Mr. Raimondi’s career in hospitality began by accident. While he was a sophomore in college, he decided on a whim to apply to the Disney College Program. Frankly, he was determined to experience a world outside of New Jersey, and Florida felt far enough. He worked at the Disney Store in his local mall and was already fond of the brand, so he figured he might as well see what the internship was all about. In the Fall of 1995, Mr. Raimondi packed his bags for Orlando, excited to begin his new role as Walt Disney World Resort’s newest Merchandise Associate at Magic Kingdom Park’s Main Street U.S.A. Now, anyone who has been apart of the Disney College Program can attest to this: the experience is nothing short of magical. So magical, in fact, that Mr. Raimondi opted to return to Disney World to complete two more internships as an alumni of the program. He was then offered full-time employment, working inside the theme parks for four years and eventually transitioned into Disney’s hotels and resorts.
While working at Disney, each time Mr. Raimondi was transferred to a new resort, he and the other leaders would decide amongst themselves which person would be in charge of each department. For whatever reason, every leader hated being responsible for training, instead favoring areas like revenue or scheduling. No one wanted to take on training, so Mr. Raimondi always assumed the role. At first, he didn’t particularly care for it either, but then he made a decision: if he was going to be the one perpetually stuck with it, he was going to absolutely master training. He decided to turn the department from something everyone hated to something everyone desired.
From that moment forward, Mr. Raimondi made it his mission to find the most effective practices for leadership and development. He taught with compassion and purpose. He led his team with confidence, and he always ensured that his employees felt valued and trusted. And most importantly, he made an effort to self-reflect daily, constantly evaluating his days to note what worked and what didn’t. Even as a young college student, Mr. Raimondi saw the value in leadership development, striving to be a better version of himself for the benefit of his employees.
When Mr. Raimondi’s time at Disney came to an end, his passion for hospitality leadership training led him to many other tremendous opportunities at Loews Hotels, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, the InterContinental Hotels Group, and most recently, Forbes Travel Guide. While serving at these world-renowned companies, Mr. Raimondi oversaw entire training operations and traveled the world as an auditor, consultant, and executive trainer, verifying luxury services at more than 80 hotel, restaurant, and spa destinations.
Mr. Raimondi has had the unique privilege of taking part in multiple resort and departmental openings. He has launched global training initiatives instructing thousands of people on leadership, on-boarding, and train-the-trainer programs. Within the industry, he is most recognized for crafting engaging, relevant content and bringing subject matters to life through dynamic delivery.
While Mr. Raimondi very much enjoyed his time working for the larger names in the hospitality industry, a small sense of ‘what if’ began to drift to the forefront of his mind. What if he opened his own hospitality training business? After nearly twenty years of providing memorable training sessions, analyzing and improving service standards, and assisting in bringing new resorts to life, he felt confident enough in his skillset, and the ‘what if’ started to morph into a ‘when I…’
Like all successful entrepreneurs, Mr. Raimondi was apprehensive about venturing out on his own at first. He assumed it would be an impossible task, with way too many hurdles and tons of red tape. But necessity is the mother of invention. The corporate world was starting to take its toll on him, and he knew his circumstances had to change. He finally realized that the best way to reach his full potential would be to work for himself.
In 2019, Mr. Raimondi made the decision to go all in. He opened the doors of JOR Hospitality Solutions with full faith in himself, armed with extensive knowledge of leadership and development. Before he knew it, he was servicing clients all over the United States, Canada, Europe, Mexico, and the Caribbean.