Hospitality Daily Podcast

Brian Proctor is an exceptional hospitality leader who held executive roles at Starwood , Evolution Hospitality, and BridgeStreet - where he was Chief Operating Officer - before founding Leeds Hospitality Group . Today, he shares with us how he trained his team to handle a situation that could have turned confrontational - but instead, he would use it to inspire guest loyalty for life. 👉 How can...

Today we’re going to hear from Samantha Hardcastle , founder of The Storied Experience , on why every great hospitality experience begins with a concept - and the one question you can ask yourself to refine your concept. 👉 What do you believe? Hospitality Daily is brought to you this month by Sojern , whom I've been working with to help hospitality providers understand how to use data to bet...

Samantha Hardcastle is the founder of The Storied Experience , a consulting agency that helps hospitality providers go beyond just putting heads in beds to become a destination for creating more enriching experiences. In today’s episode, she shares why you should consider investing in experience. We’re at an interesting point in hospitality today. Demand is still sky-high in many markets, which me...

Today is International Volunteer Day, and I want you to hear from one of the best leaders I know about what he’s learned from volunteering. Today David Jurcak , President of Grand Hotel on Michigan’s Mackinac Island, shares: * How he got started volunteering in his community * Why he started volunteering * What he learned from the people he worked for 👉 What have you learned from volunteering tha...

Joshua Schaeffer is the General Manager at Virgin Hotels Chicago . Yesterday, we heard about how he hosted a holiday celebration for his team. Today, we’re going to hear more broadly about the philosophy and culture they have that enabled that. * The motto that drives them * Why staff need to feel special * How Joshua does this at his property 👉 How can you treat your team like rockstars? Hospita...

Joshua Schaeffer is the General Manager at Virgin Hotels Chicago . Last week I saw some photos on LinkedIn of an event he hosted for his team and had to know more. Today, he shares an experience he had earlier in his career that shaped how he thinks about providing events for his team - and then how he hosted a “Teamsgiving” last week. 👉 How about you - could you do something fun like this with y...

Scott Curran is the Chief Operating Officer of Reneson Hotels - an owner of branded and independent hotels here in California - as well as the co-founder of GuestEQ , a hotel operations technology platform. These dual roles give him a unique perspective on how technology can improve operations and delight guests. In today’s episode you’ll learn: * The role of automation in hotel operations today *...

Scott Curran is the Chief Operating Officer of Reneson Hotels , an owner and operator of branded and independent hotels in California that are at the top of guest satisfaction charts. We spoke recently about the power of technology to empower staff and delight guests - and Scott has a unique perspective as both a hotel company COO and the co-founder of GuestEQ , a hotel operations technology platf...

Scott Curran is the Chief Operating Officer of Reneson Hotels . Today, he’s sharing with us some of the challenges he’s seen with technology as a hotel owner and operator that he’s now addressing in his other role as co-founder of GuestEQ , a hotel operations technology platform. In today’s episode you’ll learn: * The biggest problem he’s seen with technology as a hotel operator * Designing for ea...

“Hotel staff are being pushed to the limit. Leaders need to not only show empathy but gratitude.” Brian Proctor is an exceptional hospitality leader who held executive roles at Starwood , Evolution Hospitality, and BridgeStreet - where he was Chief Operating Officer - before founding Leeds Hospitality Group . Brian is also the host of Tuesday's Thanks - a podcast that features people showing...

It’s Thanksgiving Day here in the US, and I know you might be one of those hospitality heroes on the front lines providing hospitality, so thank you. David Jurcak is the President of Grand Hotel in Michigan. I had asked him how he maintains high morale among his teams, and what he told me was very fitting for today. In today’s episode you’ll learn: * How David’s mom shaped how he thinks about grat...

“The fact that we are serving you is what makes your holiday happen.” Tomorrow is Thanksgiving here in the US, and this week is typically one of the busiest travel weeks of the year. Usually, on this show, we talk about how to provide hospitality but we're going to do something a bit different today that might either benefit you as a guest somewhere – or if you're working outside the ind...

I’m always intrigued by unique hotel amenities because they are a small way to show remarkable hospitality and create something worth talking about. In today’s episode, Richard Garcia , Senior Vice President of Food and Beverage at Remington Hotels , shares a simple amenity that stands out from his travels - and what made it so meaningful. 👉 What’s a creative amenity like this you can offer to su...

Richard Garcia is a veteran of the US Marine Corps, a star chef, and now, Senior Vice President of Food and Beverage at Remington Hotels . Today, he shares with us: * Why he will never cut corners on providing a great guest experience * The tradeoffs he will make to ensure they don’t cut corners * Guest experience expectations pre-pandemic vs today * What providing a great guest experience can loo...

When I spoke with Remington Hotels SVP of Food & Beverage Richard Garcia earlier this summer, he had just pulled up some stats before we talked. “In the past few months, we’ve had over half a million visitors - and that’s a half a million opportunities I have.” In today’s episode you’ll learn: * What opportunities Richard sees in each of these touchpoints * How the hotel industry has stripped...

Susan Barry led sales and marketing teams at Starwood Hotels before founding Hive Marketing , where today she helps hotel brands, management companies, and owners refine their message and better communicate their value. One of the ways she does this is by investing in content creation, digital media, and storytelling both for her hotel clients and for her business as the host of the (excellent and...

“We’re tuning into the future of work and how we can provide hospitality in this new environment” - Elise Hofman Today we’ll hear from Elise Hofman , who shares how Zoku , a hospitality brand based in the Netherlands, is taking advantage of the flexible working environment many companies now provide to provide hospitality in new and creative ways. You can download the whitepaper she mentioned here...

“You might be new to a city, but you’re already going to have connections with us.” - Elise Hofman Elise Hofman is a manager at Zoku , a hospitality brand based in the Netherlands. Part of their brand mission is to fight loneliness and help their guests feel a part of the community. I wanted to know specifically how they’re doing that, and Elise explains in today’s episode. 👉 Question of the day:...

“A lot of people in our country are so burned out right now. I want to help them see what it’s like to have fun through providing hospitality.” - Stan Kennedy Stan Kennedy is the Chief Operating Officer of Remington Hotels , a management company with 120 hotels under management. In this episode, he shares why he’s focused on bringing the fun back to hospitality, and a fun challenge Remington intro...

Clay Bassford , the founder of Bespoke Sound, is on a mission to help hospitality brands create exceptional experiences through what he calls “music identity design.” In today’s episode, he shares how he did this for Stanly Ranch, one of California’s best new resorts. Listen to learn: * The need for distinct identities throughout large properties * Creating an overarching theme for the property *...

Music just might be one of the most underrated aspects of hospitality today. I don’t know about you, but it’s one of the first things I notice and sets the stage for my experience in a hotel or restaurant. Today, I’m excited to introduce you to Clay Bassford , founder of Bespoke Sound , who is mission to help hospitality brands create exceptional experiences through world-class music design. “It&a...

“Guests now realize they can have a pizza at their door in 20 minutes instead of the 45-minute wait for a delivery from one of the big guys.” I love stories of people coming up with new ways of providing hospitality because they’re paying attention to guest needs. This episode is brought to you by Shiji Group who connected me with Jason Kaminski , Regional Food and Beverage Director at American Li...

I asked Dylan Beaumont about a hotel that inspired him recently, and he said 11 Mirrors Design Hotel in Kyiv. “If hospitality is about showing warmth, comfort, and a home away from home, they're doing it better than anyone else.” “There is heroism in providing service when no one would expect you to do it.” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or...

Dylan Beaumont is a general manager at a hotel in Eugene, Oregon. I’ve followed him for a while on social media, and recently had the chance to speak with him about how he thinks about providing exceptional hospitality. In his view, great hospitality is rooted in taking the time to interact with guests, listen to them, and influence their day. Sounds great, right? But I wanted to know more and ask...

Yesterday, Adele Gutman shared the story about how her hotels topped guest satisfaction lists - and today she explains more about how to think about the guest review scores for your properties. Hospitality Daily is brought to you by HotelOperations.com , which shows you how to empower your teams to deliver results. Check out the recent guide to using LinkedIn to attract talent, tell your story, an...