Cover image of show Connected Conversations

Connected Conversations

Podcast by Crowne Plaza

English

Technology & science

Limited Offer

2 months for 19 kr.

Then 99 kr. / monthCancel anytime.

  • 20 hours of audiobooks / month
  • Podcasts only on Podimo
  • All free podcasts
Get Started

About Connected Conversations

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.

All episodes

12 episodes

episode Ep. 12: Premium Service Delivery artwork

Ep. 12: Premium Service Delivery

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-centered service while still continuing to innovate. Meet Your Host & Guest  Host: Sharon Kilmartin has been with IHG Hotels & Resorts for over 35 years and has a wealth of experience to share. Sharon has a passion for equipping the Crowne Plaza® community of colleagues. Want to connect with Sharon? LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonkilmartin/%20] Guest: Amr Awad has 35+ years of experience in hospitality, mostly within IHG.  Want to connect with Amr? LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/amrawad/] Guest: Ken Knight has 32+ years of experience in hospitality and has primarily worked in at the Crowne Plaza® in Knoxville.  Want to connect with Ken? LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ken-knight-2550b435/]

12 May 2026 - 21 min
episode Episode 11: Female Leaders in Hospitality artwork

Episode 11: Female Leaders in Hospitality

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 Kilmartin has been with IHG Hotels & Resorts for over 35 years and has a wealth of experience to share. Sharon has a passion for equipping the Crowne Plaza® community of colleagues. Want to connect with Sharon? LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonkilmartin/%20] Guest: Sandra Dias has 33+ years of experience in hospitality and has been based in Spain for the last 20 years.  Want to connect with Sandra? LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandra-dias-24478919/] Guest: Yvonne Hyde has nearly 40 years of experience in hospitality and has primarily worked in hotels throughout England.  Want to connect with Yvonne? LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/yvonne-hyde-6851b524/]

9 Mar 2026 - 31 min
episode Ep. 10: Creative Problem Handling artwork

Ep. 10: Creative Problem Handling

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  [https://mylearning.sumtotal.host/core/pillarRedirect?relyingParty=LM&url=app%2Fmanagement%2FLMS_ActDetails.aspx%3FActivityId%3D21837%26UserMode%3D0] Course ID# IHG056045 Meet Your Host & Guest  Host: Sharon Kilmartin has been with IHG Hotels & Resorts for over 35 years and has a wealth of experience to share. Sharon has a passion for equipping the Crowne Plaza® community of colleagues. Want to connect with Sharon? LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonkilmartin/%20] Guest: Maurice Janssen has nearly 20 years of experience in hospitality and has worked in hotels from San Francisco to Rome to Amsterdam.  Want to connect with Maurice? LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mafgmjanssen/%20]

30 Oct 2025 - 24 min
episode Ep. 9: How to Improve Recruiting, Hiring, and Retention artwork

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

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 - Norcross. Resources:  * People Tools [https://me2.ihgmerlin.com/web/our-people-tools]   Meet the Host & Guests:  Host: Sharon Kilmartin has been with IHG Hotels & Resorts for over 35 years and has a wealth of experience to share. Sharon has a passion for equipping the Crowne Plaza® community of colleagues. Want to connect with Sharon? LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonkilmartin/%20] Guest:  Nic DiLillo has many years experience in hospitality and believes in the importance of hiring the right people and then investing in them. Nic has twice been named Ohio’s General Manager of the Year. Want to connect with Nic? LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicdilillo/%20] Guest: Christo Botha has served in hotels on multiple continents and thus has wide range of experiences and knowledge to share. Christo is now a part of Andras Hotels, Northern Ireland’s largest hotel group. Want to connect with Christo? LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/christo-botha-49a06534/%20]

23 Oct 2025 - 29 min
episode Ep. 8: Loyalty and Enrollments artwork

Ep. 8: Loyalty and Enrollments

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  [https://www.ihg.com/content/us/en/support/mobile] Loyalty Training & Training Resources [https://me2.ihgmerlin.com/web/init-ihg-rewards-club/article?id=207878701]  Loyalty Quick Links & Contact Information [https://me2.ihgmerlin.com/web/init-ihg-rewards-club/article?id=210460707]  Meet Your Host & Guests:   Host: Kristin Klebanov has been with IHG Hotels & Resorts for almost 10 years and offers a specific expertise in Loyalty Planning, Member Insights & Experience, Program Strategy and Performance Strategy.  Want to connect with Kristin? LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristin-klebanov-4766503/]   Guest: Sharon Kilmartin has been with IHG Hotels & Resorts for over 35 years and has a wealth of experience to share. Sharon has a passion for equipping the Crowne Plaza community of colleagues. Want to connect with Sharon? LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonkilmartin/]   Guest: Raffi Torikian has worked with brands within IHG Hotels and Resorts for almost 9 years and has a total of 22 years of experience in the hospitality industry. Raffi is skilled in developing and training teams, effectively controlling cost, and achieving revenue while ensuring high guest satisfaction ratings in competitive environments. Want to connect with Raffi? LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/raffi-torikian-62a5a224/]    Special Mention: Tyler Forsyth, Guest Relations Manager at the Crowne Plaza® Ravinia (Americas) is mentioned during this episode. Want to connect with Tyler? LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-forsyth-1ba490268/]

16 Oct 2025 - 17 min
En fantastisk app med et enormt stort udvalg af spændende podcasts. Podimo formår virkelig at lave godt indhold, der takler de lidt mere svære emner. At der så også er lydbøger oveni til en billig pris, gør at det er blevet min favorit app.
En fantastisk app med et enormt stort udvalg af spændende podcasts. Podimo formår virkelig at lave godt indhold, der takler de lidt mere svære emner. At der så også er lydbøger oveni til en billig pris, gør at det er blevet min favorit app.
Rigtig god tjeneste med gode eksklusive podcasts og derudover et kæmpe udvalg af podcasts og lydbøger. Kan varmt anbefales, om ikke andet så udelukkende pga Dårligdommerne, Klovn podcast, Hakkedrengene og Han duo 😁 👍
Podimo er blevet uundværlig! Til lange bilture, hverdagen, rengøringen og i det hele taget, når man trænger til lidt adspredelse.

Choose your subscription

Most popular

Limited Offer

Premium

20 hours of audiobooks

  • Podcasts only on Podimo

  • No ads in Podimo shows

  • Cancel anytime

2 months for 19 kr.
Then 99 kr. / month

Get Started

Premium Plus

Unlimited audiobooks

  • Podcasts only on Podimo

  • No ads in Podimo shows

  • Cancel anytime

Start 7 days free trial
Then 129 kr. / month

Start for free

Only on Podimo

Popular audiobooks

Get Started

2 months for 19 kr. Then 99 kr. / month. Cancel anytime.