In this enlightening episode of Hotel Moment, Karen Stephens is joined by Dimple Jethani, the Chief Information Officer at Aramark Destinations. With over 25 years of experience driving innovation across technology and hospitality, Dimple shares her unique journey from accounting to technology leadership.

Dimple discusses her unexpected path to hospitality, from her early days at Arthur Andersen to entrepreneurship, and eventually to leadership roles at Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings during the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19. Now at Aramark Destinations, she oversees technology strategy for iconic properties in national parks like Yosemite and Yellowstone, focusing on enhancing guest experiences through thoughtful technology implementation.

Throughout the conversation, Dimple emphasizes the importance of master data management, cybersecurity education, and strategic AI adoption. She offers practical insights on how to approach data unification across multiple properties and why defining what you want to know about your guests must precede any technology implementation.

What You'll Learn:

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[02:26] From accounting to technology leadership - Dimple shares her unexpected journey into technology and hospitality. Originally planning to major in accounting, a series of pivots led her to technology consulting at Arthur Andersen, where she developed a passion for enabling businesses through technology. After 14 years as an entrepreneur, she landed at Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, where she fell in love with hospitality and saw firsthand how crew experience drives guest experience. This path eventually led her to Aramark Destinations, where she now oversees technology for iconic properties in national parks across the United States.

[06:24] Navigating COVID-19 at Norwegian Cruise Line - Dimple recounts the unprecedented challenges faced by the cruise industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. As the only industry completely shut down for over a year, Norwegian had to rapidly transition to remote work while developing new systems for processing refunds at scale. Dimple was heavily involved with the health and safety panel, implementing new technologies for contact tracing, COVID testing integration, and digital health passports. Despite the stress, she describes it as a "labor of love" that united the organization toward a common goal and ultimately led to the successful relaunch of 28 ships with enhanced safety protocols.

[11:20] Creating a unified data strategy across destinations - Dimple emphasizes the importance of establishing consistent data collection and management across multiple properties. At Aramark Destinations, which operates lodges and experiences in iconic national parks like Yosemite and Yellowstone, she stresses that individual properties need to come together to define what guest data matters most. Without consistency, cross-selling and personalizing experiences across properties becomes impossible. She advocates for proper master data management and governance, noting that even if data is captured but not integrated properly, its value is significantly diminished. Making data easy to access and use is critical for success.

00:00 - Intro 
02:06 - Dimple's journey to technology and hospitality 
06:10 - Leading technology through COVID at Norwegian Cruise Line 
09:45 - About Aramark Destinations and their iconic properties 
11:20 - Capturing and leveraging guest data effectively 
13:27 - Approach to cybersecurity in hospitality 
15:55 - AI's impact on travel planning and experiences 
18:56 - First steps to centralizing your data 
20:32 - Mentoring women in technology and hospitality 
23:23 - Creating a culture of continuous learning 
25:28 - Outro