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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330 | Youthful Perspective: Industry leader Bijal Patel mourns the loss of ‘an entire generation’ of hospitality workers
Bijal Patel, 31, is CEO of Coast Redwood Hospitality and the youngest chair of the California Hotel & Lodging Association. He’s made even more history at CHLA by agreeing to serve an unprecedented second term as the lodging industry emerges from the coronavirus pandemic. Patel is a third-generation hotelier. Being so steeped in hospitality at such a young age is not new for members of the Indian American hotelier community, but Patel fears the pandemic has drained the industry of emerging talent. Lodging Leaders spotlights Patel, who represents a leadership demographic that is fighting for the life of the hospitality industry as they watch their peers veer toward other career paths.
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329 | Ruff and Ready: ADA gives hotels a short leash when accommodating guests with service animals
Many hotels these days have made room for guests with disabilities. Hotel managers and staff should also know what the Americans with Disabilities Act says about accommodating guests with pets. During the pandemic lockdowns, a lot of people added a pet to their household and now they’re bringing Fido along on vacation. Hotel employees need to know how to cater to both consumers who are pet owners as well as guests who travel with a trained service animal. Episode 329 of Lodging Leaders podcast reports on how the ADA defines a service animal and how a hotel is legally obligated to serve a guest who comes with a dog or any other animal.