Hotel Success Unveiled: Hospitality Leaders Share Unique Loyalty Insights
Loyalty is an integral part of any hotel brand’s success. What better way to learn if you’re “doing it right” than to hear from two hospitality brands that have some unique loyalty stories to tell? During this session, Toby Malbec, Managing Director, ConStrata Consulting will talk with Evan Crawford, Corporate Director, Field Marketing, Benchmark Pyramid Luxury & Lifestyle and Chad Mackay, CEO, Fire & Vine Hospitality. Each panelist will share some lessons they’ve learned over the years when it comes loyalty, including the cross-market opportunity between hotel brands and their on-property restaurants, the power of destination partnerships, the role of employees in a loyalty program, and how artificial intelligence can help brands improve customer loyalty.
Make your plans now to attend the Hotel Technology Forum from Nov. 15-17th in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Register here and check out our agenda to see some of our other amazing speakers from companies such as: IHG Hotels & Resorts, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Sonesta International Hotels, Margaritaville Enterprises, Appellation, Frontdesk, and more!
Meet the Panelists:
Evan Crawford, Corporate Director, Field Marketing, Benchmark Pyramid Luxury & Lifestyle
Evan Crawford is Corporate Director, Field Marketing for Pyramid, Benchmark Luxury & Lifestyle. Evan leads the strategic marketing vision and oversight of the East region, providing essential support for regional and property level marketing teams as well as working with the Executive Vice President of Marketing and Branding, and the corporate marketing team to strengthen the brand messaging and communications. Over the past eight years with Benchmark, Evan has played a critical role in helping to elevate the marketing synergies across the portfolio, starting as a marketing manager for Santa Barbara Beach & Golf Resort Curacao. In the years since, Evan has assumed marketing oversight for a wide range of properties across the portfolio including several openings and management transitions. Evan and the properties he supports have been recognized for their achievements including Adrian Awards in Digital Marketing and Social Media, and a variety of Benchmark accolades. Evan is passionate about travel and marketing enjoying exploring new properties and their destinations. Evan lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife, Amanda, two children, Hayden and Everly, and dogs, Penny, and Lexi. When not working, you can find Evan enjoying time with family or out on the ice playing and coaching hockey.
Chad Mackay, CEO, Fire & Vine Hospitality
Chad Mackay is the CEO of Fire & Vine Hospitality, a multi-concept operator of experiential full-service restaurants and the company behind the Revelers Club loyalty program. Since its development in 2011, the Revelers Club program and its technology platform includes 80K members with the highest average guest spending, and the program drives 30% of the company’s revenue. Founded in 1996, El Gaucho is the flagship concept which has expanded to five locations, including three standalone locations and two independent operations in branded hotels. Fire & Vine also owns and operates AQUA by El Gaucho, Aerlume and the Witness Tree lounge. The Revelers Club includes additional independently owned properties including Walla Walla Steak Co., Crossbuck Brewing and Yellowhawk Resort in Walla Walla, Washington. Drawing from twenty years of hospitality management experience and technical expertise, Chad founded Brigado, a consulting and technology company serving clients in the hospitality industry. Chad currently serves on the Customer Advisory Board for Oracle's Global Food and Beverage Industry Group, was the past Chair of the Washington Hospitality Association, past Chair and Finance Chair of Visit Seattle. He is a frequent speaker about how to Thrive Beyond $15 Minimum Wage by implementing new compensation models for full-service restaurants.
Toby Malbec, Managing Director, ConStrata Consulting LLC
Toby manages the day to day operations for ConStrata and works personally with many of ConStrata’s top clients to help them leverage their technology investments and bring measurable results to the company’s business operations. Toby Malbec is an “operational technologist” who brings over thirty years of technical and operational expertise to his clients. He began his career in the hotel industry coming up through the operations ranks before getting into the technology domain as hotels were first beginning to embrace the value of technology as a mainstream affordable operational tool. He was responsible for the design and development of some of the first PC-based Property Management Systems for small to mid-sized hotels as well as working on the design of early touchscreen-based POS systems. After ten years in hospitality, Toby was recruited into retail by Saks Fifth Avenue to head up their CRM initiatives and was responsible for designing and managing the development of several key applications including Saks Trak and their E-Client Book. In 2004, Toby assumed the role of Vice President of Business Development for Springer-Miller Systems, one of the premier hotel software companies in the world with applications designed for the resort and high-end luxury properties. In 2008, he joined the IPC (Independent Purchasing Co-Operative), the franchisee-owned arm for Subway restaurants, and was responsible for building and managing the team to build the in-house proprietary restaurant technology platform that would create a standard POS and technology platform for all restaurants worldwide. Subway is the world’s largest restaurant chain with over 37,000 units in over 100 countries. Malbec is a 1985 graduate of the University of Vermont and is in his final stages of completing his MBA at the Isenberg School of Business at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst.