179 | Bridal Suite Sweethearts
02/18/25 • 31 min
James Ferguson started his hospitality career at the front desk and worked his way up through operations and leadership roles. Now, as Director of Culture at Wurzak Hotel Group, he focuses on employee experience and engagement with the goal of making workplace culture his company’s strongest asset. He’s also the author of The Confetti Culture Playbook, a guide to building high-performing teams through recognition, reward, and real connection. Susan and James talk about cool titles and crazy weddings.
What you'll learn about:
🎉 Confetti Cleanup 101: James shares the ultimate hack for dealing with post-wedding ballroom disasters. (Hint: Leave the regular vacuums out of this.)
👔 Suit Up for Success: How a front desk job and a sharp suit transformed James' confidence—and his career trajectory.
🏨 From GM to Culture Guru: Why James took a step back from a general manager role to refine his leadership skills before stepping into a bigger game.
📖 Confetti Culture Playbook: The surprising backstory of how a personal leadership playbook turned into a published guide for workplace excellence.
🤝 Director of Culture – Best Job Ever?: James explains what his role entails and why every company needs to rethink how they engage employees.
🚀 Your Culture Is Your Competitive Edge: The dramatic shift in how hotel companies attract, retain, and inspire their teams—and why it’s more crucial than ever.
🔥 Recognition Over Pizza Parties: Why celebrating employees properly is not about cheap perks but about real engagement that moves the needle.
🤯 Wedding Drama in the Lobby: The jaw-dropping loading dock story that could easily be mistaken for a reality TV plot.
📚 Grab James's Book: https://theconfetticultureplaybook.com/
🎧 Listen now and level up your workplace culture! If you loved enjoyed this episode want more like it, please subscribe, share, and leave a review. Need your burning hospitality questions answered? Call or text the hotline at 850-404-9630 to be featured on a future episode!
James Ferguson started his hospitality career at the front desk and worked his way up through operations and leadership roles. Now, as Director of Culture at Wurzak Hotel Group, he focuses on employee experience and engagement with the goal of making workplace culture his company’s strongest asset. He’s also the author of The Confetti Culture Playbook, a guide to building high-performing teams through recognition, reward, and real connection. Susan and James talk about cool titles and crazy weddings.
What you'll learn about:
🎉 Confetti Cleanup 101: James shares the ultimate hack for dealing with post-wedding ballroom disasters. (Hint: Leave the regular vacuums out of this.)
👔 Suit Up for Success: How a front desk job and a sharp suit transformed James' confidence—and his career trajectory.
🏨 From GM to Culture Guru: Why James took a step back from a general manager role to refine his leadership skills before stepping into a bigger game.
📖 Confetti Culture Playbook: The surprising backstory of how a personal leadership playbook turned into a published guide for workplace excellence.
🤝 Director of Culture – Best Job Ever?: James explains what his role entails and why every company needs to rethink how they engage employees.
🚀 Your Culture Is Your Competitive Edge: The dramatic shift in how hotel companies attract, retain, and inspire their teams—and why it’s more crucial than ever.
🔥 Recognition Over Pizza Parties: Why celebrating employees properly is not about cheap perks but about real engagement that moves the needle.
🤯 Wedding Drama in the Lobby: The jaw-dropping loading dock story that could easily be mistaken for a reality TV plot.
📚 Grab James's Book: https://theconfetticultureplaybook.com/
🎧 Listen now and level up your workplace culture! If you loved enjoyed this episode want more like it, please subscribe, share, and leave a review. Need your burning hospitality questions answered? Call or text the hotline at 850-404-9630 to be featured on a future episode!
Previous Episode
178 | Screamed at in the Hall
Mathew Focht is a pioneer in blending data-driven strategies with hospitality innovation. With a career spanning engineering, real estate development, and investments, he co-founded Consolidated Concepts, the largest group purchasing organization in the U.S., before launching Emerging Fund, a platform designed to scale tech-enabled concepts in the hospitality and entertainment sectors.
What You'll Learn About:
What really makes a location perfect for a restaurant?
How Mathew’s love for data and design led him from planning golf course communities to revolutionizing mixed-use developments.
Which unorthodox methods Mathew used to gather insights for restaurant chains before big data became mainstream.
Why tech-enabled concepts like Putt Shack and F1 Arcade are taking center stage in the experience economy.
How undervaluing marketing costs you money.
If you loved enjoyed this episode want more like it, please subscribe, share, and leave a review. Need your burning hospitality questions answered? Call or text the hotline at 850-404-9630 to be featured on a future episode!
Next Episode
180 | Balloon Transformer
Janet Irizarry has spent 30+ years in the restaurant industry, from owning multiple eateries to teaching at the Culinary Institute of America. Now, she’s on a mission to help families reduce food waste through her innovative My Mindful Kitchen method. Susan and Janet talk about sustainability, smart shopping, and stress-free meal planning.
What You'll Learn About:
🥬 Spring mix struggles! Susan confesses to an ongoing battle with Costco-sized salad greens—Janet delivers a reality check on what “value” really means.
🍴 From McDonald's to mindful meals. Janet shares her unexpected path from geology major to restaurant owner to sustainability advocate.
🖩 The restaurant reality check. Hospitality students often dream of glamour, but Janet breaks down the nitty-gritty of restaurant ownership (spoiler: math is involved!).
🧒 A kid-friendly food revolution. Janet's new course, My Mindful Kitchen, turns food waste reduction into a family adventure—stickers, scavenger hunts, and all.
🌶️ Leftovers like a pro. Get creative with your fridge finds—Janet shares easy hacks and a Google search trick that will change your meal planning game.
🎈 Balloon-induced blackout?! A restaurant power outage caused by rogue Mylar balloons—just another day in the unpredictable world of hospitality.
If you loved enjoyed this episode want more like it, please subscribe, share, and leave a review. Need your burning hospitality questions answered? Call or text the hotline at 850-404-9630 to be featured on a future episode!
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