039 | How to Create a Memorable Guest Experience with Tom Conran

Tom Conran serves as a Principal of Greenwood Hospitality Group – a Colorado-based company focused on the acquisition, repositioning, and management of upscale, full-service and select-service hotels. Formed in 2009, Greenwood Hospitality Group has grown their portfolio to 15 properties under management in 10 states.

Last year, Hotel Business ranked Greenwood Hospitality Group #60 in their Top 100 Management Companies of 2014 report.

Tom’s role with Greenwood is to grow the group via strategic investments and third-party hotel management assignments. An industry veteran, Tom has more than 30 years of hospitality experience in the management, finance, and real estate sectors.

Prior to his current role, Tom served as Vice President of Business Development for Richfield Hospitality. Tom expanded the Richfield management platform to include hospitality investments and acquisitions. During his 25 years with Richfield and its predecessor companies, Tom held several key positions including sales and marketing and property manager assignments. In addition, he was responsible for property management transitions and client relations within the management portfolio.

From 1997 to 2000, Tom also served as Vice President of Acquisitions for Regal Hotels International and successfully closed on $300 million of hotel acquisitions, including the Bostonian Hotel, the UN Plaza Hotel New York, the Knickerbocker Chicago, and the Los Angeles Biltmore Hotel. Thereafter, Tom served as Vice President of Acquisitions and Finance for Millennium Hotels, USA with active involvement in the group’s investment strategies and renovation programs for their portfolio of 13 upscale full-service hotels.

Tom earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Keene State College in Keene, New Hampshire. Tom was a founding member of Meetings Planner International in Hartford, CT and he currently serves on the Owners’ Advisory Board of Doubletree Hotels.

In This Episode, Tom Talks About:

• Stretching the guest experience to include the unexpected.
• Creating an experiential environment, from cultural buy-in to heightened guest engagement.
• Establishing a training regime for his staff, which they refer to as their ambassadors, and providing them with the tools and support to perform at the highest level.
• Establishing a service recovery protocol, and making it personal.
• Genuine interaction with the guest – utilizing guest information, history, and leading questions when taking the reservation, at check-in, in the restaurant or meeting space, and throughout their stay.
• Creating an environment of community, and he shares some actionable ways hotels and restaurants can do that to promote social interaction.
• Food & Beverage, positioning your restaurants as if they were free standing, how F&B can greatly assist in creating a distinctive and relevant difference, and the importance of making sure it supports the overall positioning statement.

Resources & Links

Tom Conran

• Email: tconran[at]greenwoodhospitality.com
• Tom on LinkedIn

Greenwood Hospitality Group

• Greenwood Hospitality Website
• Greenwood Hospitality on LinkedIn
• Greenwood Hospitality Recruiting and Talent Search Group on LinkedIn

5445 DTC Parkway, Penthouse Four
Greenwood Village, CO 80111
Phone (720) 310-2029
Fax (720) 210-5642