Say Yes To Travel

Is it possible to improve and enhance the guest experience during a pandemic? Yes, with the right mindset and creativity. Talking about this subject today, Say Yes to Travel host Sarah Dandashy welcomed her former colleague, Jeff Kulek. Kulek is the Area Vice President and General Manager of The London West Hollywood. He has over 30 years of hotel experience and shared his story of reimaging the guest experience. Kulek had Hollywood dreams, but when he didn’t catch a big break, he found a new one—working in hospitality. “In hospitality, you are on stage and want to put on a great show. I love interactions with people.” Kulek’s love of people became even more important during the pandemic. The hotel never closed. “We wanted to be available to guests and see how we could help.” They hosted essential business travelers, healthcare workers, and patients. In November of 2020, LA was back on lockdown, and Kulek was worried and knew he needed to keep motivating staff. “I had to be a change agent and work toward getting everyone in the mindset to provide great service and care for one another.” Kulek wanted to get back into interactions, so he moved his desk to the lobby. He spoke with every guest, hearing their stories, filled with both hope and sadness. He and his team began to do little, unique things for guests, from special gifts to a penthouse giveaway for a couple unable to afford a honeymoon. Kulek began to share the tale of the newlyweds and others on his LinkedIn profile to inspire other hospitality workers. He went viral, and publications began to print stories about the hotel’s ability to serve guests in new ways. “I didn’t want accolades, just wanted to throw a pebble into a pond and watch the ripples, to make the world a better place.”

In 2021, most people expect to engage with technology. So why are some processes stuck in the past? That’s been true for the hospitality industry, and Say Yes to Travel is breaking down the story. Host Sarah Dandashy welcomed Ken Patel, CEO and Founder of EV Hotel Group and EV Human, a turnkey software solution for hotel management and guest experience. Patel spent over 20 years working in hotels and witnessing the archaic system. From his experience, he knew there had to be a better way. “I wanted to create a company that’s innovative and would revolutionize the industry,” he said. The pain points of hotels are mostly the same, no matter the city. Employees have too heavy a workload, causing disengagement and turnover. Guests have to wait in check-in lines or use outdated communication channels to get what they need. Patel’s platform seeks to bridge the gap between technology and old hospitality. The reality is that many don’t want to change. However, technology yields efficiency and many other revenue-specific benefits. Technology adoption is no longer an option to stay competitive. Patel shared, “Airbnb isn’t a hospitality company but a technology one, and it took 30% of revenue from hotels last year.” Convenience and ease matter to guests, and most consumers are even bigger tech users now because of the pandemic. What’s eye-opening for any hotel group is that more technology correlates to higher guest satisfaction. “With technology, employees can focus on the guest. Phase one is all about guest-facing technology for check-in. Then they can use a QR code to connect to the guest portal and communicate with any employee this way,” Patel explained. It also supports profitability. Patel said, “The data shows that 89% of hotels in the world have a lower operating cost when they implement tech and AI.”

In honor of International Women’s Month, Say Yes to Travel brings listeners to the story of Dolores Lopez Lira and her daughter Samantha Frachey. Lopez Lira is the founder and owner of Lomas Travel and El Dorado Resorts, while Frachey is the director of the hotel division. Lopez Lira spent many decades working for a hospitality brand before she and her husband started their own. They began in destination management, then transportation, then on to resorts throughout Mexico. “When we started the business, many clients came with us. We had a desire to create jobs in Mexico and offer the Mexican dream,” she shared. Even with the business's growth, Frachey said, “It’s still family-owned, and each property is unique.” In growing their hospitality empire, it was always a conscious decision to empower and support women. Lopez Lira said, “Women by nature are multi-taskers and responsible.” That’s a big reason why they have many women in leadership roles in the company and at the resorts. One of the most important ways they help women is through their human development center. “There are many single mothers who must leave their children behind to work. We help these women by empowering and educating them but also giving them a safe place for their children,” Frachey said. In the spirit of supporting families, the company has big news—the opening of Nickelodeon’s first Mexican resort. It will open later this summer. Construction never stopped on the project during the pandemic. It’s sure to be a must-visit for families when it launches.

Host Sarah Dandashy chatted with Evan Kharrazi, founder of Kharrazi Natural Health, a health coaching service for overworked hospitality professionals. Kharrazi has an interesting background as both a dancer and a hotel operations expert. He started this new journey last year after losing his hotel revenue manager job due to the pandemic. “I was depleted and went to Israel to reconnect. I found my purpose to help others who put others first,” he said. Kharrazi’s intent is to help hospitality workers prioritize self-care through his programs. He also wants to help their employers. “I want to help hotels take this on, so they can bring back staff to be in a headspace and physical space to deliver authentic service.” Kharrazi offered some tips on integrating self-care, including making it a habit, setting small achievable goals, and finding activities that people are passionate about. He also touched on the areas of nutrition, talking about the Integrative nutrition circle of life. “You’re looking at the full picture of what nourishes you, both off the plate and what you actually eat.” Kharrazi shared that he’ll be releasing a new app soon for self-care that includes everything from guided meditation to dance. For hospitality professionals, he wants to make self-care an easy, accessible process for all.

This episode's topic is private transportation, and host Sarah Dandashy spoke with David Seelinger, CEO of EmpireCLS. Dandashy, during her time as a concierge, often worked with the company. For over 30 years, he’s been a pioneer in the industry, which didn’t change due to COVID-19. “The pandemic hit the industry hard, but we saw it as an opportunity to redesign our business.” Seelinger and his team started a journey to revise driver protocols and cleaning. “It’s a pretty touchless process now. Our chauffeurs wear N95 masks. We have HEPA filters in all cars and offer guests a mask that’s individually wrapped,” he explained. They’ve also been using UVC light for sterilization. It’s now part of the AC and heating systems of buses. In the cars, drives use UV wands throughout the interior. Another new option is passengers can request a chauffeur take a COVID test before pickup. “We’ve had a lot of calls for this, which aligns with the business we have now, which is mostly private aviation,” Seelinger shared. EmpireCLS partnered with International SOS and worked with two infectious disease doctors to develop the standards, which they have certified. What makes his business different than other alternative transportation is that all drivers are employees, not independent contractors. Thus, the protocols are standardized and applicable to all drivers, no matter where they are. Seelinger is optimistic about recovery. The company took the downtime in the past year to develop a unique app with new features for customers. They are beta testing it right now and look forward to its launch once travel rebounds.