Schulering HUB Talking Hospitality Podcast

What do you get when you run a 200-year-old historic hotel in Vienna with 80+ employees representing 26 different nationalities and speaking over 20 languages ? You get a beautiful human experiment—and a management nightmare if you don't know what you're doing.  In this episode of Talking Hospitality , host Mauricio Schuler sits down with Alejandro Boucabeille, the former Deputy General...

Why is the hospitality industry facing a massive talent exodus? Hint: It’s not just about the long hours or the mediocre pay. It’s a systemic failure of emotional leadership. For decades, the hospitality sector has operated on an outdated, rigid playbook. Traditional industry leadership has historically ignored the human element, treating employees like replaceable cogs in a 24/7 machine. The resu...

Most hotels keep failing at staff training — but what if the solution is simpler than you think? Sarah Brooks , a top 101 global HR mind, reveals how genuine communication and a focus on core skills can transform staff retention and service quality almost overnight. In this eye-opening episode, Sarah shares her personal journey from childhood ambition to senior HR expert, highlighting the power of...

What if I told you that your housekeepers are your best source of insight?   In our latest episode, we discuss the invaluable role of housekeepers in understanding guest needs and preferences.   Host: Mauricio Schuler Guest Speaker: Julia Krebs How do you think hotels can utilize this knowledge better? Let’s chat in the comments!   #Housekeeping #GuestInsights #HotelManagement #Hospitality #Servic...

Are you still selling four walls and a bed? If so, you’re already behind.  In this episode of the Schulering HUB Talking Hospitality Podcast , we sit down with Pedro Colaco , CEO of Guestcentric , to dismantle the traditional approach to revenue management and guest engagement. Pedro argues that in an increasingly digital world, guests aren't looking for a hotel—they are looking for memories...

Is your hotel still living in the past? In this episode of the Schulering HUB Talking Hospitality Podcast , host Mauricio sits down with Alexey Kovrigin , a veteran who built the in-house revenue optimization system (ROS) for Starwood Hotels. Now leading Hotel Lab , Alexey is on a mission to prove that revenue management is the "soul" of a profitable hotel business—and most people are do...

The Death of Chatbots & The Rise of Agentic Hospitality Is the hotel website officially dead? In this episode of the Schulering Hub Talking Hospitality Podcast , host Mauricio Schuler sits down with two industry "heavyweights"— Daniel Doppler , CEO of Quinta , and Philip von Ditfurth from Apaleo PMS —at the Hotel Jalta in Prague to discuss the seismic shift from basic automation to A...

Is your training budget the first line item you cut when times get tough? In this episode, we reveal why that decision might be costing you nearly $626,500 a year in hidden turnover costs. Join us for a deep dive into the measurable ROI of hospitality training . We move beyond the "fuzzy" benefits of soft skills to analyze hard data, proving that well-designed training programs don'...

Is Training an Expense or an Investment? The Real Cost of Turnover with Yamel Henriksen (AHLEI) Do you know how much it truly costs when an employee leaves your hotel? Many hoteliers see training as a "nice-to-have" expense. But when you look at the numbers, the cost of not training is far higher. In this episode of the Schulering Hub Talking Hospitality podcast, Mauricio Schuler sits do...

If you are a leader in hospitality, you aren’t just running a business, you are fighting a "brutal war against attrition". With industry turnover rates hitting a staggering 85% in the U.S. , the cynical question every owner asks is unavoidable: Why pour time and money into training employees who will just leave in seven months?   In this AI deep dive into our Research and Article for the...

Are you struggling to fill hospitality jobs or keep your team motivated?  With industry turnover rates hitting 72%, the old ways of hiring and training are broken. In this episode, we sit down with Florian Horn, Managing Director of Manifesto Market , to unpack a revolutionary approach to HR that is turning "dead zones" into vibrant cultural hubs in Prague and Berlin.    Florian shares h...

Are Gen Z workers truly "disloyal," or is there a bigger story? The data is clear: the average Gen Z employee stays in their first few jobs for just 1.1 years . This isn't job-hopping; it's "growth hunting" . In this crucial episode, we dive past the stereotypes and analyze the data to understand the fundamental shift happening in the workforce. You'll learn: The...

Lazy. Entitled. Overly demanding. Purpose-driven activists.  The stereotypes used to describe Generation Z in the workplace are as common as they are contradictory. We hear that they live on TikTok and hate formal communication, yet they’re also leading the charge for social change from their cubicles. But what if these labels miss the point entirely? Recent data from multiple global reports paint...

Gen Z in Hospitality: What Hotels Must Change to Survive Are hotels still built for a generation that’s already left the chat? In this eye-opening conversation, hospitality educator Mauricio Schüler talks with Benoît Vancauwenberghe , a marketing strategist and generational expert who has spent 20 years helping global brands understand youth culture. Together, they unpack why Gen Z looks at work—a...

🎙 Negotiation Skills Every Hotelier Should Know What if the key to better hotel partnerships, stronger leadership, and happier teams wasn’t about lowering your rates, but about learning how to negotiate with confidence? In this episode, we sit down with Tatjana Kniazeva , a hospitality negotiator and regional manager who has spent over 20 years working with hotels across 12 countries. From leading...

What if the secret to becoming the #1 luxury hotel in America wasn’t location, design, or money… but something far more human? 🌊✨ In this episode, I sit down with Jeff Giasson , General Manager of Acqualina Resort in Miami — the only hotel in the U.S. to earn Forbes Five Stars for both hotel and spa, AAA Five Diamonds, and #1 ranking by U.S. News & World Report . Jeff has done it all: bellma...

Can emotional connection beat price and convenience? In this episode, Guestcentric CEO Pedro Colaco shares a simple playbook for turning hotel staff training and hospitality leadership into unforgettable hotel guest experiences —and more direct bookings. Pedro explains why “your website and booking engine are one digital lobby ,” how a two-question pre-arrival workflow personalizes stays at scale,...

Why do so many hotel employees leave within months, despite good pay and great properties? And how can independent hoteliers reduce turnover while improving guest experience? In this 3-part mini-series of Talking Hospitality , host Mauricio Schuler sits down with hospitality leader Nah-Dja Tien to explore the past, present, and future of hotel onboarding. Episode 1 – Past: From Disney University’s...

PART 2 Why do so many hotel employees leave within months, despite good pay and beautiful properties? Why do managers spend endless hours retraining new hires, only to repeat the cycle again and again? And most importantly—what can independent hoteliers do to stop the turnover spiral? In this 3-part series of Talking Hospitality , host Mauricio Schuler speaks with seasoned hotel leader Nah-Dja Tie...

🎙️ How Great Hotel Onboarding Boosts Staff Retention – Lessons from the Past  Why do so many hotel employees leave within months, despite good pay and beautiful properties? Why do managers spend endless hours retraining new hires, only to repeat the cycle again and again? And most importantly—what can independent hoteliers do to stop the turnover spiral? In this 3-part series of Talking Hospitalit...

In this powerful episode of Talking Hospitality by Schulering HUB , Mauricio Schuler sits down with Raquel Noboa , founder of Fifty Shades Greener , whose life changed forever on December 26th, 2004. Raquel was managing a luxury island resort in the Maldives when the Indian Ocean tsunami struck. She survived, but was left with eco-anxiety that haunted her for years. Instead of turning away, she ch...

From hotel valet to CEO of one of the world’s leading hospitality training companies, Geoffrey Toffetti ’s journey is a masterclass in resilience, ambition, and the power of upselling.  In this episode of Talking Hospitality by Schulering HUB , Geoffrey shares with Mauricio how a single skill, upselling at the front desk , transformed his career and eventually scaled into a training platform that...

Launching a hospitality tech product is exciting, but without the right marketing strategy, even the best ideas can get lost in the noise.  In this episode of the Schulering HUB Talking Hospitality Podcast , host Mauricio Schüler speaks with Jacki Brown , a hotel tech marketing professional with over six years at Amadeus leading marketing strategy, product positioning, and go-to-market launches. J...

"You Never Get a Second Chance to Make a First Impression."  And in hospitality this first impression is often made by someone who has just been hired.   In this episode of the Talking Hospitality podcast , Mauricio Schuler emphasizes the critical importance of hotel staff training and onboarding in enhancing guest satisfaction and operational efficiency.  He discusses the high turnover...

Today, we’re diving into the world of hospitality education with a very special guest – Alexander Muir . Alexander is a hospitality management teacher with deep roots in the industry. From working in his family's coffee shops to holding roles at prestigious places like The Four Seasons in London, his journey is a testament to a lifelong passion for hospitality. In our chat, Alexander shares h...