About Me
My passion for hospitality started in high school with an internship as a bellman at Hilton Izmir when I was 15.
My name is Kaan, and I am currently the Executive Meetings Manager at Destination DC.
I studied at a Tourism Vocational High School, where I completed two internships at Hilton Izmir. During my studies, I also participated in two European Association of Hotel and Tourism Schools (AEHT) competitions: the 23rd AEHT Annual Conference in Lisbon and the International Chocolate Festival of Praia da Vitória in the Azores, Portugal, where we placed second.
I studied Tourism and Hotel Management at Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) in North Cyprus. While at EMU, I took on leadership roles in the EMU Tourism Club and the Future of Tourism Platform, organizing over 90 events in three years. Additionally, I worked as an Event & Alumni Relations Coordinator in the Faculty of Tourism.
I also reactivated the AEHT membership for the EMU Faculty of Tourism and attended the AEHT Youth Parliament in London, held in the Houses of Parliament. Following this event, we successfully applied to host the Youth Parliament meeting at EMU, organizing the 5th AEHT Youth Parliament with 20 participants from Europe. As a result of this event, we decided to establish the European Future of Tourism Organization, and I served as its president.
In April 2015, I founded the "Future of Tourism Platform," which gathers tourism and gastronomy clubs and departments across Turkey, Europe, and Northern Cyprus, hosting annual events at selected universities. As the Founder President, I have had the opportunity to participate in numerous prestigious events as a keynote speaker and moderator.
In my final semester, I studied Hotel Management as an exchange student at Woosong University in South Korea. I then completed a Master of Science in Tourism Management at Eastern Mediterranean University, focusing my research on the impact of technology on guest experiences. I also earned an MBA with a focus on Entrepreneurship from Bay Atlantic University, which enhanced my business strategy and operations skills.
After graduating, I joined the Hilton Washington DC National Mall team through their Management in Training program, gaining experience in various roles, including Front Office Supervisor and Housekeeping Manager. My career progressed as I took on managerial positions at Hilton and InterContinental Hotels, which provided me with a solid foundation in sales, hotel operations, guest services, and team leadership.
Currently, I am the Executive Meetings Manager at Destination DC, the official destination marketing organization (DMO) and Convention & Visitors Bureaus (CVBs) for Washington DC, supporting over 1,000 businesses and organizations in the travel and tourism sector.
Beyond my professional responsibilities, I manage a YouTube channel and blog dedicated to the hospitality and tourism industry. I also host "Tea Talks with Kaan" ("Kaan ile Çay Sohbetleri" in Turkish), a podcast and YouTube series featuring diverse guests discussing various industry topics.
Memberships