andrew hazelton
Hospitality’s ‘Hot Seat’ Leadership Series: COOs – A Tale of Two Fortunes
Andrew Hazelton | February 18, 2021
By Andrew Hazelton, Thomas Mielke Part II In our roles as organizational advisers to the hospitality industry on all HR-, talent- and recruitment-related aspects, we are frequently being asked: “What can we [or I] do differently to stay ahead of the curve?”, often followed by, “What profiles, backgrounds and leadership skills are currently most sought after by the market?”. This natural curiosity about the ‘hot functions’ is keeping both organizational leadership teams as well as individual executives preoccupied. How can one best reshuffle or complement one’s existing leadership team? Are there specific experiences or ...
Hospitality’s ‘Hot Seat’ Leadership Series: Trends in Key Functions – Part 1
Andrew Hazelton | February 1, 2021
Andrew Hazelton, Thomas Mielke We are frequently asked by leaders in our industry what roles are ‘hot’ and where are we seeing movement? That curiosity is reflective of our highly competitive sector, one where individuals are eager to further their professional development but also of an industry where scarcity of talent remains an issue – and the pandemic, perhaps counter-intuitively, will probably exaggerate this even further. Of course, one cannot deny that, at present, there is a larger than usual talent pool for employees to pick and choose from. However, the pandemic has also caused some considerable ‘talent haemorrhaging’,...
A Look Ahead – The Lodging Conference 2019
Andrew Hazelton | September 18, 2019
By Andrew Hazelton and Matt Peterson Later this month the 25th Annual Lodging Conference will be held in Scottsdale, Arizona, an event that historically caps off the “conference year” for many in the hotel business. It is a time to reconnect with industry friends and colleagues, but it also gives us a few days to pause and reflect on the past year and speculate on the year to come. Heading into the event there are a number of agenda items that pique our interest, so let’s dive in. The State of the Union: Like many of those attending, we have a high level of curiosity as to how key leaders and economic experts feel about the ge...
The Employee Benefit Hotel Businesses Can’t Afford Not to Offer
Andrew Hazelton | March 5, 2019
by Andrew Hazelton and Matt Peterson Hotel organizations in today's global marketplace compete heavily, not just among one another but also with other service-focused verticals and customer-facing businesses, in attracting and retaining top talent. Robust compensation and benefits packages certainly help meet candidates' conditions of satisfaction, but these are not enough anymore for retention in the absence of one specific benefit – namely, a company culture devoted to "employee engagement." Defining Employee Engagement Employee engagement is a very old premise, but it has become an increasingly hot topic for our industry over t...
Reimagining Sales Leadership With Josh Lesnick, President & CEO, Associated Luxury Hotels
Andrew Hazelton | September 26, 2018
By Andrew Hazelton AETHOS recently "picked-the-brain" of Josh Lesnick, President & CEO of Associated Luxury Hotels – the parent company of Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI) and Worldhotels. Both are leading global hospitality services organizations that specialize in luxury-level and upper-upscale independently owned or operated hotels and resorts around the world. Associated Luxury defines success as enabling their member hotels to maintain an independent identity while competing effectively with the world's biggest hospitality chains. Lesnick is no stranger to leading complex global teams, having recently served ...
Hospitality Leadership Series On ‘Professional Visibility’: The 3 Cs of Executive Presence
Andrew Hazelton | September 20, 2018
By: Andrew Hazelton, Philadelphia | Thomas Mielke, London Last month, we investigated what it takes to be visible in the professional market place and concluded with the suggestion that "visibility" is only worth something if it is tied to "relatability". In this article, we stipulate that the former and the latter should be complemented by "executive presence". Google "executive presence" and you'll be "inundated" with 163 million hits. You're bound to learn useful tips if you can somehow sift through this avalanche of material to find the tried and true nuggets of wisdom. Or, you could take the Dale Carnegie's course on public speakin...
Introducing the “FAIR” Interview – Four Traits Critical for Success in a Meritocracy
Andrew Hazelton | March 31, 2017
By Andrew Hazelton Whether through social media, internal referral systems or recruiters, companies searching for top talent consistently ask me and other AETHOS partners for advice and guidance on interviewing people to determine whether they will likely thrive in a meritocracy. That's the name of the game in today's hospitality industry – though not everyone is equally equipped to excel in such an environment. Wikipedia defines a meritocracy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meritocracy) as "a political philosophy that power should be vested in individuals based on ability and talent. Advancement in such a system is based on perfor...
Hershey Entertainment & Resorts CEO Bill Simpson on Tradition and Technology in Business
Andrew Hazelton | February 8, 2017
By Andrew Hazelton Some atypical brands are both iconic and notable for their nostalgia factor. CEO Bill Simpson is the current steward of a business grounded in one of these rare brands – Hershey. Everyone knows and loves the chocolate, but Bill has worked for approximately 20 years to make Hershey Entertainment & Resorts (HE&R) a premier guest service company wrapped in a timeless destination that provides memories that are just as sweet. Bill was appointed CEO in January 2013 after holding a string of progressively senior leadership roles at the company. He joined the company in 1996 as general manager of Hershey Lodge....
