ABOUT BEGIN HOSPITALITY
BEGIN Hospitality provides hands-on consulting, management and development services to restaurant, hotel and cruise businesses and developers. BEGIN Hospitality leverages its industry expertise, relationships and network of professionals to form customized client project teams with proven track records of driving operational excellence, product innovation and financial performance.
Brian Abel, founder of BEGIN Hospitality, is a customer experience focused leader with diverse experience in Food & Beverage, Hotel and Cruise Operations. He has served in leadership roles for some of the best-known and most innovative hospitality companies on land and at sea, including Starwood Hotels & Resorts and Royal Caribbean Group. Recognized as a strategic and outside of the box thinker, Brian has a natural ability to diagnose and address root causes and design/implement processes, products and solutions that drive revenue, reduce cost, improve operational efficiencies, and enhance overall guest experience. He is a hands-on operator recognized for developing and implementing transformational service cultures that make guests’ dreams a reality.
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For over 7 years, Brian served as Senior Vice President of Hotel Operations for Celebrity Cruises, where he was responsible for bringing innovative onboard experiences to over a million guests a year on Celebrity’s 15 award-winning ships. As a strategic leader, he drove concept development for accommodations, culinary, entertainment, guest relations, casino, retail and launched 3 new innovative billion-dollar ships with numerous signature brand experiences. Additionally, Brian pioneered a new service culture for the brand, delivering best in class service and creating the cruise industry’s first-ever partnership with Forbes Travel Guide resulting in receiving 3-star and 4-star ratings for five Celebrity's ships.
Brian also spent nine years at Starwood Hotels and Resorts, elevating to the role of Vice President, Food and Beverage, North America Division. In this role, Brian oversaw food and beverage operations for the company's 9 iconic hotel brands including St. Regis, W, Westin and Sheraton which encompassed a portfolio of more than 500 hotels and resorts. He was also responsible for concept and menu development, venue, and interior design, and managing third-party relationships. Throughout his career, he has partnered with world-class designers and chefs such as Daniel Boulud, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and Alain Ducasse.
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With multiple hotel, restaurant and cruise line openings and multi-unit management achievements across numerous concepts across the globe, BEGIN Hospitality offers rare expertise to create and launch innovative guest experiences, to fine-tune existing brands and products as well as to build new successful hospitality operations.