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Hospitality Folks: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Alicia Dick Wahlberg
Hospitality Folks is a weekly video podcast about the people, ideas and technology shaping the future of hospitality, travel and tourism. Hosted by Alicia Dick Wahlberg, each episode goes beyond the job title to explore the unexpected career paths, bold choices, failures, lessons and human stories behind the people building and leading with hospitality at heart. From hotel managers and founders to innovators, entrepreneurs and industry changemakers, this is where we talk about the real people behind the industry. Come for the hospitality. Stay for the unexpected journeys.
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- 5 days ago39 min
Housekeeping to AI Founder with Ira Vouk
What does it take to build a career in hospitality that looks nothing like the one you started with?Ira Vouk went from working 90-hour weeks in hotel housekeeping as an immigrant from Belarus to becoming a hospitality technology entrepreneur, author, educator at San Diego State University, and founder of the AI Hospitality Alliance.We talk about career growth, mentorship, taking risks, networking, female entrepreneurship, and the reality of building something from the ground up. We also get into hotel technology, AI adoption, and what hospitality leaders need to understand about the industry's future.A conversation about finding opportunities, backing yourself, and never waiting until you feel ready.Find Ira:https://www.iravouk.com/https://aihospitalityalliance.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/iravouk/Follow Alicia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliciadickwahlberg/
- 1 weeks ago27 min
Stop Managing, Start Coaching | Fredrik Bägerfeldt
What can 30 years of coaching teach us about leading people, building better teams, and knowing when to stop talking and start listening?In this episode of Hospitality Folks, Alicia Dick Wahlberg sits down with Fredrik Bägerfeldt, a Swedish entrepreneur, coach, and founder of Jubatus Brands.Fredrik has spent decades coaching football across countries and cultures. Along the way, he's learned that getting people to work toward a common goal takes more than a good strategy. It requires understanding different personalities, adapting how you communicate, and giving people the time and support they need to develop.Today, he's bringing that experience into sports technology, working to address a problem he believes has been overlooked: referees haven't received the same level of technological support as the players on the field.We talk about what it means to listen to the people doing the work, how cultural differences influence leadership, why developing talent matters more than winning too early, and how customer conversations can turn an overlooked problem into a business opportunity.For hotel owners, managers, team leaders, and founders, the connections to hospitality are hard to miss. Whether you're developing a team or building a business, the question is the same: are you solving the problem people actually have, or the one you think they have?Connect with Fredrik:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fredrik-b%C3%A4gerfeldt-48197b43/Hosted by Alicia Dick Wahlberg.Follow Alicia on LinkedIn and Hospitality Folks on Instagram or TikTok for more conversations with the people moving hospitality forward.
- 2 weeks ago39 min
Hospitality Careers Without Limits: From USA to Denmark
What happens when you realize you were part of the resistance to change? On Hospitality Folks, Alicia Dick Wahlberg sits down with Karoline Fog, a Copenhagen-based hospitality professional with experience spanning Walt Disney World, hotel sales, MICE, and a major hotel rebranding. They get into hotel transformation, leadership and self-awareness, dyslexia and career confidence, the power of commercial relationships, and why hospitality competitors don't always have to compete. Plus, why waiting for a fairy godmother won't get your career moving.If you work in hotels, hospitality leadership, sales, people and culture, or recruitment, this is a conversation about the people behind the business, and the lessons we learn when we're willing to rethink our own perspective.You can connect with Karoline on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karoline-fog-74590524/And Follow Alicia Dick Wahlberg for more on the conversation.
- 3 weeks ago28 min
Why Trust Beats Hype Every time with AI & Hospitality
What makes a great salesperson in hospitality tech? According to Arne Hegstad, it might have very little to do with having sales experience.In this episode of Hospitality Folks, we sit down with Arne Hegstad, Chief Craft Officer at Suusify, to explore his 17-year journey with VisBook, the unexpected story of how he entered hospitality technology, and what he has learned about building teams, growing businesses, and earning trust in the hospitality industry.We discuss why some of his best salespeople came from hotel operations rather than traditional sales backgrounds, how asking candidates about their dreams can reveal what truly motivates them, and why understanding a hotel's real challenges matters more than pushing another product.We also get into the gap between hospitality technology and hotel operations, the problem with adding AI without solving real needs, how technology companies can earn hoteliers' trust, and what it takes to expand across Europe and the US.Key takeaways from this conversation:• Why the best salespeople might not have a sales background• The interview question that reveals a person's inner motivation• Why hospitality tech needs to solve real operational problems• How hotels can assess and build trust in new technology providers• The difference between AI hype and meaningful innovation• What international expansion really takes• Why getting out of your comfort zone can change your careerArne's story is a reminder that careers rarely follow a straight line, great teams start with understanding people, and the best business relationships are built on trust.Connect with Arne Hegstad:https://www.linkedin.com/in/arne-hegstad-12293338/Connect with Alicia Dick Wahlberg, host of Hospitality Folks:https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliciadickwahlberg/Learn more about Suusify:https://www.suusify.com/
- Jul 3, 202634 min
You Can't Lead Until You've Swept the Kitchen Yourself | Wolfgang Schürmann on Events, Crisis & Hospitality Leadership
Day two of a five-day event. 150,000 visitors. 200 of your 600 staff are no-shows.Wolfgang Schürmann has been there. He restructured the menu, reassigned every manager, got on the radio, and delivered anyway — because he's spent two decades learning every role from the ground up.In this episode: what high-pressure event operations teach you about leadership, why you cannot lead a team you haven't worked alongside, and the story of a Michelin star chef who threw a frying pan — and then did something that Wolfgang still thinks about 30 years later.🔗 Connect with Wolfgang on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/wolfgang-schuermann-🇩🇪-🇪🇺-🇲🇽-9a8b5b32🌐 Gastro 2.0: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gastro2-0/about/🎙️ Alicia Dick Wahlberg: linkedin.com/in/aliciadickwahlberg #HospitalityLeadership #HospitalityFolks #EventManagement #HotelTech #HighPerformanceTeams
- Jun 15, 202621 min
Why Most Hotels Fail at Storytelling and How to Fix It | Regitze Cecilie Rosenvinge
Most hotels have an extraordinary story. Most never tell it.Regitze Cecilie Rosenvinge is the founder of Rose PR Agency — one of Scandinavia's leading hotel PR agencies, specializing in experience-led, remote, and wellness properties across the Nordics and Germany. She's also Hotel Editor at Falstaff Nordics and a professional affiliate of Les Clefs d'Or Denmark.In this episode, Regitze and host Alicia Dick Wahlberg explore:→ Why hospitality and storytelling are the same thing — and always have been→ The real definition of personal branding (it's not about visibility — it's about perception)→ What hotels get completely wrong when they try to enter Nordic and German markets→ Why failure is not the opposite of success — it's the cost of getting there→ What Norway's most remote hotel taught her about the future of hospitalityIf you lead a hotel, a brand, or a career in this industry — this one stays with you.🎙️ Connect with Regitze:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/regitze-cecilie-rosenvinge-4b375b39/Rose PR Agency: https://www.rose-pr.com/🎙️ Connect with Alicia:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliciadickwahlber
- Jun 8, 202619 min
Why Hospitality Always Comes Back to People | Melanie Chinwe
What does hospitality look like when you strip away the buzzwords and start with people?In this episode of Hospitality Folks, Alicia talks with Melanie Chinwe, an operator who owned and ran S'MUVE ME Café in Nigeria before moving into Oenotourism at Château Dauzac in Bordeaux. She brings a grounded, intentional view of an industry that too often chases scale over connection.In this episode:Why hospitality, at its root, is always about peopleBuilding service design and systems that actually serve guestsWhat running her own café taught her about leadershipThe move from restaurant operations into wine tourismStorytelling and environment as tools for shaping guest journeysThe strategic role of service in driving long-term valueMelanie is currently an MSc Hospitality and Tourism Management student at Paris School of Business, with over six years in restaurant operations and guest experience.Hospitality Folks is a weekly show to showcase the wonderful and many career paths within hospitality and tourism. Connect with Melanie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melaniechinwe/Follow along with Alicia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliciadickwahlberg/
- May 27, 202634 min
Katarina Alič Čretnik | She Left a 15-Year Digital Career for the Forest — Now She's Changing What Hospitality Wellness Looks Like
What does it actually mean to slow down and why are the most intentional hospitality experiences being built not in hotel lobbies, but in forests?Katarina Alič Čretnik spent more than 15 years in digital marketing before following a deeper pull toward nature. She is an ANFT-certified forest therapy guide and NLP trainer based in Slovenia, running Melisa Holiday, a nature retreat where guests arrive stressed and distracted and leave feeling something they had not felt in years.In this conversation, Katarina and Alicia get into what forest therapy actually is and why guests who walk through trees every day still feel the forest completely differently when guided. They talk about the emotional weight of nature, what it takes to leave a corporate career for something slower, and why the hospitality industry is sitting on a wellness offering it has not recognized yet.This one is for hospitality owners and operators who want to understand what nature-based guest experiences actually look like in practice.🔗 Connect with Katarina Alič Čretnik: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katarina-alic-cretnik/🌿 Melisa Holiday: https://melisa.si/🔗 Connect with Alicia Dick Wahlberg: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliciadickwahlberg📸 Instagram: @alicia_dickwahlberg
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About Hospitality Folks
Hospitality Folks is a weekly video podcast about the people, ideas and technology shaping the future of hospitality, travel and tourism. Hosted by Alicia Dick Wahlberg, each episode goes beyond the job title to explore the unexpected career paths, bold choices, failures, lessons and human stories behind the people building and leading with hospitality at heart. From hotel managers and founders to innovators, entrepreneurs and industry changemakers, this is where we talk about the real people behind the industry. Come for the hospitality. Stay for the unexpected journeys.
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