
Defining Hospitality
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- 274
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- 11. Nov. 2026
Über den Podcast
Welcome to Defining Hospitality, the podcast focused on highlighting the most influential figures in the hospitality industry. In each episode we provide 1 on 1, in depth interviews with experts in the industry to learn what hospitality means to them. We feature expert advice on working in the industry, behind the scenes looks at some of your favorite brands, and in depth explorations of unique hospitality projects. Defining Hospitality is hosted by Founder and CEO of Agency 967, Dan Ryan. With over 30 years of experience in hospitality, Dan brings his expertise and passion to each episode as he delves into the latest trends and challenges facing the industry. Episodes are released every week on Wednesday mornings. To listen to episodes, visit https://www.defininghospitality.live/ or subscribe to Defining Hospitality wherever you get your podcasts.
Folgen 274
Run Toward the Challenge - Nicole Schmidt - Defining Hospitality
What if the secret to scaling a company without losing its soul is deciding who you are before you decide how big to get? Nicole Schmidt joins Dan Ryan to talk about building Source from a frustration with how …
Shownotes
What if the secret to scaling a company without losing its soul is deciding who you are before you decide how big to get? Nicole Schmidt joins Dan Ryan to talk about building Source from a frustration with how messy construction purchasing can be. She explains why technology should take over the data entry so people can spend their time on the details that matter. Along the way, she shares her playbook for culture, from writing values that actually mean something to blending teams after an acquisition. She also looks ahead at what AI could unlock for the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Nicole Schmidt is the CEO of Source and a rare leader who has seen the built environment from every angle, with a career that spans interior architecture, hospitality and housing design, and sales. She is a DJC Women of Vision Industry Member Award recipient and a finalist for Oregon Entrepreneur of the Year. She has also grown her company through acquisitions, including the recent addition of Project Dynamics. Nicole is a newly minted American citizen, and she runs a remote team with the kind of intention most companies only put on a poster.
Chapters:
00:00 Core Values Hook
00:23 Show Intro and Sponsor
00:58 Meet Nicole Schmidt
02:31 First Meeting and Networking
04:51 Defining Hospitality
06:49 Entrepreneurship and Origin Story
08:54 Source Spark and Industry Pain
14:34 Transparency and Smoother Projects
18:05 Building Culture and Values System
29:11 Beating Procrastination
29:55 Marinating Not Avoiding
30:50 Culture Filter Acquisitions
33:31 Knowing Bad Fits
36:09 Sponsor Sustainability Note
36:34 Why Choose Growth
40:41 Acquisition Strategy Matrix
41:55 Legacy And Women Leaders
49:11 AI Future North Star
Quote of the Show: “I have not in my life found a brick wall I could not run through.” - Nicole Schmidt
Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.
🔗 CONNECT:
- Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-schmidt-7420516/
- Guests Website: https://tothesource.com/
- Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/
📧 SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER:
https://www.defininghospitality.live
🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/
🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR FAVORITE PLATFORM:
Little Moments Matter Most - Reair - Will Guidara - Defining Hospitality
What if the most unreasonable thing you can do for your business is make people feel something? This reair brings back a conversation that is well worth a second listen. Dan Ryan and Will Guidara dig into why …
Shownotes
What if the most unreasonable thing you can do for your business is make people feel something? This reair brings back a conversation that is well worth a second listen. Dan Ryan and Will Guidara dig into why the smallest gestures leave the biggest marks, how a daily 30 minute huddle can reshape a culture, and why connection beats being right every single time. A six hour dinner that felt like six minutes and a handwritten card of travel tips prove the point, and along the way they make the case that every industry is already in the hospitality business, whether it knows it or not.
Will Guidara is the author of Unreasonable Hospitality and the restaurateur behind Eleven Madison Park and NoMad. He cut his teeth at Tribeca Grill, Spago, and Tabla before opening restaurants at the Museum of Modern Art. He also created the Welcome Conference, a gathering that has left a lasting mark on the people who attend it.
Chapters:
00:00 Restaurant or Hospitality00:52 Meet Will Guidara
01:25 Six Hour Magic Meal
02:23 Nomad Library Surprise
03:42 Games and Card Trick
04:29 Culture Takes Root
06:36 Finding Your Why
07:38 Will Origin Story
08:50 Hosting and Family
11:19 Hospitality Economy
14:09 Scaling Culture Daily
16:56 Values Beyond Posters
19:58 Impact of the Book
23:24 Unreasonable Intentionality
26:30 Offense in Adversity
31:10 Defining Hospitality
35:39 Beginner Mindset Dad
37:51 Advice and Farewell
Quote of the Show:
“Service is black and white. Hospitality is color.” - Will Guidara
Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.
🔗 CONNECT:
- Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/willguidara/
- Guests Website: https://www.unreasonablehospitality.com/
- Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/
📧 SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER:
https://www.defininghospitality.live
🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/
🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR FAVORITE PLATFORM:
Designing for Wonder - Paolo Ferrari - Defining Hospitality
What if a hotel could change the way you see the world? Dan sits down with Paolo Ferrari, founder of Studio Paolo Ferrari, to talk about design that goes beyond beautiful and into transformational. They get …
Shownotes
What if a hotel could change the way you see the world? Dan sits down with Paolo Ferrari, founder of Studio Paolo Ferrari, to talk about design that goes beyond beautiful and into transformational. They get into why luxury lives in the stitch and not the chair, how film shapes the way he designs urban hotels, and why constraints and friction make for better work. Paolo also explains why shared values matter more than any pitch, how to protect a big vision when the budget gets real, and why physical spaces will matter more than ever as life moves online.
Paolo Ferrari is the founder and principal designer of Studio Paolo Ferrari and was named Boutique Design's 2025 Designer of the Year. For over 20 years he has been shaping some of the most ambitious hospitality projects in the world, including the cave-carved Desert Rock resort in Saudi Arabia. He is known for blending timelessness with courageous invention, and for chasing that moment when someone walks into a space and feels something they never expected.
Chapters:
00:00 Ambition And Uncertainty00:31 Podcast Mission And Sponsor
01:06 Meet Paolo Ferrari
03:03 Optimism And Joyful Energy
03:57 Defining Hospitality As Generosity
04:41 Luxury Lives In Details
09:34 From Experience To Transformation
16:04 Programming And Urban Wonder
22:04 Designing For The Future
33:53 Friction Fuels Excellence
34:58 Sponsor Sustainability Update
35:23 Why Budgets Must Be Shared
36:55 Start With Vision
39:06 Value Engineering Creativity
43:01 Paradigm Shifting Projects
46:16 Design As Optimism
49:26 Choosing Aligned Clients
54:17 Analog Spaces Matter
Quote of the Show:
"Those physical spaces are gonna carry so much more weight. They're not just indulgent. They're how we connect." - Paolo FerrariBuilding a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.
Links:
- Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
- Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
- Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/studio-paolo-ferrari/?originalSubdomain=ca
- Guests Website: https://www.paoloferrari.com/
- Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/
🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/
Ways to Tune In:
Frictionless by Design - Drew Stuart - Defining Hospitality
What if the best sign of great hospitality is that nothing ever gets in your way? Dan Ryan sits down for a live recording of Defining Hospitality, set in a podcast studio tucked inside a former 1930s sandwich …
Shownotes
What if the best sign of great hospitality is that nothing ever gets in your way? Dan Ryan sits down for a live recording of Defining Hospitality, set in a podcast studio tucked inside a former 1930s sandwich shop at Rockefeller Center. The conversation moves from frictionless guest experiences to the habit of saying “we” instead of “I,” with stops along the way for world building, big stakeholder rooms, and the fears that grow as a business does. It’s candid, funny, and built on a friendship that came before any business did.
Drew Stewart is an architect, interior designer, and occasional developer, and a founding partner and director of construction and development at INC Architecture & Design. He has spent 20 years growing the New York studio into a powerhouse, earning a spot in the Interior Design Hall of Fame along the way. His work includes the TWA Hotel, 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, and the Atlas Hotel at Harvard, and he is celebrating the milestone with a monograph, Us Is More, hitting shelves TODAY October 14th.
Chapters:
00:00 Why Hospitality Matters
00:35 Meet Drew Stewart
01:22 Recording at Rock Center
03:00 A Designer’s Eye for Detail
04:09 Defining Frictionless Hospitality
05:44 Managing Mega Projects
11:19 Tech That Aligns Stakeholders
14:52 Hall of Fame Moment
19:07 Us Is More and The Book
34:38 Spending Your Own Money
35:10 Fine Tuning Design Value
35:54 New Empathy For Developers
37:06 Entrepreneurship And Risk
38:04 Fear Grows With Success
39:08 TWA And World Building
41:06 Rockefeller Concourse Redesign
47:29 Building 1 Hotel With Barry
50:51 Book Future And Farewell
Quote of the Show:
“Having creative, thoughtful people across the table turns out to be the single most important thing about any project.” - Drew Stuart
Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.
Links:
- Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
- Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
- Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drew-stuart-22bb286/
- Guests Website: https://inc.nyc/
- Us is More Book: https://a.co/d/01ctnv2F
- Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/
🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/
Ways to Tune In:
The Design Starter Kit - Ashley Squires - Defining Hospitality
What if the biggest advantage in hospitality design isn't having more options, but fewer, better ones? On this episode of Defining Hospitality, Ashley Squires walks through how The Stylist Group is rethinking …
Shownotes
What if the biggest advantage in hospitality design isn't having more options, but fewer, better ones?
On this episode of Defining Hospitality, Ashley Squires walks through how The Stylist Group is rethinking the front end of design sourcing. She breaks down how her team narrows a project down to a tailored "starter kit" pulled from dozens of premier manufacturers, why a fast turnaround can save a firm real time and money, and how she's working to bring a sense of joy back into a process that too often feels like a grind.
Ashley Squires is an interior designer, hospitality design expert, and creative strategist with more than 25 years of experience across hospitality, multifamily, and private aviation spaces. She's led design work for major hotel brands, multifamily developments, and cruise lines, giving her firsthand insight into where the sourcing process breaks down for design teams. Alongside her partner Andrea, she co-founded The Stylist Group to turn that experience into a free resource other designers could lean on.
Chapters:
00:00 Stylist Group Promise00:24 Show Mission Intro
00:48 Sponsor Message
00:57 Meet Ashley Squires
01:23 Time Is Money Setup
02:57 Defining Hospitality
03:25 What Stylus Group Does
04:50 Library Space Problem
06:24 Curating From 27 Makers
09:26 Designer Testimonials
11:26 Fast Turnarounds
15:33 How Palettes Get Picked
18:25 Christmas Day Unboxing
19:54 Sustainability Break
20:19 Measurable Time Savings
22:06 How To Get Started
25:12 Recent Project Wins
33:27 Wrap Up And Contact
Quote of the Show: "No matter what the needs are, whether you're a big firm or you're just starting out, consider us your design resource library." - Ashley Squires
Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.
Links:
- Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
- Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
- Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyksquires/
- Guests Website: https://www.stylist-group.com/
- Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/
🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/
Ways to Tune In:
Hospitality Is a Mindset - Matthew Boone - Defining Hospitality
Matthew Boone joins Dan Ryan to break down what it actually takes to turn a hospitality project from blueprint to guest ready. They dig into the tension between design vision and hard budget numbers, why cost …
Shownotes
Matthew Boone joins Dan Ryan to break down what it actually takes to turn a hospitality project from blueprint to guest ready. They dig into the tension between design vision and hard budget numbers, why cost estimating works so differently around the world, and the on the job lessons that shaped how he leads projects today.
Matthew Boone is head of hospitality at Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB), bringing 20+ years of architecture, construction and project management experience to some of the industry's most complex hotel developments. Trained as an architect, his work includes San Francisco's Huntington Hotel, a project that landed in Architectural Digest. He now leads RLB's hospitality growth across North America, pairing design instinct with financial discipline.
Chapters:
00:00 Architectural Digest Moment00:56 Meet Matthew Boone
02:31 Architecture Roots
04:17 Defining Hospitality
07:12 Front vs Back of House
07:57 ROI and Budget Tradeoffs
10:07 QS vs US Project Model
16:13 Transparency and True Costs
23:50 CapEx and Aging Systems
31:07 Shower Controls Code
32:10 Sponsor Sustainability Update
32:35 RLB Roots In Hawaii
35:10 Hilton Hawaiian Village Lessons
37:59 Clift Hotel Crunch Renovation
41:59 Erin And RLB Culture
43:38 Mainland Growth Markets
47:51 LA Olympics Hotel Conundrum
54:19 Wrap Up And How To Connect
Quote of the Show:
"Hospitality is thinking about what people need, what people want, before they even know they need it." - Matthew Boone
Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.
Links:
- Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
- Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
- Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mboonebayarea/
- Guests Website: https://www.rlb.com/americas/
- Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/
🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/
Ways to Tune In:
Hospitality the Sacred Duty - Colleen Rafferty - Defining Hospitality
Hospitality has ancient roots, and this week's guest traces her own path in the industry back to something surprising: a master's degree in philosophy. What started as bartending to pay for grad school became a …
Shownotes
Hospitality has ancient roots, and this week's guest traces her own path in the industry back to something surprising: a master's degree in philosophy. What started as bartending to pay for grad school became a full blown philosophy of service, one built on presence, reciprocity, and treating every guest interaction as its own small act of care. From building a team that turned an old motel into a two Michelin Key destination to launching a groundbreaking childcare pilot for hospitality workers, this conversation covers what it really takes to scale a business without losing the soul that made it special in the first place.
Colleen Rafferty is the President of Tourists, an award winning hotel in North Adams, Massachusetts that has earned two Michelin Keys and national recognition from outlets like Vanity Fair. She rose through the ranks from guest experience manager to the top leadership seat, helping build a culture so strong that her own team members have collectively logged 40 years of tenure at a hotel that has only been open eight. Beyond the hotel, Colleen is leading a new pilot childcare program funded by the state of Massachusetts in partnership with the Governor's Office, built specifically for hospitality workers whose schedules don't run Monday through Friday, 9 to 5.
Chapters:
00:00 Housekeeping Meltdown00:36 Podcast Mission Intro
01:09 Meet Colleen Rafferty
01:50 Berkshires Festival Vibes
03:32 Defining Hospitality Xenia
06:35 Philosophy to Hospitality
13:57 Tourists Growth Michelin Keys
19:28 Scaling Culture and Structure
26:58 Childcare Pilot for Workers
33:02 Funding and Coalition
33:47 Red Tape Worries
35:23 Pilot Program Unknowns
36:10 Universal Pre-K Lessons
37:14 Michelin Inspector Details
38:10 Sing for Your Slumber
41:01 Tourists Expansion Plans
44:11 Scaling Without Losing Magic
48:28 Mentors and Gratitude
Quote of the Show:
"This isn't really about you. This is about this moment and what the space can provide and what the guest is looking for." - Colleen RaffertyBuilding a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.
Links:
- Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
- Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
- Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colleen-rafferty-88603072/
- Guests Website: https://www.touristswelcome.com/
- Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/
🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/
Ways to Tune In:
Slow Down to Connect - David Rich - Defining Hospitality
What if the best conversations aren't about being interesting, but about being present? In this episode, Dan sits down with his close friend and mentor to explore why so many of us struggle to truly connect …
Shownotes
What if the best conversations aren't about being interesting, but about being present? In this episode, Dan sits down with his close friend and mentor to explore why so many of us struggle to truly connect, even with people we've known for years. The conversation covers vulnerability, the difference between listening to respond and listening to understand, and why removing performance from a room changes everything.
David Rich is the founder of Palabra, a story driven event format he has hosted hundreds of times across nearly every continent, from intimate dinners to gatherings of over 100 people. What started as a personal search for deeper friendships after moving back from Spain has grown into a platform used by corporations, families, and entrepreneurs to build genuine relationships. His approach to storytelling and presence has made him one of the most sought after voices on modern connection.Chapters:
00:00 Stories Over Opinions
00:53 Meet David Rich
02:00 What Hospitality Means
03:42 Palabra Born in Spain
07:27 Designing the Container
09:53 Conversation First Format
13:03 Vulnerability and Story Prep
15:58 Listening With Heart
23:32 Opinion Free Safe Space
31:16 Sales Through Trust
32:34 Sponsor Sustainability Note
32:59 Forum Style Story Learning
34:34 Introverts Love Structure
35:57 Long Tail Impact Stories
38:13 Scaling Palabra Formats
39:58 Everest Circle Experiment
43:36 Analog Connection In AI Age
48:42 Guardrails And Closing Reflections
Quote of the Show:
"A good event isn't that someone cried, so it was a good event. It's that people become a little bit more of themselves." - David RIch
Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.
Links:
- Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
- Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
- Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjrich/
- Guests Website: https://www.palabra.co/
- Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/
🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/
Ways to Tune In:
Slow Partnerships, Fast Loyalty - Diarmaid O'Sullivan - Defining Hospitality
What does luxury actually mean once you strip away the thread counts and marble bathrooms? Dan sits down with Diarmaid O'Sullivan, Director of Marketing at the Hamilton Princess & Beach Club, a Fairmont Hotel …
Shownotes
What does luxury actually mean once you strip away the thread counts and marble bathrooms? Dan sits down with Diarmaid O'Sullivan, Director of Marketing at the Hamilton Princess & Beach Club, a Fairmont Hotel in Bermuda, for a conversation about connection, patience, and the moments that turn a guest into a regular. Diarmaid brings more than 30 years of international experience in hospitality marketing, tourism strategy, and luxury brand building, and has spent over a decade shaping some of the industry's most talked about lifestyle partnerships, including collaborations with Steamline Luggage and a custom fragrance created with Bermuda's oldest perfumery. The two dig into what luxury means as a moving target, how far patience can take a brand partnership, and why the first five minutes of a stay might matter more than the room itself.
Chapters:
00:00 Show Mission Intro
00:35 Meet Diarmaid
02:01 Hospitality Means People
05:25 Bermuda Move Story
07:30 Partnership Playbook
11:09 Fairmont Brand Legacy
15:32 Redefining Luxury
20:10 Curated Art Experiences
23:57 Tech Versus Human Touch
32:53 Mentoring With Honesty
34:12 Helping Staff Move On
35:11 I Want Your Job
36:13 Six Months To Prove It
38:01 Boss As Your Guide
40:38 Networking On A Small Island
43:56 Bermuda Awareness Challenge
47:52 New Opportunities And Partnerships
50:21 Measuring Wins And Wrapping Up
Quote of the Show:
"You can teach someone the skills to operate a system, how to make a bed, how to make a dish. But you cannot teach someone to have empathy, to connect with people, or just be happy." - Diarmaid OSullivan
Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.
Links:
- Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
- Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
- Luggage Collab: https://steamlineluggage.com/collections/the-hamilton-princess-hotel
- Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diarmaidosullivan/
- Guests Website: https://www.thehamiltonprincess.com/
- Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/
🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/
Ways to Tune In:
Culture By Design - Adam Lara - Defining Hospitality
In this episode of Defining Hospitality, Dan sits down with Adam Lara, principal at KTGY Interior Design and Branded Environments, to talk about career, culture, and what it really takes to build a studio that …
Shownotes
In this episode of Defining Hospitality, Dan sits down with Adam Lara, principal at KTGY Interior Design and Branded Environments, to talk about career, culture, and what it really takes to build a studio that works. From formative early experiences to his latest chapter leading a growing team in Chicago, Adam offers a grounded look at what shapes great design work over the long haul.
Adam Lara has spent nearly three decades moving across architecture, interiors, and brand side operations, giving him a rare, well rounded view of the hospitality design world. His career has included time at Hyatt, a formative stretch under acclaimed designer Jordan Mosher, and now a leadership role at KTGY. That range makes him one of the more thoughtful voices working in hospitality design today.
Chapters:
00:00 Why Hospitality Matters
00:35 Meet Adam Lara
01:55 Defining Hospitality
02:53 Career Pivot After 9/11
04:22 Inside-Out Design Thinking
05:29 Why Architects Avoid Interiors
07:26 Hyatt HQ Memories
08:31 Brand Side Lessons at Hyatt
10:27 Ops and Owner Mindset
13:40 Jordan Mozer Maker Culture
16:27 Micro to Macro Design
18:40 Joining Simeone Deary
20:25 Merging Into KTGY
22:44 Learning From Gina and Lisa
24:48 New Office and Integration
28:49 Venetian Bars Storytelling
34:59 Leadership and Culture
45:06 In-Person Collaboration Finale
Quote of the Show:
"It's not just design, it's basically problem solving." - Adam Lara
Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.
Links:
- Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
- Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
- Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-lara-aia-leed-ap-ishc-7aa04751/
- Guests Website: https://ktgy.com/
- Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/
🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/
Ways to Tune In:
Small Hotels, Big Margins - Ryan Diggins - Defining Hospitality
In this episode, Dan Ryan sits down with Ryan Diggins, founder and operator of The Ramble Hotel and co-founder of Gravitas Development, to unpack how his company, Midnight Auteur, builds boutique hotels that …
Shownotes
In this episode, Dan Ryan sits down with Ryan Diggins, founder and operator of The Ramble Hotel and co-founder of Gravitas Development, to unpack how his company, Midnight Auteur, builds boutique hotels that lead with food and beverage instead of treating it as an afterthought. Ryan walks through the thinking behind properties like The Ramble in Denver and Municipal Grand in Savannah, why smaller hotels can outperform bigger ones when you optimize for revenue per square foot instead of RevPAR alone, and how staying involved in the smallest design details, right down to how brass patinas on a toilet handle, keeps a project from losing its soul as it scales. The conversation also dives into how Ryan finds overlooked real estate opportunities, how he builds teams around a fully formed vision instead of the other way around, and what the future of hotel discovery looks like as AI reshapes how travelers find where to stay.
Ryan Diggins is a real estate development veteran with over 15 years of experience building in Denver and beyond, and he's spent that time proving that boutique hotels can compete with, and outperform, some of the biggest names in the business. As founder and operator of The Ramble Hotel and co-founder of Gravitas Development, he leads hotel concepting, development, and operations through his company Midnight Auteur, marrying serious development chops with a hospitality first sensibility. His latest project, Municipal Grand in Savannah, was recently named one of the top 19 places to travel in 2026 by Architectural Digest, cementing his reputation as one of the industry's sharpest voices on design-driven, food and beverage anchored hospitality.
Chapters:
00:00 Real Estate vs Purpose00:22 Show Mission Intro
00:55 Guest Spotlight Ryan
02:26 Defining Hospitality
04:00 Placemaking Through Hotels
06:43 Artfulness Over Formula
10:42 Why Secret Sauce Gets Lost
16:25 F&B Led Hotel Economics
26:04 Staying Curious While Scaling
31:34 Process Without Strangling
33:23 Design For The Picky Guest
35:22 Thoughtfulness As True North
37:23 Values Shape The Team
40:58 Winning Over Investors
44:29 Choosing Design Partners
48:22 Future Markets And Pipeline
50:53 Marketing In The AI Era
55:04 Death And Co Origin Story
Quote of the Show:
"If we can't answer what is this here for or why are we doing this, well now you're just a Pinterest board." - Ryan Diggins
Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.
Links:
- Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
- Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
- Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-diggins-8a1297a/
- Guests Website: https://www.theramblehotel.com/
- Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/
🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/
Ways to Tune In:
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
- Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
- Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
- Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Making Room for Others - Carl Long - Defining Hospitality
In this episode, Dan sits down with longtime industry counterpart Carl Long for a conversation twenty years in the making. They dig into how relationships compound like interest, why hospitality has resisted …
Shownotes
In this episode, Dan sits down with longtime industry counterpart Carl Long for a conversation twenty years in the making. They dig into how relationships compound like interest, why hospitality has resisted disruption from AI, and the vocational program Carl helped build at Richardson High School that's giving students a debt free path into the industry. It is a candid, reflective talk about risk, trust, and what actually keeps people in this business for the long haul.
About the Guest:
Carl Long is CEO of PMI and PMI Tribal Services, with more than two decades of experience in hospitality purchasing and project management spanning India, Latin America, and major hotel, casino, and senior living projects across the US. He sits on the board of the Indian Gaming Association, serves on the AHLA Design and Construction Committee, and is the past president of ISHP. He is also breaking ground on his own hotel development this year, adding developer to an already impressive resume.
Chapters:
00:00 Spy Joke and Mission
00:46 Meet Carl Long
02:07 Project Years and Perspective
04:32 Defining Hospitality
05:57 Building Their Own Hotel
07:28 Balancing Kindness and Deadlines
10:50 Relationships Over Transactions
17:38 Trust Erosion and Overdocumentation
28:58 Disruption AI and Last Mile
36:20 AI Meets Reality
38:12 People Over Process
38:49 Hospitality Career Lab
39:58 Richardson High Program
42:28 Building A Hotel Lobby
45:13 Opportunity Without Debt
47:21 Connection Beats Remote
53:59 CapEx And Renovation Cycle
01:05:19 Future Of Relational Hospitality
Quote of the Show: "Those relationships, they have to start somewhere. It comes over time, it comes over effort, and when you do that, relationships are what make great projects easy to move ahead." - Carl Long
Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.
Links:
- Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
- Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
- Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-long-pmi/
- Guests Website: https://pmiconnect.com/
- Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/
🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/
Ways to Tune In:
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
- Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
- Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
- Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Hospitality From Every Angle - Compilation Episode - Defining Hospitality
To celebrate over three years of Defining Hospitality, Dan Ryan pulls together some of the most powerful moments from the show's history into one episode. From the etymology of the word "hospitality" itself to …
Shownotes
To celebrate over three years of Defining Hospitality, Dan Ryan pulls together some of the most powerful moments from the show's history into one episode. From the etymology of the word "hospitality" itself to the sacred duty of welcoming strangers, this compilation revisits the ideas that have shaped the conversation around design, service, and business in our industry. Guests reflect on the moments that changed them, the leaps of faith that built their careers, and the small human details, like how a rendering makes people feel, that separate good hospitality from great hospitality. It's a reminder of just how much wisdom has passed through this mic, and why the question "what does hospitality really mean" never gets old.
This episode brings back some of the sharpest minds Dan has hosted, including novelist and hospitality thinker Ian, designer and procurement leader Chelsea Hershelman, hospitality veteran John O'Sullivan, caterer to presidents Steve, architect and designer Eileen, casino and resort design expert Bruno Viterbo, real estate developer Margot Stern, and hospitality tech innovator John Duffield. Each brought a distinct perspective to the show, from the sacred history of welcoming guests to the future of biometric personalization in travel. Together, their stories map out just how wide, and how deep, the world of hospitality really runs.
Chapters:
00:00 Welcome to Defining Hospitality
00:35 Hospitality Roots and Meaning
01:32 Designing the Guest Journey
02:14 A Sacred Sense of Belonging
02:40 Conviction as Leadership Gravity
03:14 Four Seasons Culture Shift
03:57 Hope and Opportunity Abroad
05:03 White Box to Model Room
06:03 Designing for Real People
07:11 Is It Right or Wrong
07:55 Sponsor Sustainability Update
08:20 Creating Vacation Joy
09:06 Leaps of Faith and Belonging
11:07 Friends Who Expand Possibility
12:04 Don’t Disqualify Yourself
13:46 Winning Town Alignment
15:05 High Stakes Catering Moments
15:44 Future of Travel and Wisdom
Quote of the Show:"It wasn't about, hey, we have these great finishes on the walls. It was about what does it feel like to be in that place." - Bruno Viterbo
Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.
Get Connected with the Guests
- Bruno Viterbo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bruno-viterbo/
- Chelsea Hershelman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelsea-hershelman-a0639656/
- Eileen Madigan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eileenamadiganasid/
- Ian Sharpe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianstuartsharpe/
- John Duffield: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnjduffield/
- John O’Sullivan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-o-sullivan-6719551/
- Margot Stern: https://www.linkedin.com/in/margot-stern-67a0a97/
- Steve Fortunato:https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-fortunato-3b990516/
- Dan Ryan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/
🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/
Ways to Tune In:
- Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
- Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
- Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
- Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
- Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Academic Roots, Hospitality Heights - Gary Brandeis - Defining Hospitality
Gary Brandeis, CEO of Scholar Hotels, joins Dan Ryan to talk about a strategy most hoteliers never even consider: betting everything on college towns. Gary explains why a large public university like Penn State …
Shownotes
Gary Brandeis, CEO of Scholar Hotels, joins Dan Ryan to talk about a strategy most hoteliers never even consider: betting everything on college towns. Gary explains why a large public university like Penn State makes for one of the most stable demand drivers in hospitality, and how his company has grown to nearly 1,000 rooms in State College alone. The conversation dives into his real estate investor first, hospitality operator second philosophy, the wild 16 month renovation of the historic Nittany Lion Inn, and his new Regulation A offering that lets everyday fans, not just accredited investors, own a piece of the hotels they love to visit. It is a masterclass in finding your niche, going deep instead of wide, and turning community passion into capital.
About the Guest:
Gary Brandeis is the CEO of Scholar Hotels, a hotel executive and real estate investor who has spent 35 years working with major brands like Marriott, Hyatt, and IHG while building a specialized portfolio around university markets. He has also launched award winning real estate technology companies focused on innovation and tenant experience, proving he is just as comfortable disrupting the model as he is running it. What makes Gary worth listening to is his willingness to buck conventional investment wisdom, concentrating his business in college towns like State College, Pennsylvania, and turning that focus into one of the most consistent and creative hospitality plays in the industry today.
Chapters:
00:00 Why Hospitality Matters00:25 Meet Gary Brandeis
01:04 Penn State Roots and Nittany Lion
03:09 A Thousand Rooms in State College
07:22 Hospitality Meets Profitability
12:22 College Town Brands and Graduate
16:49 Graduate Growth and Real Estate Risks
20:00 Democratizing Hotel Investing Reg A
32:46 Scaling Investor Communication
35:08 Investor Updates Tech
35:57 Radical Transparency
36:42 University Demand Engine
38:44 Crowdfunding Reg A Basics
40:37 Targeting Superfans Social
44:28 Nittany Lion Inn Turnaround
46:08 Choosing The Right Designer
50:14 Hands On Ownership Grit
58:17 University Hotels Investment Thesis
Quote of the Show:
"If we don't make a profit and we don't invest well, our ability to provide a good experience for our guests is significantly hindered." - Gary BrandeisBuilding a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.
Links:
- Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
- Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
- Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garybrandeis/
- Guests Website: https://www.scholarhh.com/
- Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/
🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/
Ways to Tune In:
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
- Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
- Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
- Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Connecting the Room - Michelle Finn - Defining Hospitality
In this episode, Dan Ryan sits down with Michelle Finn, longtime industry fixture and the driving force behind Alis Design Plus, to trace the evolution of hospitality trade events from HD Expo's chaotic 1990s …
Shownotes
In this episode, Dan Ryan sits down with Michelle Finn, longtime industry fixture and the driving force behind Alis Design Plus, to trace the evolution of hospitality trade events from HD Expo's chaotic 1990s launch (earthquakes, riots and all) to today's design and investment ecosystem. Michelle unpacks her "dinner party" philosophy of hosting, the power of relationships over transactions, and how she scaled that intimacy from a dozen guests to thousands of attendees without losing the human touch. The conversation moves through mentorship, the rise of owner involvement in design, the new Alis Cala expansion into the Caribbean, and even a few fun detours into what a Vogue or Garden and Guns hotel might look like.
About the Guest:
Michelle Finn heads The BHN Group's hotel design and construction events, including the launch of Alis Design Plus. Previously, she led the management and development of Hospitality Design Expo, HD Boutique, HD Summit, HD Awards, Hospitality Design, Boutique Design NY, Boutique Design West, the BD Forum Series, Boutique Design and Senior Lifestyle Design Match events, the Gold Key Awards, and more. A dedicated, long standing member of NEWH, she has earned numerous awards for innovation spanning trade fair development, publishing, leadership, and service, and is firmly established as a notable presence in Chicago's hospitality landscape.
Chapters:
00:00 Defining Hospitality Intro
00:35 Meet Michelle Finn
01:47 What Hospitality Means
03:38 Hosting Lessons Early On
06:00 Launching HD Expo Origins
08:48 Riots Earthquakes and Vegas Pivot
13:42 Winning Leadership Buy In
22:41 Why ALIS Design Plus Exists
25:21 Growth Plans and Industry Shifts
33:38 Analog Event Magic
34:36 Word of Mouth Wins
35:08 Hospitality Shifts
36:19 Product Categories Boom
37:47 Launching Alice Cala
39:59 Measuring Referrals
43:56 Hosting Like a Pro
48:11 Newcomer Event Playbook
52:22 Future Plans and Farewell
Quote of the Show:
"Identify a need, see something that doesn't exist. That's pretty much what we did." - Michelle Finn
Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.
Links:
- Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
- Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
- Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alis-design-plus
- Guests Website: https://www.alisdesignplus.com/
- Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/
🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/
Ways to Tune In:
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
- Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
- Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
- Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Details That Matter - Adrienne Scribner - Defining Hospitality
In this episode, Dan sits down with Adrienne Scribner, principal and managing director of hospitality at Baskerville, to unpack what three decades in hotel design has taught her about the unglamorous work that …
Shownotes
In this episode, Dan sits down with Adrienne Scribner, principal and managing director of hospitality at Baskerville, to unpack what three decades in hotel design has taught her about the unglamorous work that actually makes projects succeed. They dig into why there is no "coordination fairy" waiting to catch your mistakes, how typing specs into a purchasing system in the early '90s built the foundation for her entire career, and why mentoring the next generation means being approachable rather than intimidating.
About the Guest:
Adrienne Scribner is a Principal and Managing Director of Hospitality at Baskervill, bringing more than 20 years of experience across the Maryland, Virginia, and DC design corridor. Her client roster reads like a hospitality hall of fame, including Marriott, Gaylord, Ritz Carlton, and Moxy, and her research driven approach has made her a trusted voice for owners navigating renovations of every scale. Beyond the projects themselves, she has built a reputation as a generous mentor, the kind of leader who would rather answer a question than let someone learn the hard way.
Chapters:
00:00 Welcome back to Defining Hospitality
00:58 Meet Adrienne Scribner
01:41 Conference Mentorship Moment
02:52 Why She Stayed in Hotels
04:17 Learning Through Specs
07:16 Hybrid Work and Phone Calls
10:54 Marriott Years and Prototypes
14:11 No Coordination Fairy
17:57 Mentorship and Coachable Talent
31:18 Baskerville Office Footprint
32:30 Hiring Without Relocation
32:47 Why DC Attracts Designers
34:40 DC Cost and Lifestyle Reality
35:01 Sponsor Sustainability Note
35:26 Market Cycle and CapEx Slowdown
38:08 Compressed Schedules and Pauses
39:36 Mentorship Through Project Conflict
40:45 Model Rooms and Risk Management
46:40 Career Lessons From Marriott
49:25 Working With Brand Standards
54:09 Owners Concepts and AI Inspiration
57:14 Research Versus Inspiration Images
59:50 Cross-Pollination Across Verticals
Quote of the Show:
"If you don't know exactly who is going to do the work, it's probably you. You need to find that person." - Adrienne Scribner
Links:
- Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
- Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
- Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrienne-scribner-265b045/
- Guests Website: https://www.baskervill.com/
- Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/
🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/
Ways to Tune In:
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
- Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
- Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
- Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
The Art of Making Spaces Beloved - Alexa d'Argence- Defining Hospitality
Dan Ryan sat down with Alexa d'Argence, senior interior designer at Ken Fulk Inc., to explore what it really means to design spaces people fall in love with. Alexa pulls back the curtain on KFI's work at the …
Shownotes
Dan Ryan sat down with Alexa d'Argence, senior interior designer at Ken Fulk Inc., to explore what it really means to design spaces people fall in love with. Alexa pulls back the curtain on KFI's work at the Huntington Hotel in San Francisco and the Beverly Hills Hotel. sharing how a strong concept and cinematic vision guide every decision from the big picture down to the smallest detail. The conversation gets reflective too, touching on why slowing down is sometimes the only way forward, and what it means to truly love the work you do.
About the Guest:
Alexa d'Argence is a Senior Interior Designer at Ken Fulk Inc. in San Francisco. With a background rooted in hospitality and residential design, she has worked on projects ranging from The Flamingo Hotel in Santa Rosa to the Huntington Hotel on Nob Hill, recently featured in Architectural Digest, and is currently deep in the renovation of the Beverly Hills Hotel. A graduate of Cornell and a lifelong lover of hotels, she approaches every project as an act of care, craft, and storytelling.
Chapters:
00:42 Meet Alexa d’Argence
01:45 Sketching Under Pressure
04:02 What Hospitality Means
05:03 Hotels and Childhood Memories
05:59 From Marin to Hospitality Design
07:51 Storytelling and the Movie Mind
13:23 Designing for the Guest
17:22 History Beloved and Future Dreams
28:19 Sketching Together Works
29:08 Hidden Beauty Onsite
32:05 Details Beyond The Spread
33:15 Beloved Places And Memories
34:54 Renovations And Responsibility
36:10 Sustainability Sponsor Break
36:37 Tools Sketches And Renderings
39:40 Puzzling As Design Mindset
44:19 Mentorship Scent And Farewell
Quote of the Show:
"It's a calling, a vocation for me. So there's a lot of love that goes into it. This is a job where you are working long hours, and if you don't love it, you're gonna burn out." - Alexa d'Argence
Links:
- Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
- Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
- Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexadargence/
- Guests Website: https://www.kenfulk.com/
- Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/
🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/
Ways to Tune In:
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
- Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
- Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
- Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Niching Down then Grow - Alex Kuby - Defining Hospitality
This week, Dan Ryan sits down with Alex Kuby, Associate Principal at Dyelot and a lifelong student of how built environments shape human experience. From his early days at HBA in Santa Monica to helping lead a …
Shownotes
This week, Dan Ryan sits down with Alex Kuby, Associate Principal at Dyelot and a lifelong student of how built environments shape human experience. From his early days at HBA in Santa Monica to helping lead a studio through a full brand transformation, Alex has spent his career asking what it really means to make people feel seen, supported, and cared for inside a space. Together, Dan and Alex explore approachable hospitality, the power of integrated services, and what niching down actually looks like when you are doing it from the inside.
About the Guest:On this episode, Dan Ryan sits down with Alex Kuby, Associate Principal at Dyelot, a hospitality interiors studio bolstered by branding, procurement, and architectural services. Alex has been part of the firm since its days as RDC, helping shape its evolution into a focused, values driven hospitality design practice. When he is not leading visioning workshops or authoring the Dylot blog, he is probably thinking about how a grocery store can double as a neighborhood heartbeat.
Chapters:
00:42 Show Intro and Sponsor
01:04 Meet Alex Kuby
01:31 Shared Roots and Catching Up
03:19 Defining Hospitality
03:58 Approachable Hospitality
05:25 RDC to Dyelot Story
09:34 WELL and Sustainable FF&E
20:59 Capital ROI and Visioning
32:23 Sustainable Sponsor Shoutout
32:41 Design Meets Procurement
35:38 Why Branding Comes First
39:04 Blogging and Brand Transition
41:49 Niching Down the Studio
43:22 Grocery as Community Hub
46:09 Public Spaces and Connection
50:12 Career Advice and Mentorship
53:28 Memory Lane and Farewell
Quote of the Show:
"Hospitality is the humanity in the built environment, that is the way in which we express care and facilitate all of those great high touch point, high emotional engagements that the best hospitality spaces are known for." - Alex Kuby
Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.
Links:
- Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
- Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
- Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akuby/
- Guests Website: https://dyelot.com/
- Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/
🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/
Ways to Tune In:
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
- Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
- Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
- Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Beyond the Bulb - Thomas Paterson - Defining Hospitality
Dan Ryan talks with Thomas Paterson, founder and lighting designer at Lux Populi, about one of hospitality's most overlooked design disciplines… light. Thomas explains why lighting designers need a seat at the …
Shownotes
Dan Ryan talks with Thomas Paterson, founder and lighting designer at Lux Populi, about one of hospitality's most overlooked design disciplines… light. Thomas explains why lighting designers need a seat at the table from day one, not after the drawings are done, and shares his take on how light shapes a space's emotional experience. The conversation covers the gap between the 2% of projects that engage a true lighting specialist and the 30-50% that probably should, what it means to design from the inside out, his unconventional path from Australia to Mexico City, the sustainability case for old-school screw-in bulbs, and why asking the right question at the right moment is the smartest move a lighting designer can make.
About the Guest:
Thomas Paterson is the founder, director, and principal lighting designer at Lux Populi, a Mexico City based lighting design studio. He brings a first principles approach to every project, asking what light can do before how it should look. His portfolio spans luxury resorts, boutique hotels, restaurants, museums, and infrastructure, including 15 years with Sandals Resorts, the Four Seasons Los Cabos, and a landmark tunnel gateway in Sydney. Originally from Australia and formerly based in London, he landed in Mexico City by chance and built one of the industry's most distinctive lighting practices.
Chapters:
00:25 Meet Lighting Designer Thomas
03:09 Hospitality Through Light
06:43 Bring Lighting In Early
10:17 Who Owns The Brief
11:46 Do Projects Hire Lighting
17:23 Lighting As Editing Tool
25:43 Fixing Spaces After Opening
29:09 Why Mexico City
31:53 Mexico City Safety Shift
32:43 Designing the Cocoon
33:17 Contrast and Tone Basics
34:14 Fixing a Brand’s Lighting
35:47 Kelvin Myths Explained
37:38 Infrared and Homogenous LEDs
42:39 Culture and Buying Bulbs
47:37 Sustainability and PoE Lighting
54:53 Future of Lighting Design
Quote of the Show:
"Lighting design is an editing tool. Emphasize, de-emphasize, reveal, conceal." - Thomas Paterson
Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.
Links:
- Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
- Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
- Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tpaterson/
- Guests Website: https://luxpopuli.com/New/
- Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/
🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/
Ways to Tune In:
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
- Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
- Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
- Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Navigating the Peaks of Innovation - Larry Traxler - Defining Hospitality
This week, Dan Ryan sits down with Larry Traxler, a 30+ year veteran of architecture and design, former SVP Global Head of Architecture & Design at Hilton Hotels & Resorts, and founder of Traxworks Hospitality …
Shownotes
This week, Dan Ryan sits down with Larry Traxler, a 30+ year veteran of architecture and design, former SVP Global Head of Architecture & Design at Hilton Hotels & Resorts, and founder of Traxworks Hospitality Collaborative, to make the case that great hospitality design isn’t about replicating what’s trending, it’s about understanding place, people, and purpose. From breaking ceramic tiles on job sites in Japan to navigating 102 countries and opening 1,000 hotels a year at Hilton, Larry has spent his career building bridges between creative vision and business reality, and now, finally free to say no, he’s going deeper than ever.
About the Guest:
On this episode, Dan Ryan sits down with Larry Traxler, founder of Traxworks Hospitality Collaborative and former SVP Global Head of Architecture and Design at Hilton Hotels & Resorts. Larry has shaped some of the most memorable spaces in global hospitality, one mosaic wall, and one very deliberate hammer swing at a time. When he’s not advising owners on design strategy or racking up passport stamps across his 102nd country, he’s photographing wildlife in his backyard, plotting a month in Africa, and finally, finally, getting to put more into the projects that truly light him up.Chapters:
00:25 Welcome to Defining Hospitality
01:28 Mentors Safari and Photography
02:53 Backyard Safari and Reps
05:42 Defining Hospitality Through Design
12:09 Traxworks Freedom to Say No
15:13 Jordan Mozer Narrative Craft
22:31 Becoming the Bridge Conductor
30:36 The Clift Deep Dive Details
35:27 Nine Million Miles
36:43 Creativity in the Air
38:27 Hilton Lessons to Trexworks
43:10 Solo Founder Reality
45:13 AI as Creative Toolkit
50:00 Recessions and Resilience
54:04 Hospitality Beyond Hotels
01:00:20 Fighting Design Sameness
01:02:35 Traxworks Freedom and Farewell
Quote of the Show:
“It’s those people that have a fear of the future that get held back. Sometimes you just have to jump off the bridge and leap into those entrepreneurial waters.” - Larry TraxlerBuilding a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.
Links:
- Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
- Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
- Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larrytraxler/
- Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/
🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by BermanFalk https://www.bermanfalk.com/
Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/Ways to Tune In:
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
- Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
- Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
- Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
The Art of Belonging - John O’Sullivan - Defining Hospitality
This week, Dan Ryan sits down with John O'Sullivan, hospitality executive, published poet, painter, and Regional Vice President & General Manager at Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita, to make the case that great …
Shownotes
This week, Dan Ryan sits down with John O'Sullivan, hospitality executive, published poet, painter, and Regional Vice President & General Manager at Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita, to make the case that great hospitality isn't a service standard, it's a soul practice. A GM at just 25 who started peeling potatoes in a small Irish hotel at 12, John has spent over three decades opening and leading luxury properties across seven countries, building a career on the radical belief that belonging is borderless, failure is just success in progress, and heart intelligence will always outperform artificial intelligence.
About the Guest:
On this episode, Dan Ryan sits down with John O'Sullivan, Regional Vice President and General Manager at Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita in Mexico. With 31 years at Four Seasons and properties across Cairo, Bali, Jakarta, and beyond, John has spent his career quietly proving that the most powerful management tool isn't a system, it's sincerity. When he's not leading a team of more than 1,000 warriors, he's painting, publishing poetry, or stealing cookies from his director of rooms' office. He moves through the world the same way he runs his hotel, with curiosity, warmth, and zero interest in being the most important person in the room.Chapters:
00:35 Meet John O Sullivan
02:25 Defining Hospitality And Belonging
03:06 From Ireland To GM At 25
04:18 Making Room For Others
10:30 Mentors And Ripple Effects
16:22 Travel Memories And Magic Details
20:56 Why Punta Mita Wins
26:21 Creativity Process And Failure
34:02 Potato Peeler Origins
34:34 Curiosity Becomes Calling
37:06 Heart Intelligence Hospitality
38:13 Creativity Fuels Positivity
39:14 Recharging Through Adventure
41:56 Fun as Leadership
42:56 Vulnerability and Forgiveness
47:46 Egypt Opening Hope Story
54:33 Future of Authentic Luxury
Quote of the Show:
"Hospitality is the almost sacred act of seeing another human being and saying, without words, that you authentically belong here." - John O’SullivanBuilding a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.
Links:
- Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
- Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
- Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-o-sullivan-6719551/
- Guests Website: https://www.fourseasons.com/puntamita/
- Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/
🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/
Ways to Tune In:
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
- Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
- Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
- Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Balancing Business and Humanity - David Shove-Brown - Defining Hospitality
This week, Dan Ryan sits down with David Shove-Brown, architect, design leader, educator, and partner at //3877, to make the case that the most powerful thing you can put on your business card isn't a title …
Shownotes
This week, Dan Ryan sits down with David Shove-Brown, architect, design leader, educator, and partner at //3877, to make the case that the most powerful thing you can put on your business card isn't a title, it's a philosophy. A firm co-founder who launched his practice in the middle of a recession with a newborn at home and a best friend from college as his only business partner, David has spent 15 years proving that relationships aren't a strategy, they're the whole game. David isn't just building great spaces. He's building a firm, a community, and a life worth writing about.
About the Guest:
On this episode, Dan Ryan sits down with David Shove-Brown, partner at //3877, an architecture and design firm based in DC and New York. David has spent 15 years building a practice and a reputation, on the belief that relationships come before business. Whether he's mentoring students at trade shows, swapping proposals with competitors, or just holding the door for a stranger, he moves through the world the same way he runs his firm, like every person in the room matters.Chapters:
00:51 Meet David02:04 NEWH Mentorship Moment
03:53 Defining Hospitality
04:43 Community Over Competition
08:46 Networking Roots and Values
13:01 Relationship Building That Lasts
17:45 Balance Family and Firm
27:24 Design in the Public Interest
31:18 Losing a Mentor
32:46 Succession and Letting Go
33:56 Mentoring Through Mistakes
36:19 How to Find Mentors
38:01 Learning From Students
40:11 Community and Collisions
42:25 Craving Certainty Forward
48:25 Startup Stories and Growth
50:07 Looking Ahead and Wrap
Quote of the Show:
"Networking always had this underlying idea of sales, we flipped it. For us, it's really relationship building." - David Shove-Brown
Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.
Links:
- Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
- Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
- David’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dsb3877/
- David’s Company’s Website: https://www.3877.design/
- Dan Ryan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/
🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/
Ways to Tune In:
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
- Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
- Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
- Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Pioneering Global Design - Christine McGinnis - Defining Hospitality
This week, Dan Ryan sits down with Christine McGinnis, Director of Design at Wave Design Consultants, to make the case that the most powerful tool a designer can carry isn't a software subscription or a …
Shownotes
This week, Dan Ryan sits down with Christine McGinnis, Director of Design at Wave Design Consultants, to make the case that the most powerful tool a designer can carry isn't a software subscription or a portfolio, it's a passport and a willingness to ask why. A Canadian kid who got locked in a Tiffany's display window in Hong Kong and never really looked back, Christine has spent over two decades designing across Asia, North America, and now the Canary Islands, chasing a single throughline openness. From restoring a termite-eaten 19th century Bangkok landmark to drawing her first full set of plans in Spanish, she isn't just designing spaces, she's designing a life.
About the Guest:
On this episode, Dan Ryan sits down with Christine McGinnis, Director of Design at Wave Design Consultants, a Canadian born, world traveling hospitality designer who logged her first miles in the Starwood design lab before most people knew that lab existed. Christine has spent 20 plus years designing hotels and restaurants across Asia, Europe, and Africa not by following the work, but by following the question. And the question, in her case, is always the same one… why?Chapters:
00:38 Meet Christine McGinnis01:15 Journey Westward
03:15 Early Career Plans
04:09 Generations And Nomads
05:46 Starwood Innovation Lab
14:31 Openness Defines Hospitality
20:38 Spain Projects And Asking Why
26:03 Design Fatigue and Surprise
27:26 Waldorf Respite After 9/11
29:13 Hospitality Alchemy From the Heart
30:30 Design vs Service That Brings Guests Back
31:32 Aloft Seminyak Bali Success
33:48 Being Present Wherever You Land
35:31 Just Go Travel Advice
39:48 Resurgence of Analog Connection
Quote of the Show:
"People come to your joint once for the design, but they come back for the service and how you made them feel." - Christine McGinnisBuilding a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.
Links:
- Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
- Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
- Christine’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinemcginnis/
- Wave Design’s Website: https://www.wave.global/
- Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/
🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/
Ways to Tune In:
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
- Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
- Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
- Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Global Visions, Local Touches - Genna Panagopoulos - Defining Hospitality
This week, Dan Ryan sits down with Genna Panagopoulos, Vice President of Development at Minor Hotels, to make the case that the most exciting real estate play in hospitality right now isn't in Asia or Europe …
Shownotes
This week, Dan Ryan sits down with Genna Panagopoulos, Vice President of Development at Minor Hotels, to make the case that the most exciting real estate play in hospitality right now isn't in Asia or Europe, it's right here in America. A restaurant kid from Detroit who fell in love with hotels, Genna is the one handed the keys to a 640 property global giant's entire North American future, armed with 12 brands, a freshly built franchise model, and a philosophy that deals only work when everyone at the table wins. One NH Collection in Manhattan down. Twenty four more to go.
About the Guest:
Genna Panagopoulos, VP of Development at Minor Hotels, a Greek American, raised in the restaurant business by an immigrant father who treated every customer like family, who somehow ended up being the person responsible for introducing one of the world's largest hotel companies to the United States. With over 15 years spanning hotel investment, brand strategy, and development at the likes of Davidson Hotels and IHG, Genna isn't just opening doors in new markets. She's the one deciding which doors are worth knocking on in the first place.Chapters:
00:35 Meet Genna Panagopoulos02:10 Greek Roots and Philoxenia
05:43 From Restaurants to Hotels
07:03 Minor Brands and Luxury Resorts
09:50 US Growth Model and Deal Flexibility
12:02 Target Markets and Investor Mindset
15:13 Financing and Conversion Strategy
20:12 Service Culture and Scaling Luxury
27:26 Uniqueness Over Scale
28:50 Early Growth Bottlenecks
29:30 Portfolio Deals and Marketing
30:30 New Brand or Collections
32:11 Lessons From US Expansion
34:10 Where Deals Are Happening
36:09 Choosing the Right Partners
38:58 Deal Terms and Key Money
42:48 Future Vision and Wrap Up
Quote of the Show:
“We're not here to make money right now. We're here to plant our flags and build brand awareness." - Genna PanagopoulosBuilding a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.
Minor Hotels is introducing the legendary Anantara and Wolseley brands to North America: learn more about the company's strategy and ambitions!!
Links:
- Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
- Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
- Genna’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/genna-panagopoulos-726a7525/
- Minor Hotels Website: https://www.minorhotels.com/en
- Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/
🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/
Ways to Tune In:
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
- Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
- Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
- Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Redefining Hospitality Through Tech - Tanya Pratt - Defining Hospitality
This week, Dan Ryan sits down with Tanya Pratt, Global VP of Strategy and Product Management at Oracle Hospitality, to prove that the most powerful upgrade a hotel can make isn't to its lobby, it's to its data …
Shownotes
This week, Dan Ryan sits down with Tanya Pratt, Global VP of Strategy and Product Management at Oracle Hospitality, to prove that the most powerful upgrade a hotel can make isn't to its lobby, it's to its data. A front desk girl turned tech executive, Tanya unpacks how Oracle is collapsing decades of fragmented systems into one seamless guest experience, why cloud adoption exploded the moment hotels ran out of people, and what happened during an 18-hour outage at 3am that changed the entire trajectory of her career. The promise of hospitality has always been human. The technology is finally catching up.
About the Guest:
This week, Dan Ryan sits down with Tanya Pratt, Global VP of Strategy and Product Management at Oracle Hospitality, a self described nerdy science kid who accidentally fell in love with a front desk and never really left. Thirty years later, she's the one making sure the technology behind hospitality is finally as seamless as the experience is supposed to feel. Forged at Fairmont, recognized as one of the top 25 extraordinary minds in the industry, and fluent in both boardrooms and lobbies, Tanya isn't just building better software. She's keeping the promise.Chapters:
00:35 Meet Tanya Pratt01:27 Hearing Your Own Story
03:20 Hospitality Is a Promise
04:44 Tech Removes Friction
08:14 Unified Data at Check In
12:29 Hospitality Tech 101
16:08 One Guest One Profile
19:18 ROI and Why Hotels Lag
30:20 Tech Enables Hospitality
31:36 Finding Your Calling
33:13 Front Desk To VP
34:56 Advice For 18 Year Olds
36:01 Grit In Instant Age
39:03 Human Skills Matter
41:27 Untangling Tech Spaghetti
45:11 Crucible Command Center
56:22 Future Of Hospitality Tech
Quote of the Show:
"Hospitality is a promise. It's a promise that's made and kept a thousand times in small moments." - Tanya Pratt
Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.
Links:
- Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
- Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
- Tanya’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pratttanya/
- Oracle Website: https://www.oracle.com/
- Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/
🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/
Ways to Tune In:
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
- Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
- Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
- Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Designing with Magic and Precision - Larah Moravek - Defining Hospitality
This week, Dan Ryan sits down with Larah Moravek, founding partner at Dutch East Design, to make the case that the most powerful thing a designer can bring to a project isn't a mood board, it's a story. Larah …
Shownotes
This week, Dan Ryan sits down with Larah Moravek, founding partner at Dutch East Design, to make the case that the most powerful thing a designer can bring to a project isn't a mood board, it's a story. Larah pulls back the curtain on how Dutch East blends interior design and branding under one roof, turning narrative driven frameworks into spaces that feel inevitable. With real stories from the ground including the adaptive reuse of a Marcel Breuer brutalist landmark into Hotel Marcel, the first passive house certified hotel in North America, and the Tapestry Chattanooga, a former bank building brought back to life, this episode proves that when magic and precision are working together, the constraint becomes the design. 🏠
About the Guest:
Larah Moravek is a founding partner at Dutch East Design, a hospitality focused studio offering both interior design and branding under one roof. With a career shaped by two of the most iconic firms in the industry, Clodagh Design and Yabu Pushelberg, Larah brings a rare combination of instinct and rigor to every project she touches. Rooted in the belief that built environments have the power to create lasting emotional experiences, she and her partner Dieter lead a small but mighty studio known for their dense documentation, narrative driven approach, and a body of work spanning adaptive reuse, independent hotels, and licensed product collections.
Chapters:
00:45 Meet Larah Moravek
01:15 Friendship and Dutch East Origins
03:58 What Hospitality Means
07:08 Clodagh to Yabu Mentorship
08:49 Branding as Decision Tool
13:37 Stewardship and Adaptive Reuse
24:04 Functional Brief and Hard Questions
27:54 Science as Magic
28:03 From Med School to Interiors
30:03 New York Design Path
30:47 Yabu Pushelberg Rigor
32:19 Burnout and Solo Asia Reset
34:41 Building a Team Culture
37:43 Sustainability in Hospitality
44:33 Licensing and Product Lines
47:59 Future Plans and Wrap Up
Quote of the Show:
"Sometimes you need more structure to be more creative. And I think some of the most beautiful and inspiring solutions come out of restriction." - Larah Moravek
Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.
Links:
- Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
- Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
- Larah’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larah-v-moravek-0b714044/
- Dutch East Design Website: https://www.dutcheastdesign.com/
- Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/
🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/
Ways to Tune In:
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
- Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
- Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
- Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
Green Means Revenue - JoAnna Abrams - Defining Hospitality
This Earth Day, Dan Ryan welcomes back JoAnna Abrams, founder and CEO of MindClick, to make the case that sustainability isn't just good for the planet, it's good for business. JoAnna reveals how MindClick's …
Shownotes
This Earth Day, Dan Ryan welcomes back JoAnna Abrams, founder and CEO of MindClick, to make the case that sustainability isn't just good for the planet, it's good for business. JoAnna reveals how MindClick's product intelligence platform transforms the sustainability data already hiding in hotel FF&E purchases into a competitive weapon, winning corporate travel contracts, boosting sustainability ratings, and growing real revenue. With stories from the ground, including Hyatt Centric Fisherman's Wharf, and eye-opening stats on what ditching polystyrene packaging actually means for waste, this episode proves that going green and going profitable are finally pointing in the same direction. 🌍
About the Guest:
JoAnna Abrams is the founder and CEO of MindClick, a product intelligence platform helping hospitality companies unlock sustainability data across their supply chains. A multi-award winning trailblazer at the intersection of sustainability, supply chain, and finance, she has been recognized by Lodging Magazine as a female industry innovator, named a 2026 Inc. 500 Female Founders honoree, and selected for both the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership and the Imagine Program funded by former Unilever CEO Paul Polman.
Chapters:
00:46 Welcome JoAnna Abrams
02:00 Defining Hospitality Revisited
05:00 The ROI of Sustainability
07:30 EU Regulation Driving Corporate Demand
11:00 How Hotels Win Corporate Business with Sustainability
14:00 MindClick and Green Key Global
16:00 The Alo Index Platform Explained
19:00 Revenue Impact: 7–17% Market Share Increase
22:00 Training Sales Teams to Tell the Story
25:00 A Riskless Path for Hotel Owners
28:00 Connecting Guests and Frontline Staff
31:00 The Huntington Hotel Case Study
36:00 Polystyrene Elimination: The Numbers
40:00 Embodied Carbon and FF&E's Outsized Impact
44:00 What Hotels Can Control
47:00 Asset Value, Appraisals, and Resilience
50:00 Inc. 500, Cambridge, and the Road Ahead
52:00 How to Connect with MindClick
Quote of the Show:
"Today's suppliers need to understand that they're no longer just selling a product. They're selling a product with a story." - JoAnna Abrams
Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.
Links:
- Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
- Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
- JoAnna Abrams’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannaabrams/
- MindClick: https://www.mindclick.com/
- Metropolis Magazine Article: https://metropolismag.com/viewpoints/four-new-roadblocks-on-the-path-to-sustainable-buildings/
- Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/
#DefiningHospitality #Sustainability #HospitalityDesign #HotelBusiness #GreenHospitality #SupplyChain #MindClick #CorporateTravel #HotelRevenue
Beyond the Front Desk - Walter Peseski - Defining Hospitality
In this episode of Defining Hospitality, Dan Ryan sits down with Walter Peseski, Senior Vice President of Asset Management at Garfield Public Private, to explore the often misunderstood world of hotel asset …
Shownotes
In this episode of Defining Hospitality, Dan Ryan sits down with Walter Peseski, Senior Vice President of Asset Management at Garfield Public Private, to explore the often misunderstood world of hotel asset management and public private partnerships. Sponsored by BERMANFALK, this discussion uncovers how cities, universities, and hospitals are leveraging creative financing structures to build hotels that serve as economic catalysts for entire communities.
About the Guest:
Walter Peseski is the Senior Vice President of Asset Management at Garfield Public Private, a firm specializing in public private partnerships for hotels, convention centers, and cultural infrastructure. With over 20 years of experience in hotel operations and asset management, Walter has built a career bridging the gap between public entities and private developers to bring transformative hospitality projects to life. An adjunct professor at Dallas Baptist University and contributor to Hotels Magazine, Walter is passionate about educating the next generation on the full scope of opportunity that exists within the hospitality industry that goes far beyond the front desk.
Chapters:
01:00 Introducing Walter Peseski
02:00 What Does Hospitality Mean to You?
03:00 The Valentine's Day Server Story
05:00 When Was the Last Time Service Was Memorable?
06:00 What Makes Garfield Public Private Unique?
09:00 The Role of Asset Management vs. Hotel Management Companies
13:00 How Ownership Groups Get Involved
15:00 When Does Third Party Asset Management Make Sense?
17:00 Hotels Are a Different Beast Than Multifamily
19:00 Navigating Brand Standards & CapEx
21:00 Hilton's Carrot and Stick Fee Structure
23:00 Downscaling Brands & the "Under Demolished" Theory
27:00 Blind Spots Small Operators Miss
29:00 The F&B Double Edged Sword
33:00 When Brand Standards Become a Straitjacket
34:00 What Makes a Good Deal vs. a Great Deal in Public Private
36:00 Why Cities Invest in Hotels
38:00 Where Garfield Is Seeing the Most Opportunity
39:00 How Cities Finance These Projects With Bonds
42:00 The Sweet Spot: Upscale to Upper Upscale
43:00 Why Walter Started Teaching
45:00 Career Advice for Anyone Entering Hospitality
49:00 What Walter Is Most Excited About
51:00 How to Connect With Walter & Outro
Quote of the Show:
"It's not how fast can we increase the value of this hotel and flip it. It's how can this hotel contribute to the community." - Walter Peseski
Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.
Links:
- Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
- Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
- BERMANFALK: https://www.bermanfalk.com/
- Ed Bakos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edmond-bakos-62102014/
- Champalimaud Design: https://www.champalimaud.design/
- Help preserve a generation of American history: https://www.tunisonfoundation.org/donate
- Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/
Tags:
#DefiningHospitality #AssetManagement #PublicPrivatePartnership #HotelDevelopment #HospitalityBusiness #HotelInvestment
The Art of Anticipation - Ed Bakos - Defining Hospitality
In this episode of Defining Hospitality, Dan Ryan sits down with Ed Bakos, CEO of Champalimaud Design, to explore the evolving dimensions of hospitality in the design world. Sponsored by BERMANFALK, this …
Shownotes
In this episode of Defining Hospitality, Dan Ryan sits down with Ed Bakos, CEO of Champalimaud Design, to explore the evolving dimensions of hospitality in the design world. Sponsored by BERMANFALK, this discussion uncovers how the nuances of design, from emotional exchanges to anticipating guest needs, define luxury and authenticity in the hospitality industry today.
About the Guest:
Ed Bakos is the CEO of Champalimaud Design, a New York-based firm renowned for its innovative approach to hospitality design. With over 30 years of experience, Ed has continually pushed the boundaries of what luxury and hospitality can achieve through strategic and emotionally resonant design. His commitment to fostering talented teams and creating memorable experiences makes his work a benchmark in the industry.
Chapters:
00:46 Welcome Ed Bakos
02:12 What Hospitality Means
04:04 Early Career Origins
07:30 First W Hotel Breakthrough
11:07 Heavenly Bed Innovation
14:13 Alexandra Legacy
18:31 Mosaic Team Culture
24:49 Flat Hierarchy Best Ideas
27:20 Project Example Clarity
28:29 Ideas From Anywhere
29:10 Designing Anticipated Needs
31:23 Service Defines Luxury
32:44 Turning Constraints Into Magic
34:59 Building A Creative Culture
37:02 Managing Creative Anxiety
40:47 Choosing The Right Clients
44:29 Aviation Passion And Purpose
49:08 Flying The C47 Across Atlantic
50:58 Remembering History And Closing
Quote of the Show:
"Design is a relationship between different things. Why do certain combinations of things provide us with more satisfaction? Certain combinations in certain settings are… highly successful and can be highly successful." - Ed Bakos
Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.
Links:
- Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
- Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
- BERMANFALK: https://www.bermanfalk.com/
- Ed Bakos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edmond-bakos-62102014/
- Champalimaud Design: https://www.champalimaud.design/
- Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/
Tags:
#DefiningHospitality #HospitalityDesign #HotelDesign #GuestExperience #DesignAnticipation #HotelInnovation
Kapitel (19)
What the K-Wave Means for Hotel and Restaurant Design - Thomas Oh & Daphne Shin - Defining Hospitality
In this episode of Defining Hospitality, Dan Ryan sits down with Thomas Oh, Co-Founder & General Manager of Perilla Korean American Steakhouse, and Daphne Shin, Founder & Principal Designer of the Ruimte, two …
Shownotes
In this episode of Defining Hospitality, Dan Ryan sits down with Thomas Oh, Co-Founder & General Manager of Perilla Korean American Steakhouse, and Daphne Shin, Founder & Principal Designer of the Ruimte, two passionate creators working at the intersection of culture, cuisine, and design. Sponsored by BERMANFALK, the episode delves into the unique approach Thomas and Daphne take to blend Korean cultural elements into their business ventures in Chicago.
About the Guests:
Thomas Oh is the co-founder and director of operations at Perilla Korean American Steakhouse. With a mission to introduce Korean culture through dining experiences, Thomas highlights the seamless integration of Korean and American culinary elements at Perilla.
Daphne Shin is the founder and principal designer of the Ruimte, an interior design firm. Through her design work at L7 Hotel, Daphne strives to create environments where every guest, regardless of background, feels at home.
Chapters:
02:26 Defining Hospitality
04:38 Building L7 Chicago
06:33 Designing Perilla Steakhouse
15:26 Korean DNA in the Hotel
19:40 Reception in Chicago
24:49 The K Wave Momentum
27:28 Entrepreneur Lessons
30:08 Teamwork Solves Problems
30:43 Exhaust System Collaboration
32:13 Sponsor Sustainability Note
32:48 Immigrant Path to Hospitality
34:56 Little Victories in Service
38:17 Design vs Operations Reality
42:15 Dream Projects and Timelessness
46:35 Hotel and Restaurant Synergy
49:43 How Lotte Found Them
51:09 Luck Meets Hard Work
53:27 Closing Thanks and Farewell
Quote of the Show:
"It's exciting for me and for the team here, for them to come into our space… We're not screaming this is Korean to them, but they're loving the design of this restaurant and the hotel." - Thomas Oh
Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.
Links:
- Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
- Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
- BERMANFALK: https://www.bermanfalk.com/
- Thomas Oh LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-oh-b6164570/
- Daphne Shin LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daphne-shin-1a223b44/
- Daphne Shin Email: [email protected]
- Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/
Tags:
#hospitality #Koreancuisine #design #Kwave #defininghospitality #podcasting #ChicagoDining
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