Distinguished
BU School of Hospitality Administration
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About This Podcast
Welcome to the Distinguished podcast with Dean Arun Upneja of Boston University School of Hospitality Administration.
We skip the small talk and get right into the top-of-mind topics in the world of hospitality, including, but certainly not limited to, inflation, recruiting and retaining talent, the wellness and wellbeing of our team and our guests, climate action, and the impact of robotics and AI on the future of Hospitality. And that’s just to name a few.
On this show, you’ll hear from executives, general managers, founders, and investors who live and breathe Hospitality. The “distinguished” guests on this podcast represent all areas of our industry, from hotels and restaurants to entertainment and sporting venues, travel and tourism, and of course, a favorite pastime for many of us —shopping — because, to put it simply, Hospitality is at play in most parts of our lives and livelihoods.
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Recent Episodes
S4E5 The Cycles Are the Opportunity: Ian Livingstone on Crises, Capital, and Long-Game Real Estate
What do you do when the real estate market collapses? If you’re Ian Livingstone, you buy. In this episode of Distinguished, Dean Arun Upneja speaks with Ian Livingstone, the co-founder of London…
S4E4 The Heart of Hospitality: Bashar Wali on Emotion, Belonging, and What AI Can’t Replace
Most leaders talk about transforming hospitality. Bashar Wali actually walked away from a $150 million hotel portfolio to do it. The founder of This Assembly, Wali is building a new kind of…
S4E3 The Four-Pillar Framework for Talent Management in Hospitality: Sarah Diehl on Culture, Values & Leadership
When Sarah Diehl’s corporate HR role was eliminated, she called it “the best thing that could have happened.” Out of that setback came Empowered Hospitality, a consulting firm dedicated to helping…
S4E2 Amanda Hyndman, Chief Operating Officer of Mandarin Oriental: Redefining Luxury from the Inside Out
Imagine walking through the gilded corridors of a legendary hotel—where service feels like an art form, and every guest isn’t just remembered, but known. Amanda Hyndman has helped shape one of the…
S4E1 Ed Brown, CEO of Restaurant Associates: The Right Ingredients for Hospitality at Scale
Although he wears the CEO suit and title, Ed Brown counters that he’s a chef at heart. He has bridged the world of white-tablecloth fine dining and high-scale institutional foodservice, without…
S3E5 George Poll on Building Distinctive Dining Experiences from Long Island to Miami
George Poll has spent decades building some of Long Island’s most celebrated restaurants. Alongside his brother, he’s crafted iconic dining experiences from Bryant & Cooper Steakhouse to Toku…
S3E4 Unlocking Ultra-Luxury with Managing Director Luigi Romaniello on the Grand Reopening of the Waldorf Astoria New York
Set to reopen after a seven-year restoration, the Waldorf Astoria New York is poised to redefine ultra-luxury hospitality. In this episode, Managing Director Luigi Romaniello takes us through the…
S3E3 Inhospitable? Redefining Service in Luxury Hospitality with Kate Buhler, Founder and President of Profitable to Train
Kate Buhler, founder and president of Profitable to Train, is a leading expert in hospitality service excellence and profitability. With decades of experience across luxury brands including Four…
S3E2 Aldau Development: Modern Hospitality Meets Millennia-Old Treasures
Aldau Development has earned a reputation for excellence in both Real Estate and Hospitality, with developments in Egypt and the United Kingdom. Their strategic partnerships with marquee brands such…
S3E1 Tipping & Wages Series: Politics Play Up the Benefits of Eliminating Taxes on Tips
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump both have proposed eliminating taxes on tips for service workers. While seemingly beneficial, it might just not add up according to renowned economics expert Larry…
S2E12 Leadership Series: Practical Strategies for Bridging Leadership Gaps with Executive Coach Lori Mazan
What does it take to truly redefine leadership in today's fast-paced world? Lori Mazan, co-founder and Chief Coaching Officer at Sounding Board, shares practical and transformative strategies to…
S2E11 Saru Jayaraman Fights for One Fair Wage
The battle over raising the minimum wage for tipped workers and permitting tip pooling bounces to the Massachusetts ballot this November. Saru Jayaraman, President of One Fair Wage and Director of…
S2E10 Tipping Series: The Psychology of Tipping with Michael Lynn, Ph.D., Professor of Services Marketing, Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration
Beyond good, bad, and mediocre service, how much we tip and why we tip is rich with psychological implications. Find out what tipping reveals about us as consumers and our need for affirmation and…
S2E9 Leadership Series: Dondra Ritzenthaler Embarks on a New Leadership Role
Recognized for her leadership, Dondra Ritzenthaler now sets sail toward a new horizon, taking the helm as Chief Executive Officer of Azamara Cruises, the award-winning, luxury cruise line based in…
S2E8 The Matters that Massachusetts Restaurant Association Wages for (and against) with Stephen Clark
Restaurant work is undeniably tough. Long hours, fierce competition, and thin profit margins characterize this demanding profession. The challenges only intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic,…
S2E7 Tipping & Wages Series: Restauranteur's Dilemma of Balancing Equity and Economics with TJ Callahan
TJ Callahan transformed neighborhood eateries into thriving “go-to” destinations with his acclaimed farm-to-table restaurants in the heart of Chicago. He is the co-founder and owner of Farm Bar and…
S2E6 Revolutionizing the Hostel Experience with Oliver Winter, Founder & CEO of a&o Hostels
Think back to your youthful days of travel, hostels along the way were a hub for forging connections with fellow wanderers and were part of the adventure. If you traveled in pre-Internet days, some…
S2E5 Leadership Series: Demystifying the C-Suite Search with Ann Fastiggi of Spencer Stuart
So, you want to be a C-suite executive? It will certainly give you a leg up to hear about the steps to filling those corner office suites from a search firm expert, Ann Fastiggi. To shed some light…
S2E4 40,000-foot-view of Customer Care with Allison Ausband, Executive Vice President, and Chief Customer Experience Officer at Delta Air Lines
Imagine the triumph of human ambition as we glide through the skies, a testament to our enduring quest to conquer the very elements — thirty thousand feet aloft, inside a slender cylinder of steel.…
S2E3 Leadership Series: Radical Mentor with Cindy Novotny, Managing Partner of Master Connection Associates
Continuing our Leadership Series, we spotlight Cindy Novotny, who earned the “Radical Mentor” moniker for her no-nonsense approach to delivering results in the areas of leadership, sales, and…
Frequently Asked Questions
Distinguished has published 37 episodes since June 2023, covering topics in Business, Careers.
Distinguished is currently active with new episodes monthly. Average episode length is 36m.
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