Excellence is a process. Behind every exceptional hotel, resort, restaurant, destination, or recreation experience are carefully designed systems, strong operations, and people who know how to bring them all together. Join us for a conversation with experienced leaders about the business of creating consistent, high-quality experiences—and the skills that make it possible.
Pascal Begin — General Manager, Courtyard by Marriott & Convention Center Ogden
Pascal Begin is an award-winning hospitality and operations leader with more than 15 years of experience across hotels, ski resorts, and private golf clubs. As General Manager of the Courtyard by Marriott and Convention Center in Ogden, Pascal oversees hotel and convention operations while bringing a background in recreation management, resort development, guest experience, and community engagement. His career also includes six years at Nordic Valley Ski Resort, where he helped lead significant growth in visitation, revenue, and resort improvements. Pascal brings a valuable perspective on how effective operations, leadership, and well-designed processes come together to run complex businesses and create experiences that keep people coming back.
Levi Thorn — Senior Director of Resort Guest Services, Snowbird
As Senior Director of Resort Guest Services at Snowbird, Levi works across ticketing, mountain school, retail and rental, guest services, mountain hosts, guides, and Powderbird to help deliver a seamless resort experience. His career has also included serving as General Manager of a DoubleTree by Hilton in Park City and working in sales and marketing. Levi offers a broad perspective on managing complex operations, coordinating teams, understanding customers, and building processes that allow organizations to consistently deliver on their promise.
Allison Chappell — Director of CRM & Reporting, Visit Salt Lake
Allison Chappell brings more than two decades of experience with Visit Salt Lake, where her career has spanned convention sales, database research, analytics, and customer relationship management. In her current role as Director of CRM & Reporting, Allison helps turn data into information that can support stronger decisions, relationships, and destination strategy. Her experience offers a behind-the-scenes look at how data, technology, reporting, and organizational systems help destination organizations better understand their audiences and support the visitor economy.
Lavanya Mahate — Founder, Saffron Valley Restaurants, Bix Bakery & Café, and RISE Culinary Institute
Lavanya Mahate is an entrepreneur, speaker, mentor, restaurateur, and 2025 James Beard Award nominee whose work brings together food, business, culture, leadership, and community impact. As the founder of Saffron Valley Restaurants and Bix Bakery & Café, Lavanya has built hospitality businesses centered on meaningful experiences and connection. She also founded RISE Culinary Institute, a nonprofit providing free culinary training to refugee and immigrant women, and previously served as Director of the Women’s Business Center at the Salt Lake Chamber, where she supported aspiring entrepreneurs in building their businesses. Lavanya brings a unique perspective on what it takes to build and lead organizations with purpose while balancing operations, entrepreneurship, people, and community.
Whether you’re interested in hospitality, business, data, entrepreneurship, food and beverage, tourism, or simply want to understand how successful organizations operate, this conversation offers a behind-the-scenes look at the people, systems, decisions, and leadership that turn ideas into meaningful experiences.
About Table for Four
Table for Four is a free, small-group networking experience for students of all majors, offering the chance to connect with professionals over a hosted meal. Come curious, ask questions, build connections, and discover career paths and experiences both within and beyond the hospitality industry. Please note that table for four participants are limited to two registrations per semester, please prioritize your preferred professionals when signing up for a table for four event.