How Cultural Competency Drives Success | with Seema Jain

The Modern Hotelier #64: How Cultural Competency Drives Success | with Seema Jain === Seema Jain [00:00:00]: I think the more freedom you give, the people are actually gonna work better for you because they feel like you trust them and they're gonna do a good job. So I love the next generation. I'm learning from them, and I love that they're teaching. David Millili [00:00:14]: Welcome to the Modern Hotelier. Both hosts were honored as top 100 influential people in hospitality. We're bringing you interviews with industry experts, thought leaders, and innovators who are shaping the future of hospitality. Whether you're a seasoned hotel professional or just stepping into the industry, our goal is to provide you with insights, knowledge, and trends that will empower you, the modern hotelier. Steve Carran [00:00:41]: We are very excited to release this episode with Seema Jain from CEVA Global. David, what were some of your favorite parts about this interview? David Millili [00:00:50]: Well, I mean, first of all, she was great. I mean, it's she when she was speaking about culture, we all need it. And whether you really are kind of have traveled the world or you stayed in your hometown, one of the things we'll talk about is how the word hospital is in hospitality. That was great. So this is gonna be a great episode. Steve Carran [00:01:08]: Absolutely. Absolutely. I mean, just she has so many things going on with, you know, nonprofits, her own company. She is somebody who wants to make the world a better place. And it was a refreshing conversation and we kind of talked about afterwards about looking at the world through other people's lens instead of just just your own kind of seeing other people's perspectives, which I think is invaluable. I thought this was a great episode. This is a episode that anybody can listen to and and learn stuff from, not just in the hospitality space, but overall, absolutely amazing. David Millili [00:01:45]: Alright. Enjoy the episode. Steve Carran [00:01:49]: Today, we have on Seema Jain. Seema Jain is the founder and CEO of CEVA Global. Before CEVA Global, CEVA spent over a decade at Marriott building their multicultural affairs through PR, sales, marketing, HR, and many other areas. Now at CEVA Global, she's offering a wide variety of services to foster cultural competence across organizations. Welcome to the show, Seema. Seema Jain [00:02:17]: Thank you, Steve and David. Thank you for having me today. David Millili [00:02:20]: Welcome. Great. So we're gonna go through 3 sections. We're gonna ask you some personal questions, talk about where you grew up. We're gonna move into your career, and then we're gonna talk about the industry. Sound good? Seema Jain [00:02:31]: That sounds great. David Millili [00:02:32]: So first one, what was your first job? Seema Jain [00:02:36]: Oh, first job, I would say it was Avon lady, if that dates me a little bit. Avon used to be a makeup thing. I was 13 year old and started there. David Millili [00:02:47]: Wow. That's great. What's your favorite city? Seema Jain [00:02:49]: Oh, having traveled the world, I would say Cinque Terre. It is 5 villages in Italy, small destination, but definitely a family favorite and mine too. David Millili [00:02:59]: What's the best piece of advice you've received? Seema Jain [00:03:01]: I've received quite a bit as you can imagine, but I think my favorite that I go back to all the time is keeping a routine. Always having a good routine with your workout and your work balance life, but managing that has kept me, I think, a little bit sane. David Millili [00:03:16]: You could trade places with anyone for a day. Who would you trade places with? Seema Jain [00:03:21]: Oh, that's a tough one. I would say I would like to trade it with a entertainer. Don't know who that entertainer would be, but I think by trading for a day and I see the hecticness of that lifestyle, maybe I will appreciate my very simple life now. So an entertainer would be good to trade with. David Millili [00:03:39]: Would you rather be a singer or, like, an actor? Seema Jain [00:03:42]: Oh, good question. I can't sing, so maybe the acting would be a better way to go. David Millili [00:03:47]: Do you have a something on your bucket list that you've just been dying to do? Seema Jain [00:03:51]: Oh, yeah. Plenty of things, on the bucket list. I think, David, the one thing I'd love to do is do more seva, company name, of donation and community work. Can never have enough of that on my list. And also to actually bring seva, the word that is a Sanskrit word that means the act of selfless service, to bring that into the dictionary and make it a word that everybody can use every day. David Millili [00:04:15]: You have a secret talent that most people don't know you have? Seema Jain [00:04:18]: Well, I just told you I can't sing. Right? So that's that's something I could not do. I think, not really. No secret talent. I think it's just, I love to cook. Many people know that. And I love to keep trying and experimenting with, let's clean out the fridge and see what I can make, but not really anything secret that people don't know. David Millili [00:04:35]: So if you had your own late night talk show, who would your first guest be? Seema Jain [00:04:40]: Oh, that's good. Besides you, David? David Millili [00:04:43]: Well, yeah, besides me. Oh, wow. Seema Jain [00:04:46]: You don't want me. Trust me. No. That's a great question. First person I would like on that show. I actually have a lot of admiration for Oprah Winfrey. Somebody else that's in the talk show space, I would love to have them on. David Millili [00:04:59]: Alright. This is the last one. You had a time machine. You go into the future or go into the past. Which way are you going and what year are you going to? Seema Jain [00:05:09]: Oh, I have to date myself now. Right? So I would say my college years. I would say the late eighties were one of my favorite times. Definitely enjoyed those years and lots of good memories, and I would go back to that time frame. Steve Carran [00:05:22]: Beautiful. That was great. So now we're gonna dive into more of your personal background, what made you tick those things. So you're a 1st generation American. Your parents came here in the sixties. Where'd you grow up? Seema Jain [00:05:34]: So I grew up in a small town called Oxford, Ohio. Those might be familiar with Miami University. My father was a professor. So I'm one of the very few people probably born in that city, but that is where my beginnings are from. I'm Ohio girl at heart. Steve Carran [00:05:49]: Love it. Love it. We got some Midwest folks on this podcast as well. How did growing up in Ohio, you know, the Midwest values, being a first generation American, how did that shape you into who you are today? Seema Jain [00:06:00]: Well, you know, it's amazing because it's a small town. There's not a lot of Indians. When my parents came here, they're trying to find a community to feel comfortable with, and so we had a few Indian families. We used to get together on the weekends. Very typical. There's a book by Jhumpa Lahiri called Namesake. Very familiar lifestyle for us. It is a challenge when you are an American born and you're Indian, and your parents are trying to keep the culture of the Indian heritage in you, and you want to be the cool American. Seema Jain [00:06:29]: So growing up, you're always kind of torn between the 2. I do say my parents did a good job. They gave us good Indian values, and yet we were able to assimilate into that American culture. So in a small town, it's a little harder, but as you know, larger cities like New York, New Jersey, they have a lot more Indians. It was probably easier for them to find those bondings and community ties. David Millili [00:06:51]: So you earned your bachelor of science in finance from Miami University of Ohio and then your master's of business administration from DePaul University in Chicago. What made you choose those majors? Seema Jain [00:07:04]: David, that was because my father told me I had 4 choices as an Indian. I didn't I didn't really get an option. I could be a doctor, lawyer, engineer, or business, and that was how it was in our time. We didn't have options, but he felt he was very gracious that he gave me options of finance or accounting. So he was a finance professor, taught accounting, finance, and statistics. And, that's kind of how I got to do what I wanted to do because he thought he was giving me a choice of 2 degrees. I wanted to do marketing undergrad. He said, nope. Seema Jain [00:07:35]: You can do that one later. So I chose a finance economics background, which I will say, David, has been a great journey to have that in my back pocket as I work with revenue management teams and everything. They understand that I know what a profit margin is should look like. Steve Carran [00:07:49]: That's awesome. And and speaking of your dad, he is, he's a jokester, isn't he? He, he he actually wrote a book about how laughter is the best therapy, and it's on Amazon if everybody anybody wants to look at it. Laughter is the best therapy. So I looked into this story a little bit more and, you know, I gotta do my dinging. But this is one of the coolest stories I have heard, and I want you to kind of tell how this, a, how this book came about to be and kind of, I'm I'm sure this affected you getting into health care a little bit as well. Seema Jain [00:08:24]: You know what, Steve? First of all, I'm so impressed that you did all this research on me. And when my dad hears this podcast, he's gonna probably blast it out to all of his friends, which is only, you know, 1,300,000,000 Indians. But it's it's, he has he has collected jokes his whole life. And when unfortunately, he had a stroke when he was 60 years old, which left him a little weak on his left side, and to keep himself occupied, he decided to compile his top 1,000 jokes. So if anybody ever gets this book I remember my daughter when she was 14. She was editing the book for him because he was not quite capable to do all that, and she looked at she said to him, she goes, nana, which means maternal grandfather. She goes, nana, I don't think I should be reading all these jokes. I don't think you're appropriate for me. Seema Jain [00:09:08]: And my dad is like, it's okay. It's okay. You'll learn them eventually and things. So it was kind of funny. But, you know, I really admire him as a hotelier himself, but I really admire him that even during this time of his life in the last 20 plus years that he's had to use a wheelchair, he has always been ambitious to do a project. So my husband did the joke book with him. My daughter did the second book with him, and then I finished the autobiography with him a couple of years ago. So we've did we you know, I have to admire. Seema Jain [00:09:39]: He he may not be able to do everything, but his brain is sharp, and he keeps a really positive attitude, which our family really appreciates. Steve Carran [00:09:46]: And I love that. I kinda like doing through through my digging. He said, like, like, laughter helped him so much as he was going through the different types of of therapy after the stroke, but I just absolutely love this story, so I have to check out this book. Seema Jain [00:09:59]: But Oh, I'm so glad. He's gonna be thrilled. I'm gonna have to Steve, I'm gonna have to send you a copy of all of his books so you can have them all with you. Steve Carran [00:10:07]: Hey. No complaints on that one. I would love that. I would love that. Thank you. So what a fun story. Now we're gonna dive in a little bit about more about your career and how you got to where you are today. So like I said, you started working in the health care field, and then you joined Marriott as an account executive. Steve Carran [00:10:26]: What made you make that move from health care to the the Marriott or the house hospitality side of things? Seema Jain [00:10:34]: Right. And isn't it funny both industries are heads in beds when we think about it, when you look at a hospital, when you look at hospitality? So I started healthcare. It was the first, you know, the job coming out of college. I worked for Caremark and Baxter, great companies here in Chicago. Did the the typical pro formas, discounted cash flow. I was acquiring physical therapy centers. This was the job that, you know, every Indian person had to do one of those paths. So I am grateful to have learned all of that. Seema Jain [00:11:02]: But later on, as, my husband's career was taking off, he was traveling and we were relocating, and the kids were sort of my priority in the younger years. And then in 1995, my father bought hotels, and he diversified his portfolio. He said, you know, we wanna make sure we have some real estate. We have some stock, different things. And, obviously, a finance man himself having done a PhD, very, very smart, and decided to get into the industry. Long story short, 2 Patel friends approached him and said, doctor Singhby, we wanna get into the Hilton family, and we'd really like to have you as an owner with us because I think those credentials will speak quite a bit when you're trying to get your franchise agreement. So he decided to do that in 1995. Around that time, they built the first Hampton Inn and then Hilton Garden Inn. Seema Jain [00:11:48]: Fast forward, I'm like, okay, what am I gonna do? Kids are all in school. I wanna go back to work. And I said, maybe I should do hospitality because I don't know what an ADR is. And I don't know all these acronyms that we have in the industry. Maybe I should learn it so that if they get older and they need help, I understand. So decided that there was a resort, Marriott Resort, right down the street. And I thought, hey, why not just take my hand at something a little sexier than revenue? And I decided corporate sales sounded a little bit more to my vibe. And doing that was great. Seema Jain [00:12:21]: Moving along, 2008 occurs, recession happens, and that's where my story on cultural competency carries forward. So that's how I got into hospitality, just, by them having a few of those properties. David Millili [00:12:35]: And so you worked your way up to senior director of multicultural affairs. What were some of the things that you did to help Marriott with that, and what's the proudest achievement you had while you were there? Seema Jain [00:12:46]: Oh, that's that's great, David. So let's let's back up to that 2,006 when I entered the industry. 2,008, if you recall, was also a very tough economical time. Right? Kind of like another recession. And I had to think very quickly of what am I going to do to make my sales numbers. People are not booking as much. What are we gonna do? And so I quickly found that there was a group of ethnic travelers staying at a nearby extended state property. And one of mine was a resident in at that time under my portfolio. Seema Jain [00:13:15]: And I decided that if I work with the general manager and I could appeal to the cultural needs of our international guests, then maybe they will come to our hotel. So putting ethnic breakfast, their favorite TV shows, ethnic TV shows in the room, and doing all this, we were able to share shift 2,000 room nights, and we were able to go to Rev par number 1 from 3. So all of that caught limelight at headquarters. Eventually, fast forward, they created a position for me where I was able to be an intrepreneur in a very large company. Great feeling since I had that itch. Remember I was that Avon lady from day 1 trying to make those makeup sales so that that it should been there from the beginning. So I got the opportunity to for a phenomenal hotel company, I can create a program to teach cultures to all the hotel team members so they are more competent and confident when they work with somebody of a different background. I would definitely say that the high of my entire career is when mister Arne Sorensen, who's our late CEO, came into our session and actually really believed that as a company, we welcome all guests, and we should be at least informed on who they are, how they want to be treated, and to make sure we respect the differences that actually make a difference. Seema Jain [00:14:34]: So that would be definitely one of my high moments when he attended our session. David Millili [00:14:38]: And in 2020, you started CEVA. Tell us more about that, and what was the final thing that really drove you to starting your own company? Seema Jain [00:14:47]: Yeah. So, David, during the pandemic, we were all furloughed, right, at that time, and it gave me time to really take care of my parents. They're aging. My mom needed help taking care of dad. Seva is a Sanskrit word, and it means the act of selfless service. It is to give seva to your parents, to take care of them, to to give seva to marginalized communities, to give back. And so when this time came, I found it as a silver lining, as an opportunity to create and be that entrepreneur that I've always wanted to be and to do more good work for the world. So I love that now my cultural competency knowledge and helping people can be spread to any industry. Seema Jain [00:15:30]: It can be spread to anyone in the hospitality world, whether it's brand, whether it's a CVB, whether it's travel leisure. There's no limit on what I do because everybody works with somebody of a different background. And with that said, we want to be understanding how is the more effective way to work with them. So it just happened to be a great opportunity that I took advantage of. Steve Carran [00:15:52]: And you're also the cofounder of 2 nonprofits, which is, you know, you didn't stop at 1. You started a second one. You, you have the first one is Supporting Excellence in Education Foundation, which awards scholarships to high school students. And then you have the Young Janes of America, and that's a national youth organization created to help share Jane heritage and culture. Can you tell us more about these? Seema Jain [00:16:18]: Yeah. So the first one I did 30 years ago, I just actually met the new founders of Young Janes of America. And it's kind of funny when when they meet me, they're like, oh, you're the OG of this. And it's just nice to see that over 30 years when I started this, the purpose of me, I was 25 years old, was the thought that for the future generations of our religion, how do we create a platform where they can all come together to learn about culture, religion, and in the social networking environment? And I'm sure many different groups have this, whatever religion or communities they work with. So we started this with a convention every 2 years. We bring all the youth nationwide together. I had 400 people, my first convention that I did, and then now we're at 900 people. So the next one is in Atlanta. Seema Jain [00:17:06]: It's gonna be at the Hilton Signia, and it's a great team that I'm so proud of the youngsters today who are taking over, how well they've done, and really doing it from their heart to do this. So that's that first organization. And the second one, seed, supporting excellence in education. You know, you have these serial entrepreneurs. I like I'm thinking of serial nonprofits. Like, what's my next one? What's my next one? And it really ties in beautifully to the company name of Seva, always giving back. So c foundation is designed definitely for helping high school kids, and now it's more focused on need based. And so that organization is still going strong. Seema Jain [00:17:42]: And then I did start I'm working with the third one. We're launching it this summer. It's actually Steve in Denver area, and it's an animal you're gonna come. I'm gonna invite you to come Steve Carran [00:17:53]: see it. Seema Jain [00:17:54]: It's called Love and Arms Animal Sanctuary. So a few of us are spearheading that, and it's about veganism, compassion, bringing the Jain values into this camp and small camps of 20 each, 4 throughout the summer. Again, launching it for the first time, and this is with people that I've done the other ones with, so we all know how to work, you know, together and collaborate well. So it is my passion to keep doing things for the community and as much as I can. Steve Carran [00:18:23]: Absolutely love that. And I have a follow-up question. Since you're involved with, you know, so many young folks, not even in hospitality hypothetic not in hospitality, but just working with so many young folks coming up. What is one thing that is impressing you about this younger generation that's coming up? Seema Jain [00:18:41]: Oh, there's so many things, Steve, that impressed me. A lot of people will say, oh, they're Gen z or they're, you know, millennials are entitled. No. No. No. No. No. I look at it very differently. Seema Jain [00:18:52]: I have, a team of 5 7 people, and they are 5 generations. So we're small, and we have a lot of diversity in my team. What I really appreciate about the younger generation is 2 things. 1, they're very open minded. Whether it come to cultural awareness, they actually learned a lot in college. And I don't know, David, maybe, you know, when you went to school or, Steve, when you went to school, I did not have classes on how to do business in China or how to that wasn't an option back then. But today's kids are just it is actually just in their DNA now to start thinking that way, which is wonderful because when they leave this world with a global mindset, it's gonna be incredible. So when I work with hospitality students or I work with the younger I really love to see how accepting they are. Seema Jain [00:19:40]: And it could be anything from LGBTQ community, which we have a great workshop on. So that is one thing I've noticed. And the second thing I really like is the way they interview a company is very different. In my day, my father would say salary benefits. Good. You're done. That's great. I just get that company, and that's perfect. Seema Jain [00:19:59]: Today's kids are looking at a company in a lot more holistic way. They're looking at it from, well, do you have a social impact? What are you doing for corporate social responsibility? What is your purpose? It's not just black and white. They're looking at a company from everything it has to offer, and they actually probably are asking better questions than I ever did. So I appreciate that they're really trying to find. The other third thing I have to say about this next generation. They know work family balance. K? Where my generation might've worked really hard, they work really smart is what I'm gonna say. And I really think that people we judge people too quickly. Seema Jain [00:20:37]: Like, oh, they're not in the office every day. Well, you know what? Everybody works differently and we have to find the solution that works best for everybody. So I'm a big fan of couple of days work from home, couple of days in the office. I think, you know, the more freedom you give, the people are actually gonna work better for you because they feel like you trust them and they're gonna do a good job. They're gonna do a good job. So I love the next generation. I'm learning from them. I'm learning chat gbt, AI. Seema Jain [00:21:05]: I'm learning from them, and I love that they're teaching. So while I have somebody who's retired on my team and I recruited him back and I have a 23 year old, we all work together because having experience and the new technology is the perfect solution for our company. David Millili [00:21:21]: Yeah. No. I I I love the way you say that because I was very fortunate, grew up in a small all white town outside of Philadelphia and went to FIU, which was Florida International, which was a 100% true, and then worked in New York. And those things were I was lucky because a lot of people didn't do that. They stayed close to home, and that really helped shape me. And I think that's your advice is great to young people too. Seema Jain [00:21:44]: They're a good generation. We just have to find and see what it is. It's just finding the positives in everything we do, whether it's this religion or this race. Everybody has something positive. We have to look for it with intention. Steve Carran [00:21:57]: I love that. That that's a great way to end that segment. I love it. So now we're gonna turn to the industry thoughts a little bit more. So one thing that you're big into in Seva is cultural competency. Before we dive too much into thoughts and things, can you just define and tell us what cultural competency is? Seema Jain [00:22:19]: Sure. And that's actually a really good question. Many people, they hear the word and they're not sure. It's sort of a future thinking word. Right? It's it's sort of the future of DI, some might say, but cultural competency can be also known as cultural fluency, cultural quotient, cultural intelligence. There's a lot of words you might hear, but it's really basically just looking at how we can work with other people in a positive way so that we can interact more effectively with our diverse teams, our diverse guests, owners, customers, vendors. So it's all about just respecting those differences, finding similarities, and respecting the differences that are with us. So I'm learning every day too, Steve and David. Seema Jain [00:23:05]: I will never be a subject matter expert. And if you don't keep learning, right, and if you don't keep striving to learn, we're not gonna be better. So it's always a thing that we say, hey, learn about other people, how they want to be treated, how they want to be taken care of, especially in the hotel world. It starts out with, I had Chinese guests. I had Japanese travelers. Do I know how to do the business card exchange? So understanding these small things really can go far. Really can go far. Steve Carran [00:23:37]: And I love that. And leading right to the next question, you know, I can't imagine anybody better to answer this question than you, to be honest with you. What are ways that not only Hotelier, but also other companies as well can be more culturally competent? Seema Jain [00:23:53]: This is the best part of what I do. It's highly transferable. Right? This is not like learning a martial arts system or something, and when I leave the company, I don't know. What we do is when we present our topics, whether it's a deep dive into, you know, taking care of a Muslim guest or taking care of a German guest, Whether it's that or overarching, what you learned in our sessions is fully transferable, first of all, from business to personal. David, you might now live in a community with diversity and your neighbor could be somebody from a different country now. Oh, that makes sense type of thing. But the beauty of what we do is I'm really my next effort is health care. I see there's a big need in health care. Seema Jain [00:24:34]: If we look at a hospital and we look at a hotel, well, you have a check-in at the hospital, like a reception. You have a guest room in a hotel, and you have a patient room. You have food and beverage in both. So there's a lot of similarities, and I feel that if we can help the health care industry, understanding that patient satisfaction score and things, just like we have our guest satisfaction, That's really my next ambition is to help that industry as well and help that industry as well. So it really I have tech companies that I work for, airlines. I just got I'm getting into early childhood. I don't see any industry that could say, yeah, we don't need this. It might be we don't have a priority right now, but I think anybody can benefit from this. David Millili [00:25:20]: That's great. You're the first guest we've had, which I love because I always my first tech company was Timeless Hospitality. And when we got our our key card badges for our office, it said timeless hospital because the word hospital isn't hospitality. It cut it off. That's right. And I usually I bring that up a lot. And and so your point, exactly the same thing. So I I appreciate you bringing that up. David Millili [00:25:40]: So how can being culturally competent help employee engagement, help drive, you know, financially to the bottom line and increase the customer satisfaction. You've touched on it a little bit, but give us a little bit more. Seema Jain [00:25:52]: Absolutely. So when we look let's look back at my case study from 2,008. In any case that I'm seeing great stories coming back. Right? The company invests in our workshop. Now the sales manager is much more comfortable where they were little not confident on particular segment. I'm giving them the tools and resources, right, to be confident, and then they close the deal. Do you know how many times it makes my heart feel so good when I get a call saying, we just closed 55,000 or we just closed 200,000 because the tools and resources I gave them are working. So that makes me feel great. Seema Jain [00:26:25]: In these three capacities, employee engagement, David, is really important. As I said, that new generation, which is almost like, you know, our next big workforce coming through, and that Gen z is 50% people of color. So our landscape has changed in this country. From when I grew up, when you grew up, David and Steve, I'm not sure if you've seen that change also, but it's very different. So employee engagement to me is if so last this week, Ramadan, Eid Mubarak happened on April 10th. It just finished the end of Ramadan. Passover for our Jewish friends is gonna start in a few days. Being mindful as a employer that there's different holidays and to know that our teams might want to take some time off and be with their family is important is important to know. Seema Jain [00:27:11]: So understanding, do we celebrate these at work? Do we recognize them? Just being a little mindful of that can help. And like I said, when you do these good things with employees, then you're going to attack attract better talent and you're going to retain, which is also important as well. As far as guest experience, when you do a survey and you're coming back with your scores and you have done everything, you put the slippers in the room for my Chinese guest, or I have green tea available. All of these little things make a difference, and that's important when we want to have and depending on how you're measured, whether it's guest satisfaction, whether it's your intent to recommend, whatever the score is, we need to make sure that our frontline team is aware of that so they understand how to better serve those diverse guests that are coming through. And be mindful. This doesn't mean always international. I'm Indian American. My parents have been here. Seema Jain [00:28:03]: But if they went to a hotel and there's some masala chai served in the lobby, you're gonna believe they're gonna remember that hotel. So it's these little touches. Right? It doesn't mean, oh, I've come from another country, which is also something we're seeing that influx, but it's also the ones in our country that enjoy it as well. And then the final thing is the return. So that finance major in me that David and Steve I have, yes. Everything to me is also well, it has to make dollars and cents. Right? It can't we're not nonprofit companies. We're profitable companies, and we wanna make sure. Seema Jain [00:28:36]: So when I did this case back in the day, it was, like, 20 fold. Now 20 fold ROI is going to catch capture anybody's attention. So I look at, hey. If you invest in this program, what is your potential? And if you're familiar, David, like, Indian weddings is really where it came from. It started when people realized, wait a minute. Indian people keep celebrating regardless if there's a recession. We we that doesn't mean anything to us because we've been saving since our children are small. So that's when there's a recession. Seema Jain [00:29:07]: These are markets you wanna tackle, whether it's a a bar mitzvah, it's a wedding. Celebrations are continuously going to happen. So as a hotel company, we need to shift and think where do we fill in when there are downtimes. Corporate events may not be happening, but we need to look at other things. So definitely all three of those categories, taking care of your employee, making sure the guest feels good and recognized. And David, think about this or Steve, if you've traveled to another country and I don't know, have you traveled outside North America? Right? And they do something there that makes you feel at home. Right? Whether it's the breakfast, whether it's they might be celebrating your holiday, even though it's not theirs. These are the small things that go very far. Seema Jain [00:29:50]: And those satisfaction scores are important or whatever the measuring tool is, for that place. But that's where I see that all three together are important, and it can really elevate the experience for that guest. David Millili [00:30:03]: That's great. So you've driven a lot of change in large organizations like Marriott, your own company. What advice would you give to the audience about driving change and for them following their passions? Seema Jain [00:30:16]: 1st and foremost, you have to believe in yourself and your mission. 100%. When I started, David, I'm not gonna lie to you. I had a lot of passion. I was super excited. Didn't know in a pandemic where this could go. Right? So when people are like, do you do virtual? I'm like, well, I was born in a pandemic. So, yeah, the business had to learn virtual right away. Seema Jain [00:30:38]: I think the key is if you follow your dreams, you follow your passion, give it time, believe in yourself, have advocates, supporters, cheerleaders. And I have been truly blessed, David, that the team that started with me from the beginning and all the people who are knowing that the work I do is meaningful, especially in today's world where we want people to live in harmony. We want people to recognize that, yes, it's okay that not everybody is like an American mindset. So believing in yourself, driving with your passion. I had a CEO reach out to me the other day and said, wow. Your passion is contagious. Right? When people see that, they're going to want to invest in a company like that. So you have to just believe in yourself and keep going. Seema Jain [00:31:24]: Keep going. Steve Carran [00:31:25]: I love that. I love that. What a great segment. So now we've been asking you questions this whole time. We are gonna let you turn the tables a little bit on us and ask us one question. Seema Jain [00:31:35]: Oh, one question each. Okay. I love it. I love it. Steve Carran [00:31:38]: Well, one question, and we'll both answer. How's that? Seema Jain [00:31:40]: Okay. Fair. Fair. Fair. Fair. I like it. So the question is and and I'm it might be you're a little on David and stuff. So what is it about your podcast that you do that gives you the biggest joy? Steve Carran [00:31:55]: Alright. Easy for me. I love learning about people. I have the most fun understanding people's background, what makes them tick, why the way they are, and finding out stories not only about you, but about your family, your dad, how, you know, him writing a book, and he sounds like an act like a character. He sounds like a great guy. And that's so fun to me when we have these conversations, truly understanding someone, their background and why, why they are the way they are and just connecting with people. I, I think having these conversations like we're having right now is a great way to start change and incorporate change into how we act and live in our daily life. And it all starts with a conversation. Steve Carran [00:32:37]: And that's what I think this platform enables us to do. Talk to people like you and so many awesome people in the hospitality industry and their journeys, and bring that to the limelight, and talk about how we can make this industry better in the future. David Millili [00:32:51]: Yeah. I agree. I mean, for me, it when we started, it was about really making sure we did quality over quantity and that we really were trying to help the industry and help people. We consistently wanna make sure that we're being diverse and we're getting different viewpoints and gift for different people on the podcast. And for us, you know, at least for me, the biggest joy is when somebody says, oh, it was great being interviewed by you guys or run a trade show and somebody says, oh, I love listening to the podcast because I get so much information out of it. So for me, we're like a product. So people are using our product, they're happy with their product and it's improving their life, then that's great. And so for me, that's, you know, if you're happy being a guest and somebody listening is happy, then then I'm happy. David Millili [00:33:35]: So Seema Jain [00:33:35]: Aw. I like that. I like that very much. And, hopefully, this I I'm still looking for people who do what I do in this industry. So if you come across anybody, I'll send them my way. It's always nice to have collaborators. If the project's big, you know, I don't look at anything as competition. I look at it as all collaboration. Seema Jain [00:33:53]: So if you come across anybody, I I think I'm the only one doing it right now in hospitality. I haven't come across anybody else yet. But if you do send them my way, I'd love to meet them and see how we can, you know, further better our industry and helping people achieve that cultural awareness. Steve Carran [00:34:11]: Love that. Love that. So we usually kick it over to John for one last question. Jon Bumhoffer [00:34:18]: I was very excited to hear that your favorite place to travel was Cinque Terre because that's one of my favorite place I've ever been. And I'm curious what what you think is about that place that really appeals to you or why you really like it. And if you have you know, there's those 5 little towns if you have a specific one that you really like to spend time in. Seema Jain [00:34:37]: Okay. So this was 2015. My memory is not so good on which one, but I do remember we did them all. I really liked I'll be honest with you. Even though I'm in hospitality industry, there's no main chains in Chingatera. It's little bread and back breakfast type of places. There's no it feels very like you're really escaping from the world. And what I loved is I still have vivid memories of the spaghetti I had right there. Seema Jain [00:35:02]: It tasted so good because it was fresh tomatoes. Right? Everything is fresh in in Italy, and it's simple foods, but they're very fresh and flavorful. I remember my husband and the kids were jumping off the cliffs, you know, and I'm videotaping. It's just a very serene place. I love hiking. I love outdoor activities. Steve, that's why Denver, I like, and Phoenix were coming out to Sedona over Thanksgiving. Just really enjoyed. Seema Jain [00:35:28]: So it pulling cultural elements with what we enjoy as a family, as far as activities. And then, of course, food. Who doesn't love food? Right? It's the universal language we all speak. So it was able to bring everything, but feeling that we left the world because I didn't see any main like, any big touristy places. You know? It's a little bed and breakfast, you know, type of place. There's no large chains out there in that little village area, which I really appreciated. Jon Bumhoffer [00:35:55]: Very cool. Yeah. I'm assuming you you hiked to all the different the different towns and did that. Yeah. If I if I ever go back, I would do it again because I went with my little brother, and we hiked all of the towns in one day. So So we didn't have, like, enough time to, like, really like, it was I was tired. It was beautiful, but, you know, I would like to have more time to actually sit and soak it up a little bit more. So Seema Jain [00:36:19]: Well, maybe Steve and David and you and I will all go for a little field trip out there, and you can do your podcast from there for a cultural immersion. Maybe that would be the way. Steve Carran [00:36:28]: Sure. I like that. Arm. Yeah. Twist the arm. That's fine. Exactly. Seema Jain [00:36:33]: It's just interesting that somebody's actually been to the same little village that I had been to to recognize how cool it is. So David and Steve put it on your bucket list for sure. There we go. Steve Carran [00:36:42]: A great experience. Anybody wanting to collaborate with you or anybody that wants to work with you. How do we get a hold of you? Seema Jain [00:36:50]: Well, you have my contact information. Our website, you can go to. There's a contact form. Listen. I'm on WhatsApp. I'm on I'm available for anybody who has the passion. I will be there 247 for them. So they can reach out to me through email, through my website, whatever works best. Seema Jain [00:37:07]: It's always nice to find like minded people and and expand our group, when needed. So it's great. It's great. David Millili [00:37:16]: That was great. We really appreciate it. That does it for another episode of the Modern Hotelier. We will see everybody again soon. Thank you. Seema Jain [00:37:23]: Thank you. Steve Carran [00:37:24]: Thank you. You made it to the end of the Modern Hotelier. Thanks for listening. The Modern Hotelier is produced by Make More Media. Make sure to like and subscribe if you're listening on YouTube or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. If you know a guest or sponsor that would be a good fit, feel free to email us at hello at the modern hotelier.com. If you'd like to get some Modern Hotelier merch, click the merch button on Modern Hotelier.com or click the link below. Thanks and have a great day.