InterContinental Hotels Group agreed to acquire Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants for $430 million in cash, a move that enhances its stature as a force in boutique and lifestyle hotels given the chain’s existing Hotel Indigo and Even Hotels brands. The acquisition of Kimpton, which manages 62 hotels in U.S. cities and resorts areas, and operates…
Tom Bradley International Terminal Training
December 24, 2014 by
This quarterly training at Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX focused on cultural awareness and how understanding other cultures can help you to better communicate with people. The reality is that every one of us, as humans, has something in common with every other person on this planet. Finding similarities in all of us gives…
Volunteering at Catholic Charities
December 15, 2014 by
The Epicurean Charitable Foundation had a great time volunteering at Catholic Charities, where ten volunteers served more than 700 meals to those in need last week. What a great way to start out the holiday season!
The Paradox of Pushing
December 3, 2014 by
Too much force will backfire. Constant interventions and instigations will not make a good group. They will spoil a group. The best group process is delicate. It cannot be pushed around. It cannot be argued over or won in a fight. The leader who tries to control the group through force does not understand group…
Radio City Music Hall
November 5, 2014 by
Last week, I was invited to present at Radio City Music Hall as motivational speaker for 400 new team members during the annual kickoff meeting for the Christmas Spectacular! I had spent the week in New York conducting Service refresher training courses for the seasoned veterans of Radio City Music Hall. I am so honored…
Life is Beautiful 2014
October 28, 2014 by
I’ve got to say it—Life is Beautiful in Downtown Las Vegas! Of course, I had to make a trip down to the famed music, culinary and arts festival this year, and I’m sure glad I did! As a big live music fan, Life is Beautiful was the perfect arena for me to indulge. I arrived…
Rival & Decadence
October 4, 2014 by
Here’s your chance to get involved in the NEXT BIG THING in the culinary world—Rival! If you’ve ever watched competitive cooking shows on television like Iron Chef, Top Chef, Chopped or MasterChef and wished you could taste the food and be the judge, this is the experience for you. Rival is an interactive culinary extravaganza!…
Everything I Know About Hard Work, I Learned by the Time I was Fourteen
September 30, 2014 by
Growing up in a lower-middle class family on the wrong side of the tracks, there was no spare money for non-essentials. So, at 8 years old, I started selling seed packages door-to-door in the spring and Christmas card packages in the winter. I also had a paper route, babysat and even went door-to-door and offered…
A Lesson in Cutting Costs
September 23, 2014 by
As a restaurateur and operator, I was always focused on costs, control and expense reduction. But I got an incredible lesson from Jeffrey Chodorow one night. We opened rumjungle and it was a smashing success. It was definitely the busiest nightclub in Las Vegas, and arguably the country, when we opened in 1999. After our first…
