50 Shades of Hospitality

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. Additionall...

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 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, 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...

In this episode, we talk to Yannick Bouyidou, whose hospitality career with Ritz-Carlton led him to work on four different continents in different leadership positions.  Currently, Yannick wears several hospitality hats including entrepreneur, mentor, guest speaker, philanthropist and educator.  Yannick has a 360 -degree vision of the current hospitality trends and business stakes and understands...

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...

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  passion for hospitality business into her new passion for hospitality educati...

In this podcast, Rocco Bova, an experienced hotelier with over 25 years of international experience gives our listeners food for thought and questions the current hospitality status quo.  Lack of qualified staff, high turnover, and the pursuit of unsustainable practices, Rocco touches on some of the reasons the hospitality world needs to re-invent itself to become more sustainable, ethical and res...

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...

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 Europe...

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...

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...

Tim Oberli is currently the Assistant Reception Manager at the world famous Bürgenstock Resort near Lucerne, Switzerland. He is also the current World Skills Vice Champion of Hotel Reception.  In this podcast, Tim describes first becoming the Swiss Skills champion and subsequently his participation in the World Skills competition last year in October in Montreux, Switzerland.    Tim describes his...

In this podcast, Dr. Stowe Shoemaker talks about Hospitality Education at Harrah College of Hospitality at the University of Nevada Las Vegas.  Stowe has been in hospitality education for over 25 years and in this podcast he shares his insights into how the hospitality field is changing and the importance of hospitality schools keeping up with an ever-changing the industry.   Dr. Shoemaker (Ph. D....

Today’s podcast features Tom Su, a former hotelier who has found a unique way of combining music with hospitality.  After working several years in the hospitality industry in Taipei, Tom chose a different path in telecommunications.  But his love for music and his desire to share this passion has finally led him to bringing musical joy to hospitals and senior care facilities.  Listen to this episo...

In this podcast, Marina Franolic talks about hospitality in Croatia, a popular Mediterranean destination with rave reviews.  Marina explains why Croatia has become a favourite tourist destination and why so many tourists return there for their holidays.  Marina also discusses her work at The Bench, a global investment event organisation and hospitality trends and innovations such as long-term stay...

In this podcast, Mary Mayenfisch-Tobin discusses gender equality, sustainability and corporate responsibility in the hospitality and tourism fields.  Using her lifetime experience as a lawyer, educator and activist, Mary looks at the current global situation with a critical eye and explains why it is in the interest of hospitality and tourism companies to ensure that they put ethical and sustainab...

In this podcast, Satomi Nishihara talks about hospitality in Japan and how the Japanese philosophy of “Omotenashi” is integrated into the way the Japanese welcome guests.  She touches upon this unique cultural phenomenon and why it is not always perceived positively by business travellers.   Satomi also shares her personal research into sustainable tourism and how protecting endangered lilies on t...

Andrea Obertello is currently the General Manager of the Four Seasons Hotel in Milano, Italy.  In this podcast, Andrea talks about her career choices and how she became General Manager in an industry that is predominately male.  She talks about working in the iconic Milano Four Seasons Hotel, located in a 15th century convent, the second oldest Four Seasons hotel in Europe.  Andrea compares hospit...

Arian Röehrle is currently the president of AICR, The International Association for Deputy Managers and Front Office Managers of Luxury Hotels.  In this podcast, Arian tells our listeners about this important networking organization and how it has grown into a well-established professional and educational entity.  He discusses the importance of networking in the hospitality industry and why AICR h...

In this podcast, Luiz Prebianca discusses how he ended up working in Australia, what he loves about working there and how Australian hospitality differs from other places.  Originally from Brazil, Luiz moved to Germany as a teenager to attend high school and then onto Switzerland to attend a Hospitality Management school.  He has worked in Brazil, the USA, Dubai and began working in Australia in 2...

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...

In this podcast, Sophia Mounib talks about recruiting and retaining hospitality talent in Morocco.  Sophia gives our listeners insight into running a hospitality talent business, in Casablanca and the challenges she has faced, especially after the COVID pandemic.    In addition, Sophia talks about the hospitality and tourism industry in Morocco and how it differs from other North African destinati...

Snorri Valsson gives our listeners the lowdown on hospitality and tourism in Iceland and explains the challenges that increased tourism has created.  With his very original Icelandic sense of humor, Snorri talks about his own career in hospitality and tourism in his native country and why he eventually left the industry to join a tech business.  He also explains why so many people are interested i...

In this podcast we talk to Yahya Shakhshir about Hospitality education and training in Vancouver, Canada.  Yahya is currently the Managing Director at Cornerstone International Community College of Canada, one of the top private Colleges located in Vancouver.  He is a passionate, driven and dedicated hotelier with 18 years in the Hospitality and Education industry. He has international experience...