Danielle Diersing, Hilton | Designing the Guest Experience: Innovation, Prototypes, and the Future of Hospitality

Dive in. Hey, Danielle. Boy, I'm glad to have you with us today. Hey, Sean.

Thank you so much for the invite. I'm excited to be here. Well, you know, I have to be honest with you that when I saw you in a publication, it said, you know, you're 30 under 30. I was looking for someone that could relate a little better to the many of the young leaders that we have listening and students.

And so I said, this is great. And I know you worked for Hilton. And I thought, well, that's great. And I found out I ended up knowing your boss.

And I said, I got to call her to make sure you weren't a dud. And she said, not at all. She's vibrant. She's a lot of fun.

She's really great to work with. So you're not a dud. I'm not. I'm glad to hear it.

How's that for an introduction? That is quite the introduction. Ladies and gentlemen, we have Danielle with us here today, and she's not a dud. Not a dud.

That's the subtitle everyone needs. Well, thank you again for being here. And, you know, it is a big deal in the hotel industry. They have this 30 under 30, and it talks about leaders that are coming up through the ranks and that are younger.

And I thought, because we have so many young listeners, I thought it'd be great to have someone, you know, somewhere between. I mean, I'm not a Gen or Z or an X. I mean, I don't even think they have the, maybe I'm Gen A or B, but thank you. And so let's kind of talk about how you got that 30, Ananda.

I mean, how did that happen? Where did that come from? Yeah, definitely. Well, one, I'm very honored to have received the nomination.

So within the, when Hilton on my team, I work for the product experience and prototypes, team, which I'm sure we'll get more into. But I was very fortunate enough to receive a nomination from my boss. And so, you know, through the process, she had reached out. And so we kind of talked about all of the different accomplishments that I've had here at Hilton.

And she said she wanted to nominate me, which I was very fortunate and grateful for. And so there was a nomination form, filled it out, waited to hear. And then I was lucky enough to receive the nomination. And so So it was very exciting being this young in my career.

I've loved everything about the hospitality industry. So it was very exciting. That's great. And so you're kind of between a Z and an X?

Yeah, it's 1996. So I fall right in that cusp. I like to maybe take advantage of all the quirks of the different generation types. So people do say I, you know, portray myself older probably than I am.

But, you know, it's still good to be young and fun. What I listen is that I asked her to, you know, jot down a few items that she could talk about. And I got 22 pages. Well, this could be longer than our typical 20-minute podcast, but let's have some fun with it.

So we do have, you can get into your career a little bit, but we'll shorten it from the 22-pages dialogue. Oh, absolutely. You know, things that were really relevant that really made a difference to you in what you did, and I think that's kind of cool. So why don't you go ahead?

Yeah, definitely. So I joked with you and I shared with you that in high school, I took a career test. And I actually, back in high school, received hospitality management as the top one. And at that time, I didn't really know much about the hospitality industry.

And I was like shocked and I was one of the only ones in the classroom to receive that. And so kind of fast forward, I am looking back on my, all of my involvement, my career up to this point, and it was all involved in hospitality management. You know, I, in college, I fell in love with event planning. And so that is, you know, planning lots of large, complex situations, bringing a lot of people together, really getting your hands dirty into all of the details, working on a lot of different things all at once.

And so when I left college, I was like, I really want a job where I can get to do all of these different dynamic things. I want to work with people. I want to make a difference. And so I had different experience in college.

I, you know, I interned at Target where I got to do a lot of different things at a store. And so I learned all of the aspects of leading a Target store. I worked at a park where I got to interact with the marketing department, learning how to encourage guests to visit different parks within the area. And then in college, I actually ended up meeting Hilton Supply Management, which got me into Hilton here today.

And so I started at Hilton Supply Management on the corporate procurement team, getting to learn a lot of different functions within the Hilton organization. So I was supporting a lot of different internal teams, getting to understand what projects they needed, what were their supplier needs. I learned the world of contracting. And then that led me to my team today.

And so I was actually doing contracts for the product experience and prototypes team. And so when a position opened up on that team, I was kind of interested in learning a different aspect of Hilton. And so we work on lots of different brands at Hilton on the design side. And so I was excited to kind of take my passion and switch over to that team.

And so, you know, I look back and I think about all of these different experiences that led me to, you know, be interested in a lot of different backgrounds. And so I was excited to kind of jump into a new part of the hospitality industry. Well, it's interesting how people get to where they are in a career. I mean, I was a teacher.

I was enrolled into, you know, I was making beds and mulling lawns early on in my career. But Each of us has kind of evolved. And so I think that's a neat thing for people to see. You don't necessarily have to be working the front desk.

You don't have to be working in housekeeping. There's other areas within the same industry. I happen to have the pleasure of working with your current boss now and on your, I think they call it the property advisors, PAC. The product advisory council.

Yeah. And so it was really interesting. So tell me a little bit about your role now, because you're tied in with that team. and, you know, briefly describe, because it is different.

You're not making beds, you're not doing, but what we put on the beds is responsible is because of you and your roles. So tell us what, you know, tell our listeners what you do. Yes, so we joke that our team name is a mouthful, but it's the Product Experience and Prototypes team. And we like to say that we help lead the brand prototype design and category product initiatives that go into our all suites and focus service brands at Hilton.

We like to coin them the mega category brands. And so our team works on a lot of initiatives that impact like the on-property hotel experience. So I know what focus service are, but for our students... It'd be Hampton, Hilton Garden, and then on the street side, you've got Homewood, you've got Home Too, and Embassy Suites.

Absolutely. Yep. So those, yeah. And then the true brand is also as part of our focus or select service.

There's a lot of different names within the industry. So yeah, so those brands we consider prototypical. So what that means is we help put together kind of the overall design, because when you go to one of those brands, they relatively look similar. And so we kind of have figured out the cool system of what works well and maybe what doesn't work well.

And so our team, a lot of time is intaking a lot of really great insights from hotel operators because the hotel operators are living it day in and day out. They're seeing what's working on property, what's not working on property. And so our team is like the conduit of learning what's working from the hotel operators, from hotel owners, from our own internal Hilton teams that help support the brands. And so then our team helps kind of improve that design for the prototypes when we look to refresh those every, you know, few years or so.

So it's very exciting. Yeah. It was interesting that some of the things that we talked about when I was on the committee was... The well relative to sustainability yeah and the the getting away from the little wrap soaps and little wrap shampoos and i hilton did back when we had those they was they were gathering them sending them off to other countries and that was a great thing but it was still still having the same thing you're using the plastics you're doing it and it was neat to see all of the things that went into deciding what kind of bottles that are going to go on the wall how they squeeze how much comes out how much and then once you get them out there it's like uh-oh we should have put a little thinner, a little easier.

Cause I mean, I, I remember telling them it was, you know, I'm a big guy, but I was having a hard time squeezing the soap out of it. And so they changed it. And well, I don't think it was because of me, but, but that's kind of little things that you do. Absolutely.

This kind of soap goes in this kind of brand at this level of hotel. So, so thank you for that. Now the bottles I can squeeze out, you know, I can get. That's great.

Yes, absolutely. We're always learning and adapting because you know, you put things out there and it's every guest is different. And so it's very interesting to see, you know i'll design it out depending on you know what's going on on property so you touch a lot of things you touch the the things in the rooms yeah be the sheets or the beds or the soaps and the shampoos and radios well i don't do radios anymore but you've taken those out that's those things but also in the lobbies and all at breakfast and all yes yeah so a lot of it is the like the the design within the room.

So even the furniture that goes into the room. How that is sized, how that fits into the room, what's the best guest experience. We also take a look, like you said, at the lobby, breakfast, you know, how are guests flowing through the space? Where are the best spots to have different table setups?

You know, do you have booths? Do you have tables and shares? How do you set up a buffet so that helps get all of the guests through and ensure they get their Hampton waffle? So it's exciting to kind of understand all of the programming that goes into really figuring out the best way to design a property.

And, you know, every location is different. And so it's like, how do you make sure that things are adaptable so it works for wherever you are in the country? Yeah, and you have to do that for so many brands. Absolutely.

And keep the uniqueness. And they talk about keeping the brands in their swim lanes. Absolutely. But also doing things that are cost effective.

You talk about the categories, all of those things you talked about, the mega category, which is what you and we operate in. It's important to make sure we utilize the cost statement because at a hotelier, by the time it gets down to the hotel, they have to make money. You know, we sell rooms. If we don't sell enough rooms and we have to pay too much for our product, then there's a problem.

And that's one of the advantages of working with a brand like Hilton and then having the backup with all the work that goes in. I was just amazed at the amount of work. And then you go, these are the five things and these cost this much and this cost this much. And this is how it squeezes.

And this is what it looks like. So many things you folks do. So from a franchisee and an owner, we appreciate it. Yes.

No. And we appreciate the partnership because the feedback is invaluable and it keeps the innovation running. And that's what keeps it exciting within this industry of like we're learning, we're all learning from each other. And then we hopefully make it better in the future.

So now do you take home things and try them? Sometimes. We also do a lot of testing kind of going into before we launch something. And so we have a great partnership with Hilton Supply Management that, oh my gosh, They, when we look at a whole bunch of things, we call it a warehouse review where we're looking at every single item that we are putting into like a package.

And so we get to really see a lot of cool things, different chairs, different sizes. Is it comfortable to sit in? And so, you know, sometimes you get to take a few things home, but it is really, it's really exciting and, you know, cool to be able to, like you said, touch so many different parts of the whole ecosystem. Well, and I think for someone like me, who's a real squirrel, it's nice to be able to have lots of little to go off to this project, off to that project.

And so I would think for anybody in your role where you could touch so many things and learn so much. So with developing your career into other things as you go, having all these opportunities are great for you. Who would have been a mentor for you through your process? Not all 25 of them you might have.

Well, yes, there's been a lot of very valuable people in my life. I would say that, you know, first and foremost, my parents have always been wonderful mentors to me, you know, instilling very hard work, you know, always exploring your interests and your passions and not giving up on things that you might be interested in. So I definitely have to thank them as a mentor. But here within Hilton, and we've already mentioned her name, Robbie Mosley has truly been a phenomenal mentor.

She's also my boss. But at the same time, I've learned so much, you know, from her about mentoring, about helping others around you, about making sure that you are thinking about all pieces that could go into the big puzzle. And so she's been just a truly phenomenal mentor. She, you know, she works so hard on so many different things and she helps every single person and always, you know, even if it's hard and it's difficult, she always pushes through.

And so I've loved learning from her, seeing how her brain works and applying a lot of her leadership skills to what I do here in the future. Well, I think that was one of the things I was going to ask you when you're, you know, you've learned from leaders and... What have you taken from her? Let's take one or two things you've taken from her and say, I'd really like to incorporate that into my leadership style or my development style.

What might you have taken from her? Yeah, I would say my favorite thing is how she asks questions. She is able to kind of work with a lot of different people across the organization. But the way she asks questions and seeks to learn more in a way that, you know, allows everyone to have their point of view heard, but also allows the whole group to kind of discuss, ruminate and figure out what's the best path forward.

And so that is something that, you know, as a leader, I think is really important because you have to learn from everyone that's in the room. You have to be able to hear different perspectives and then also set a vision to go forward. And I think that she really excels at that. And that is a piece of leadership that I, you know, I want to take with me as I continue to grow in my career.

Well, that's great because, you know, a lot of our listeners are developing their skills in this role, in their career life. And having that kind of a tip from someone who's not too far from their age that's learned this from a seasoned professional in Robbie is a great thing. So thank you for sharing that. I think that's really good.

And I still have to work at that. You know, I've been doing that. And that has been a skill set that I always want to work at, but it's not an easy skill set. And so it is something you have to keep doing.

And so perhaps you've inspired a few of our younger leaders to be that way. But, um, so you're in a mega company right now. It's real big company. And, um.

What's the culture like? What do you like about the culture of Hilton? You're with Hilton. You worked with Supply.

Hilton Supply Management was started by Hilton, but it's its own business now, right? Well, it's actually still within Hilton. Yeah. So it's part of the Hilton enterprise.

And so, yeah, I started with Hilton Supply Management and then just as part of Hilton overall. I think my favorite thing about the culture is, you know, everyone. One, is extremely kind. We everyone jokes when you start at Hilton, like it's nice to be in the hospitality industry because everyone wants to help each other out.

And so I think that very much shines through at Hilton. When I started right out of college, I did a lot of informational interviews, coffee chats. And that was great because all of these different people across many different teams sat down, met with me and talked about their career. I talked about starting mine.

And I didn't expect that at right out of college to have so many individuals wanting to take time to talk about what they do in their role and how they can help you in yours. And so I think that really just, you know, instills it's all part of the culture. Everyone wants to help each other out. Everyone also wants to innovate and be better.

And so it's a really like fun, fast paced culture because we're all working on so many different things that touch so many different parts of the industry. So we're all kind of learning from each other at the same time and so it's fun it Hilton has a really really great culture I mean we're one of the world's best workplaces and so I think that is a testament to the culture that has been built here and I think you know you spend a lot of time doing internships and experience in other companies I think that's a great thing to highlight you know you've mentioned that a couple times but you found somewhere that kind of fits for you and I think when you're building a career you might have to go to you know like you said I I went to Target, I went to here, I went to there.

And all those things are great places to go. But you learn what you like and what you don't like. But you're out there. You're not just sitting, you know, going in something that has no direction that you want to go in.

So I think for our younger listeners to know that, you know, if you go in, even if it's volunteering at places, you know, it's getting out of the same thing. And then if you keep working and then all of a sudden you get found, you get found a job. And that finding that job, I think you said, you know, someone suggested that you reach out to Hilton. You saw him at a job fair.

Yes, I saw Hilton at the job fair. Yeah. And that was exactly my process of trying to find a job my senior year of college. Like I interviewed at a lot of different places.

And when I interviewed at Hilton, I was like, this just feels right. And so but it's the combination of all of that, like you said, trying a lot of the different things. And then you'll find kind of what works for you. And so, I mean, I look back and I'm like, I've tried a lot of different things.

And that led me to Hilton, which was really exciting, really awesome. But my first internship, actually, when I was a freshman, was someone else at another job had recommended that I reach out to a marketing department. And I was like, oh, they'll never accept me. I'm a freshman in college.

And then they were like, sure, we would love to have you. And so I think that's another important part of like asking for what you want, finding interest and maybe just, you know, starting a conversation can lead to so much more. And so that's, you know, that would be my kind of career tip is just talk, ask questions and it can lead you where you need to be. Well, my reaching out and wanting to serve the Hilton family through Robby, comes to you.

Yeah. I've always said that, you know, I'm not that smart a guy, but I've got a lot of people in a know and I've got a lot of friendships and I care about people. And I think, you know, when you're in a culture that thrives by that kind of career or that kind of lifestyle. You can go places like me.

I mean, I've done okay. But a lot of it is because of the relationships I've developed over the years, like Robbie and all the folks at Hilton. And now you. Yeah.

And we can watch you grow. So maybe we're getting close to our time limit here, but what would you like to tell our listeners that are early in their quest for getting into hospitality in some area? Well, I started to talk about it right before, but I would say that I think the most fascinating thing is there's a lot of hospitality elements everywhere. And so So, you know, you can be working, you know, at a fast food restaurant, you could be working at Target, you could be doing a lot of different things, but they all relate back to that hospitality and tality.

And so how look at all of the different things that you might be doing, and kind of evaluate, like, where do I want to take this? And so I would say, like, for me, from my perspective, I asked a lot of questions. I was excited about a lot of things. And I talked to a lot of people.

And I think that really helps me kind of navigate where I want it to take my career. And so from all of those, like you said, the relationships that you gain and the tips that you hear from people, it kind of is, you know, I take it as like putting it in my bag. Like there's a lot of things that I take with me. And then that kind of helps me figure out where I want to go next.

So my advice for getting into the hospitality industry is, you know, really taking a look at all of the things that interest you. There's a lot of things that relate to the hospitality industry, no matter what your job. It might not have been directly related to hospitality, but there's a chance that it is. And so, you know, kind of evaluating the skill set that you have, all of the experiences that you may have had up to this date, and really try the new thing.

I love that when you said something about you take all these things with you and you put them in your purse. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You say, I learned this, I learned that. And I think that's a great lesson in that every job you have or every person you come in contact with, you can learn something from that's going to help mold you.

And it has molded you to the great position you have. What is your title now? I'm senior manager of product experience and prototypes. That's a big business card.

But I think, so you take in a little bit from everybody you've learned along your career. And even in high school, you learn things in high school. You learn things in your internships. You learn things in your first jobs.

And I think that's a great, great lesson for young professionals coming out. You don't have to know where you're going to be. Absolutely. I love the fact that you just said you got to listen.

You got to learn from people. then just take the things you need. And that gives you a well-rounded personality and career. This has been awesome.

Thank you so much. And I know when I, at the beginning, I joked about being a dud. You're far from a dud. You are great.

And I feel so fortunate to have you on here. It's been a while since I've been 30 under 30, but you are an amazing leader and a great representation of Hilton. So I thank you for being here. And careers in Hilton, isn't there some kind of a program they have there too?

Yes. So we have a different early talent development programs that I definitely recommend looking into. So we have undergrad and graduate internship opportunities. We have a launch program, which is a two-year rotational corporate program.

And then we also have our management development program, MDP. And that is a 12-month on-property program where you get to learn all about the different aspects of working on property, which is really, really cool. And I've had friends and colleagues that have participated it in a mix of those and they've loved them. So I definitely recommend checking those out.

Well, thank you. That's it just popped. And I knew you had said something about that. So I wanted to follow up.

So thank you so much. Thank you, Sean. Thank you for being with us and listeners check out that Hilton and find out what you can get for a job. Thanks, Sean.

Thank you for joining us for another episode of Bed and Butter, the hospitality podcast produced in partnership with Southern Maine Community College. Subscribe to the podcast to ensure that you don't miss any episodes and while you're at it share it with someone who might benefit from these insights.