Leon Thomas Email & Phone Number

Choice Hotels University

My LOUD VOICE was a trademark at conventions and other Choice events. I call myself an enterTRAINER because some attended my sessions on the same subject matter multiple times just to be entertained...I mean enterTRAINED by LEONTHETRAINERHere's some of what I was responsible for and accomplished during 10 great years at Choice Hotels: Designed and facilitated virtual and classroom workshops, convention presentations, and webinars that improved hotel owner profitability. Created fun learning videos related to all areas of hotel operations including: sales, marketing, financial management, maintenance, front office operations, reputation management and housekeeping. These memorable videos improved hotel guest service index scores, return intent, and gross operating profit.• Developed and presented the industry’s first Social Media Workshops at annual Conventions and regional workshops thereby making Choice Hotels the first hotel company to have a Social Media education curriculum. Consulted virtually with individual hotels to develop social media marketing plans.• Remotely collaborated with 4 other Senior Trainers to develop and launch the first 100% virtual management certification program for franchised hotel organizations. This allowed more managers to become certified and generated a substantial cost savings through trainers reduced travel expenses. Provided online tutoring from my home office using web conferencing tools including WebEx and Zoom• Most requested trainer at regional and national hotel owner and manager meetings. Led motivating full and half-day education sessions that were the highest attended in the company.• Facilitated week-long General Manager certification classes wherein attendees achieved an 85% first time passing rate which was 20% higher than other trainers.• Keynote speaker and break-out session presenter at industry association events, management company conferences and universities

Ask me about the time during training when I was leading a role play about emergency situations. I yelled "FIRE". Contact me to hear what happened next. As an independent consultant I provided consultative training and gave keynote presentations to a variety of hotel and hospitality related clients. My goal was to help each client achieve uncommon excellence in all areas.Provided consultative training and gave keynote presentations to a variety of hotel and hospitality related clients. Notes accomplishments include:• Assisted in the development and trained line level associates and hotel managers on IHG’s Staybridge Suites “Suite Shine” Housekeeping program.• Developed and trained line level associates and hotel managers on IHG’s Candlewood Suites “Can Do Maintenance” Preventative Maintenance program in order to improve maintenance scores.• Served as contracted Director of Sales for HLI Hotel Management (Country Inn and Suites BWI Airport)• Provided operations consulting for Vista Host Hotel Management (Hampton Inn BWI Airport, and Comfort Suites Mechanicsburg, Pa) resulting in improved service scores and increased gross operating profit.• Trained Crowne Plaza hotel associates on the property level service and standards components of their new “Place to Meet” marketing initiative

Country Inn And Suites Bwi Airport

Leading the team at this hotel was one of the most enjoyable and most accomplished periods in my hotel career. Many memorable things happened and many strong life-long relationships were developed while here.One of the concepts we utilized here was a take on a Ritz Carlton motto "Ladies and Gentlemen serving Ladies and Gentlemen" At this hotel I started the concept of every team member referring to each other with a salutation. We never used first names when addressing each other. It was always Ms., Mrs. or Mr. It's amazing how something so simple can be so effective. This small concept was one of the key reasons our guest service index scores went sky high.Serving on the advisory boards of Anne Arundel Community College's Hospitality and Tourism program and being a part of the New Member Committee with two chambers of commerce, and allowing a local high school to host a car wash are examples of how community outreach was important to the overall success of this hotel.I had complete responsibility for the sales effort, financial performance and operation success for this flagship hotel of HLI Hotels and UP Management.My noted accomplishments at Country Inn and Suites BWI Airport include:• Implemented revenue management strategies resulting in a 200% increase in its previous years’ REVPAR. • Increased occupancy from 25% to 89% in only 4 months.• Exceeded budgeted revenue and gross operating profit projections each quarter• Increased guest service index and Medallia scores by 75%• Hotel was ranked in the top 20% in the brand• Improved employee retention and associate performance by training department managers on best practices in associate coaching and performance management

United States

This job was FUN. This was the first position I had that I was encouraged to have fun. In this role I was required to travel nearly 90% of the time. I logged some serious airline miles and rental car points. It's too bad I-95, the NJ Turnpike, and the PA Turnpike didn't have frequent driver programs. Do they even have that now? And this driving was done before the days of Easy Pass. I think once I listened to an entire best of Elton John CD (I mean cassette) while waiting to pay a cash toll at the Delaware Memorial Bridge.Front line telephone skills was at least 40% of what I taught in this role. Ask me to give you a demonstration of how my mother answers the phone and remind me to tell you about the phone prank we played on her during a holiday gatheringTraveled extensively to manage a nation-wide training portfolio of up to 88 clients including Mandarin Oriental, Regency Hotel, and Intercontinental Hotels. Provided customer service and sales training in industries that are not hospitality related including apartment communities, heavy equipment sales, safes, educational institution, and banking.• Trained hotel front line associates on a trade marked sales process that improved conversion ratios and revenue• Developed strong relationships with hotel owners and managers that enabled them to see me as a trusted adviser. This provided the opportunity to be an external champion of associate transformation that helped associate performance improve from good to legendary.