Connected Conversations

Connected Conversations

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.

Episodes

March 9, 2026 31 mins

Description

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.

Meet Your Host & Guest 

Host: Sharon Kilmartin has been with IHG Hotel...

Mark as Played

Description

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.

Resources: 

IHG Problem Handling 

Course ID# IHG056045

Meet Your Host & Guest 

Host: Sharon Kilmartin has been with IHG Hotels & Resorts for over 35 years and has a wealth of experie...

Mark as Played

Description

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.

Resources: 

Mark as Played
October 16, 2025 17 mins

Description

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. 

Resources:

Link for the IHG One Rewards App 

Loyalty Training & Training Resources 

Loyalty Q...

Mark as Played
October 9, 2025 24 mins

Description

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. 

Resources:

Link for the IHG One Rewards App 

Loyalty Training & Training Resources 

Loyalty Q...

Mark as Played
October 2, 2025 18 mins

Description

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. 

Resources:
Link for the IHG One Rewards App 
Loyalty Training & Training Resources 
Loyalty Q...

Mark as Played

Description

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...

Mark as Played

Description

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...

Mark as Played
September 11, 2025 15 mins

Description

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...

Mark as Played
August 28, 2025 31 mins

Join Sharon Kilmartin, Regional Director of Operations at IHG, based at the Crowne Plaza® Ravinia (Americas), 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. 

Resources:
Empowerment Agreement

 

Crowne Plaza® “Connected to You” Culture Hub

Access via the Brand Services & ...

Mark as Played
June 19, 2025 17 mins

Join Sharon Kilmartin, Regional Director of Operations at IHG, based at the Crowne Plaza® Ravinia (Americas) and Ginger Taggart, Vice President, IHG Global Marketing and Brand Management as they discuss Brand Evolution.

Resources:


Meet Your Host & Guest:

Host: Sharon Kilmartin has been with IHG Hotels & Resorts for over 35 years and has a wealth of experience to share. Sharon has a passion for sha...

Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.

    Stuff You Should Know

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    Dateline NBC

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

    The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

    The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.

    The Dan Bongino Show

    The Dan Bongino Show delivers no-nonsense analysis of the day’s most important political and cultural stories. Hosted by the former Deputy Director of the FBI, former Secret Service agent, NYPD officer, and bestselling author Dan Bongino, the show cuts through media spin with facts, accountability, and unapologetic conviction. Whether it’s exposing government overreach, defending constitutional freedoms, or connecting the dots the mainstream media ignores, The Dan Bongino Show provides in-depth analysis of the issues shaping America today. Each episode features sharp commentary, deep dives into breaking news, and behind-the-scenes insight you won’t hear anywhere else. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dan-bongino-show/id965293227?mt=2 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4sftHO603JaFqpuQBEZReL?si=PBlx46DyS5KxCuCXMOrQvw Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/bongino?e9s=src_v1_sa%2Csrc_v4_sa_o

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2026 iHeartMedia, Inc.