BHARAT SHAH LEADERSHIP SPEAKER SERIES
209 | American Tales: Hotel industry execs tell all
BHARAT SHAH LEADERSHIP SPEAKER SERIES
“These stories can only be told by us.”
Those words are written by Bharat Shah, an American hotelier and an immigrant from India, in his autobiography “America My Destiny.”
Bharat’s son, Mit, is founder and CEO of Noble Investment Group, which has $3 billion of private equity invested in hotels throughout the country.
Together, father and son decided to share Bharat Shah’s story with the world. They did that in 2014, in front of a packed auditorium in the Rialto Theater on the campus of Georgia State University in Atlanta.
Since then, The Bharat Shah Leadership Speaker Series has grown into an endeavor that has introduced thousands of aspiring leaders to top executives in the U.S. hospitality industry: Chris Nassetta, Arne Sorenson, Tom Baltimore, Mark Elliott, and Mark Hoplamazian.
Mit shares the beginning of his storytelling journey and what he’s learned about business, leadership and himself while prepping for and conducting the interviews. We also feature segments of the recorded interviews with all of the guests.
Featured in today’s episode are …
- Mit Shah, founder and CEO of Noble Investment Group
- Bharat Shah, founder of the Bharat Shah Leadership Speaker Series
- Debby Cannon, director of the Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality and Administration at the Robinson School of Business at Georgia State University
- Arne Sorenson, CEO of Marriott Hotels
- Tom Baltimore, chairman, president and CEO of Parks Hotels & Resorts
- Mark Elliott, president of Hodges Ward Elliott
- Mark Hoplamazian, president and CEO of Hyatt Hotels
To view the first five installments of the speaker series, visit:
BHARAT SHAH LEADERSHIP SPEAKER SERIES
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310 | Hotels Convert to Housing: Federal COVID-19-relief funds fuel transactions
Dhruv Patel, president of Ridgemont Hospitality, in October shared a bittersweet moment with his parents, Pravin and Sima Patel, when the family business sold the first motel that Pravin had built from the ground up more than 30 years ago. But they rest assured knowing it was the right decision because the 22-room property is being converted into affordable housing for military veterans at risk of homelessness. The transaction is among hundreds taking place across the U.S. as state and local governments work with non-profit agencies to create affordable housing solutions for vulnerable populations amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In Episode 310 Long Live Lodging reports on the financial and legal aspects of what it takes to convert a hotel into long-term housing. This report is part of Long Live Lodging’s special coverage of the coronavirus crisis and its impact on the hospitality industry.
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309 | ‘Stay the Course’: Kathleen Bertrand recalls hospitality career focused on growth through diversity
Kathleen Bertrand believes Atlanta is a city where dreams can come true. A jazz recording artist, she served at the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau for more than 30 years, finding new ways to promote to the world the best things about the city she calls a “melting pot” of races and cultures. In Episode 309 of Lodging Leaders podcast Bertrand gets vocal and tells her story of rising through the ranks as one of the few Black women in leadership in the tourism industry. This session is part of Long Live Lodging’s special report commemorating Black History Month and the hospitality industry’s impact on the Civil Rights Movement.