Forbes Travel Guide Engages Freestyle+ to Bring Principles of Improvisation to Hospitality Training
ATLANTA - November 27, 2023 - Forbes Travel Guide ("FTG") - the global authority on luxury hospitality – is adding a playful dimension to online training through a special engagement with freestyle+, a performance-based organization that helps build resilient and happier teams through the science of improvisation and musicality.
Freestyle+ was co-founded by Tony Award-winner Anthony Veneziale and game designer/corporate trainer Sammy Wegent.
“Our approach is about play and experimentation to help individuals find their flow,” said Steve Johnston, the President of Freestyle+. “These exercises are not just fun – they are based on neuroscience that shows they increase resilience, flexibility, creativity, positive emotions, sense of belonging, innovation and uncertainty tolerance. Those are essential skills for employees on the frontlines of hospitality.”
FTG will feature freestyle+ videos in Service Energizers, the dynamic daily training tool that provides activities for hospitality managers to use in pre-shift meetings to keep the principles of service top of mind, and as a program in The Academy, FTG’s new learning platform launching in 2024. The exercises demonstrate how to incorporate improvisation and playfulness into training and team building.
In addition, freestyle+ will present live discovery session workshops at FTG’s 2024 Summit, the premier gathering of the luxury hospitality industry, which attracts more than 800 leaders, executives, owners, operators, influencers and travel advisors from around the world. Anthony Veneziale will be the emcee of The Summit at Resorts World Las Vegas for the second year running.
“Working in hospitality is a lot like improv. You must think on your feet; you must respond to the unpredictable; you must handle a lot of pressure – and you must do it all with authenticity and with a smile on your face,” said Hermann Elger, CEO of Forbes Travel Guide. “We are delighted to collaborate with freestyle+ to bring their unique approach to the world-class hotels, restaurants, spas, cruise ships and other service-oriented organizations that we support.”
Freestyle+ has worked with Fortune 500 companies such as Adobe, Zoom, Google and Salesforce and is backed by top-tier talent; freestyle+ co-founder Veneziale was the co-creator of Lin Manuel Miranda’s improvisation-based Broadway show “Freestyle Love Supreme,” which won a special Tony Award in 2021. Performers at Freestyle+ hail from Broadway and top improvisation troupes, and freestyle+ president Steve Johnston was previously President & Managing Partner of The Second City, the comedy club, theater and improvisation school founded in Chicago in 1959.
About Forbes Travel Guide:
Forbes Travel Guide ("FTG"), the global authority on genuine Five-Star service, provides world-class professional services to the hospitality industry and other service-oriented businesses such as luxury retail, residential, healthcare and private clubs through bespoke training solutions, evaluation services and custom service standards. Started as Mobil Travel Guide in 1958, the company created the first Five-Star rating system in the United States. Today, in addition to providing professional services, FTG is the only independent, global rating system for luxury hotels, restaurants, spas and ocean cruise ships. FTG’s prestigious annual Star Awards can only be earned through the company’s objective, in-person inspection process. For more information on FTG services, please visit partner.forbestravelguide.com.
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About freestyle+
FLS+ strives to entertain, educate, and transform people through the power of play and self-expression, furthering the art form of improvisation, following the neuroscience of creativity, and forging interactive technologies to amplify all voices. Please visit freestyleplus.com to learn more.
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