How to empower through leadership

Good morning. Are you looking to make an impact? If you work in hospitality, I'm guessing a big reason is you care about people - a lot. Today Craig Poole shows us what it looks like to make an impact working with and for the people around you - from hiring to day-to-day leadership.

Today we’re looking at:

• Feature story: People are the point of impact (How to create new beginnings and empower through leadership)

• Revenue: Multiplying profits by creating peak moments

• Technology: Memorial Day travel is forecast to be massive - here’s how to prepare

• From our community: A contribution by Maria Navarro

People are the point of impact: How to create new beginnings and empower through leadership

with Craig Poole, President of Reading Hospitality

Craig Poole, President of Reading Hospitality, owns and operates the DoubleTree Hotel in Reading, Pennsylvania, which has earned back-to-back Hilton Connie Awards and his recognition as General Manager of the Year by the American Hotel and Lodging Association.

Today on our podcast, Craig shared his unique approach to hiring, leadership, and culture.

Second chances: “I hired about 60 people who had felonies because when you live in a poor city with a high crime rate, people have felonies.” Craig recognizes that marginalized people are often the same people who have the potential to make the biggest impact. By loving people where they are today and focusing on who they are now, he creates a culture that empowers people to move forward. "People are the point of impact, so we focus there.”

Supporting people: Poole believes that backing your people up is a powerful thing a leader can do. "People will climb mountains for you. You don’t do it for that, but they will.”

Cultivating culture: "Culture is the most important thing,” Craig shared, and defined culture as the way people serve others. "My pockets are full of trash in the morning. Because people see me pick it up, they pick it up.” By inspiring those around him to be selfless, loving, and kind, he creates a culture that is empowering.

Breaking cycles: Craig believes in helping his team members break through personal barriers that are holding them and their families back. He’s helped them in areas ranging from financial literacy to citizenship to homeownership. His goal is to drive meaningful change that will impact generations to come.

Craig’s unique approach to leadership and culture has created a hotel business that is not only successful but also empowering and inspiring to all of us. By focusing on people as the point of highest impact, leading through supporting others, and cultivating a strong culture, he is succeeding by any definition of the word.

Listen to the full conversation

REVENUE

9x profit by creating peak moments

by Samantha Hardcastle for The Storied Experience

Forrester researchers have built models to analyze the financial value of these customers. They know that an airline customer who rates an experience as a 7 will spend about $2200 on air travel, versus a 4-rating customer who will spend only $800. They've done this sort of research across all industries and found similar numbers.

Here's the real kicker: Forrester discovered that if you focus all your energy on moving 4-6 customers to 7, you’ll earn about 9x more revenue.

Read now

TECHNOLOGY

Memorial Day travel is forecast to be massive - here’s how to prepare

by Glenn Haussman and Adam Glickman for No Vacancy

AAA is predicting 42.3 million Americans are going to be traveling 50 miles or more this upcoming Memorial Day weekend - a 7% increase over an incredible 2022 - which means 2.7 million more people potentially staying in hotels across the country.

Adam Glickman advises hoteliers on using data and technology to handle the influx by avoiding out-of-order rooms, managing staff shifts efficiently, and more to maximize profitability.

Watch now

FROM OUR COMMUNITY 

A contribution from Maria Navarro