Ep. 43 DEI Advisors CEO David Kong Demonstrates Why Nice CEOs Finish First

C2CEO Career-Comeback Stories

David Kong is well-respected as the longest running CEO of any major hotel company - and Cary Broussard wanted to find out why he is also one of the most liked people in the hotel business. She found out why. David balances ambition, hard work and kindness while helping others find success. His podcast DEI Advisors can be found at DEIAdvisors.org.
David Kong is Founder and Principal of DEI Advisors, an Arizona non-profit organization dedicated to empowering personal success. He has served as Chairman of the American Hotel Lodging Association and was appointed to the U.S. Department of Commerce Travel and Tourism Advisory Board for three years.
He retired as President and CEO of BWH Hotel Group (comprised of Best Western Hotels & Resorts, Sure Stay Hotels and WorldHotels) at the end of 2021.He has the reputation of genuinely caring for people and the art of hospitality. As a result, he has received numerous awards and accolades, including:

• Lifetime Achievement Awards from Business Travel News, International Hotel Investment Forum and UJA Federation in 2022.
• Recipient of the inaugural Arne Sorenson Social Impact Award in 2022.
• Innovator of the Year award from Hotel Interactive and Innovation Award from Guest Lab (Italy).·
• In 2021, Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) presented him with the WINiT Best Mentor/Male Coach award.

David Kong provides background on how he excelled in the hospitality industry and offers advice how others can too -At a young age, David moved to the United States from Hong Kong with his parents. He began his career as a busboy in Hawaii and then went on to work for Hyatt, Omni, Hilton, KPMG and then recruited by Best Western, where he eventually worked his way up to CEO. His story is fascinating and yes, he's one of the nicest, smartest people you'll ever have the good fortune to hear on a podcast!