Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386

Episode Transcript

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.

Takeaways:

• Hospitality transcends mere service. It’s about creating spaces that forge emotional connections and lasting memories.

• Collaboration is key. High-quality design is the result of collective innovation, where a flat hierarchy allows for the best ideas to surface and lead.

• Anticipate guests’ needs. Effective design predicts and accommodates the unspoken needs of guests, transforming potential inconveniences into pleasures.

• Learn from historical designs. Ed’s work with historical aircraft underscores the importance of understanding past innovations to inform present design practices.

• Creating authentic luxury experiences. Every design element, from room layout to service strategies, aims to resonate emotionally with guests.

• Foster a culture of excellence. Bakos’ leadership style empowers his team to confidently pursue creative solutions.

• Continual learning is a necessity. Embracing the journey of constant education and adaptation is crucial for staying ahead in the ever-evolving field of hospitality design.

"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.

Connect with Ed:

• Ed Bakos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edmond-bakos-62102014/

• Champalimaud Design: https://www.champalimaud.design/

• Tunison Foundation: https://www.tunisonfoundation.org/

🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by BERMANFALK

https://www.bermanfalk.com/

Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/

Fresh Off the NEWH Leadership Conference

Last week in DC, one word kept surfacing across every panel: intentionality.

How Intention Can Break the Gravitational Pull of the Waffle Maker started with a joke from Barry Sullivan about hotel brands never escaping the waffle maker and ended with Rado Ivanov reminding the room to design for people, employees first. In between, the BrandED panel made the most compelling case I've heard for why 77% of Marriott's premium portfolio renovation cycle is a chance to rewrite the story, not just refresh the rooms.

The Myths We Tell Ourselves About Hotel Projects - pressure-tested industry assumptions about consultant alignment, tariffs, budgets, and AI. My editorial take: the biggest schedule play in hospitality, bringing long-lead FF&E items forward, was never mentioned. Read it here:

Our most-engaged audio podcast was with Chelsea Hershelman at Coral Tree, and our most-engaged video was with Saxton Sharad at Hideaway Inns. Check ‘em out here (links to audio and video - whichever you prefer, in the show notes)

Earlier This Quarter: ALIS 2026

ALIS, in late January, gave me three Notes From the Front Row articles. Lead With the "B" became the most-engaged piece I've published in a while (64 likes, 5 comments) and argued that F&B is a strategic lever, not a cost center. Procurement, Project Management, and How to Deflect the Unexpected preached what I love most: front-load intelligence and shorten timelines. And When AI Becomes the Gatekeeper, Story Becomes the Asset explored why storytelling matters more than ever.

The Show Got a Fresh Look

In March I relaunched the podcast with a new format. When I published The Show Got a Fresh Look, 66 of you liked it. If you haven't seen it yet, it's a guide to 7 episodes from 243 that I keep coming back to.

Looking Ahead

Q2 is already stacking up. More meetings, presentations, conferences, more conversations, more Notes From the Front Row, and a deeper dive into the long-lead FF&E acceleration thesis that I believe can reshape how our industry thinks about project timelines.

If you're navigating these same questions or seeing different signals entirely, I'd love to hear from you. Reply to this email or reach out directly.

Onward,

Dan Ryan

The second panel I want to write about from the NEWH Leadership Conference in DC was called Myth Busting the Modern Hotel Project. Moderated by Trisha Poole of Design Poole, the panel brought together Alan Benjamin (Benjamin West), Aaron Anderson (The 26 Company and former Defining Hospitality guest), Heather Ciszcon (CoralTree Hospitality and former Defining Hospitality guest), and Meridith Zimmerman (RLJ Lodging Trust). Ownership, project management, procurement, and operations all in the same room, all on the same stage.

The premise was simple: name the things our industry believes that might not actually be true, and then talk about them honestly. And the panel delivered. But as I sat in the audience, scribbling in my notebook, I kept circling back to one question nobody on stage addressed: if the whole conversation is about saving time and money, why is no one talking about the fastest lever we have?

More on that at the end. First, what they got right.

Myth: “It’s Costly to Align Consultants Early”

Aaron Anderson framed this one clearly. He wants all consultants on board from day one, including procurement, engineers, lighting, everyone. His logic: the fee will be the same whether you bring someone on at the start or three months in. The only thing that changes is how efficiently the project runs.

Alan Benjamin reinforced this with what he often cites as one of his most important metrics: the “ROT” model, Return on Time. The more information you have on the front end, the less ugly the value engineering gets on the back end. His worst-case example: a designer works for months, buys a model room full of items the owner can’t afford, with durability that won’t hold up, from a vendor that’s running late on 10 other projects. Then procurement comes in and the whole thing gets redesigned. That’s not a cost savings. That’s a cost explosion.

Meridith Zimmerman, from the ownership side at RLJ, put it simply. Get everybody on the same page at the same time. Same objectives. Same budget. No go-backs. She called having the full team aligned from the beginning “vital, golden.”

And Heather Ciszcon of CoralTree added a layer I appreciated. Before you assemble the team, define the vision. Is this a generational hold? A 10-year flip? That intent should shape every decision that follows, from the casegoods you specify to how long the design needs to last.

The room overwhelmingly agreed when they polled us. Green smiley faces everywhere. Nobody was arguing against early alignment. The myth was thoroughly busted.

Tariffs, Costs, and the 40% Question

This is where it got interesting. The myth on the table: project costs are up 40 to 50 percent because of tariffs.

Aaron was direct. He hasn’t seen a project stop because of cost, and the increase everyone is feeling is mostly on the construction side: labor and materials are up roughly 30% from pre-COVID levels. From an FF&E standpoint, the tariff impact on goods has been real but not the project-killer the headlines suggest.

Alan Benjamin, who does 250 to 300 projects a year through Benjamin West, confirmed it. He’s not aware of a single project that was a no-go solely due to tariffs. The much bigger issue for renovations is the mechanical infrastructure: chillers, boilers, roofs, kitchen equipment, elevators. That’s where the massive capex decisions live.

He also offered some historical context that I think the room needed to hear. Anti-dumping tariffs on Chinese casegoods have been in place since 2004, in some cases up to 200%, going back to the Bush administration. Those tariffs stayed in place through Obama, Trump, Biden, and now Trump again. The 2018 tariffs were layered on top. And every yard of fabric for the last 35 to 40 years has carried roughly a 15% tariff baked into the price, it just wasn’t discussed.

I was called on in the audience by Trisha. I don’t remember raising my hand! Perhaps it was because I was in the front row and was holding up my green smiley face emoji. She asked whether we’ve seen projects get 40% more expensive in the more recent age of tariffs. My honest answer, with a little more time to think about it: the average order size at BERMANFALK has increased about 25% over the past seven years. But I think much of that is because we’ve been working on increasingly large projects as we continually strive to delight our clients and improve our processes. So yes, things cost more. But the why matters, and it’s not just tariffs driving the number.

I also added that from 2001 to 2020, there was essentially no inflation in our industry. If you spread the increases we’re seeing now over that 20-year flat period, it’s not as dramatic as it feels. Another manufacturer shared that they went to their mill in China and said, “you’ve got to help us, we have to keep our standard.” And the mill cooperated. Relationships matter, even at the factory level.

Myth: “Design Suffers When Budgets Are Tight”

Meridith’s answer to this one was refreshingly direct. Share the budget. Tell your designers where you’re willing to spend and where the limits are. RLJ has actual manufacturer programs with preferred pricing that they share with their design teams. No surprises.

Alan was even more blunt. If the budget is $8 million and you design at $8.5 million, a competent procurement agent can get you to the promised land. But if the budget is $8 million and you design at $20 million, the chair will still have four legs, but nobody’s happy at the end of the job. And Meridith added: if you design an $8 million project at $20 million, you’re probably not getting the next call.

Heather framed it well: not everything in a room can be the star. Define your star, focus your dollars there, and let the rest be good and functional. Sometimes the most important design decision isn’t the headboard. It’s putting the hook in the right place so you have somewhere to hang your towel when you get out of the shower.

Aaron’s advice to every designer listening: if you get an RFP and it doesn’t include a budget, don’t start until you have one. It is the most important piece of information you can have.

The Wedding Photographer and the Model Room

The model room was referred to as the wedding photographer of the wedding. You cannot miss the wedding.

The panel was unanimous. Model rooms are where relationships get tested, where you see if a vendor’s shop drawings are on time, where you discover what’s hiding behind the walls (leaks, rust, delaminated drywall), and where the design gets that last 5 to 10 percent of refinement that turns a nice room into a wow room.

Alan made a point I think every designer and owner should hear: even if you give the same spec to two legitimate casegoods vendors, the design engineer at each will interpret it slightly differently. You might prefer the flitch of the grain from one, the drawer glide from the other, the hardware from a third. That last 5 to 10 percent of quality, what he called the “star moments,” comes out of the model room process. And most of the time it doesn’t even affect cost.

The consensus: it costs you more to skip the model room than to do one.

Relationships Over Transactions

This theme ran through the entire panel. Meridith talked about how RLJ builds long-term relationships with vendors and manufacturers, not just chasing the lowest bid. When they find a vendor that delivers, they use them again and again. And they share those relationships with their designers.

Heather reinforced this: when you think of your partnerships as relationships rather than transactions, everything changes. If an owner is writing a half-million-dollar purchase order, they should have a relationship with that manufacturer. Not just a line item on a spreadsheet.

One of the manufacturers in the room raised a question that I think a lot of vendors feel but rarely say out loud: sometimes the designer is the gatekeeper, and they won’t let the manufacturer get to the owner or even the procurement agent. How do you break through? Aaron’s answer was honest: events like this. Person to person. There’s no other way.

Alan added something important from the procurement side. He wants the owner to have the most direct relationship possible with each vendor. When Benjamin West is doing the bid comparison, they want full transparency: lead time, quality, cost, payment terms. If another player on a project is blocking that transparency, that could be a red flag.

AI: Not There Yet

Aaron got the AI question and gave what I thought was the most grounded answer I heard at the conference (and this is the second panel in a row where I’ve said that). He uses AI for research, for Excel models and formulas, and he name-dropped Claude, which made me smile. But for actually managing a hospitality project? “We’re not there.”

He wasn’t dismissive. He was specific. AI is useful as a tool for certain tasks, but the way hotel projects actually get managed, the relationships, the judgment calls, the ability to walk a site and know something’s off, that’s not something a model can replicate today. He’s hopeful and optimistic, but not convinced. I think that’s exactly the right posture.

The Question Nobody Asked

So here’s what kept running through my mind the whole time.

The panel spent an hour making the case that early alignment saves time and money. Get consultants on board sooner. Share the budget. Build consistent teams. Define the vision. All of that is correct, and I agree with every word of it.

But nobody mentioned the single fastest way to accelerate a hotel project timeline: bringing your long-lead FF&E items forward.

Casegoods. Seating. Lighting. Sometimes flooring. These are the items with the longest manufacturing and shipping lead times, and they’re the ones that sit on the critical path of nearly every project. If you pull them forward, if you get them specified, approved, and into production earlier in the process, you can compress a project schedule by 11 to 22 weeks. In some cases, up to six months.

Read my article here:

The industry keeps optimizing around getting people in the room sooner, and that’s important. But there’s an equally powerful play on the product side. It’s not about hiring faster. It’s about ordering smarter.

Aaron talked about front-loading information and preventing back-end engineering. Alan talked about “ROT”, Return on Time. Heather talked about defining the vision early so the casegoods match the hold period. All of those arguments point in the same direction: if you know what you want, and you have the right team in place, why are you waiting to pull the trigger on the items that take the longest to arrive?

I say this with full respect for every person on that stage, some of whom are clients and all of whom I admire. The conversation was excellent. I just think the next chapter of it is about procurement sequencing, not just consultant alignment. And the numbers back it up.

The Front Row Takeaway

The Myth Busting panel did exactly what it promised. It named the things we accept as true and pressure-tested them in front of a room full of people who live this every day.

Consultants don’t cost more when you bring them on early. Tariffs are real but not new, and they’re not the reason your project is over budget. Good designers can work within any budget if you share it with them. Model rooms aren’t optional. And relationships beat transactions every single time.

But the biggest myth might be the one that wasn’t on the agenda: that we’ve already optimized the project timeline as much as we can. We haven’t. The long-lead items are sitting right there, waiting for someone to pull them forward.

That was the real takeaway from the front row.

Audio Links:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386

Episode Transcript

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.

Takeaways:

• Hospitality is about inclusion. Daphne focuses on creating environments where guests can feel a sense of belonging and create lasting memories. For Thomas, it’s about making guests feel seen, heard, and valued, leaving a lasting impression.

• Korean cultural integrations. At L7 Hotel, Thomas and Daphne have harmoniously integrated elements of Korean culture. Guests can appreciate the subtle Korean influences in the design and cuisine without feeling overwhelmed.

• Bridging the cultural cuisine gaps. Thomas talks about the challenge and excitement of introducing Korean cuisine, like kimchi and Korean BBQ, alongside American steakhouse traditions to a diverse audience in Chicago.

• Subtlety in design blending. Daphne discusses the intricacies of balancing Korean design elements with modern American tastes in the hotel setting. She highlights the use of color palettes and material choices that subtly nod to Korean heritage.

• Taking opportunities as they appear. The story of a high-profile Korean guest discovering the restaurant and providing positive feedback underscores the impact of authentic, thoughtful design and cultural incorporation.

• The future of Korean influence. Thomas and Daphne both reflect on the growing global influence of Korean culture in sectors like hospitality, cuisine, music, and skincare, and their roles in shaping this narrative.

"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.

Connect with Thomas and Daphne:

• 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: daphne@theruimte.com

🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by BERMANFALK

https://www.bermanfalk.com/

Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/

Not innovation. Not disruption. Not AI.

Intentionality.

It showed up in a joke about waffle makers. It showed up in a conversation about Marriott’s premium brands. And it showed up in the way a former guest, originally from Bulgaria, talked about what we owe the people who actually work inside the hotels we design. More on Bulgaria towards the end - if you keep reading.

Here’s what stuck with me.

“Hard to Escape the Waffle Maker”

Barry Sullivan of Hilton, a past guest on Defining Hospitality and someone I always enjoy hearing from, commented on the Hospitality on the Move panel that got a knowing laugh from the room: many hotel brands will never be able to escape the waffle maker. Just like my dad loved staying at Courtyards because the same iron, not a waffle iron, mind you - but same difference, was always in the same place in every hotel.

He wasn’t being cynical. He was being honest.

The waffle maker has become a kind of metaphor for the default setting in hospitality, the thing we keep doing because we’ve always done it, not because anyone asked for it. Barry’s point was that F&B is actually the easiest area to change in an established hotel. Menus can evolve. Spirit-free cocktails that look and taste identical to the real thing are gaining traction. Health-conscious options that reflect how guests actually live at home are showing up more and more.

The waffle maker isn’t the problem. The problem is the mindset that says we can’t do anything about it. But as Barry noted, changing the hearts and minds of the calcified ranks who say “this is how we’ve always done it” is often the hardest.

BrandED: The Future of Marriott’s Premium Brands

I really enjoyed this one, and for good reason - Marriott took the issue that Barry mentioned above, and did an entire panel on it. Moderated by Linda Laucirica (Senior Director, Global Design, US & Canada, Marriott International, and a former guest), the lineup included Jennifer O’Brien (Marriott International), David Ashen (Saguez & Dash), David Carofano (Crown Creative, and another former guest), and Lauren Uthenwoldt (Washington Marriott at Metro Center).

Full disclosure: BERMANFALK sponsored this session, even though our focus is on guestrooms and not restaurants, we can always learn from other teams that do things expertly. And I’m glad we did, because what unfolded was one of the most candid conversations about F&B strategy I’ve heard in a while. These tend to be popular topics on this Substack, and this panel reminded me why.

The setup was sobering: 77% of Marriott’s premium portfolio properties, Marriott, Sheraton, Delta Hotels, Renaissance, Le Méridien, Westin, are due or past due for a renovation cycle in the next three to five years. This segment represents roughly 54–55% of all Marriott F&B revenue.

Linda framed the challenge well: the full-service segment is big, complex, wildly inconsistent, and, in many cases, lacking a clear point of view.

And then Jennifer O’Brien took the conversation somewhere that had the whole room leaning in.

The One Stop Shop

Jennifer described a model Marriott has been developing, which she called the “One Stop Shop.” Think of it as the evolution away from the 300-seat hotel restaurant that sits half-empty most of the day.

Instead, a consolidated public-space concept where coffee and grab-and-go in the morning transforms into a dynamic cocktail experience at night. Same square footage. Different energy. More revenue per square foot. Fewer sad, empty dining rooms.

Her phrase that I keep coming back to: “Who wants to sit in a dead restaurant?”

Nobody. And yet, as an industry, we keep building them and renovating the same footprints and same workflows, because that’s what we’ve always done.

Spine and Soul

What Jennifer was really arguing for, and what David Carofano reinforced, is that premium hotels need to have what she called “a spine and a soul” when it comes to F&B.

Not white tablecloth. Not complicated. But intentional.

“Not complicated, but done well.”

She talked about designing for day-to-night transitions: concealed spirit displays that reveal in the evening, flexible lighting, moveable elements that shift the mood. She called it “concept, form, and function.” And she made the case that F&B has long been the “red-headed stepchild” of hotel operations when it should be treated as one of the biggest opportunities in the portfolio.

The data backs her up: 85% of millennial premium travelers say ambiance, design, and branding are the most important factors when choosing a hotel restaurant. And David Carofano noted that even a 1% ADR increase driven by a strong F&B program justifies the investment. The exclamation point on this: if every hotel public area started with the simple question, “How can this F&B experience add just 1% to the Average Daily Rate?” that would be a game-changer.

The $26 Buffet and “Strange Things Are Afoot at the Circle K”

David Ashen told a story that summed up the mindset problem perfectly. He was walking a property where the operator was running a $26 breakfast buffet and had resisted adding a grab-and-go market for fear it would cannibalize the buffet.

Meanwhile, the guest who just wanted a quick coffee walked out the door and ended up at Circle K. Good for Bill & Ted, not good for the hotel.

“They don’t know what they don’t know,” David said. And that fear of cannibalization? It’s driving decisions that send revenue and guests out the front door. It also misses the opportunity, as David put it, to engage the community around the hotel and invite them in to grab something as well.

Jennifer pushed it further: “What do you have to lose if you’re a little more specific?”

I heard what I’ll call a “food truck mentality”, speed, specificity, personality, and he pointed to the AC Hotel and Boqueria (another former guest, Yann de Rochefort) partnership at the AC near the Port Authority in NYC as the kind of thing that should be rolled out more broadly. Why not? Not a food truck - but a definite point of view as you walk into the hotel - and quite successful to boot.

Intentionality From “Go”

The through-line of the whole panel was that none of this works unless the right people are in the room from day one. Design. Operations. F&B consulting. Ownership. All of them, aligned early, collaborating with what David Ashen called “intentionality.”

Jennifer O’Brien’s parting line landed: “Open the aperture as widely as possible for what’s possible.” She and her team have even launched what she described as a “choose your own adventure” website (I’ll try to find the link later). If you’re going through a renovation lifecycle, it guides you to options, models, and ideas tailored to your property.

It’s a shift from prescriptive to collaborative. And it’s long overdue.

Rado: Design for People

Rado Ivanov of Marriott, another past Defining Hospitality guest, was on the earlier Hospitality on the Move panel with Barry, and his closing thought was the one I walked out of the building thinking about. P.S. If you’re still reading, I’m convinced it was Rado’s family who made Defining Hospitality the number-one podcast in Bulgaria a few years ago. Still grateful for that quick moment of international stardom!

When asked what advice he’d give the room, Rado said: “Design for people. Employees first. Guests always. Owners top of mind.” To me, this echoes Danny Meyer’s thinking in Setting the Table, where owners and investors are the last stakeholders in the hierarchy, because if you take care of employees, guests, the community, and your suppliers, the investors will ultimately be overjoyed with their returns.

His logic is clean: the experience is driven by the people on property. If you don’t design for the staff, nobody’s happy. If nobody’s happy, the guests feel it. And if the guests feel it, the owners don’t make a profit.

He also offered the most grounded take on AI I heard over the past couple of months, and I hope that’s not my hubris talking. Technology is “ever hyped,” he said, and where it actually helps most is at the points of friction, the tasks that people didn’t follow their passions into hospitality to do. But the brands that win long-term? They’ll be the most human ones, not the most automated.

Rado also warned the room about AI-generated design packages. He described a situation where a furniture supplier ran a designer’s package through AI to produce shop drawings, and what came back looked real but had no substance. No dimensions. No detail. “Like a three-year-old put it together.” This landscape is changing rapidly, so let’s see how my take on this ages.

AI is a tool. Not a substitute. And when we use half-baked tools, without human guardrails, to replace expertise and HUMAN EXPERIENCE, things can fall apart.

The Front Row Takeaway

Two panels. Two rooms. One thread.

Barry Sullivan reminded us that the defaults we accept, the waffle makers, the empty restaurants, the “we’ve always done it this way”, are choices, not mandates. And F&B is the easiest lever to pull.

Jennifer O’Brien and the BrandED panel showed what it looks like when a massive brand segment decides to get intentional, about flexibility, about narrative, about having a point of view. Seventy-seven percent of the premium portfolio is about to be touched. That’s not a renovation wave. That’s a chance to rewrite the story. COME ON, BABY! I hope this dam of deferred cap-ex breaks soon.

And Rado Ivanov brought it back to first principles: design for the people who work in these spaces, and everything else follows.

Intentionality isn’t a buzzword. It’s the opposite of one. It means doing fewer things, but doing them on purpose and doing them well. Give your F&B a spine instead of a buffet line. Design a room that serves employees, not just photographs well. Ask “what do we have to lose?” instead of “what if it cannibalizes?”

The hotels that figure this out won’t just look better. They’ll perform better. And the people inside them, guests and staff alike, will feel it.

That was the real lesson from the front row.

Audio Links:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386

Episode Transcript

In this episode of Defining Hospitality, Dan Ryan sits down with Michaelangelo L’Acqua, a global entertainment director and music/lifestyle branding expert, to discuss hospitality as “infrastructure” built through sound, motifs, and emotional arcs across dayparts. This conversation dives into shifting luxury expectations, analog-era craft, and mentoring creatives within business-driven environments.

Takeaways:

• Sonic architecture is the infrastructure. Michaelangelo L’Acqua discusses the importance of a Sonic Identity Brand Bible, an intricate strategy that aligns a brand’s sonic elements with its core values, much like architectural blueprints guide building design.

• Bridging emotional peaks and valleys. Hospitality is more than heads in beds; it’s about crafting experiences that weave sound motifs throughout a guest’s stay, enhancing their journey emotionally from sunrise to late-night moments.

• Analog wisdom holds value in a digital age. Raised in the pre-digital era, L’Acqua emphasizes the value of the rich, textured experiences of analog days that can inform and elevate today’s hospitality landscapes.

• Mentorship and legacy building are vital. L’Acqua highlights the value of mentorship in fostering future leaders, suggesting that nurturing talent in younger demographics ensures the preservation and evolution of luxury standards.

• Adaptation and timeless style. While trends ebb and flow, human needs remain constant. L’Acqua reflects on how enduring designs and sounds, analogous to timeless furniture pieces or classic tracks, resonate deeply across generations.

• Passion is the focus. Even within the structured world of private equity and ROI demands, L’Acqua finds creative freedom by marrying passion with practicality, achieving personal and professional fulfillment.

• Cultural agility can drive relevancy. In a world of fast conservation and changing tastes, staying connected to cultural radars through networks of tastemakers helps brands to remain relevant and exciting in diverse contexts.

"I truly believe that there are moments I can really tap into unconscious feelings within somebody. And if I can do that… you're gonna walk away from that experience and say that was a great night. I don't know why, but it was just special." - Michelangelo L’Acqua

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 with Michaelangelo:

• LinkedIn: ttps://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelangelo-lacqua/

• Starwood Hotels: https://www.starwoodhotels.com/

🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by BERMANFALK

https://www.bermanfalk.com/

Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/

I’ve had over 240 conversations on this show with some of the sharpest minds in Hospitality - hotel owners, developers, designers, brand leaders, operators, and entrepreneurs. And most of those episodes just… sit there. They get published, they get a moment, and then they disappear into the feed.

That didn’t sit right. So we went back and refreshed the show. New artwork. Better descriptions. Timestamps and chapters so you can jump to the part that matters to you. If you’ve been to the YouTube channel lately, you’ve probably noticed.

But more than the visual refresh, it got me thinking about which conversations have stuck with me the most. Not just the popular ones (though some of those are on this list) - the ones that changed how I think about this industry.

Here are seven I’d point anyone to, whether you’ve heard them or not.

What’s Happening Right Now

Saxton Sharad - Transforming Hospitality for Millennials

Just dropped this week. Saxton is building Hideaway Inns around an idea that most of the industry still hasn’t caught up to: the next generation of travelers doesn’t want more amenities. They want less friction and more authenticity. His innkeeper model is one of the most interesting things I’ve heard in 243 episodes.

Isaac Collazo - What Hotel Data Reveals About the Future

Isaac leads research at STR, which means he sees the numbers before anyone else does. This conversation is about what the data is actually telling us - not the headlines, but the underlying shifts in how people travel, where they stay, and what they’re willing to pay for. If you make decisions in this industry, this one’s required listening.

The Hospitality Insiders

Kristen Conry - What Marriott’s Design Leader Knows About Generosity in Hospitality

Kristen oversees design direction across Marriott’s portfolio, which means she sees where the entire industry is heading before anyone else does. This conversation got into how generosity shows up in design decisions - not the obvious stuff, but the choices that make a guest feel something without knowing why. One of the smartest people I’ve had on the show.

Marc Bromley - Leadership Lessons from Four Seasons

Marc spent decades building one of the most recognized Hospitality brands in the world. This conversation is a masterclass in what it actually looks like to lead with care at scale - not just as a talking point, but as a business strategy. One of the most-watched episodes on the channel for good reason.

The Big Names You Might Have Missed

Will Guidara - Unreasonable Hospitality

If you’ve read the book, you know Will’s philosophy. But this conversation went somewhere different. We talked about why the little moments - the ones that don’t scale and don’t show up on a P&L - are actually the ones that define whether a guest comes back. This is still the episode I send to people who ask me what this show is about.

David Allen - Getting Things Done in Hospitality

Yes, that David Allen. We sat down and talked about how the GTD framework applies to an industry where your to-do list changes every five minutes. If you’re someone who feels like you’re always behind - and let’s be honest, that’s most of us in this business - this one will reframe how you think about your day.

Amanda Knox - Overcoming the Limitations of Your Circumstances

This is the episode that surprises people when they see it on the list. Amanda Knox on a Hospitality podcast. But this conversation is about what it means to show up for other people when you have every reason not to. While she was in prison, Amanda became an unofficial translator, helping other inmates read their court documents and write letters home. That’s Hospitality in its purest form. This one will challenge your definition of what this industry is really about.

The show is 243 episodes deep and closing in on 250. I’m not slowing down. But I am getting more intentional about who I talk to and why - and about making sure these conversations don’t just live in a feed. They deserve better than that. So do the people who gave me their time.

If any of these resonate, share them with someone in your network who needs to hear them. And if you’re working on something in Hospitality - a development, a renovation, a brand, a business challenge - and you want to talk it through with someone who’s been in this industry for 30 years, I’m always up for a real conversation. Just hit reply.

Kindly,

Dan Ryan

Audio Links:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386

Episode Transcript

What does hospitality truly mean in today’s world?

In this episode of Defining Hospitality, Dan Ryan welcomes Saxton Sharad, the founder and CEO of Revival Hotels and Hideaway Inns. With over 20 years of experience in the industry, Saxton shares his journey and insights on transforming the guest experience, catering to the evolving needs of millennials and Gen Z travelers, and redefining what it means to be hospitable.

Takeaways:

• The true meaning of hospitality is getting a break. Saxton defines hospitality as providing a break from daily life, allowing guests to live authentically and leave their stresses behind, even if only for a moment.

• Catering to younger generations with authenticity. Saxton highlights the growing trend of micro vacations among millennials and Gen Zs and how Hideaway Inns are uniquely positioned to cater to these shorter, more frequent leisure experiences.

• Innovation leads to improved guest experience. Frictionless check-ins and the concept of invisible hospitality ensure guests can maximize their leisure time without unnecessary interruptions or delays.

• The role of an innkeeper. Saxton emphasizes the importance of an on-site innkeeper who serves as a local ambassador, enhancing the guest experience by providing personalized recommendations.

• Tying together sustainability and local engagement. Hideaway Inns contribute to local communities by partnering with local charities and promoting regional businesses, reinforcing their commitment to sustainable and socially responsible tourism.

• Localizing loyalty and recognition. The growth model of Hideaway focuses on building a strong regional presence, initially concentrating on the Northeast to foster brand loyalty.

• Every hotel gets a personal touch. Each Hideaway Inn is uniquely designed, with rooms featuring bespoke elements, vintage artifacts, and local arts, offering guests a truly immersive and memorable stay.

“ I don't care how talented you are or how much money you have in your pocket, you cannot be good at everything. Step into what you're good at, find that strength, and live that strength.” - Saxton Sharad

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 with Saxton:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saxton-sharad-cha-6642a49

• Revival Hotels: https://www.revivalhotels.com

• Hideaway Inns: https://www.hideawayinns.com

🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by BERMANFALK

https://www.bermanfalk.com/

Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/

Audio Links:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386

Episode Transcript

How does data make the hospitality industry come alive?

In this episode of Defining Hospitality, Dan Ryan welcomes Isaac Collazo, the Head of Analytics at STR and Co-Host of “Tell Me More, A Hospitality Data Podcast.” They dive into the integral role data plays in the hospitality industry, from informing strategic decisions to influencing how businesses can adapt in changing economic climates.

Takeaways:

• Utilizing data to enhance operational efficiency. Isaac emphasizes how storytelling through data offers valuable insights that can transform guest experiences and improve service delivery.

• Hospitality is fundamentally about service. By prioritizing the human connections and interactions, businesses can maintain exceptional service standards, no matter the external economic climate.

• Recession and inflation directly impact strategies and performance. Isaac discusses how staying informed on economic trends helps businesses anticipate and react to market changes effectively.

• The growing shift from uniformity to personal experiences. Lifestyle brands are emerging as leaders by catering to unique and individualized guest experiences, setting a new standard in the industry.

• Food and beverage services are essential revenue drivers. By investing in high-quality F&B experiences, hotels can enhance their appeal and drive overall profitability.

• The notable and optimistic turn in demand trends. Despite some economic uncertainties, the rising demand suggests a promising future for the hospitality sector.

• Generational preferences influence loyalty. As guest demographics evolve, hospitality businesses must adapt their strategies to cater to a diverse and changing clientele.

“You want 'em to start with you and stay with you until they no longer travel.” - Isaac Collazo

Connect with Isaac:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isaaccollazo/

Company website: https://www.costar.com/products/str-benchmark

🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk

https://www.bermanfalk.com/

Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/

Audio Links:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality/id1573596386

Episode Transcript

How do relationships shape the hospitality industry?

In this episode of Defining Hospitality, Dan Ryan explores how relationships fundamentally shape the hospitality industry with guest Stephanie Hopkins. As an experienced interior designer and brand specialist, Hopkins shares insights into her extensive career and the essential role that relationships and strategic growth play in navigating the complexities of hospitality.

Takeaways:

• Relationships often transcend profession. Stephanie explains that once you get involved in hospitality, it’s challenging to leave because it becomes ingrained in your soul.

• Varied experiences can lead to a dynamic career path. Stephanie’s journey from design to brand specialist and back highlights the diverse opportunities within the hospitality industry.

• Relationships hold significant value. Throughout her career, Stephanie learned to leverage relationships and networks, which allowed her to effectively navigate complex brand environments and developer needs, saving valuable time and resources.

• Brand development ties to long-term success. Stephanie emphasizes the importance of understanding and maintaining a brand’s essence, going so far to say ‘no’ to potential changes that could dilute a brand’s core

• Diversified portfolios show skill. B2 Design Co’s portfolio spans across multiple sectors like multifamily, senior living, student housing, and hospitality, showcasing their ability to adapt and thrive by integrating hospitality concepts into various living environments.

• Storytelling in design ensures a cohesive experience. Successful projects often have a well-grounded design narrative that is consistently implemented across all stages.

“Being able to ascertain… is that going to compromise the essence of the brand? You have to get to that point and you may have to say no to some really powerful ownership groups.” - Stephanie Hopkins

Connect with Stephanie:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-hopkins-28445a71/

• Stephanie’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/steph_the_hop/

• B2 Design Co’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/b2design.co/

• Company website: https://www.b2designco.com/

🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk

https://www.bermanfalk.com/

Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/

Audio Links:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386

Episode Transcript

How do detailed preparations elevate hospitality experiences?

In this episode of Defining Hospitality, Dan Ryan interviews Amy Margolis, an esteemed interior designer and studio director at Bamo in Providence, Rhode Island. Moving through her career journey from California to the East Coast, Amy shares her thoughts on being deeply rooted in anticipating guests’ needs, curating environments that allow people to relax, and creating memorable experiences.

Takeaways:

• Hospitality is an orchestrated experience. Amy illustrates hospitality with an anecdote about Joan Didion’s meticulously planned dinner parties, emphasizing the importance of preparation to offer effortless and relaxing experiences for guests.

• A strategic global footprint enhances service delivery. The expansion of Bamo into different regions allows the firm to better serve clients across various time zones, fostering a diverse range of projects that adapt to regional demands.

• Understanding guest journeys influences design solutions. Drawing from her experience at Bergmeyer, Amy stresses the importance of tailoring design solutions to enhance unique guest experiences, which is crucial for success in hospitality design.

• Diverse career transitions enrich design perspectives. Amy’s shift from hospitality design in San Francisco to commercial design in Boston provided her with a wealth of experience, enriching her current approach in the hospitality sector.

• Digital adaptation transforms collaborative practices. The shift to remote work during COVID-19, along with the adoption of tools like Revit, has introduced new ways of managing design and fostered improved team collaboration.

• Continuous learning fosters dynamic leadership. Amy emphasizes the value of staying open to new ideas and mentoring emerging talents, cultivating a resilient and innovative design practice.

“Put yourself out there to say yes, to try new things… the biggest thing is to keep educating yourself.” - Amy Margolis

Connect with Amy:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-reynolds-margolis-ncidq-a625875/

Company website: https://bamo.com/

Joan Didion Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/dining/joan-didion-thanksgiving.html

🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk

https://www.bermanfalk.com/

Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/

Audio Links:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386

Episode Transcript

What does it mean to find joy and creativity in the constraints of adaptive reuse?

In this episode of Defining Hospitality, Dan Ryan sits down with Andrew Ashey, Founder and Principal of AAmp Studio, to discuss the expansive nature of hospitality design, the importance of engaging with diverse community elements, and the delightful challenges presented by adaptive reuse.

Takeaways:

• Architecture is a collaborative puzzle. Andrew finds the challenge of collaboration a central aspect of his practice. Architecture involves working with clients, consultants, and contractors to bring visions to life within existing structures.

• Context and continuity are vital. Andrew discusses the significance of understanding and preserving the historical context of buildings, particularly in projects like the Municipal Grand in Savannah.

• Lifelong learning helps the practitioners and the community. Engaging with academic institutions and community organizations allows architects like Andrew to remain at the forefront of design innovation.

• Approach projects with enthusiasm and creativity. For Andrew, maintaining a balance between professional demands and creative fun is essential.

• Adaptive reuse champions sustainability. Andrew argues that adaptive reuse is among the most sustainable practices, breathing new life into spaces while preserving their integral stories.

• Expanding hospitality venues beyond private spaces. Andrew sees these spaces as extensions of the public realm, contributing to the vibrancy of a locality.

“I find architecture and design to be one big puzzle. That’s what I love most about it.” - Andrew Ashey

Connect with Andrew:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-ashey-a7a9245/

• Company website: https://aampstudio.com/

🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk

https://www.bermanfalk.com/

Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/

Audio Links:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386

How can travel channels inspire personal growth and global understanding?

In this episode of Defining Hospitality, Dan Ryan sits down with Ian Sharpe, the Chief Operating Officer of Media at NextTrip, to explore the transformative power of hospitality and storytelling in the realm of global travel. With a vast experience spanning video games and visual media, Ian delves into the intricate tapestry of how cutting-edge technology, media, and human connection shape the way we experience the world.

Takeaways:

• Hospitality is about turning strangers into friends. Ian Sharpe emphasizes this historical tradition as the core of Journey TV’s mission to celebrate diverse cultures and connect people globally.

• Journey TV transforms inspiration into itineraries. By drawing on video game industry techniques, the network integrates storytelling with travel booking for an enriched travel experience.

• Authenticity drives Journey TV’s content. The network focuses on human stories, whether culinary or adventurous, to explore why people travel and engage deeply with viewers.

• Cultural richness is captured through storytelling. Programs like “Tide” and “Borderless Table” highlight local experiences, providing a comprehensive view of destinations.

• Technology enhances viewer engagement. Journey TV uses QR codes and AI-driven itineraries to turn inspiration into seamless travel planning.

• Travel fosters growth and connection. Journey TV promotes travel as a way to build understanding and friendship, supporting Dan’s vision of hospitality as a human bridge.

“A storyteller is all about weaving with the imagination. If you can convert that to commerce, then the shareholders are all the happier.” - Ian Sharpe

Connect with Ian:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianstuartsharpe/

• Company website: https://nexttrip.com/

🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk

https://www.bermanfalk.com/

Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/

Procurement, project management, and momentum

A front-row reflection on why aligning early around Budget + Schedule, and then selectively pulling forward the right long-lead decisions, reduces risk and creates real momentum on projects.

👉 Read here:

2. The Human Side of Hospitality (Podcast)

Chelsea on people, care, and why this industry still matters

A reminder that for all the talk of systems, scale, and efficiency, hospitality is still a human business.

Stories over process. Presence over polish.

🎧 Listen here:

3. When AI Becomes the Gatekeeper

Why story is becoming a real distribution advantage

As AI increasingly shapes how travel decisions get made, clarity, narrative, and trust matter more than ever. This one reframed how I think about content, context, and hospitality’s next chapter.

👉 Read here:

4. Lead With the “B” of F&B

Why food and beverage can be accretive, not a drag

A takeaway from ALIS Design+ that challenged conventional underwriting: when done with intention, F&B isn’t an amenity. It’s the opening move. Energy, place-making, and repeat local traffic pull rates and shape brand gravity.

👉 Read here:

5. We’re Almost 100 Days from Memorial Day

Are your outdoor spaces working hard enough this summer?

Pools, patios, rooftops, and courtyards are often the fastest way to:

• Increase dwell time

• Drive F&B spend

• Improve guest memory (and rates)

If you’re thinking about outdoor ROI this season, I’d start with teams who do this exceptionally well, in alphabetical order:

Business & Pleasure

Dedon

Gloster

Houe

Tribu

Happy to help think it through or make introductions

The conversation was practical, honest, and deeply aligned with what I see on real projects every day.

What I appreciated most was how consistently the panel came back to the same core idea:

Get the right people involved earlier.

Start with what Nick aptly called “the BS” - Budget and Schedule.

That alone would be a solid takeaway.

But listening, and then talking with owners, designers, PMs, and procurement teams afterward, it reaffirmed for me that there’s a second layer to this conversation that doesn’t always get said out loud.

Start With “BS” (Budget + Schedule). Then Go One Step Further.

The panel did an excellent job reinforcing why early procurement and PM involvement matters:

• Realistic budgets

• Honest schedules

• Fewer surprises

• Better risk mitigation

Everyone agreed that bringing procurement in early helps validate pricing, manage expectations, and avoid painful late-stage resets.

All true.

But here’s the question I kept coming back to:

What if some of the longest-lead FF&E items should come on even earlier than we’re comfortable with?

Specifically the items that are almost always the longest lead on a project:

• Casegoods and seating

• Lighting

• Flooring, sometimes - depends on the type of material specified.

In lifestyle and luxury projects, these are often the critical path items. Casegoods and seating in particular are frequently the second-largest check written on a project, right behind the checks with the extra zeros sent to the project’s GC.

So why do we still treat them like something that has to wait?

The “Fast-Track” Opportunity That Is Almost Always Missed

What we’ve seen, repeatedly, is that selectively fast-tracking long-lead FF&E can materially de-risk a project and significantly improve returns to the capital stack.

On average, bringing those items on earlier can save 11 to 22 weeks, and sometimes even more, on a project schedule.

Even if you discount that and assume you only save 8 weeks, the math gets interesting very quickly.

A simple, conservative, example (nota bene - I’m not a finance guy):

• 200-room hotel

• $225 ADR

• 70% occupancy

• $25 rate lift driven by renovation

• Rooms returned to the rental pool 8 weeks earlier

That could be conservatively almost $700,000 in incremental revenue returned to the property purely from time saved.

And that’s before considering:

• Leverage

• NOI capitalization

• Speed to “stabilization”

• Downstream impact on valuation

In many cases, that return is 5 to 10 times what a team might save by squeezing these long-lead items through a traditional competitive bid process.

For these long-lead items, especially casegoods and seating, the project already knows the budget. Share it. Give the greenlight. Design and build to it. Don’t exceed it. And unleash the returns to the capital stack on the project.

If you accelerate a project by six months on an 18 to 24 month timeline, the upside compounds even further.

This Isn’t About Skipping Process

To be very clear, this is not a critique of the traditional process.

Project teams are built this way for good reasons, and we are highly effective. This approach also does not work for every project, in fact I posit that it doesn’t work for most projects. If I were to guess, maybe 5-10% of Luxury & Lifestyle renovations. Some ownership groups, REITs, and capital partners require competitive bids, and have other by-laws and convenants that cannot be altered.

The real question is at what opportunity cost?

The types of projects this works for:

• Schedule-driven renovations: start construction in San Francisco on Super Bowl Monday and reopen just before the World Cup comes to town this summer.

• Assets where time-to-revenue materially outweighs line-item optimization

It’s worth asking a different question:

Have we considered a single-source, fast-track strategy for our longest-lead items?

When the right partners are involved early, with transparency around budget, schedule, and expectations, this approach doesn’t increase risk:

It reallocates RISK earlier, when teams still have room to maneuver, and allows you to work with more partners that you know, like, and trust.

Proof From the Field

At BERMANFALK, we’ve now executed a handful of projects this way over the past couple of years, and the results have been remarkable.

From the moment ownership gave the greenlight to:

• Project Managment

• Design and Procurement

• Preconstruction

• Model room kickoff

To the moment the last containers of rollout furniture are being delivered, the total timeline was under one year.

That includes:

• Model room

• Production

• Full rollout

• Deliveries to Hawaii, the West Coast, and East Coast of the United States

It does not change production time.

It does not eliminate the time spent making sawdust.

What it does eliminate is unnecessary waiting between decisions and allows for compressed approval times.

Why This Panel Lit Me Up

This panel was deeply aligned with something I care about: I love connecting people.

But what lights me up even more is shortening journeys.

Shortening the journey of a project.

Shortening the journey from capital deployed to revenue realized.

Shortening the journey for owners carrying risk longer than they need to.

Talking with ALIS and ALIS Design+ attendees about how BERMANFALK has approached certain projects this way, the reaction was consistent: curiosity, excitement, and relief that someone was willing to rethink the sequence.

Not to blow things up.

But to make projects move faster, smarter, with fewer surprises and less risk.

Final Thought From the Front Row

This panel reinforced something I’ve come to believe strongly:

Great projects don’t just manage risk.

They front-load intelligence.

When teams align early around “BS”, and then selectively pull forward the right long-lead decisions, they don’t just avoid problems.

They create momentum.

If you’re curious what this can look like in practice, I’m happy to share more. I’ve got a presentation that walks through the approach, the math, and the trade-offs.

And if nothing else, it’s a reminder that oftentimes the fastest way to reduce risk is to stop waiting.

Audio Links:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386

How Can Las Vegas Serve as the Ultimate Architectural Laboratory?

In this episode of Defining Hospitality, Dan Ryan sits down with Glen Noack, an accomplished architect and associate professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), to dive into Glen’s extensive experience in architecture and hospitality design. They explore various aspects of radical innovation within the built environment, the unique opportunities Las Vegas offers as a ‘living laboratory,’ and Glen’s involvement in fostering creative design through competitions like Radical Innovation.

Takeaways:

• Las Vegas is a learning environment. The city serves as an inspiring backdrop for architectural students who can directly interact with cutting-edge designs.

• Las Vegas’ hospitality goes beyond traditional assumptions. Hospitality design is evolving to include educational and community-focused projects, not just hotels and casinos.

• The emotional impact is vital. Emotional resonance in architecture is as vital as functional possibility, and this dual focus is a core aspect of education in Las Vegas.

• Virtual Reality is architecture’s future. The integration of AI and virtual scanning technology in design education provides unique opportunities for creating interactive project models.

• Community collaboration opens pathways. Collaborations between universities and industries open pathways for projects that transcend traditional hospitality and influence community development.

“There isn’t a formula on how to teach this… if it becomes formulaic, it can’t produce the same aha effect.” - Glenn Nowak

Connect with Glenn:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/glenn-nowak-phd-a96117105/

Company website: https://aeroai.io/

🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk

https://www.bermanfalk.com/

Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/

Food & Beverage is no longer an accessory. It’s the opening move.

The New Brands, New Players panel reinforced a shift I’ve felt building for a while. A few speakers didn’t just talk about it, they put real evidence behind it. In doing so, they exposed how traditional hotel funding and valuation models are making this trend harder than it needs to be.

Start With the “B”

What stood out most was how deliberately Ryan Diggins (The Ramble, Denver, and now Municipal Grand in Savannah) and Sam Bakhshandehpour framed their thinking.

Not: How do we bolt on F&B?

But: What happens if the bar, café, or restaurant is the reason the hotel exists?

At The Ramble, Ryan didn’t treat F&B as an amenity or a loss leader. He treated it as the living room for the neighborhood, and let the rooms follow.

I asked Ryan directly about the elephant in the room.

Traditional hotel underwriting still treats F&B as a valuation drag.

He didn’t dodge it.

Yes, conventional lenders get uncomfortable.

Yes, rooms still drive most hotel financial models.

But here’s the counterpunch.

There are times when The Ramble’s rates are scratching at the Four Seasons Denver, just down the street.

Not because the rooms were bigger.

But because the experience was.

And a huge part of that experience came from leading with the B, specifically Death & Co, whose gravity created real tailwinds for the entire property.

That’s why Ryan and David Kaplan (of Death & Co and a past Defining Hospitality guest - way back in Episode #036) decided to launch Midnight Auteur, a hotel management company that leads with F&B instead of apologizing for it.

That’s not theory.

That’s market proof.

F&B as Brand Gravity

Sam B took it even further.

What the José Andrés Group has built, among many other things, isn’t restaurants in hotels.

It’s hospitality that sometimes happens to include rooms.

Breakfast.

Lunch.

Dinner.

Lobby bar.

Rooftop.

In-room dining.

All “six pillars”. All intentional. PS - when Sam said there were 6 pillars, I felt a little overwhelm - I thought 3 or max 4 pillars are all that are needed when trying to communicate clarity and brands . But then I heard him say that the 6 pillars are the 6 potential F&B Pillars that can exist within a hotel.

When done well, F&B doesn’t just support ADR. It pulls it.

The takeaway wasn’t that every hotel needs a celebrity chef: nota been: Jose is famous, and a force for good, but the 6 pillars can be approached by any Hosptiality Entrepreneur.

It was that energy, place-making, and repeat local traffic are now core brand infrastructure for certain types of properties. Especially those willing to lean into their inner independent rebel.

A Trailborn Shoutout (and Why It Matters)

I also want to call out Laron Turley and the Trailborn platform.

Trailborn is doing something quietly radical.

They control their own brand standards while operating under Marriott’s umbrella.

That balance, owning the ethos while leveraging distribution, is rare.

BERMANFALK is proud to have worked on part of this project with Laron and the team on Trailborn Surf & Sound, and you can feel it in real time. Design freedom. Local specificity. A brand narrative that doesn’t feel templated.

That autonomy shows up in the guest experience, and ultimately, in the numbers.

The Bigger Pattern I’m Seeing

Across the panel, from wellness-forward concepts to outdoor hospitality to chef-led platforms, the throughline wasn’t size or scale.

It was conviction.

A strong point of view.

A clear audience.

Local relevance.

Experiences locals actually want to be part of.

Which brings me back to why this session mattered.

Why This Resonated With Me

This panel reinforced something I’ve come to believe more deeply over time.

The most compelling hospitality brands don’t start with flags or standards.

They start with people, place, and purpose, and then figure out how to finance it.

Yes, AI may soon decide which hotel gets surfaced.

But it’s still humans who decide where the energy is.

Tell the story.

Be specific.

Don’t let legacy models, or algorithms, gatekeep you.

And more often than not, that energy starts at the bar

I love these conferences and I love sharing them with all of you, from the front row.

Yes, there was plenty of talk about performance culture, financial discipline, rising costs, and the reality of running hotels in a predictably unpredictable market. That’s table stakes at ALIS.

But then the conversation turned to AI, and that’s where it got interesting.

AI Isn’t Just Tech. It’s the New Front Desk.

Allison made a point that’s still rattling around in my head: AI is about to become the gatekeeper of travel decisions.

Not in a sci-fi way. In a very practical, very human one.

Travel agents used to decide where you stayed.

Then OTAs.

Now: conversational AI.

Instead of scrolling endless options, travelers will ask a question, like Craig posed:

“Where should I stay if I want a hotel with a great pool for my kids, walkable restaurants, and a calm vibe?”

And the answer won’t be a list of 50 hotels.

It’ll be one or two.

That’s a seismic shift.

When AI Chooses, Narrative Matters

Here’s the takeaway that matters for owners, operators, and designers alike:

If AI is doing the choosing, your story becomes your shelf space.

Craig and Allison weren’t talking about chasing shiny tech. They were talking about fundamentals:

• Clear, accurate property descriptors

• Consistency across websites, OTAs, and review platforms

• Content written to answer questions, not just list amenities

“Pool” isn’t enough anymore.

Neither is “great location.”

AI needs context.

Guests need meaning.

And the hotels that win will be the ones whose story is coherent, specific, and trustworthy - because AI rewards clarity the same way humans do.

A Personal Realization (and a Little Origin Story)

Here’s the part that hit closer to home.

I started my podcast because I genuinely love doing it, the conversations, the curiosity, the humanity of this industry.

But there was another reason, too.

Early on, I ran into a fair amount of industry gatekeeping. I was told, sometimes explicitly, sometimes implicitly, that I couldn’t moderate panels, emcee events, or give a keynote because I was a vendor, not a sponsor. Or not the right kind of participant. Or not wearing the right badge.

That never sat right with me.

So I built my own table.

The podcast became a way to moderate the conversations I cared about, talk with incredible people, and share their lived experiences with others, especially those who can’t attend ALIS, BDNY, HD Expo, or any number of great industry gatherings.

At its core, the pod is about shortening journeys, giving people access to ideas, stories, and perspectives without needing the right invite, budget, or title.

Listening to Craig and Allison last week reframed that for me in a new way.

The podcast isn’t just something I enjoy.

It’s a way to help tell better stories, with thoughtful, curious humans, inside one of the most relationship-driven industries out there.

In a world where AI increasingly decides who gets surfaced, long-form conversations, nuance, and human context aren’t indulgences.

They’re inputs.

Two Tracks, Not One

Another moment that stood out: this isn’t an either/or transition.

Aimbridge isn’t abandoning paid search or traditional distribution. They’re running two tracks at once:

• The proven, performance-driven channels that still work today

• The emerging AI-driven discovery paths that will matter tomorrow

I’ve seen this movie before.

Digital didn’t kill sales teams.

OTAs didn’t eliminate brands.

The winners were the ones who learned to operate in parallel.

The “2×2” That Stuck With Me

One more idea I really liked - and it didn’t have anything to do with tech.

Aimbridge’s 2×2 mentoring program: every leader is responsible for mentoring two people below them, and helping identify who’s ready for the next step.

Simple. Scalable. Human.

In an industry obsessed with systems, dashboards, and tools, it was a reminder that talent compounds when someone actually takes ownership of developing people - not just managing them.

AI may change distribution.

It doesn’t replace apprenticeship.

Culture Is the Multiplier

What tied the whole conversation together was people.

Performance culture.

Curiosity.

Mentorship.

Developing talent that can think differently - and challenge leadership when needed.

AI may be the gatekeeper.

But humans still write the story.

And if hotels are ultimately in the business of care, memory, and experience, then the way we describe, document, and communicate those experiences is no longer marketing fluff.

It’s operational strategy.

The Front-Row Takeaway

As AI quietly starts shaping where people travel, stay, and spend time, the competitive advantage won’t come from louder ads or more channels.

It will come from:

• Better storytelling

• Cleaner data

• More intentional narratives

• Teams curious enough to keep learning

In a world where machines answer the question, the hotels that tell the clearest story get chosen.

That was the real lesson from the front row.

Audio Links:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386

Can empathy, curiosity, and a willingness to run toward the fire reshape how leaders design experiences, and careers, in hospitality?

In this episode of Defining Hospitality, Dan Ryan sits down with Chelsea Hershelman, VP of Design and Development at Coral Tree Hospitality, to unpack hospitality as an empathetic act and leadership as influence, not authority. From designing for neurodiversity and stressed-out arrivals to taking leaps of faith across a non-linear career path, Chelsea shares how curiosity, courage, and human-centered thinking drive better spaces, stronger teams, and more meaningful guest experiences, without needing perfect credentials or traditional titles.

Takeaways:

• Hospitality starts with empathy, not aesthetics. Great experiences are built by considering the full ecosystem and designing for emotional states, not just how a space looks in photos.

• The most effective leaders rely on influence, not authority. By building relationships, using humor to help teams “unclench,” and knowing when to listen versus decide.

• Curiosity beats credentials every time. A background in art history, procurement, and project management became an asset, not a liability, because transferable skills opened doors others never saw.

• Running toward problems builds momentum and trust. Reframing crises as opportunities to shine, and celebrating quick wins can energize complex projects and establish you as someone who thrives in the arena.

• Balance isn’t static, it evolves. Sustained leadership requires knowing when to push and when to “take a knee,” prioritizing physical and mental health, and giving yourself grace as your definition of success changes over time.

“To lead by influence is listening, staying curious and asking good questions.” - Chelsea Hershelman

Connect with Chelsea:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelsea-hershelman-a0639656/

• Company website: https://www.coraltreehospitality.com/

🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk

https://www.bermanfalk.com/

Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/

Audio Links: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX

Spotify: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386

Can exploration, storytelling, and service to others redefine what hospitality really means—and why does it start at home?

In this episode of Defining Hospitality, Dan Ryan sits down with Richard Wiese, President of The Explorers Club, Emmy Award–winning TV host, and lifelong explorer. Their conversation spans far beyond travel, unpacking hospitality as a human instinct rooted in curiosity, generosity, and connection. From backyard foraging mishaps to Apollo astronauts’ moon-bound navigation, Richard shares how exploration, conservation, and volunteerism shape leadership, culture, and meaningful guest experiences, without relying on luxury or exotic destinations.

Takeaways:

• True hospitality is expressed through universal human languages, food, music, nature, and storytelling, rather than thread count or material luxury.

• Exploration isn’t about distance; it’s about curiosity. You don’t need Everest or the Serengeti to explore, birding in a city park or foraging in your backyard can spark the same sense of wonder and connection.

• Leadership means amplifying others, not yourself. Through initiatives like Explorers Club 50, you can challenge leaders to shift from “look at me” to “look who I found,” using their platforms to spotlight emerging changemakers.

• Small, consistent service creates outsized impact. Whether dedicating 5% of your time to volunteerism or starting a local composting effort, sustained small actions, modeled by Richard and Nikki Wiese, can scale into global change.

• Everything has a story, from a pencil to a hotel lobby; sharing those narratives authentically deepens emotional connection and transforms experiences into lasting memories.

“Part of the perspective of exploration is also seeing something that you've seen often through a new set of eyes." - Richard Wiese

Connect with Richard:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-wiese/

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/richardwiese/?hl=en

• Born to Explore Website: https://www.borntoexplore.net/

• The Explorer’s Club Website: https://www.explorers.org/

🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk

https://www.bermanfalk.com/

Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/