50 Shades of Hospitality

Originally from Ankara, Turkey, A. Burak Ipekci was fortunate enough to realise that the hospitality industry was his calling in his late teens. Already doing seasonal work in the industry, Burak went ahead to study Hospitality Management at Bilkent University, the country’s first private university. A career that spans three countries and over 30 years, Burak has worked at Soho Grand Hotel, Hilto...

In this podcast, Puneet Baijal talks to us about the current tourism and hospitality trends in India and more specifically in the Gujrat region where he is currently the General Manager of the five-star Hyatt Regency Hotel in Ahmedabad.  He shares his passion for hospitality and describes how Indian culture plays a big role in the way Indians welcome guests and tourists to their country.  We ask h...

Julia Krebs is a Senior Lecturer at Les Roches Marbella Global Hospitality and Hospitality Consultant, based in Marbella, Spain.  In this podcast we ask Julia about her international career and how it has shaped her approach to working in diverse environments.  Julia is passionate about helping to shape the next generation of hospitality professionals and leaders – she speaks about the importance...

Amna Alyamani has turned her childhood passion into a successful career and she is a woman fueled by her passion for baking, which she discovered at the tender age of 7. She has since pursued her dream, scaling heights and enjoying success in the culinary industry. In this podcast, Amna retraces her passion for baking and answers our questions about entrepreneurship, the current situation in Saudi...

In this podcast, Tatjana Kniazeva describes her amazing, inspirational and challenging story of having to create a life for herself in London and how she went on to become a successful hospitality negotiator. With over two decades of experience in the global hospitality industry, Tatjana currently leads a high-performing team of hotel negotiators at Miki Travel one of the world’s leading B2B whole...

In this podcast Manrique Rodriguez talks about Lebanese hospitality and compares Lebanon to other countries in the Levant and Middle East and shares his extensive, global insights into the hospitality field.  He touches on the topic of hospitality changes and challenges and the importance of moving towards more sustainable practices and eco-tourism.   Manrique Rodriguez recently became the General...

In this podcast Linus Fredberg answers our questions about Revenue Management and Optimization and walks us through his educational and global career paths.  Linus also talks about what a typical day looks like in his current position as the Regional Director of Northern Europe for Revenue Management for Accor’s MGallery, Sofitel, Sofitel Legend and Emblems collections.   We also ask Linus why he...

Andrey Parshukov is currently the Head of Business Growth at JetRockets, a forward-thinking company specializing in custom web and mobile application development across various industries.  In this podcast, Andrey talks about his career path from studying hospitality in Switzerland and working in the hospitality field to teaching in Vietnam and developing his passion for technology and AI.     And...

In this podcast, Laurence Toudjui gives our listeners a glimpse of Cameroonian hospitality by describing the current projects that are underway in her native country. Cameroon is currently catching up with other African countries that attract tourists.  With its 400 km of Atlantic coast, Cameroon has fabulous sites for beach loving visitors and the country has many natural attractions that are not...

Margaux Michel is currently the Alumni Relations Manager at Glion Institute of Higher Education in Switzerland.  In this podcast we ask Margaux Michel to describe her varied experiences working in the Sport and Event Management field.  An athlete herself, Margaux explains how her multi-cultural background helped shape her career and why she was eager to welcome different experiences with UEFA, the...

In this podcast, Alexandre Maia de Carvalho tells our listeners about his hospitality career in Portugal and why it continues to be one of the top-ten destinations for European tourists and is gaining popularity for travellers coming from the US, China and Canada.  Alexandre’s specialty is luxury hotels and resorts, and in this podcast he describes this growing field and how it has evolved over th...

Scott Eddy has made hospitality and tourism storytelling his field of expertise and he helps hospitality brands and destinations thrive in a fast-evolving digital world . With over 20 years of digital marketing and entrepreneurship under his belt, he has honed his brand strategy skills, Scott now travels year-round professionally as a video globetrotter, and he is an avid cruise aficionado.  Scott...

In this podcast, Claudine Thoma talks about her professional path from hospitality to education and why she decided to pursue her passion for the hospitality field as a young woman.  She also discusses hospitality and hospitality education in Luxembourg, her native country and how she successfully stepped outside of her hospitality business passion into her new passion for hospitality education.  ...

In this podcast, Krisztina Soreg, PhD talks about her educational path as an Economist and her career choice to become a professor at Les Roches Hospitality Management School in Marbella, Spain.  She answers our questions about the role of education in shaping the current hospitality field and the importance of disruptions and challenges to the status quo.  Krisztina describes why innovative appro...

In this podcast, Andrès Reyes Gjerme talks about his career choices and what he considers to be the main challenges in hospitality leadership today.  He describes the importance of finding balance and adapting to an ever-changing, diverse working environment.  He describes the hospitality and tourism industry in Norway and answers our questions about why Norway has become such a popular tourist de...

  Robin Salem, who works at a The Chapel Bar, a speakeasy in Vienna, Austria, is the first bartender that 50 Shades of Hospitality has interviewed for our podcast.  Robin explains to our audience how he went from working as a chef to becoming a barman.    The Chapel Bar offers over 30 signature cocktails and mocktails presented in a beautiful book offered to their guests. Robin explains to us how...

In this podcast, Christian Michel tells our listeners about hotel development and in particular, the continued growth and development of the Central and Eastern European markets.  Christian describes his long career with Wyndham Resorts and how he has honed his knowledge of hotel development in Central and Eastern Europe.     Christian also speaks to our audience about why Central and Eastern Euro...

Winner of the Best Swiss Receptionist Bucherer trophy in 2015, Judith Malavallon went from working in an iconic BEAU RIVAGE Palace to becoming a teacher at the school she attended in Switzerland.   After a management change, she continued teaching at another prestigious Hospitality School in Lausanne.  But Judith is a firm believer in having a healthy work/life balance and having children has allo...

After more than two years and 10,000+ downloads of 50 Shades of Hospitality Podcasts, your producers and hosts, Egidio Marcato and Crystal Forest Cavin discuss their motivation and passion for creating a global hospitality podcast.   In this podcast Egidio and Crystal are pleased to announce their future collaboration with Mauricio Schuler and his company, Schulering HUB .   Schulering HUB , is al...

In this podcast, João de Saldanha describes his path from hospitality to the world of finance and investment.  Despite some early disappointments, João was able to move forward and he shares his insights into how difficulties can be turned into opportunities for growth and success.  He also explains how his hospitality training was a powerful tool for his future career and how a hospitality educat...

In this podcast, we speak to Carmen Többen who won the WorldSkills Gold Medal for best receptionist in Lyon, France last year.  After winning the Gold Medal at the SwissSkills competition in Bern in 2022 and the EuroSkills Gold Medal in Gdansk, Poland in 2023, Carmen used those exceptional experiences to win gold in Lyon.  Carmen walks us through the prestigious WorldSkills competition by describi...

In this podcast, Anselmo Guerrieri Gonzaga shares the extraordinary history of his family-owned winery, Tenuta San Leonardo, which is an estate of historical significance where great wines are created in Trentino. It produces San Leonardo, a Bordeaux-style red wine which was described by the wine journalist, Jancis Robinson as "surely the most successful Bordeaux blend of northern Italy"...

 In this podcast, Philippe Rey-Westlund and Byron Rey-Westlund talk about their culinary adventures in Mexico and what has and continues to inspire these explorations of Mexico’s culinary history.  Both Byron and Philippe talk about their initial experiences with Mexican cuisine Byron grew up in the Cupertino, California (Silicon Valley) surrounded by fruit orchards. Cupertino, before becoming the...

Walter el Nagar is a passionate Chef with a multicultural background and a strong desire to make not only a culinary mark but a social one as well.  In this podcast, Walter describes his passion for creative culinary arts and his professional path across the globe.     Walter was born in Milan in 1981 to an Egyptian father and Italian mother, both of whom are restaurateurs. Known for his creative...

In this podcast we speak to Bastian Barnbeck who is a social entrepreneur and the founder of Waved, a non-profit organization that empowers students from rural coastal communities in Panama, using surfing a tool for social change.  With a background in Hospitality, Management Consulting and Corporate Social Responsibility, Bastian discusses how he has used all of his experiences for this forward-l...