The Connected Conversations podcast features real conversations with hotel leaders who are sharing bright ideas and effective solutions. You’re a part of our unique community of Crowne Plaza hotel leaders from around the world. The goal of this podcast is simple: We’re making our community stronger...and more connected. In the show, we’re sharing our experiences and best practices, because we have so much in common, and we can all learn from each other.
Join Sharon Kilmartin, Regional Director of Operations at IHG, based at the Crowne Plaza® Ravinia (Americas) and Amr Awad, General Manager at Crowne Plaza® Moncton Downtown in New Brunswick, Canada as well as Ken Knight, General Manager at Crowne Plaza® Knoxville Downtown University in Tennessee. They discuss exceptional service delivery and how to preserve the essence of human-centered service while still continuing to innovate.
9 Mar 2026
Episode 11: Female Leaders in Hospitality
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.
30 Oct 2025
Ep. 10: Creative Problem Handling
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.
23 Oct 2025
Ep. 9: How to Improve Recruiting, Hiring, and Retention
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.
16 Oct 2025
Ep. 8: Loyalty and Enrollments
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.
9 Oct 2025
Ep. 7: Loyalty and Recognition
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.
2 Oct 2025
Ep. 6: The Value of Loyalty
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.
25 Sept 2025
Ep. 5: Brand Differentiators - Crowne Plaza Social
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.
18 Sept 2025
Ep. 4: Brand Differentiators - Meetings and Events
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.
11 Sept 2025
Ep. 3: Brand Differentiators - Daily Rituals
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.
28 Aug 2025
Ep. 2: Employee Empowerment
Join Sharon Kilmartin, Regional Director of Operations at IHG, based at the Crowne Plaza Ravinia (ATL), 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.
19 Jun 2025
Ep. 1: Brand Evolution
Ginger Taggart interviews Sharon Kilmartin about brand evolution, exploring its impact on global marketing and brand management within the hospitality industry in this interview.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
7 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 19 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
25
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
32
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