Floyd Hospitality Resources

With my French-Canadian wife, I am blessed to have two children, a 15-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl.

During my childhood, I had the opportunity to attend various events such as banking conventions, agriculture conferences, and annual vacations. These experiences sparked my interest in traveling and exploring new places. However, it was my visit to Disneyland in Anaheim that truly ignited my passion for Hospitality. The enchanting aura of the park and the hotel, where everything was flawlessly perfect, left a profound impact on me. I couldn’t help but notice the genuine happiness on people’s faces. It wasn’t just because they were at the “Happiest Place On Earth,” but rather because every Disney cast member was devoted to creating an unparalleled guest experience.

I joined the United States Army in 1991 as a Quartermaster (logistics) and advanced to Sergeant before taking an honorable discharge in 1999. During this period, I also attended Kansas State University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business with a focus on Hospitality Management and joined Kimpton Hotels as a Rooms Division Manager.

In 1997, I made the decision to switch career paths and leave my role as Rooms Division Manager at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel in San Francisco to become a software installer with National Guest Systems in Maryland. This marked the beginning of my journey into the exciting world of Hospitality Technology. Over time, I progressed to become the Senior Manager of Visual One Product Management, where I played a key role in designing and developing one of the world’s first fully integrated Windows-based software suites – Visual One Systems. Later, I was tasked with opening an office and establishing a presence for Visual One in the United Kingdom. I further advanced in my career and became the head of Sales for Visual One in 2004, Visual One Systems was acquired by Agilysys in 2006.

During my time at Agilysys, I was responsible for overseeing non-gaming sales, sales engineering, and product management. My main objective was to expand the reach of Visual One Systems to non-gaming hotels and resorts around the globe. In 2007, I was invited to join the acquisition team that assisted Agilysys in acquiring InfoGenesis, a leading provider of Point-of-Sale technologies worldwide. I continued to work at Agilysys until 2012 when I joined Infor Global Solutions.

I started my career with Infor as the Vice President of Product and Chief of Staff of the Infor Hospitality business unit. My job entailed assisting the Senior Vice President and General Manager with the daily operations of the business unit, with direct accountability for product management and sales engineering. I was also responsible for the global channel partners and for being the liaison with industry analysts and consultants worldwide. In 2017 I was promoted to Senior Vice President and General Manager and took on the added responsibilities of business unit sales, support, deployments, software development and marketing.

Always have courage, and be humble and kind. If these words sound familiar, they should. They are words taken from a song by Tim McGraw, and I try to live by them. Kindness is contagious and is one of the cornerstones of the Hospitality industry of people caring for other people. Individuals and companies must also have great courage, especially the courage to sometimes fail, as it is through failure that most eventually find success. Finally, being humble is a very critical trait. Egos are essential as they create passion and drive, but egotism should never dominate humbleness.

I hold a strong belief that work should be enjoyable in order to attract and maintain talented individuals, as well as stimulate creativity, productivity, and dedication towards the job. It is important for team members to develop a bond and appreciate each other’s company, beyond just meeting deadlines, reaching sales quotas, or resolving support incidents. Regular team meals and retreats in exciting locations where all can express themselves without fear of criticism are necessary for fostering team spirit and bringing innovative ideas to fruition.