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, but certainly not limited to, inflation, recruiting and retaining talent, the wellness and wellbeing of our team and our guests, climate action, and the impact of robotics and AI 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 livelihoods.
Episodes
35 episodes
The Four-Pillar Framework for Talent Management in Hospitality: Sarah Diehl on Culture, Values & Leadership
When Sarah Diehl’s corporate HR role was eliminated, she called it “the best thing that could have happened.” Out of that setback came Empowered Hospitality, a consulting firm dedicated to helping restaurants and hotels build resilient, people-...
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Season 4
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Episode 3
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49:55
Amanda Hyndman, Chief Operating Officer of Mandarin Oriental: Redefining Luxury from the Inside Out
Imagine walking through the gilded corridors of a legendary hotel—where service feels like an art form, and every guest isn’t just remembered, but known. Amanda Hyndman has helped shape one of the world’s most admired hotel brands. ...
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Season 4
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Episode 2
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36:56
Ed Brown, CEO of Restaurant Associates: The Right Ingredients for Hospitality at Scale
Although he wears the CEO suit and title, Ed Brown counters that he’s a chef at heart. He has bridged the world of white-tablecloth fine dining and high-scale institutional foodservice, without losing the soul of either. Ed Brown be...
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Season 4
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Episode 1
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42:36
George Poll on Building Distinctive Dining Experiences from Long Island to Miami
George Poll has spent decades building some of Long Island’s most celebrated restaurants. Alongside his brother, he’s crafted iconic dining experiences from
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Season 3
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Episode 5
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38:50
Unlocking Ultra-Luxury with Managing Director Luigi Romaniello on the Grand Reopening of the Waldorf Astoria New York
Set to reopen after a seven-year restoration, the Waldorf Astoria New York is poised to redefine ultra-luxury hospitality. In this episode, Managing Director
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Season 3
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Episode 4
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37:40
Inhospitable? Redefining Service in Luxury Hospitality with Kate Buhler, Founder and President of Profitable to Train
Kate Buhler, founder and president of Profitable to Train, is a leading expert in hospitality service excellence and profitability. With decades of experience across luxury brands including Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, Rosewood Hotels & Reso...
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Season 3
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Episode 3
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39:55
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