Industry Hotshots Archive

What are some of your responsibilities?
I oversee information technology and telecom at La Quinta.

What do you like most about your job?
Tech, tech, tech. I consider myself a geek and love delving deep into new technology, software and new products. And I love to see technology-enabling business processes get more efficient, especially where it is leveraged to increase revenues!

What do you like least about your job?
System outages.

Where did you go to school? What was your major?
Indian Institute of Management – MBA with major in IT and marketing.

What is your favorite movie?
No question, my favorite by far is "The Godfather."

What is your favorite song?
"Sound of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel.

What is your favorite line from a movie or song?
"I do wish we could chat longer, but I'm having an old friend for dinner." 
 - Dr. Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) from The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

What was your first job?
Programming in Fortran on the largest railroad reservation system in the world.

What was your most interesting day at work?
At NBC in a prior role, I got to see a new Election Results Prediction system we developed that accurately predicted race after race in the 2004 Presidential elections all night, sometimes with just 5 percent of the votes in. The power of technology at it’s best.

What would you do if you won the lottery?
Buy Facebook and then retire to a remote island in the Azores (better be a BIG win!).

When you are not working, what do you enjoy doing?
Spending time with my kids.

What is the next technology to impact the hospitality industry?
Merging real-world experience at hotels with the “virtual-world” people are living in these days with ultra-smart mobile platforms and real relationships extending into virtual social experiences. This is a radical change in behavior that we need to understand and adapt to rapidly.