Hospitality Daily Podcast

In this episode, Claire Llewellin-Davis , General Manager at The Lensbury Resort , shares her journey from the military to hospitality and discusses the transformation of The Lensbury. Listeners will learn: How Claire's experience in the military, including staying calm under pressure during an attack in Afghanistan, equipped her with skills transferable to the hospitality industry.  Why the...

This week, we're learning from Jennifer Krapp , head of restaurant operations at The Indigo Road Hospitality Group . You can hear her career journey here and thoughts on mentorship here if you missed them. In this episode, she shares what she's learned it takes to lead and succeed in hospitality. Listeners will learn: The importance of holding people accountable while still making them f...

This week, we're learning from Jennifer Krapp , head of restaurant operations at The Indigo Road Hospitality Group . You can hear her career journey here and thoughts on mentorship here if you missed them. In this episode, she shares her insights on the importance of showing hospitality to your teams. Listeners will learn: The impact of showing genuine care for staff during challenging times...

This week, we're learning from Jennifer Krapp , head of restaurant operations at The Indigo Road Hospitality Group . You can hear her career journey here if you missed it. In this episode, she shares her insights on mentorship and the best way to learn hospitality. Listeners will learn: How Steve Palmer , the company's founder and chief vision officer, makes people feel seen and heard (0...

In this episode, Jennifer Krapp , head of restaurant operations at The Indigo Road Hospitality Group , shares her journey in hospitality and the importance of self-care in avoiding burnout. Listeners will learn: How Jennifer's love for hospitality and acts of service started at a young age (01:43) The inflection point in her career that put her on the path to where she is today (04:28) How Je...

In this episode, Micah Solomon , author, speaker, and customer experience expert, shares lessons he's learned from top hospitality leaders. 00:44 - The importance of instant correction, as taught by Patrick O'Connell, head of the Inn at Little Washington 02:00 - How empowerment is not just a token gesture but a crucial part of an employee's duties, as taught by Hervé Humler at the R...

In this episode, Micah Solomon shares advice for hospitality leaders on creating a culture that empowers employees to delight guests. Listeners will learn: The importance of proper employee selection, considering both technical skills and interpersonal abilities (00:50) How to create a culture where exceptional performance becomes "how it's done around here" (01:44) The impact of se...

In this episode, Micah Solomon , author, speaker, and customer experience expert, shares insights on creating memorable experiences for guests and customers through the power of presence. Listeners will learn: The importance of giving customers your full attention and stopping conversations with colleagues when a customer approaches (01:43) Understanding the dislocated state of mind customers are...

In this episode, Micah Solomon , author, speaker, and customer experience expert, shares insights on the importance of service in the hospitality industry and how businesses can stand out, drive word of mouth, and succeed. Examples of service excellence (01:06) - How companies like Ritz-Carlton and Audi of America use exceptional service as a competitive advantage. The impact of word of mouth (01:...

In this episode, Micah Solomon , a customer service expert and author, shares his insights on creating memorable customer experiences and elevating businesses to the highest level of customer service. Listeners will learn: The three levels of customer service and why businesses should aim for the top level (01:01) How Micah conducts idiosyncratic mystery shopping to assess a company's custome...

In this episode, Dina Belon, president of Staypineapple Hotels, shares insights on the evolution of sustainability in the hospitality industry and how it's becoming a crucial factor in attracting guests and group business. Listeners will learn: The role of industry associations in providing a single, unified sustainability certification for hotels (01:47) Why sustainability isn't just ab...

In this episode, Casey Barks , Vice President of Marketing at Staypineapple Hotels, shares his insights on how Staypineapple has digitized and streamlined its influencer management process. Listeners will learn: The tools and metrics Staypineapple uses to evaluate an influencer's true monetary value (03:52) Their innovative approach to influencer contracts, ensuring accountability and protect...

In this episode, Dina Belon , President at Staypineapple Hotels , shares insights on their innovative approach to working with hotel owners and investors. Mike Hirschler , the company's Chief Growth Officer, discusses the challenges that have held back many in the industry and how Staypineapple is addressing them. Casey Barks , the company's VP of Marketing, explains how they're cap...

This episode is part of our series with Staypineapple Hotels. Listen to episode 1 , episode 2 , and episode 3 if you missed them. In this episode, Dina Belon , President at Staypineapple Hotels , shares how they use technology, including AI, to enhance personalized service and create memorable guest experiences. Listeners will learn: How Staypineapple pushed its technology partners to align with t...

This episode is part of our series with Staypineapple Hotels. Listen to episode 1 and episode 2 if you missed them. In this episode, Dina Belon and Mike Hirschler at Staypineapple Hotels share insights into the company's unique approach to people and culture, which has earned them recognition as the "best place to work" by The Seattle Times . By listening, you'll learn: How Sta...

This episode is part of our series with Staypineapple Hotels. Listen to episode 1 here . In this episode, Dina Belon , President at Staypineapple Hotels , shares her company's unique vision for hospitality and what's behind their successful operations. Listeners will learn: How Staypineapple Hotels focuses on teaching the "why" to their employees, empowering them to solve probl...

In this episode, Dina Belon, Mike Hirschler, and Casey Barks at Staypineapple Hotels share their stories. Here's what listeners will learn: Dina Belon (President): How her design background uniquely positions her to lead a hotel company (00:55) The concept of "elegant whimsy" in Staypineapple's brand aesthetic (03:12) Her leadership philosophy of combining kindness with efficie...

In this episode, Ana Atienza, Guest Relations Manager at the InterContinental Mark Hopkins San Francisco , shares her journey from studying hotel and restaurant management in the Philippines to building a successful career in hospitality on the front lines of hospitality in San Francisco. Listeners will learn: How Ana decided between studying broadcasting or hospitality (02:04) Ana's experien...

In this episode, Samantha Hardcastle , Founder & Creative Director at The Storied Experience , shares her insights on creating purposeful concepts and guest journeys that go beyond the traditional hotel stay. Listeners will learn: How Samantha's work focuses on creating experiences that align guests with their desired selves and open up new paths for them (02:57) The importance of underst...

In this episode, Melissa and Tanner Cummings , co-founders of Cypress Resort , share their vision for building a new kind of luxury nature resort and how they're inviting people to join them on the journey. Listeners will learn: How Tanner and Melissa are cultivating "thin spaces" through their new resort (03:30) Why they're focusing on luxury to provide quality, craftsmanship,...

In this episode, Ernest Lee , Chief Commercial Officer at citizenM , shares how partnerships and collaborations are crucial for creating unique experiences and engaging the people you want to reach. Listeners will learn: Why collaborations and partnerships are important for citizenM (01:13) How partnerships provide a shortcut to reaching target audiences and leveraging resources efficiently. (01:3...

In this episode, Ernest Lee , Chief Commercial Officer at citizenM , shares his thoughts on what the hospitality industry should be paying more attention to in the face of increasingly frequent "black swan" events. Listeners will learn: The hospitality industry needs to think about how to set up their organizations to be more nimble and react to the increasing frequency of cataclysmic ev...

In this episode, Ernest Lee , Chief Commercial Officer at citizenM , shares how citizenM created a unique paid loyalty program called " mycitizenM+ " that drives value for both customers and the company. Listeners will learn: The context and strategic thinking behind developing mycitizenM+, inspired by Amazon Prime's approach to delivering consistent value to drive long-term loyalty...

In this episode, Martin Soler , a former hotel general manager who is now a fractional CMO for large travel tech companies and the co-founder of 10minutes.news , shares a refreshing perspective inspired by Jeff Bezos on separating the signal from the noise when it comes to hospitality tech. By listening to this episode, you will learn: Why chasing every shiny new tech trend might be a distraction...

In this episode, Martin Soler , a former hotel general manager who is now a fractional CMO for large travel tech companies and the co-founder of 10minutes.news , shares his insights on how hotels can use technology to provide personalized experiences for their guests at scale. Listeners will learn: Why only 9% of most hotels' guests are likely to return (12:51) How to gather meaningful guest...