NextGen in Lodging features hospitality professionals carving their niche in Miami and Fort Lauderdale, markets where tourism thrives despite doing business with COVID-19 restrictions in place. The yearn to gather and socialize is strong in a multicultural market like South Florida. Podcast co-host Omari Head talks to Alexis Brown of SocialXchange in Miami and Javier Marquis of AC Hotel Fort Lauderdale Beach about how they're creating and selling experiences amid the pandemic.

As the hotel industry shifts into a new era influenced by the coronavirus pandemic as well as the unleashing of younger travelers eager to get out and experience the world, new hospitality brands are emerging either in full or by creating novel concepts within their traditional frameworks. In Episode 8 of NextGen in Lodging, host Chris Henry leads a discussion among three hospitality innovators who share what’s next for a recovering industry.

This month’s episode of NextGen in Lodging podcast features Asian American hospitality professionals who urge company leaders to identify blatant and unconscious racial bias in the workplace and to promote among employees knowledge of ethnic backgrounds and cultural traditions – all to foster acceptance and understanding that can lift careers and businesses to new heights.

The coronavirus pandemic has forced thousands of young hospitality professionals to leave their jobs or rethink their career paths, leaving the industry with a dearth of mid-career talent and leadership. In Episode 6 of Next Gen in Lodging podcast, co-host Omari Head talks with Priscilla Guasso and Bijal Patel about millennials leaving the hospitality industry and how employers can bring them back and help them rebuild their careers.

NextGen in Lodging brings back three guests who last year started the conversation about diversity, inclusion and equity in the hospitality industry. In Episode 5 of NextGen in Lodging podcast the hospitality professionals review whether progress has been made despite the challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

NextGen in Lodging co-founders review the past 12 months since the death of George Floyd at the hands of police and how the incident sparked cries for change throughout the nation. It also forced the hospitality industry to re-examine its hiring and promotion practices to achieve true diversity, inclusion and equity in the workplace.

Next Gen in Lodging co-host and guests are Latino and Caribbean young professionals who share how they’ve achieved some measure of success in the U.S. hotel industry so far. Co-host Chris Henry leads the discussion that includes guests’ varied backgrounds, the steps they took to carve meaningful paths toward leadership and how industry leaders can promote the upward mobility of a career in hospitality to Latinos and other minorities.

Hospitality event planners were rocked and shocked in 2020 as they watched the rapid spread of COVID-19 devastate the meetings industry. In Episode 2 of Next Gen in Lodging podcast co-host Omari Head leads a conversation with Mike “Orie” Mosley, a multicultural event planner and DJ, and Airlia Perez, a meeting planner focused on business retention and loyalty. The young professionals tell of their biggest challenges and how they’ve found inspiration to keep moving forward toward business recovery in 2021 and beyond.

NextGen in Lodging launches its monthly podcast on Long Live Lodging’s platform by recognizing Women’s History Month. NextGen in Lodging is an organization founded in 2020 by mid-career hospitality professionals with a goal to connect and share new streams of thought and innovation that will revolutionize the hospitality industry in the post-pandemic era. Episode 01 features three self-starters carving unique paths in the hospitality industry. Their ventures encompass hotel investment, management and education. The entrepreneurs tell how they altered business strategy and professional goals amid the coronavirus crisis. NextGen in Lodging co-host Davonne Reaves leads the conversation with Purvi Panwala of Panwala Property Management Corp. and CRC Construction Corp; Andrea Aguilar of Typsy and Preshift; and Kendra Plummer of Elise Capital.