Hospitality used to be in a lane of its own. It included hotels, restaurants, and resorts. Today, however, that has changed. Companies winning customer loyalty are the ones that treat every interaction, in any industry, like a guest experience.
That shift is exactly why Eagles Talent Speakers Bureau represents such a wide range of hospitality thought leaders. These operators, chefs, and culture-builders have lived this work from the front desk to the C-suite. As a result, they can translate those lessons for any audience.
Whether you are planning a conference for hoteliers, healthcare leaders, retailers, or a corporate event, these ten speakers can bring hospitality’s best lessons to the stage.
Calvin Stovall – The Iconicity Enthusiast
Calvin Stovall combines business strategy, storytelling, and music to deliver high-energy keynote experiences that inspire audiences and drive business success.
Calvin Stovall spent close to 30 years in hospitality. He started as a front desk clerk at a Chicago Holiday Inn. From there, he rose to vice president of brand marketing at Hilton Worldwide. In that role, he led marketing and PR for more than 150 Homewood Suites properties.
Today, Calvin is the CEO of ICONIC Presentations. He also built The ICONIC Framework™, a practical system that helps organizations earn and keep “iconic” status with their customers. In addition, he is the author of Hidden Hospitality: Untold Stories of Black Hotel, Motel, and Resort Owners. The book draws on research he began as a graduate student at Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration.
Through his keynotes, Calvin blends business strategy with storytelling and music. His high-energy, unorthodox style connects with audiences well beyond the hospitality industry.
Scott Greenberg – The Employee Engagement Strategist
Scott Greenberg, keynote speaker and workplace culture expert, helps organizations improve employee engagement, retention, and frontline leadership by focusing on what truly motivates teams—not just workplace perks.
Scott Greenberg built his credibility from the ground up. He started as a franchisee of two Edible Arrangements locations. As a result, he earned “Best Customer Service” and “Manager of the Year” honors among more than 1,000 locations worldwide.
He is the author of Stop and Shift Show and The Wealthy Franchisee. He is also the co-creator of 30-Second Leadership™, a coaching tool designed to sharpen employees’ mindset and performance in the moment.
At the heart of Scott’s message is a simple idea. Businesses don’t chase perks like ping-pong tables. Instead, they are getting to the real drivers of motivation and team culture.
Through his keynotes, Scott gives organizations practical, field-tested tools. His message is especially valuable for organizations managing hourly and frontline workforces that want to improve retention and leadership.
Dr. Bryan K. Williams – The Service Excellence Authority
Dr. Bryan K. Williams is a hospitality expert and keynote speaker who inspires leaders to deliver exceptional customer service and create stronger workplace cultures.
Dr. Bryan K. Williams‘s hospitality career began as a busboy at the Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas. From there, he spent ten years taking on 17 different roles. He eventually became the company’s Global Corporate Director of Training and Organizational Effectiveness.
Today, he is a bestselling author of six books. His books include Engaging Service and How to Serve a VIP. He is also the founder of the BW Leadership Academy and STRONG Leader Institute.
Dr. Bryan holds a Doctor of Management in Organizational Leadership. In addition, he has consulted with organizations across more than 20 industries. These organizations range from luxury hotels to healthcare systems.
Through his high-energy keynotes, Dr. Bryan focuses on exceptional service. His message is simple: every audience member can be taught to deliver it.
Raquel Eatmon – The Bold Leadership Voice
Raquel Eatmon, keynote speaker and author, inspires audiences to embrace resilience and personal growth. Her message encourages meaningful connection, purpose, and positive change.
Raquel Eatmon is a former award-winning television reporter and anchor turned serial entrepreneur, restaurateur, and founder of a nationally recognized women’s leadership conference.
Raquel’s signature framework, Never, Next, Now, pushes audiences to stop waiting for confidence and start leading through action. Raquel has worked with Fortune 500 companies on communication, brand, and leadership.
She brings a communicator’s precision and a restaurateur’s understanding of hospitality to every talk. Her programs are especially popular with organizations focused on women in leadership, team building, and customer service culture.
Will Guidara – The Architect of Unreasonable Hospitality
Will Guidara: Hospitality expert and author of Unreasonable Hospitality, sharing how personal experiences and human connection can build customer loyalty.
Few names are more synonymous with modern hospitality thinking than Will Guidara. As co-owner and general manager of Eleven Madison Park, he helped take the restaurant from a solid New York brasserie to the No. 1 restaurant in the world in 2017, earning three Michelin stars and four stars from The New York Times along the way.
The New York Times bestseller, Unreasonable Hospitality, argues that any business – not just restaurants – can win by turning ordinary transactions into extraordinary, personal experiences. Will is also the founder of the hospitality company Thank You, host of The Welcome Conference, a co-producer on the Emmy-winning series The Bear, and a recipient of The Wall Street Journal’s Innovation Award.
His keynotes use vivid, specific stories – famously, the tale of serving a hot dog inside a four – star restaurant – to show leaders how genuine human connection drives loyalty and business results.
Ryan Minton – The Employee First Executive
Ryan Minton is a hospitality and customer experience expert who shows leaders how valuing employees can build stronger teams and exceptional customer experiences.
Ryan Minton spent more than 25 years as a senior hospitality executive with brands including Marriott, Hilton, and IHG. His focus on operations excellence and team culture drove record revenue and profit.
He’s a two-time bestselling author (including Thanks for Coming in Today!) Global Gurus has named Ryan one of the World’s Best Speakers in both the Hospitality and Customer Experience categories. Ryan sits on the Forbes Business Council and serves on an expert panel with Newsweek.
His central thesis, backed by two decades in the field, is that exceptional customer experience is downstream of employees who feel genuinely valued, and he gives audiences the low-cost, immediately usable tools to build that kind of culture.
Christine Trippi – The Wise Pineapple
Christine Trippi is an award-winning hospitality executive and customer experience expert who helps leaders build stronger workplace cultures and memorable guest experiences.
Christine Trippi’s hospitality career started at age 17 as a hotel van driver and laundry attendant. 34 years later, she’s an award-winning hospitality executive.
Christine is the founder and CEO of The Wise Pineapple and author of the Amazon No. 1 bestseller Yes Is the Answer. She’s been named among the “100 Most Powerful People in Hospitality” by the International Hospitality Institute, and her signature training program was ranked the #2 best training program in the world by Global Gurus.
Christine’s high-energy, humor- driven keynotes teach leaders how saying “yes” – to guests, to employees, to change – builds stronger cultures and more memorable customer experiences.
Chef Jet Tila – The Culinary Storyteller
Jet Tila is a celebrated chef, restaurateur, and hospitality expert who inspires audiences with lessons on leadership, entrepreneurship, resilience, and personal branding.
Chef Jet Tila is a Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef, restaurateur, and Food Network personality. He grew up in Los Angeles surrounded by his Thai-Chinese family’s markets and restaurants. Today, Jet is known for appearances on Chopped, Cutthroat Kitchen, Guy’s Grocery Games, and Iron Chef America. He was also named Culinary Ambassador of Thai Cuisine by the Royal Thai Consulate-General in Los Angeles.
On stage, Jet combines cooking demonstrations with keynotes on entrepreneurship, resilience, leadership, and personal branding. He shows audiences how the discipline and hospitality mindset of a professional kitchen can translate into stronger leadership and workplace culture.
Chef Jamie Gwen – The Culinary Culture Expert
Jamie Gwen is a culinary expert, certified sommelier, and engaging keynote speaker who brings food, cooking, and culinary culture to audiences nationwide.
Chef Jamie Gwen is a Culinary Institute of America and Le Cordon Bleu graduate, a certified sommelier, a nationally syndicated radio host, and the author of seven cookbooks. Her television resume includes Food Network’s Beat Bobby Flay and Cutthroat Kitchen, along with regular appearances on The Talk, HGTV, and Bravo.
Jamie has spent more than two decades bringing food and culinary culture to national audiences. Her interactive keynotes and live cooking demonstrations are a favorite for conferences and charity events that are looking for speakers who can inform, entertain, and engage a room all at once.
Matt Traub – The Luxury Hospitality Consultant
Matt Traub is a hospitality expert and keynote speaker who helps organizations bring five-star customer service, employee experience, and luxury hospitality standards to any industry.
Matt Traub built his hospitality expertise at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts before founding Traub Hospitality. Traub Hospitality is a consulting firm that has trained teams at Ford, Lincoln Motor Company, Neiman Marcus Group, Keller Williams Realty, and Acura, among others.
His message: luxury – level hospitality is not about budget; it is about effort and intention. That distinction can set any brand apart from its competition, regardless of industry.
Matt’s keynotes are especially well suited for organizations outside traditional hospitality that want to import five-star service standards into their own customer and employee experience.
The Common Thread
What ties these ten speakers together is not just their hospitality resumes, but a shared conviction that hospitality is a leadership discipline, not just a job title. From Will Guidara’s philosophy of “unreasonable” generosity to Dr. Bryan K William’s decades of service- excellence research to Christine Trippi’s “yes is the answer” mindset. Each speaker offers a different entry point into the same truth: organizations that make people feel valued, both customers and employees.
If you are planning an event and want to bring one of these hospitality experts to your stage, Eagles Talent Speakers Bureau can help you find the right fit for your audience and budget. Reach out at 973-313-9800 or info@eaglestalent.com to check availability.
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