Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Connected Conversations
| Titre | Date | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Episode 11: Female Leaders in Hospitality | 09 Mar 2026 | 00:31:37 | |
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. 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 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 Yvonne? LinkedIn | |||
| Ep. 10: Creative Problem Handling | 30 Oct 2025 | 00:24:22 | |
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: Course ID# IHG056045 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 Maurice? LinkedIn
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| Ep. 9: How to Improve Recruiting, Hiring, and Retention | 23 Oct 2025 | 00:29:18 | |
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: 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 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 Want to connect with Christo? LinkedIn
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| Ep. 8: Loyalty and Enrollments | 16 Oct 2025 | 00:17:22 | |
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.
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| Ep. 7: Loyalty and Recognition | 09 Oct 2025 | 00:24:50 | |
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. | |||
| Ep. 6: The Value of Loyalty | 02 Oct 2025 | 00:18:33 | |
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. | |||
| Ep. 5: Brand Differentiators - Crowne Plaza® Social | 25 Sep 2025 | 00:25:22 | |
Description Join Sharon Kilmartin, Regional Director of Operations at IHG, based at the Crowne Plaza® Ravinia (Americas) as she discusses brand differentiators and what that means for our employees and guests. She speaks with Akemi Shapiro, Director of Sales and Marketing at Crowne Plaza® Ventura Beach Hotel; Russell Sheppard, GM at ANA Crowne Plaza® Narita; Stephen Wills, GM at Crowne Plaza® Hawkesbury Valley; and Nick Stangle, F&B GM at Crowne Plaza® Ventura Beach. In this episode, they’ll specifically be covering how they’re approaching their Crowne Plaza® Social programs. Resources: Meet Your 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 with as much knowledge as she can.
Guest: Akemi Shapiro has served in multiple positions at the Crowne Plaza® Ventura Beach Hotel since 2008, and her work in Hospitality stretches back to the 1990s. Want to connect with Akemi? LinkedIn
Guest: Russell Sheppard has held numerous positions within IHG for more than 18 years in locations including Okinawa, Tokyo, Australia, Vietnam, San Francisco, and New Zealand. Want to connect with Russell? LinkedIn
Guest: Stephen Wills has more than 13 years working within the Hospitality industry, including his last five within IHG around Australia. Want to connect with Stephen? LinkedIn
Guest: Nick Stangle has been working in F&B and Hospitality for more than 10 years, and he piloted the Crowne Plaza® Social and Meetings and Events Concierge program in his hotel. Want to connect with Nick? LinkedIn | |||
| Ep. 4: Brand Differentiators - Meetings and Events | 18 Sep 2025 | 00:16:39 | |
Description Join Sharon Kilmartin, Regional Director of Operations at IHG, based at the Crowne Plaza® Ravinia (Americas) as she discusses brand differentiators and what that means for our employees and guests. She speaks with Akemi Shapiro, Director of Sales and Marketing at Crowne Plaza Ventura® Beach Hotel; Russell Sheppard, GM at ANA Crowne Plaza® Narita; Stephen Wills, GM at Crowne Plaza® Hawkesbury Valley; and Nick Stangle, F&B GM at Crowne Plaza® Ventura Beach. In this episode, they’ll specifically be covering how they’re approaching meetings and events. Resources:
Meet Your 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 with as much knowledge as she can.
Guest: Akemi Shapiro has served in multiple positions at the Crowne Plaza® Ventura Beach Hotel since 2008, and her work in Hospitality stretches back to the 1990s. Want to connect with Akemi? LinkedIn Guest: Russell Sheppard has held numerous positions within IHG for more than 18 years in locations including Okinawa, Tokyo, Australia, Vietnam, San Francisco, and New Zealand. Want to connect with Russell? LinkedIn Guest: Stephen Wills has more than 13 years working within the Hospitality industry, including his last five within IHG around Australia. Want to connect with Stephen? LinkedIn Guest: Nick Stangle has been working in F&B and Hospitality for more than 10 years, and he piloted the Crowne Plaza® Social and Meetings and Events Concierge program in his hotel. Want to connect with Nick? LinkedIn | |||
| Ep. 3: Brand Differentiators - Daily Rituals | 11 Sep 2025 | 00:15:41 | |
Description Join Sharon Kilmartin, Regional Director of Operations at IHG, based at the Crowne Plaza® Ravinia (Americas) as she discusses brand differentiators and what that means for our employees and guests. She speaks with Akemi Shapiro, Director of Sales and Marketing at Crowne Plaza® Ventura Beach Hotel; Russell Sheppard, GM at ANA Crowne Plaza® Narita; Stephen Wills, GM at Crowne Plaza® Hawkesbury Valley; and Nick Stangle, F&B GM at Crowne Plaza® Ventura Beach. In this episode, they’ll specifically be covering Daily Rituals, part of the Blended Travel differentiator. Resources: Meet Your 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 with as much knowledge as she can.
Guest: Akemi Shapiro has served in multiple positions at the Crowne Plaza® Ventura Beach Hotel since 2008, and her work in Hospitality stretches back to the 1990s. Want to connect with Akemi? LinkedIn
Guest: Russell Sheppard has held numerous positions within IHG for more than 18 years in locations including Okinawa, Tokyo, Australia, Vietnam, San Francisco, and New Zealand. Want to connect with Russell? LinkedIn
Guest: Stephen Wills has more than 13 years working within the Hospitality industry, including his last five within IHG around Australia. Want to connect with Stephen? LinkedIn
Guest: Nick Stangle has been working in F&B and Hospitality for more than 10 years, and he piloted the Crowne Plaza® Social and Meetings and Events Concierge program in his hotel. Want to connect with Nick? LinkedIn | |||
| Ep. 2: Employee Empowerment | 28 Aug 2025 | 00:31:36 | |
Join Sharon Kilmartin, Regional Director of Operations at IHG, based at the Crowne Plaza® Ravinia (Americas), Mike McCarthy, Vice President of Operations and Development at Sharcon Hotel Management and GM Crowne Plaza® Dulles and Mark Tasker, GM at the Crowne Plaza® Liverpool City Center as they discuss employee empowerment.
Crowne Plaza® “Connected to You” Culture Hub Access via the Brand Services & Tools Page on IHG University.
Want to connect with Sharon? LinkedIn Guest: Mike McCarthy is the Vice President of Operations & Development for Sharcon Hotel Management. Mike is a proven hospitality professional with a talent for team development and hotel performance. Want to connect with Mike? LinkedIn | |||
| Ep. 1: Brand Evolution | 19 Jun 2025 | 00:17:46 | |
Join Sharon Kilmartin, Regional Director of Operations at IHG, based at the Crowne Plaza® Ravinia (Americas) and Ginger Taggart, Vice President, IHG Global Marketing and Brand Management as they discuss Brand Evolution.
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 sharing knowledge with the Crowne Plaza® community of colleagues. | |||