Claim OwnershipHospitality Daily Podcast
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© 2025 Hospitality Daily Podcast
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Stay informed and inspired to delight people and grow your business with daily conversations with interesting people doing interesting things. Hosted by Josiah Mackenzie.
1113 Episodes
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Ryan Magnon, Chief Operating Officer at Ithaka Hospitality Partners, shares how his early experience as a bat boy for the Atlanta Braves shaped his approach to hospitality and time management. He explains how serving players taught him the fundamentals of anticipating needs, managing time with intention, and developing habits of personal excellence long before he entered the hotel business. This episode explores how those lessons still inform his leadership today and why they matter for anyon...
In this final episode of our series with Chet Pipkin, founder of Belkin and an investor and advisor shaping innovation in education, sustainability, and hospitality, we zoom out to explore the major forces he believes will define the future. Chet reflects on how he recognized the rise of personal computing in the 1980s and shares the “next big waves” he’s watching now, including AI, energy, wellness, and the transformation of education. We discuss how these shifts could influence how people ...
Chet Pipkin built Belkin into a billion-dollar global company, and today, he’s applying those same leadership principles in hospitality through Desolation Hotel in Lake Tahoe. In this conversation, he shares how his leadership philosophy has evolved and why empowering people at every level is essential to organizational health. At the end, Chet also reveals what he sees as the biggest risk leaders face as their organizations grow—and how to overcome it. A few more resources: If you're new ...
Chet Pipkin, founder of Belkin and Desolation Hotel, shares how he’s bringing decades of experience building one of the world’s largest consumer technology companies into the hospitality industry. From EV charging to booking systems and even something as simple as checking out a bike, Chet explains how he designs every touchpoint with technology to feel effortless. In this episode, he breaks down his philosophy of removing friction, solving real problems, and keeping people—both guests and t...
When Chet Pipkin moved from founding Belkin to creating Desolation Hotel, he brought with him a deep curiosity about how people experience the world—and a lifelong habit of solving problems through design. In this episode, Chet shares how he and his team built Desolation Hotel to create what he calls “aha moments”—those small surprises that make a guest’s stay effortless and memorable. From EV chargers and Dyson hair dryers to stocked kitchenettes and heated floors, every detail is intention...
Chet Pipkin, founder of Belkin and now Desolation Hotel, shares how he’s applying decades of experience in innovation and leadership to reimagine what a hospitality business can be. After growing Belkin into a global technology brand, Chet turned his attention to creating meaningful, sustainable experiences in Lake Tahoe—guided by a one-page business plan rooted in simplicity, clarity, and purpose. In this conversation, he explains the five principles behind Desolation Hotel, how focusing fi...
What makes someone who’s reached the highest levels of entrepreneurship and corporate leadership step into the world of hospitality? In this episode, Chet Pipkin—founder of Belkin and now Desolation Hotel—shares the experiences that shaped his vision of hotels as an "immersive portal." A few more resources: If you're new to Hospitality Daily, start here. You can send me a message here with questions, comments, or guest suggestions If you want to get my summary and actionable insights from...
Today we’re kicking off a new series with Chet Pipkin, founder of Belkin, who’s now building Desolation Hotel — a hospitality brand rooted in nature, balance, and meaning. In this episode, we get into why he’s doing this work. You’ll hear how time in nature grounds him, what “feeding the soul” means in a world of constant connection, and how that personal motivation is shaping the hospitality he’s now creating in the Lake Tahoe area. A few more resources: If you're new to Hospitality Dail...
In this episode, Jannes Sörensen, founder of Kepler Hotel Group and the Kepler International Hospitality Academy, shares reflections on leadership and inspiration with our innovation correspondent Matthias Huettebraeuker. Drawing from his experience leading executive teams at the highest levels of hospitality, he reveals why the higher you rise in hospitality, the lonelier it can become, and why true leadership starts with how you lead yourself. Jannes explains the importance of c...
![How Hotels Are Protecting Profit in 2025 (Despite a 15% Revenue Miss) - Lindsey Goedeker & Sarah McCay Tams, Actabl [Sponsor Bonus]](https://storage.buzzsprout.com/8r6nr1o06v0void8vbgyi7305bso?.jpg "How Hotels Are Protecting Profit in 2025 (Despite a 15% Revenue Miss) - Lindsey Goedeker & Sarah McCay Tams, Actabl [Sponsor Bonus]")
In this special bonus episode, we share a recent Actabl webinar where Head of Editorial Sarah McCay Tams and Senior Vice President Lindsey Goedeker unpack the real story behind 2025 hotel performance. >> Access the slides with data from this presentation here << Drawing on data from thousands of U.S. properties, they reveal how operators protected profit despite a 15% revenue shortfall, and why agile labor management became the story of the year. Lindsey also shares wh...
In this episode, Jannes Sörensen, founder of Kepler Hotel Group and the Kepler International Hospitality Academy, joins our innovation correspondent Matthias Huettebraeuker to explore how hotels can design experiences that really meet guests' needs. Drawing from his background leading award-winning luxury properties such as The Beaumont in London, Jannes challenges the industry’s habit of thinking “solutions before problems.” He shares how re-centering on fundamental human needs—from rest and...
In this conversation, Jannes Sörensen, founder of Kepler Hotel Group and the Kepler International Hospitality Academy, shares a contrarian view of hospitality in an age of abundance with our innovation correspondent Matthias Huettebraeuker. Drawing on two decades leading some of the world’s finest hotels, Jannes shares why fulfillment for many often comes not from comfort, but from challenge, purpose, and intentional living. Together, they discuss how luxury hospitality can evolve beyond pam...
In this episode, Jannes Sörensen—founder of Kepler Hotel Group and the Kepler International Hospitality Academy, and former General Manager of London’s award-winning Beaumont Hotel—joins our innovation correspondent Matthias Huettebraeuker to discuss what it really takes to lead consistent excellence in hospitality. Building on yesterday’s conversation about service, Jannes explains why structure, systems, and culture—not endless SOPs—are the foundations that allow great hotels to deliver tr...
In this episode, we're learning from Jannes Sörensen, founder of Kepler Hotel Group and the Kepler International Hospitality Academy, in a conversation hosted by our innovation correspondent Matthias Huettebraeuker. After years leading some of the world’s best hotels, Jannes shares why differentiation and success in hospitality today comes not from design or amenities, but from the emotional experience we create for guests. He explains how hospitality education and leadership must evolve to ...
What does it take to build a global career in travel and hospitality — one that spans brands at the top of our industry? In this conversation, our career correspondent, and hertelier founder Emily Goldfischer, sits down with Carolyn Turnbull, the CEO of Nammos Hotels & Resorts, whose journey has taken her from Aman to Tourism Western Australia and beyond. Carolyn shares what she’s learned about leadership, trust, and building culture through change — lessons gained from decades working al...
In this episode, Eugene Leonard, General Manager of Hotel Café Royal in London, shares with our guest experience correspondent, Danica Smith (founder of MorningStar GX), how a 160-year-old landmark stays relevant to today’s luxury traveler. He explains his “zeitgeist” approach to guest experience, updating classic service touchpoints (yes, even shoe-shine) to match what modern, younger luxury guests actually use. Eugene also explains why arrival is the defining moment at Hotel Café Royal, how...
In this episode, Eugene Leonard, General Manager of Hotel Café Royal in London, shares with our guest experience correspondent, Danica Smith (founder of MorningStar GX), his perspective on how technology is changing hospitality now in real ways. From managing 90 disconnected systems to creating one unified guest experience, Eugene explains how better integration and AI tools can help hoteliers make faster, better decisions -- without losing the human touch that is the bedrock of great service...
In this episode, you'll hear an excerpt of Josiah Mackenzie's conversation with Sloan Dean on the Not Done podcast, where he talks about the state of hospitality technology from his perspective as head of marketing at Actabl: what’s working, what’s not, and what leaders can do right now to drive change. They explore why tech adoption in hotels has often lagged, how poor rollouts can backfire, and what it takes to align innovation with the realities of operations and profitability. Josiah shar...
In this episode, Abigail Tan, CEO of St Giles Hotel Group, joins our correspondent and hertelier founder Emily Goldfisher to share the story behind Hotels with Heart, a program using hospitality to provide housing, training, and new opportunities for people experiencing homelessness. Started during the pandemic, the initiative has grown into a full-fledged Hospitality Academy that equips participants with skills, confidence, and pathways to employment. Abigail’s vision shows how hotels can go...
In this episode, St Giles Hotel Group CEO Abigail Tan shares how her approach to leadership has evolved from self-discovery to creating a culture people can feel. Speaking with our career correspondent and hertelier founder Emily Goldfisher, Abigail reflects on the values that guide her decisions, the lessons she’s learned as both a CEO and mother, and why authentic leadership and organizational behavior matter more than ever in hospitality. She discusses how she’s built a loyal team—many wit...
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