Hospitality

Robby Younes kept Crystal Springs Resort open during COVID while his board tried to fire him. He renovated with his own staff and opened at $1,200 a night. Five years later he'd tripled EBITDA.

Josh Barber, owner of Patrice and Associates in Dallas-Fort Worth, shares how a chef-turned-IT-executive career pivot led him to build a hospitality recruiting firm with his wife.

Connie Russell has led Samoset Resort for 27 years through renovations, a pandemic, and the hardest month of his career. This is what it looks like to build a legacy in one place.

Brittany Park started as a barista at Brittain Resorts at 19 and never left. Thirteen years later she leads HR across 30 resorts and is one of the most knowledgeable H-2B advocates in the Southeast.

Doug Thomas, Global Account Executive at Conference Direct, shares how COVID ended his hotel sales career, led him to build a fitness business, and brought him back to hospitality as a client advocate.

Larry Bowser, GM of the Renaissance Shoals Resort, shares how he left a CFO track to build a $60 million Alabama resort, guided by loss, purpose, and a passion for hospitality.

Jarred Mason, COO of Standard Market, shares how a chance detour led to a fourteen-year career, cutting corporate costs and growing the business into a chef-driven gourmet destination.

Ashli Johnson built Hospitality Hued after being fired from a university and hosting a single Manhattan happy hour. She’s now running the most energizing summit in the hospitality industry.

Matt Lee spent 26 years in professional kitchens before realizing he was always doing HR work. Now he supports 20-plus hotels as a business partner at Virginia’s largest hotel owner.

Skip Harless runs the number one resort in the 2025 Condé Nast Traveler awards. His first year there nearly broke him. Three record years followed the fight that almost fractured his team.

Kory Cutler walked into a family construction business with no experience and tripled it in three years. His strategy involved traveling crews, COVID cold calls, and one rule about AI.

Meridith Picarelli-Khattar never planned to run a private club. Twenty years later she leads one of the most prestigious in the Southeast — and her first year taught her that a bus with no passengers isn’t leadership.