Host Steve Turk welcomes Sean McCarron, General Manager of Conrad Orlando at Evermore, to discuss Sean’s path through luxury hospitality and what it takes to lead and open award-winning resorts. Sean shares how he entered hospitality through a Ritz-Carlton management trainee program at Pentagon City (placed as a bartender), discovered hotel school in Switzerland after soul-searching in college, and committed his career to luxury service. He explains his passion for food and beverage, his moves across cities and cultures, and his transition from Ritz-Carlton to Four Seasons via a recruited lateral move that led to 16 years with Four Seasons, multiple hotel openings, and progression into hotel management. Sean describes opening Four Seasons Baltimore as his first hotel manager role and later moving to Las Vegas, then leaving Four Seasons to become GM of Waldorf Astoria Orlando with Hilton, where he focused on training teams in luxury, building a people culture, improving service and guest loyalty, and achieving Forbes Four Star for the resort. He details joining Conrad Orlando nearly 19 months pre-opening as the first employee, leading the opening within the broader Evermore Orlando Resort featuring a 17-million-gallon, eight-acre freshwater lagoon, beach areas, vacation rentals, golf courses, and a spa, and emphasizes leadership through daily walkthroughs, balanced meetings, guest and team engagement, and the principle of “inspect what you expect.” Sean discusses Hilton’s focus on technology and AI to make team members’ jobs easier and free up time for guest relationships, how the resort differentiates itself as a destination beyond theme parks, and recent recognitions including AAA Five Diamond (2025), Forbes Four Star for the hotel and resort, Forbes Four Star for the spa, and a Top 20 ranking in Spas of America’s Top 100 for the second year in a row. He closes with career advice: excel in your current role while acting for the job you want, continually ask what could be done differently or better, and never forget to give back through mentoring and development. 00:00 Welcome to The Hospitality Mentor Podcast 00:33 Sponsor Break: Lodgify All-in-One for Hospitality 01:38 Meet Sean McCarran, GM of Conrad Orlando 01:56 First Hospitality Job: Ritz-Carlton Trainee to Bartender 02:27 Finding Hospitality: Hotel School in Switzerland & Love for Luxury 04:16 Why Food & Beverage: A Lifelong Passion for Cuisine 05:07 Moving Cities & Building a Luxury Career (Ritz-Carlton Years) 06:15 Switching Brands: Recruited to Four Seasons + 16-Year Run 07:55 From F&B to Hotel Leadership: Mentors, Openings & Becoming a GM 12:21 Vegas Chapter: Hospitality Epicenter & Celebrity Chef Scene 14:40 Leaving Four Seasons: Waldorf Astoria Orlando GM & Hilton Luxury 18:45 Waldorf Highlights: Culture, Team Growth & Forbes 4-Star Win 20:28 Building Conrad Orlando: Pre-Opening, Evermore Lagoon & Mega-Resort Vision 24:55 Leadership Playbook: ‘Inspect What You Expect’ + Daily Walks & Meetings 27:56 Tech, AI & the Future of Hospitality Teams 30:17 Standing Out in Orlando: Owning the ‘Off Day’ as a Destination Resort 32:41 Big Accolades: AAA Five Diamond + Forbes Four Star (Hotel & Spa) 35:21 What’s Next: Maturing the Resort & Raising the Bar 37:04 Advice to Young Sean: Act for the Job You Want & Keep Giving Back 39:34 Wrap-Up, Share the Episode + Sponsor: Biscayne Coffee
