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Today's guest is Daniel Kingston. Dan is the General Manager of So/Uptown, one of Dubai’s newest and most exciting hotels which has already made a big impact in a short amount of time. Dan is a hospitality expert and brings with him over 25 years experience working across the world for some of the largest hotel brands such as the W Hotel, The Edition, Vida Hotels & Resorts and more.
During this episode we discuss what makes a hotel brand successful, we talk about the realities and misconceptions surrounding the hospitality industry, the importance of delivering the best service to your guests and the future of loyalty programs.
Last Message: “The hospitality industry can provide you with a lot of opportunities, just remember to be nice”
0:00 Intro
1:08 Dan’s background
2:15 Each hotel opening is unique
4:05 Providing the best service to your guests
12:20 Dubai hotels are the best in the world
13:58 People make the difference
18:01 What does it mean to provide an “authentic” experience
20:01 Why would you come back?
22:15 Benefits of starting from the bottom
27:20 In hospitality you only have 1 chance
30:10 Choosing the right hotel brand to join
39:48 Hospitality misconceptions
46:00 Identifying problem areas
49:50 Innovation challenges in hotels
53:00 AI potential in hospitality
56:05 The future of loyalty programs
1:04:20 You have to be open to feedback to grow
1:06:45 Which hotel business model typically generates the best ROI
1:14:15 How can i get an upgrade?
1:16:32 Last message
Dan:
Linkedin: / daniel-kingston
Website: so-hotels.com/en/uptown-dubai/
Instagram: / sodubai.uptown
Hope It Helps:
Linkedin: / khaled-abuljebain
Instagram: / hopeithelpspod
LAUNCH YOUR PODCAST!: book.hopeithelps.net/podcast-2/
LISTEN HERE: linktr.ee/hopeithelps