels
Vera Manoukian became COO of Sonesta at the height of Covid in 2020. Defying the odds in these recent turbulent years, the company has e...
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Episode 6
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43:20
The Way to Bartaco with Anthony Valletta, President of Bartaco
How do you bartaco? “Bartaco” encapsulates both a “thing you do” and the name of this growing restaurant company with over 20 locations in 12 states. Anthony Valletta,...
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33:58
Rebuilding Hospitality with Quendrida Whitmore, Executive Coach
Employees are demanding change, evidenced by widespread staff turnovers and union organization. Quendrida Whitmore, also known as “Coach Quen,” helps build better bosses and positive workplace cultures by being intentional about “how” work gets...
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Episode 4
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44:13