Crowne Plaza

Connected Conversations

Education EN ↓ 12 episodes

The Connected Conversations podcast features real conversations with hotel leaders who are sharing bright ideas and effective solutions. You’re a part of our unique community of Crowne Plaza hotel leaders from around the world. The goal of this podcast is simple: We’re making our community stronger...and more connected. In the show, we’re sharing our experiences and best practices, because we have so much in common, and we can all learn from each other.

Author

Crowne Plaza

Episodes

Ep. 12: Premium Service Delivery 12.05.2026 21:46

Description Join Sharon Kilmartin, Regional Director of Operations at IHG, based at the Crowne Plaza® Ravinia (Americas) and Amr Awad, General Manager at Crowne Plaza® Moncton Downtown in New Brunswick, Canada as well as Ken Knight, General Manager at Crowne Plaza® Knoxville Downtown University in Tennessee. They discuss exceptional service delivery and how to preserve the essence of human-centere...

Episode 11: Female Leaders in Hospitality 09.03.2026 31:37

Description Join Sharon Kilmartin, Regional Director of Operations at IHG, based at the Crowne Plaza® Ravinia (Americas) and Sandra Dias, Director General at Crowne Plaza® Madrid as well as Yvonne Hyde, Regional Operations Manager, Crowne Plaza® East Midlands Airport, as they discuss cultivating a culture that delivers premium experience at their hotels. Meet Your Host & Guest Host: Sharon Kilma...

Ep. 10: Creative Problem Handling 30.10.2025 24:22

Description Join Sharon Kilmartin, Regional Director of Operations at IHG, based at the Crowne Plaza® Ravinia (Americas) and Maurice Janssen, GM of the Crowne Plaza® Budapest as they discuss Creative Problem Handling and what that looks like in their hotels. Resources: IHG Problem Handling Course ID# IHG056045 Meet Your Host & Guest Host: Sharon Kilmartin has been with IHG Hotels & Resorts for...

Ep. 9: How to Improve Recruiting, Hiring, and Retention 23.10.2025 29:18

Description Join Sharon Kilmartin, Regional Director of Operations at IHG, based at the Crowne Plaza® Ravinia (Americas) as she discusses best practices related to recruiting, hiring, and retaining talent with Nic DiLillo, Vice President of Hospitality Relations Playhouse Square & Crowne Plaza Cleveland, OH, Christo Botha, GM Crowne Plaza® Belfast, and Kevin Hill, GM Crowne Plaza® Atlanta NE - Nor...

Ep. 8: Loyalty and Enrollments 16.10.2025 17:22

Description Join Kristin Klebanov, Vice President of Loyalty Strategy & Performance at IHG, Sharon Kilmartin, Regional Director of Operations at IHG, based at the Crowne Plaza® Ravinia (Americas), and Raffi Torikian, General Manager at Crowne Plaza® Dubai Marina as they discuss Loyalty, Enrollments and what that means for employees and guests. Resources: Link for the IHG One Rewards App Loyalty...

Ep. 7: Loyalty and Recognition 09.10.2025 24:50

Ep. 6: The Value of Loyalty 02.10.2025 18:33

Ep. 5: Brand Differentiators - Crowne Plaza® Social 25.09.2025 25:22

Description Join Sharon Kilmartin, Regional Director of Operations at IHG, based at the Crowne Plaza® Ravinia (Americas) as she discusses brand differentiators and what that means for our employees and guests. She speaks with Akemi Shapiro, Director of Sales and Marketing at Crowne Plaza® Ventura Beach Hotel; Russell Sheppard, GM at ANA Crowne Plaza® Narita; Stephen Wills, GM at Crowne Plaza® Hawk...

Ep. 4: Brand Differentiators - Meetings and Events 18.09.2025 16:39

Description Join Sharon Kilmartin, Regional Director of Operations at IHG, based at the Crowne Plaza® Ravinia (Americas) as she discusses brand differentiators and what that means for our employees and guests. She speaks with Akemi Shapiro, Director of Sales and Marketing at Crowne Plaza Ventura® Beach Hotel; Russell Sheppard, GM at ANA Crowne Plaza® Narita; Stephen Wills, GM at Crowne Plaza® Hawk...

Ep. 3: Brand Differentiators - Daily Rituals 11.09.2025 15:41

Ep. 2: Employee Empowerment 28.08.2025 31:36

Join Sharon Kilmartin, Regional Director of Operations at IHG, based at the Crowne Plaza® Ravinia (Americas), Mike McCarthy, Vice President of Operations and Development at Sharcon Hotel Management and GM Crowne Plaza® Dulles and Mark Tasker, GM at the Crowne Plaza® Liverpool City Center as they discuss employee empowerment. Resources: Empowerment Agreement Crowne Plaza® “Connected to You” Cult...

Ep. 1: Brand Evolution 19.06.2025 17:46

Join Sharon Kilmartin, Regional Director of Operations at IHG, based at the Crowne Plaza® Ravinia (Americas) and Ginger Taggart, Vice President, IHG Global Marketing and Brand Management as they discuss Brand Evolution. Resources: IHG Brand Central Crowne Plaza Meet Your Host & Guest: Host: Sharon Kilmartin has been with IHG Hotels & Resorts for over 35 years and has a wealth of experience to shar...