50 Shades of Hospitality

Ursula Connolly is the founder and Managing Director of People Skills Business. She has more than 30 years experience in developing and motivating individuals and companies to achieve successful results.  In this podcast, Ursula tells our listeners about how she works with internationally respected organisations to help them align the development of their employees with their brand and strategic b...

In this podcast, Tobias Cornet and Raad Masarwah from The Right Balance, a hospitality consulting and training company that helps hotels across all their revenue generating departments to increase sales, enhance guest experiences and boost their team’s skills & motivation. Tobias and Raad discuss their company’s mission and how their experienced staff support hotels with change management, emp...

 In this podcast, Razvan Pirjol, CEO of Turism Felix and the owner of Leading Choice , a global hospitality counselling company in Romania, answers our questions about the hospitality and tourism industry in Romania and gives his insights on current hospitality education and training opportunities.  A Glion Hospitality graduate, Razvan ended up spending several years in Switzerland and he talks to...

Maxime Blot, Meilleur Ouvrier de France (French Best Craftsman) for Hotel Reception, talks to our listeners about this professional honor and describes the demanding process of competing and winning this prestigious award.  Maxime has worked in some of the most prestigious and luxurious palaces in the world and in this podcast, he describes his first few years of honing and perfecting his skills....

In this podcast, Brigitte Lawler from Swiss4Africa describes the work that their non-profit organization, registered in Bern, Switzerland, is currently doing in South Africa. They work with small NPO’s in South Africa to break the cycle of poverty,addressing four of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.  They were founded by 5 members a year ago and at the time of founding, three of its members...

In this podcast, we interview Evan Tzivanakis, author of ‘ ’Leading In VUCA Times’’ .  In this insightful work, Evan delves into the complexities of modern leadership, offering valuable strategies to navigate the ever-evolving business landscape successfully. His book has become a go-to resource for executives and aspiring leaders seeking guidance in an increasingly turbulent world. With a wealth...

Vanessa Kellerhals currently works in Iraq for the UNDP (United Nation Development Programme) but little in her career path would hint at her one day working in peacebuilding and development.   In this podcast, Vanessa explains how she went from working at the Dolder Grand Hotel in Zurich, winning the AICR world’s best receptionist in 2010 and then onto Lebanon to learn Arabic.  From there, she mo...

50 Shades of Hospitality is happy to introduce our new collaborator and producer, Mauricio Schüler.  Life-long Learning is Mauricio’s passion and his career path has revolved around how to inspire other professionals to embrace this ethos.  For this podcast, Mauricio who is the founder of the Schulering HUB hospitality platform, responds to our questions about how hoteliers can improve and innovat...

Jacquy Pfeiffer embodies the French pastry chef’s persona with style and grace and shares his many career choices and experiences across the world.  From his native Alsace to Chicago via California, Saudi Arabia, the Sultanate of Brunei and Hong Kong, Jacquy has brought his pastry magic to the many places he has worked.  He explains how he started as a young apprentice in the Alsace region and the...

In this podcast, entrepreneur Brandon Burnett describes how his next generation of hotel equipment is poised to improve and transform the hotel industry.  He also describes his career path from completing a hospitality management degree in Switzerland to working for some of the major hotel chains in different capacities.  Brandon shares his views and opinions about the hospitality industry, tech t...

In this podcast we speak to Aoife McArdle, an Innovation & Disruption Expert. Aoife was an early leader in the most disruptive industries the world has seen in the last 20 years. She was a key initiator and driver of rapid growth at Airbnb (travel and hospitality), Skype (telecommunications) and Apple (music, e-commerce).    Aoife shares her personal stories as a host on Airbnb before she bega...

In this podcast, Nicola Gryczka informs our listeners about equitable and sustainable food systems in the hospitality industry and how she became, in her words, “a change-maker, dreamer and social entrepreneur”.   As co-founder and leader of the Social Gastronomy Movement (SGM), Nicola connects communities globally to drive equitable and sustainable food systems. Her background includes pioneering...

With over 40 years-experience as a luxury hotel concierge, Robert Watson shares his career path and choices along with some unforgettable experiences with our listeners.  Starting as a page boy at the InterContinental Hotel in London, Robert has also worked at some of London’s famous hotels such as  Mayfair Hotel, the Park Hyatt Carlton Tower and the Grosvenor.   In this podcast, Robert describes...

In this podcast, we interview Estelle Vassallo, who is the General Manager of the Anantara Convento di Amalfi Grand Hotel in Italy.  Estelle answers our questions about crisis management in the hospitality field and about what it takes to become a GM.     We ask Estelle to describe what it is like to manage a hotel in an iconic location like the Amalfi Coast and she explains what kind of clients t...

Claude Achaume has been working as the private rooms manager for the exclusive 5 Hertford Street Private Club in London for several years and in this podcast, he shares his experiences and some interesting anecdotes that have made headlines!  Claude describes how his years at the iconic Connaught Hotel in London shaped his sense of hospitality and taught him the importance of discretion and tactfu...

Claire Dupleix is a Hospitality and Hotel Reception Ambassador in France and a MOF (Mellieur Ouvrier de France / Best Craftsman of France).   She was the first to receive this prestigious honour for Hotel Receptionist in 2015.  In this podcast, Claire describes her passion and enthusiasm for the hospitality industry and elaborates on her educational and career paths.   In this podcast, we learn mo...

In this podcast, Cathleen Cain, explains why many hospitality businesses are not accessible for people with limited mobility and what they can do to improve this.  In her opinion, some simple, inexpensive changes can make a world of difference. Cathleen has travelled around the world and in this podcast, she describes the particular challenges she has had to face as a paraplegic in a wheelchair. ...

Podcast Description:   In this podcast, Chris Horn who is currently the General Manager at Gold Key Media, discusses his career path and answers our questions about the synergies between the Media and Hospitality.  Gold Key Media has a hard earned and formidable reputation for quality and credibility in the industry for providing a reliable, competitive service and consequently represent all of th...

Francesco Bonotto has been the manager of the legendary Venice-Simplon Orient Express for over five years.  In his own words: “I am the Hotel Manager of a 5 star hotel moving on rail tracks across 5 different countries with an international luxurious clientele looking for a lifetime experience. A very wide knowledge and a multitasking mind set are necessary tools to cover such a role. Additionally...

Romain Faure is the founder of itsRomainFaure , an up-and-coming YouTube channel focused on personal finance in the United States. Originally from France he has spent the last decade in the US, honing his expertise in personal finance through experience with some of the largest US corporations.  In this podcast we ask Romain to describe his career path from obtaining a degree in Hospitality Manage...

In this podcast, chocolatier Aditi Malhotra Ahooja shares her unique path from her childhood in New York City, to a Swiss hospitality school and onto becoming a successful entrepreneur.  Aditi talks about her family’s love and support, learning to become a pastry chef, some inevitable bumps along the way and her passion for chocolate.  She describes how her labor of love, Tache Chocolates, came in...

In this episode, Andrra Berisha describes how she has dynamically created an envious hospitality management path for herself after her hospitality studies in Switzerland. As the Business Development Manager at Lighthouse , the leading commercial platform for the travel & hospitality industry, Andrra uses her hospitality acumen to drive revenue growth and foster long-term client partnerships.  ...

In this podcast, Philippe Rey-Westlund and Byron Rey-Westlund talk about their labor of love and fine dining with the creation of Underground Dining at Naglee Park in the Silicon Valley.  We learn about how this idea was born, how it blossomed into a full-time job for its creative chef Byron and how Philippe’s family history of running a hotel and restaurant in Crans-Montana, Switzerland helped hi...

In this podcast, Philippe Clarinval discusses the role of the Hotel GM and what makes this role appealing and challenging.  He also shares his passion for life-long learning and why continuing educational pursuits are important in our ever-changing world.  Philippe’s role as General Manager of the Carlton Hotel in St.-Moritz Switzerland and the Grand Hotel Les Trois Rois in Basel allowed him reali...

In this podcast, Mohammed Marghalani, currently the Saudi Chief of Franchised Assets Operations for PIF Hospitality Projects, talks to us about the enormous changes that have occurred over the past five years in the Saudi hospitality field.  With over 18 years in the hospitality field and an MBA from the Ecole Hotelière de Lausanne, Mohammed also discusses Swiss Hospitality education and how the K...