Foundry Talks: The Hospitality Podcast

What happens when two short-term rental investors decide to go all in on a 50-key hotel in the Arizona desert? We sit down with Adam Walz and Micah Thomas of Comeback Hospitality to hear how they made the leap from Airbnb operators to owners of The Wesley , Page's first boutique hotel. In this episode, we talk about how they found the property off-market for well below the area's average p...

We are revisiting our conversation with Jeff and Austin Clegg of Redfish Lake Lodge in Stanley, Idaho because summer there is simply too special not to talk about again. Crystal-clear glacial water, a natural sandy beach, canyon views that open up to what locals call the Gates of Heaven, and a family-run lodge that has been welcoming guests since 1929 -- this place is genuinely unlike anywhere els...

Dylan Barahona is the new general manager at Riverside Colorado , a glamping retreat nestled in Poudre Canyon about 30 minutes outside Fort Collins. Riverside is owned by the same team behind the Mishawaka Amphitheater, the historic 1,000-person outdoor venue that beat Red Rocks for the top spot in Denver Westword's ranking of Colorado outdoor music venues. Dylan brings over a decade of hospit...

If your hotel's sales plan is collecting dust on a shelf, Amy Infante-Still knows exactly why. Amy is the founder and CEO of GitGo, a hospitality B2B sales partner agency that has helped hotel owners, management companies, and brands build commercial engines that actually produce results. With over 20 years in the industry and more than two million buyer conversations under her belt, she bring...

What does it actually take to build a hotel brand that holds up over time? This week Rachel sits down with Carly DeFilippo, co-founder of Cognoscenti Creative , a branding studio run by two sisters out of Colorado. Carly and her sister Lauren got their start working in-house at major restaurant groups before launching an agency built specifically for independent and boutique hospitality properties...

Edward May has spent over 20 years in hospitality, from independent hotels in America to running chalets in Courchevel to knocking on doors in the Cotswolds in 2008 with an idea most people didn't understand yet. That idea became Hidden & Found, a company that brings full hotel-level service into privately rented homes across Europe. In this conversation, Edward gets honest about what actu...

What makes a traveler choose your property over the one next door? We talk with fine art and travel photographer Alex Kittoe and Fora travel advisor Caroline Kittoe about how visual content and trusted travel partnerships shape that decision before a guest ever walks through your lobby. Alex explains why shooting without a clear content strategy can be unsuccessful, and why knowing whether your ph...

Jacki Brown has spent 20 years in marketing, from consumer brands like Shark Vaccum and Ninja Blender to the B2B hospitality tech world. Today she runs Jacki Brown Marketing, a fractional consultancy helping hospitality tech companies build the marketing foundations they need to actually grow. In this episode, Jacki and Rachel dig into why so many hotel tech companies are getting their messaging w...

In this episode of Foundry Talks, we sit down with Scott Cleveland , Director of Marketing at USA Camping Company, to explore how AI is reshaping outdoor hospitality. From scaling a growing portfolio of campgrounds and glamping resorts to building smarter marketing systems with a lean team, Scott shares how automation, segmentation, and data analysis are driving measurable growth. We discuss what...

Everyone told Kristie Wolfe her ideas wouldn't work. A treehouse in Hawaii? Bad idea. A hobbit hole? Won't book. The Potato Hotel? Absolutely not. Turns out, every single one of them was wrong. Today, her one-of-a-kind stays book out nearly 100% of the year with guests flying in from around the world (yes, including Iran and Korea). She's done it without following trends, without TV de...

Jordan Malara is doing something most people would never attempt: buying and repositioning boutique hotels with zero traditional hospitality background. And honestly? He's crushing it. After serving in the military and cutting his teeth in short-term rentals, Jordan and his business partner took a leap and purchased the Adventure Inn in Durango, Colorado. The 27-room property had been sitting on t...

In this episode, we sit down with Elizabeth Mullins, President of Evermore Hospitality , who shares her remarkable journey from a five-year-old enchanted by afternoon tea at the Ritz Carlton to leading a revolutionary new category in hospitality. Elizabeth opens up about her 30+ year career spanning the Ritz Carlton and Walt Disney Company, and how those experiences shaped her approach to creating...

Brandon Berkson turned a pandemic furlough into Hotels Above Par , a publication now reaching over 450,000 readers and championing independent boutique hotels that deserve recognition beyond traditional pay-to-play awards programs. In this episode, Brandon shares how he built a trusted editorial voice in hospitality media by maintaining strict standards, why personalization beats perfection in gue...

In this episode, we sit down with Brianna Sloan, Marketing Manager at Nimmo Bay Wilderness Resort , who started as a dishwasher 20 years ago and never left. She shares how this family-owned, fly-in resort in BC's Great Bear Rainforest has built a content strategy around authenticity, YouTube-first thinking, and genuine storytelling that keeps guests coming back for 28 years. Brianna reveals how Ni...

In this episode of Foundry Talks, we sit down with Laurean Sahilices, founder of The Hotel Marketing Lady, to unpack what hotel marketing actually looks like beneath the surface. With 15+ years at luxury brands, Laurean shares why most hotels misunderstand marketing's role and how that's costing them revenue. Laurean breaks down why vanity metrics don't pay the bills, how to plan festive seasons s...

In this episode of Foundry Talks, we sit down with Cory Falter , Partner at Lure Agency, to discuss why traditional B2B sales tactics are broken and what hotels and vendors should do instead. Cory shares the WINS method, a four-step framework that's helping his clients generate 5-20 qualified inbound leads per month by building trust before the pitch. Cold calls, spam emails, and generic outreach...

What if a single press release could generate over 1,500 citations across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other AI platforms? Sarah Evans, Partner and Head of PR at Zen Media, reveals how she's reimagining press releases for the AI era and why hotels need to act now. Sarah shares the exact framework that transformed her results from zero ChatGPT leads to 3-5 per week. The secret? Stop writing for journal...

What happens when three co-founders sit down to reflect on 20 episodes of hospitality industry conversations? In this milestone episode, Rachel Stojanovski reunites with Derrick Hales and Trey Evans, her guests from episode one, to unpack the biggest learnings, surprises, and patterns that have emerged from their conversations with hospitality leaders. Discover the common threads running through e...

In this episode of Foundry Talks, Rachel sits down with Christine Malfair, consultant, coach, and founder of Malfair Marketing . With a background as a hotel general manager, Christine has lived the reality of stretched teams and endless marketing shoulds. She now helps hotels cut through the noise with lean marketing strategies that focus on what truly works. Together they explore why OTA depende...

What makes guests return to Alisal Ranch year after year? Lia Carhartt, Director of Marketing, explains how the 10,500-acre, family-owned property minutes from Solvang creates an emotional connection through authenticity, nostalgia, and simpler times, without sacrificing modern comfort. Lia walks us through a thoughtful brand refresh that elevated Alisal’s luxury profile while staying true to its...

Idaho is having a moment of tremendous growth and State Controller Brandon Woolf is in the engine room. In this episode, we dig into how the state pays 37,000 employees, manages billions in public funds, and turns 2.5 million acres of endowment lands, especially timber, into sustained support for K–12 schools. Woolf breaks down what’s really driving the boom, which revenues tourism actually touche...

In a world where every brand is vying for attention, what actually cuts through? In this episode of Foundry Talks, Rachel Stojanovski sits down with Ottocina Ryan, Editor-in-Chief of Santa Barbara Life & Style Magazine , to explore how hospitality brands can create partnerships that feel meaningful, not just transactional. They unpack what media professionals really look for in hotel collabora...

In this episode of Foundry Talks, host Rachel Stojanovski chats with Santa Barbara veterans Kirsten VanBrunt (KVB) and Andra Escola about crafting luxury meetings, iconic weddings, and incentive trips that feel rooted in place. They unpack how human connection, early trust, and cross-department collaboration turn complex logistics into smooth execution, plus why great DMC partners are the key to t...

In this episode of Foundry Talks, host Rachel Stojanovski sits down with Karina Hardwick, Director of Human Resources at Acme Hospitality , a leading restaurant and hospitality group based in Santa Barbara, California. Together they dive into what really drives retention, culture, and connection across teams in both restaurants and hotels. Drawing on nearly two decades of experience, including 14...

In this episode of Foundry Talks , host Rachel Stojanovski welcomes back Sarah Stahl, co-founder of Market Movers , to challenge the way hospitality brands approach marketing. Drawing from in-depth audits across hotels and vacation rentals, Sarah explains why so many teams are overwhelmed by disconnected tactics and underwhelmed by results. Together, they unpack the real meaning of “guest experien...