Hi – I’m Vincent. I used to go by Vinny until my first role in sales when several guests on the phone would say “BENNY?!?” or “DENNY?!?”. I’ve been in hospitality all my life, starting at the age of 16 when I took my first job at Kmart (yes retail is hospitality!), but my first hotel job was as a Valet during my senior year at Penn State University. At the time I was parking nice cars, meeting famous people and bringing home pockets full of cash – what more could you ask for? This was 2010, and for the past 15 years I have had the pleasure of working at some incredible hotels and, more importantly, the opportunity to work for some incredible leaders. They, along with some dedicated trainers (shoutout Christine and Cindy) have taught me a lot about this wonderful industry and what it means to be a leader.
I’m not an expert, but I do feel I have something to offer by now, and thus I have created this blog, The Practical Hotelier. My goal is simple – to help new and emerging leaders succeed in their field. My focus will mostly be on real and applicable lessons based on either my own experiences or those I’ve gleaned from a book, podcast or another leader. Some will be short snippets and others will be longer deep dives.
The bar for success is low—if I can teach one person something new, I will have succeeded. I firmly believe we are in the golden age of hospitality. People are drowning in technology and craving an authentic human connection. Unfortunately, many staff lack the skills needed to provide the service and connection our guests desire.
Furthermore, hospitality has for many years been seen as an “unglamorous” profession, much like electricians and plumbers in the last 10 years. Look at them now—they’re in high demand and commanding impressive salaries. Hospitality professionals are in a similar boat—we have high demand for (quality) labor but not enough supply. The job of a hospitality leader is more important than ever, and we have two imperative purposes.
1. To serve our guests
As Will Guidara says in his incredible book Unreasonable Hospitality: “The moment you start to pursue service through the lens of hospitality, you understand there’s nobility in it. We may not be saving people’s lives, but we do have the ability to make their lives better by creating a magical world they can escape to—and I see that not as an opportunity, but as a responsibility, and a reason for pride.” That mindset and belief is what gets me through the long hard days. We truly can create magic and it should be our North Star.
2. To serve our team.
We also have a responsibility to teach our staff, both young and old, that this industry can be a glorious and rewarding profession. You can travel the world, meet interesting people and make a great living. Yes, the hours can be challenging, especially early in your career, but great leadership can change that. When leaders prioritize work/life balance, inspiration, and purpose, they create an environment where people want to stay and grow. We need to ensure the talent pool continues to grow and prosper so our industry can thrive in its golden age.
Why did I choose a blog instead of a podcast like everyone else in 2025? Well, the written word and the ability to communicate with it is becoming an increasingly rare and powerful thing. In general, I would like to encourage more reading and will recommend plenty of leadership books on this platform. Selfishly, I also want to flex my own creative muscles through writing.
I’d like to end this first post with something I encourage everyone to start their day with – gratitude. Thank you for taking time out of your day to read this. I believe there is immense value in always being a student of leadership – any time learning is time well spent. See you next week!
