Connections: Finding Relatives In Unexpected Places, by Damaria Senne of Johannesburg, South Africa

Damaria Senne is a journalist, author and blogger based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Click here to visit and even subscribe to her blog where she shares her adventures as a parent and writer. Click here to read her ICT business related articles and go to her other blog, where she talks about the impact of…

Theo McKinney on melding artistry, music, (a new slant on the age-old question “Where do your ideas come from?), threads of the infinite fabric

Riehlife: Theo, how have you brought your artistry and music into your work as Experience Manager? Theo: I loved Saha, the restaurant inside the hotel, so much that I wanted to be a part of it somehow. I got the restaurant management to let me design and execute the stained glass effect in the restaurant,…

Theo McKinney on culture of business, the common sense and dollars and sense of joy, and his thoughts about how to create a cultural shift on the grittiest part of Market Street

Riehlife: My blog is about connection and cultures and art. How do you see these themes relating in your business in the hospitality industry? Theo: The culture of business and the culture of people always are connected. My favorite example? The Carlton has been getting rave reviews from guests ever since our reopening, which means,…

Blog Action Day, the Environment: Easy Being Green at Hotel Carlton in San Francisco

Today, October 15th, bloggers around the web unite to put a single important issue on everyone’s mind – the environment. Every blogger posts about the environment in their own way and relating to their own topic. Our aim is to get everyone talking towards a better future. What would happen if every blog published posts…

Theo McKinney: Spiritual Path and Guest Service Viewpoint Revelation

Riehlife: Theo, do you have a spiritual path you follow? Does this come into play with your view of guest service? Theo: When I was growing up in White Plains, New York, my parents often took us to different types of religious service, from Presbyterian to Catholic, 7th Day Adventists to readings of the Torah….

Carlton’s “Peace through Travel” Slogan No Fascade

PEACE THROUGH TRAVEL AND WORLD CELEBRATIONS LISTINGS Riehlife: I was really impressed by a sign in the Carlton lobby that listed holidays all around the world and the slogan “Peace through travel.” Could you tell us more about this? Theo McKinney: Thank you for that! Keeping these world celebrations posted was my idea actually, and,…

Joy in Serving and Connecting through Comedy: Riehlife Interview with Theo McKinney guest experience specialist at Hotel Carlton, San Francisco

The Hotel Carleton is: enchanting, international, eclectic, cheerful, and bohemian. So is Guest Experience Specialist Theo McKinney. Maybe that’s why the two are a well suited and fitted. Riehlife: Theo, as you know my brief encounter with you at the Hotel Carlton was a highlight of my recent visit to San Francisco because of the…

Roses on your pillow at Hotel Carlton (from the hands of Theo McKinney)

That “30th anniversary” picture represents the usual welcome I like to surprise visitors with when they come to town to celebrate a honeymoon or romantic anniversary; the petals are real, and, whenever I can find out secretly in advance what the actual wedding flowers were, I try my best to get that flower and color…