For this week's chat, I tootled off to the Edge hotel School at the University of Essex to meet comedy genius (And Deputy Head) Adrian Martin. Adrian brings a wealth of experience from both the hospitality industry and academia, making for a fascinating conversation. And Adrian is engaging from the get go as we delve into his unexpected journey into hospitality, which began with a nudge from his grandmother and led him to a successful career in hotel management before transitioning to academia. Adrian shares his insights on the invaluable hands-on training that students receive at the Wivenhoe House, a four-star country house hotel on campus, preparing them to transition from operational roles to management positions seamlessly. We also explore Adrian's ground-breaking research on customer behaviour highlighting the use of AI and social media to predict and improve customer service experiences. Adrian discusses the moral and ethical implications of such technology and emphasises the importance of building personal connections with customers. Join us as we uncover Adrian's journey, his impactful research, and his passion for teaching the next generation of hospitality professionals. Whether you're in the industry or simply curious about the world of hospitality, this episode is packed with valuable insights you won't want to miss. The Guest Adrian Martin - Associate Professor and Deputy Head of the Edge Hotel School at the University of Essex LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/associate-professor-adrian-martin-8a2ab133 The Sponsor Today’s episode comes to you in partnership with RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams. RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app. It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones. Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy