50 Shades of Hospitality

In 2016, Vasily Grogol was hired by an investor to create a feasibility study on a hotel project in Kyiv, Ukraine. In 2017 he moved to Kyiv and worked on opening not only a boutique hotel called BURSA but also a gallery for young, Ukranian artists.  At the age of 24 he became the Executive Director of BURSA Hotel and gallery and his goal, in his own words “is to change the perception of Ukraine on...

In this podcast, Lucy Grace Maliki, a dual citizen of Kenya and Switzerland, describes her career path from teaching French and English in a Swiss Hospitality Institute to becoming an entrepreneur in Kenya.  Her years of living and teaching in Switzerland brought her to appreciate the fine art of making chocolates and when she moved back to Kenya a few years ago, she decided to create her own choc...

Ivan Artolli is the kind of hotelier you dream of meeting in a luxury hotel.  He shares his lifetime experience with our listeners and talks about the people who have been role models in his life.  He is charming, cultivated and he talks candidly about his youth and his dream of one day becoming a General Manager.   A lifetime career of working in some of the most luxurious hotels in Europe, Ivan...

Chantal Wittmann is an educator, a hospitality expert, a competition judge and received the MOF (Meilleur Ouvrier de France) Maître d’Hôtel award.  In this podcast, Chantal gives our listeners some background information about the French MOF competitions and what this means for the people who have been given this title.  Chantal has taught in some of the most prestigious hospitality institutions i...

William Mackay is an internationally experienced executive with over 45 years of experience in luxury hotel, spa and F & B management, operations, and development.  He has a proven track record of assembling and leading highly motivated, diverse, and mutually accountable teams and a true passion for quality as the primary means to profit.      We have invited William as our guest because he ha...

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"...

With over 20+ years experience in the hotel industry, Annie Boslem has been working for some of the most prestigious international companies such as Starwood, Inter-Continental, Shangri-La and Taj Hotels. She also works with many small and exclusive privately-owned properties, both in the UK and overseas. She moved from luxury hotels into hospitality recruitment in 2000 and works closely with many...

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, Peter Cross talks about the challenges of working in the Sport Management field and specifically, Mega-sporting events like The Olympics, Youth Olympics and FIFA World Cups.  He also discusses his personal and professional impressions and experiences in Qatar, Russia, France and Switzerland.  Finally, he talks about the Sport Management field and gives advice to young people who a...

In this podcast, John Lohr, who is currently theDirector of External Affairs at Dusit Thani College in Bangkok, talks to us about Thai hospitality and hospitality education in Thailand.    John’s decision to study hospitality at a prestigious Swiss hospitality school enabled him to understand the importance of a solid, practical and multi-cultural hospitality education and he has successfully used...

To celebrate our one year anniversary, 50 Shades of Hospitality producer, Egidio Marcato is re-releasing his podcast. The global hospitality industry is still feeling the effects from the COVID pandemic and trying to find solutions to the many challenges that it is facing.  Lack of qualified staff as well as staff retention have been causing havoc in many hotels and restaurants.  But are we doing...

With a Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality from a prestigious Swiss hotel school, Alvin Liu has followed an atypical career path.  Over the past years, when his day job as a Senior Recruitment Consultant for a Data and Analytics company allows him, Alvin hones his stand-up comedian talents and regularly hits the stand-up comedy circuit in London and other British destinations, including the Fringe Fe...

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...

 Vadim Bekker is currently the Managing Partner at Vibe Hospitality in Bangkok, Thailand.  In this podcast, Vadim talks about his experience in the Thai hospitality field and why he has no plans to leave this beautiful country.  After working in the Maldives as a Guest Relations Officer, Vadim chose Thailand to pursue his career path and has been working there for over 10 years.  He describes the...

Andrew 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, Andrew 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...

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...

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...

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 began...

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, 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, 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...

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, Francesca Palazuelos talks to us about Mexican hospitality and her passion for food.  She describes her early forays into the Food and Beverage side of hospitality while working in Kenya and Brazil.  Her passion for food eventually led her back to her native country, Mexico, where she has worked in the industry since 2011.  Francesca shares some lively anecdotes about her first i...

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...

In this podcast, Cathleen Cain, explains why many hospitality businesses are not accessible for people with limited mobility and what hospitality businesses 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...