Behind the Stays

Imagine being nine years old, on your first-ever family trip to Disneyland, only to have your hotel room broken into and your precious park tickets stolen. Then, just as hope seems lost, a stranger knocks on the door and hands your family their leftover Disney passes, saving the day. That moment didn’t just shape Stephen Petaskey’s childhood — it laid the foundation for his entrepreneurial journey...

What happens when two lifelong friends and engineers decide to stop dreaming about their mountain getaway — and start building it from scratch? Meet Dave Mayo and Matt Kamp, the co-founders of New River Ridge—a design-forward micro resort perched on 14 acres in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. These guys aren’t developers. They’re not influencers. And they’re definitely not hotel vetera...

What does it take to transform real estate development into something more than just bricks and mortar—into places with soul, story, and unforgettable experiences? Today’s guest, Zach Rapaport, is on a mission to answer that question. As the founder of Meerkat Development, he’s redefining what it means to build hospitality and lifestyle-driven spaces from the ground up. His journey started in cons...

What does it take to walk away from one of the coolest marketing jobs on the planet—at a company so many would kill to work for—to go sleep in the dirt and build an outdoor hospitality brand from scratch? Today’s guest, Sam Degenhard, did exactly that. After a decade at Red Bull, where he helped shape the world of action sports marketing, Sam traded corporate prestige for the unpredictable wilds o...

Loyalty programs should feel rewarding, but most hotel programs feel like a frustrating game of hoops to jump through. In this solo episode, Zach breaks down why traditional hotel loyalty is failing and what needs to change. Here’s the problem: Most hotel loyalty programs are built for the brand, not the traveler. Only 18% of consumers feel they get real value from these programs, and 75% of point...

Steve Turk returns to the podcast, this time with a brand-new title—author. In this episode, live from the IMN STR Forum in Miami, Steve shares the journey behind Hospitality Unlocked, a book packed with insights from 75 of the industry's top leaders. We dive into his inspiration (hint: Tim Ferriss was a big influence), the art of guest experience, and the surprising lessons he uncovered while com...

If you’ve ever dreamed of owning a hotel, this episode is for you. Edwin Kramer, a global luxury hospitality expert with three decades of experience at brands like EDITION, Nobu, and Four Seasons, joins us to discuss the evolving definition of luxury, the art of hospitality, and why more people should own hotels. Known for his mantra “Life is short—own a hotel,” Edwin now helps entrepreneurs and i...

What happens when you pour your heart and soul into reviving a historic inn, transform it into the #1 Bed & Breakfast in America, and then decide to walk away? In this episode, Marco DiDomizio, co-owner of the Candleberry Inn, shares his incredible journey — from leaving a succesful corporate careers in New York City to restoring a hidden gem on Cape Cod into a TripAdvisor and Travel + Leisure...

What does it take to scale a thriving hospitality business from scratch—and do it at lightning speed? Today, we sit down with Patryk Swietek , founder of The Co-Host Company , a rising star in the short-term rental space who’s proving that the smartest way to grow isn’t always from the ground up—it’s by acquiring, optimizing, and redefining what great hospitality looks like. Patryk’s journey is an...

Some people enter hospitality by accident. Others are born into it—raised at tables where the meal was just the beginning of the experience. For Bobby Quintal, hospitality isn’t just a career —  it’s a lifelong passion shaped by growing up in New Orleans, one of the most culturally rich and culinary-driven cities in the world. From his early days working in restaurants to leading development for D...

Imagine owning so many homes around the world that you lose track of them—so instead of letting them sit empty, you hire someone to manage them, curate them, and quietly offer them to an elite circle of travelers who can afford $20,000-a-night stays. If that’s the world you live in, you might hire Wolf Worster lives in. As the founder of Sirreti, a private network shaping the ultra-luxury villa an...

Meet Ian Joseph — real estate investor turned hospitality entrepreneur — who is on a mission to bring a new kind of micro-resort experience to life.  What started as a simple desire to buy a vacation home led him to Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, a historic spa town with deep hospitality roots. Now, Ian is in the early stages of launching Branch, an experiential micro-resort designed to blend st...

Meet John Rutledge, founder of Oxford Capital Group and creator of the Godfrey Hotels—an innovative collection of boutique properties that blend upscale luxury with a social, lifestyle-driven experience. With a unique vantage point in both the world of branded chain hotels and independent boutique properties, John’s insights are invaluable for understanding today’s rapidly changing hospitality lan...

Meet Morgan Brown, the force behind new portfolio additions at Inspirato, the premier luxury travel membership that unlocks access to some of the world’s most exclusive homes, hotels, and experiences. Inspirato isn’t just about five-star stays—it’s about curating seamless, high-touch, high-design travel for discerning members who expect the extraordinary. But what exactly do today’s luxury travele...

Meet Brian Linton—entrepreneur, brand builder, and now a rising force in boutique hospitality. From founding the sustainable apparel company United by Blue to transforming rundown motels into sought-after boutique stays, Brian has mastered the art of brand storytelling and customer experience. His hospitality journey started unexpectedly in 2020 when he and his wife purchased a neglected roadside...

Sean Breuner and Reuben Doetsch saw an opportunity to transform the short-term rental space long before the industry exploded. In 2017, they set out to build AvantStay, a brand that blends the best of boutique hospitality with the freedom of private homes. Their approach is anything but casual. Every property is meticulously designed, every experience carefully curated. While others rushed into th...

Meet Dan Flannery, a hospitality leader with an extraordinary career, has spent decades redefining luxury travel. From his early days at Marriott to helping launch the Edition brand with Ian Schrager, and now leading operations at Loews Hotels, Dan’s journey is a masterclass in blending vision with execution. Guided by a belief that true luxury lies in refinement and authenticity, Dan’s approach t...

Meet Frances Kiradjian, founder and CEO of the Boutique Luxury Lodging Association (BLLA) and a leading voice and force in the independent boutique hotel space.  Fran’s journey began in the corporate travel world, managing massive accounts like Disney and Toyota. But it was her bold decision to champion the boutique hotel sector—long before it was trendy—that cemented her legacy. Since founding BL...

Rachel Alday, co-founder of Abode Luxury Rentals, has been quietly redefining what it means to deliver high-end hospitality in the heart of the mountains. With a background in marketing and her husband Rob’s roots in real estate, the duo created a company that marries meticulous service with a deep love for ski-town culture. Abode’s journey began humbly in Park City, but today it spans over 200 el...

Meet Steve Lassman, Vice President of Villas of Distinction—a luxury villa company that’s been curating remarkable vacation homes since the 1980s. Steve’s story runs three generations deep in the travel industry, and he’s worn just about every hat you can imagine—from airline sales to hotel operations—before finding his calling in the world of private villa experiences. In this episode, Steve reve...

Meet Ari Smith, co-founder of Balanced Farm, a visionary micro-resort in Vermont that blends sustainable luxury with the power of AI. Ari’s journey began in tech entrepreneurship, where he sold a company to a Microsoft subsidiary and learned hard lessons about innovation, scale, and adaptability. But it was meeting his wife, Hillary (co-founder of Folly Collection), that inspired him to fuse his t...

Meet Valerie Gangas, a hospitality visionary who’s redefining the guest experience by blending soulful intention, authentic service, and meticulous design. Raised in a family of restaurateurs, Valerie learned the art of hospitality from childhood—serving customers as a four-year-old “pickle girl” in her father’s Chicago eateries. But her journey would be anything but conventional. Driven by both a...

Meet Blake Smith, the visionary founder of Walden Retreats, a boutique property that masterfully blends the serenity of nature with sophisticated design. Inspired by his years living and working in East Africa, Blake brought lessons from safari camps and Ugandan hospitality back to Texas, reimagining what it means to escape into nature. Walden Retreats , named after Henry David Thoreau's iconic wo...

As 2024 draws to a close, we’re celebrating the standout conversations that defined our year. Today’s episode revisits your top 10 favorites: #10 The New Era of Exploration: How Today's Travelers Think About Loyalty, Independent Hotels, and Experiential Stays #9 He Buys RV Parks: Predictions on the Future of Camping and Outdoor Hospitality #8 How They Transformed a 100-Year-Old Beach House into a...

Meet Tori Bolt — Co-Founder of Bolt Farm , a celebrated nature retreat in Whitwell Tennessee, offering 23 meticulously designed villas.  In 2016, Tori and Seth Bolt embarked on a bold adventure, building their first luxury treehouse—an intimate project that began as a handcrafted wedding gift. What they didn’t know then was that this creative labor of love would spark a new era in experiential hos...