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This Week in Hospitality: Daily Summaries Delivered
by thisweekinhospitality
Every Friday morning, This Week in Hospitality brings you the most important stories, insights, and innovations shaping the global hospitality industry — distilled and discussed by people who actually build within it.Hosted by Ben Wolff, Scott Eddy, Edwin Kramer, and Zach Busekrus, this weekly conversation is crafted for the founders, operators, and dreamers creating the next generation of hospitality brands.You’ll get more than just headlines — you’ll get perspective. Each episode breaks down the week’s most compelling hospitality stories and explores what they really mean for independent hotel owners, boutique brands, and experiential travel entrepreneurs. From brand strategy and design trends to tech disruption and capital markets, This Week in Hospitality keeps you informed, inspired, and ready for what’s next.So grab your morning coffee, and catch up on the stories that matter — before your guests check in.New episodes every Friday morning.Meet the HostsBen Wolff — Ben Wolff
Latest Episodes
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- 4 days ago38 min
Why Owners Want More of Marriott's Loyalty Money, Booking.com's AI Bet, and Hilton Points at the Bar
Is the line between a hotel and a vacation rental finally gone? Zach Busekrus and Ben Wolff think the stays category is collapsing into one, and the big brands are waking up to it. This week it's just the two of them, together in person at the Oasi office in Austin, while Edwin and Scott are traveling. They open with big news: Zach is joining Oasi, a revenue growth firm for hotels, as chief growth officer. Then the headlines. Marriott's gross fees jumped 14% to $1.52 billion in the third quarter, driven by the co-branded credit card business, while a group of owners asked for a bigger share of loyalty income. Zach and Ben talk through what that means for owners and for the brand. Booking.com is leaning into AI, and they ask whether consumers really care about the payments layer and what AI assistants could do to direct booking. They also get into revenue management, and why dynamic pricing tools need watching instead of a set-and-forget approach. From there it's hotels versus short-term rentals, with points and loyalty at the center. Hilton's move to let guests pay a bar tab with points raises the question of who wins. Zach makes the case that regulation and permitting need to catch up with how people actually book stays. They close with local retailers, towns and hospitality businesses working together on new local offerings. A short pod this week. The full crew is back next week. Your Hosts: Zach Busekrus — Journey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachbusekrus/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindthestays/ Ben Wolff — Founder of Onera & Oasi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-wolff/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iambenwolff/
- 1 weeks ago30 min
Do You Really Have to Trade Identity for Distribution? WorldHotels' Jenn Parks on the New Soft-Brand Deal, Branded Residences and the Backdrop Outdoor Bet
https://roompricegenie.com/ Checkout code for 25% off: WISH26 This Week’s Guest: Jenn Parks, Vice President of Development, North America, WorldHotels (part of BWH Hotels) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferfigariparks/ Explore WorldHotels: https://www.worldhotels.com/en-us Your Host: Zach Busekrus - Journey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachbusekrus/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindthestays/ Zach talks with Jenn Parks, Vice President of Development for North America at WorldHotels (part of BWH Hotels), about where independent hotel development is heading. Recorded live at the Independent Hotel Show in Miami, Jenn names two big growth areas: branded residences, including WorldHotels' first in Vietnam, and elevated outdoor hospitality through the new WorldHotels Backdrop brand, including Zion Wildflower Resort and a property in Asheville. She explains why owners pick WorldHotels over soft brands like Autograph or Curio: flexibility with no stringent brand standards, shorter agreements and lower fees, a brand-storytelling workshop at onboarding, and the commercial power of BWH's roughly 70-million-member loyalty program. Jenn also highlights an underrated benefit: the community of independent hoteliers who swap best practices at an annual conference. On demand, she sees residences leading in APAC and the Middle East, and true boutique, outdoor and lifestyle resort product leading in North America. Many owners she meets are leaving a big brand and are wary of going fully independent. And her hot take: curated, place-specific retail is an underused part of the hotel experience. It's why she still thinks about a Grand Cayman resort every time she puts on a shirt she bought there.
- 1 weeks ago1h 19m
Did Amex Just Hand Airbnb the Luxury Traveler? Best Western's Identity Crisis and Andrew Humphries on the Middle East Hotel Boom
Special guest: Andrew Humphries — Bridge Hospitality Partners LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-humphries-66a1918/ Are the biggest hotel brands still in the business of running great hotels, or are distribution and fee streams becoming the real product? This week, Zach Busekrus, Ben Wolff, Edwin Kramer and Scott Eddy are joined by Andrew Humphries, partner and co-founder of Bridge Hospitality Partners. After decades in luxury hospitality, Andrew brings an operator's perspective to the hotel investment conversation, fresh from the GIOHIS conference. We start with the Middle East: resilient demand, the growing role of regional travelers, Asian investment, branded residences and emerging co-living concepts. Andrew explains why Saudi Arabia's hotel ambitions may take longer to deliver without disappearing, and why the Maldives and Seychelles remain part of the investment conversation. We also get into interim general managers, brand proliferation and where AI can help hotel operations without replacing the human side of luxury. Then it's the week's headlines. What does the Amex-Airbnb partnership mean for luxury hotels, distribution and the relationship with the guest? And does BWH's move to the WorldHotels name change anything meaningful for travelers, or is the real audience the hotel owner? In Spice of the Week, Scott asks whether an AI assistant could become hospitality's most powerful gatekeeper. Ben weighs the brands' identity crisis and Hilton's tech ambitions. Zach shares a lesson from his Pendry conversation about scaling a distinctive hotel brand. Edwin wants owners to sleep in their own rooms. Andrew makes the case against over-amenitization: get the core experience right before adding more. Your Hosts: Zach Busekrus — Journey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachbusekrus/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindthestays/ Scott Eddy — Global Travel & Hospitality Expert @MrScottEddy LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrscotteddy/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrscotteddy/ Ben Wolff — Founder of Onera & Oasi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-wolff/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iambenwolff/ Edwin Kramer — Luxury Hotelier Consultant & Former GM LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwinckramer/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edwinkramer/
- 2 weeks ago1h 8m
Which Hotel Would You Steal for $1? Marina Bay Sands, Ted Turner's Ranch, and the Case for Hotel Emma
Fifty episodes in, we're skipping the news and handing out the hospitality awards nobody asked for. Zach, Ben, Edwin and a returning Scott Eddy each nominate, defend and vote across five categories. For "The Hotel I'd Steal," Scott and Edwin both take Marina Bay Sands - Edwin to bankroll a portfolio of tiny rural hotels with its profits - while Ben makes a play for Vermejo, Ted Turner's half-million-acre New Mexico reserve, and Zach stays closer to home with San Antonio's Hotel Emma and the Pearl District it anchors. For "The Biggest Bet," Edwin backs Soho House's post-buyout second act as a wellness-driven lifestyle community, Ben doubles down on farm hospitality, Scott picks Ennismore's ecosystem approach, and Zach makes the case for Sloan Dean's AI Hospitality Group and its plan to rebuild the hotel management company from scratch. The "Most Overrated" round goes after membership clubs, loyalty programs that measure points instead of genuine loyalty, brand proliferation nobody can explain, and the industry's obsession with capturing demand instead of creating it. "Sleeping Giants" covers hotel staff as personal brands, the 45-to-65 first-time independent hotel buyer, the industry's missing attribution layer, and the day-guest economics of ResortPass. And on "Hills We'll Die On": hospitality brands built on belonging rather than hotels, every hotel company thinking like a media company, ripping out the front desk, and why tech talent should be pouring into IRL experiences. Plus Edwin's Airbnb ad read that is absolutely not an Airbnb ad read. Your Hosts: Zach Busekrus — Journey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachbusekrus/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindthestays/ Scott Eddy — Global Travel & Hospitality Expert @MrScottEddy LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrscotteddy/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrscotteddy/ Ben Wolff — Founder of Onera & Oasi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-wolff/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iambenwolff/ Edwin Kramer — Luxury Hotelier Consultant & Former GM LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwinckramer/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edwinkramer/
- 3 weeks ago1h 10m
Can AI Fix Hotel Margins? Alex Cabañas on AI's Margin Opportunity, Expedia's Lawsuit, and the Longevity Hotel Debate
This Week's Guest: Alex Cabañas Executive Chairman, Pyramid Global Hospitality Founder and CEO of Astound Ventures https://astound-ventures.com/ What happens when the hotel front desk disappears, but hospitality gets more personal? This week, Zach Busekrus, Ben Wolff and Edwin Kramer are joined by Alex Cabañas, executive chairman of Pyramid Global Hospitality and founder and CEO of Astound Ventures, for a conversation about the changes that could actually improve hotel margins. Alex explains why he's investing in hospitality's own problems, from energy management and distributed power to the workflows that keep hotel teams buried in admin. His test for innovation isn't whether it sounds impressive. It's whether it helps owners make money and frontline staff do their jobs better. They explore a future with lobby hosts instead of agents stuck behind screens, AI tools that put repair answers in an engineer's hand, and automation that connects sales contracts with banquet operations. They also ask what hotels should build themselves, what they should buy, and who has time to sort through the endless startup pitches. Then the conversation turns to Expedia's rate-parity lawsuit. Ben explains why his direct guests generate higher average daily rates without a lower direct price, while Alex challenges the parity model and considers what AI-driven recommendations could mean for intermediaries. Finally, Minor Hotels' Life Longevity concept sparks a debate about wellness beyond the stay. Should hotels collect guests' health data, connect with their wearables, or leave diagnostics alone? Alex closes with a different vision of personalization: guests control their data and share it when they want a better experience. Your Hosts: Zach Busekrus — Journey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachbusekrus/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindthestays/ Scott Eddy — Global Travel & Hospitality Expert @MrScottEddy LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrscotteddy/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrscotteddy/ Ben Wolff — Founder of Onera & Oasi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-wolff/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iambenwolff/ Edwin Kramer — Luxury Hotelier Consultant & Former GM LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwinckramer/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edwinkramer/
- 3 weeks ago28 min
You Should Standardize a Lot — But Never The Soul of a Hotel: Dovetail + Co's Shawn Cioto on the Lean Boutique Hotel
This Week’s Guest: Shawn Cioto - Vice President of Operations, Dovetail + Co LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawn-cioto-914264b/ Your Host: Zach Busekrus - Journey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachbusekrus/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindthestays/ Shawn Cioto, VP of Operations at Dovetail + Co, explains why the owner of seven hotels is taking management in-house: large management companies often miss the small, on-brand details that make independent lifestyle hotels special, from coffee sleeves and key cards to scent, lighting and music. He describes how Dovetail decides between growing its Wayfinder brand (Waikiki, Newport and Bishop) and launching new concepts like its high-design pod hotel, and the whirlwind three-to-four-week takeover of Collective Retreats in New York. With guest acquisition costs climbing through OTA commissions, accelerators and paid media, Shawn's focus is monetizing guests once they're on property. One example is adding a casual second restaurant concept at a remote hotel so guests stay the second night instead of leaving for dinner. He talks about leaning on specialist marketing partners, a creative director and a brand lead, a viral video with their Catskills pizza chef, and surprise-and-delight touches for kids like Tiny the Turtle. With co-host Ben, he digs into balancing brand standards with fun content: standardize back-of-house processes, never the soul of the hotel.
- Oct 9, 20261h 8m
Is Airbnb Bringing Luxe Back? AI's Hotel Jobs Debate, Wyndham's Bet on Sports Illustrated Hotels, and Hilton's 500-Hotel College-Town Goal
On this week’s This Week in Hospitality, Zach Busekrus, Ben Wolff, and Edwin Kramer dig into hospitality’s search for consistency, growth, and better economics. Scott Eddy is away in Italy, so the trio gets straight to the news. Airbnb appears ready to bring back a Luxe tier as it adds hotels and services to its platform. The hosts debate whether a badge and inspections can restore trust and deliver reliable stays, or whether the variety of vacation rentals makes consistency hard to guarantee. They turn to hotel leaders’ claims that AI should help employees rather than replace them. Wyndham’s voice agent reportedly answers calls that often went unanswered, while the group asks which tasks should be automated, what work will shift, and where human judgment still matters. Ben argues that, for consistency today, AI may outperform people; Edwin raises questions about how fast-changing systems could affect guests and staff. Next, Travel + Leisure and Wyndham’s Sports Illustrated Resorts partnership gets a developer’s-eye test: can loyalty and a famous name overcome a complicated ownership and operating model? The discussion then weighs Hilton’s Undergraduate brand and its ambition to reach 500 hotels against the limits of college-town demand and the risk of cannibalizing existing brands. In Spicyville, the crew tees up allegations that Expedia’s terms may constrain hotels’ room rates elsewhere. Zach closes with ResortPass and the case for day guests: could pool and spa visitors deliver better economics than overnight stays? Plus, a call for owners considering a brand switch to get in touch. Your Hosts: Zach Busekrus — Journey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachbusekrus/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindthestays/ Scott Eddy — Global Travel & Hospitality Expert @MrScottEddy LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrscotteddy/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrscotteddy/ Ben Wolff — Founder of Onera & Oasi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-wolff/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iambenwolff/ Edwin Kramer — Luxury Hotelier Consultant & Former GM LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwinckramer/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edwinkramer/
- Oct 6, 202636 min
Empower Your People: Staypineapple's Dina Belon-Sayre on Personality-Driven Hotels and the AI Threat to Independents
This Week’s Guest: Dina Belon-Sayre - President, Staypineapple Hotels LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dinabelon/ Explore Staypineapple Hotels: https://www.staypineapple.com/ Your Host: Zach Busekrus - Journey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachbusekrus/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindthestays/ Dina Belon-Sayre, President of Staypineapple Hotels, opens with a story from a Portland snowstorm when she waited tables herself, fed a stranded hotel and received a thank-you check from a guest. Her point: any Staypineapple employee is empowered to make the same call. She traces her unusual path from theater, psychology and criminal justice studies through hotel design, construction and a decade in sustainability consulting, to spotting a five-story painted pineapple from her Seattle office window and joining the company ten years ago. She rose from director of real estate to president. Dina explains the upside of a playful, edgy brand (the "Naked Experience," no navy blazers or scripts) and the occasional offended guest, and why it's fine not to be for everyone. She describes hiring for emotional intelligence, critical thinking and a willingness to be authentic. On growth, she notes owners are risk-averse, Staypineapple hasn't franchised without management because service is the brand's through-line, and the company may package tools for other independents. Her soapbox: AI and LLM booking could run over independents within 18 months, and collections may need to become their AI intermediary at a fair cost.
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About This Week in Hospitality
Every Friday morning, This Week in Hospitality brings you the most important stories, insights, and innovations shaping the global hospitality industry — distilled and discussed by people who actually build within it.Hosted by Ben Wolff, Scott Eddy, Edwin Kramer, and Zach Busekrus, this weekly conversation is crafted for the founders, operators, and dreamers creating the next generation of hospitality brands.You’ll get more than just headlines — you’ll get perspective. Each episode breaks down the week’s most compelling hospitality stories and explores what they really mean for independent hotel owners, boutique brands, and experiential travel entrepreneurs. From brand strategy and design trends to tech disruption and capital markets, This Week in Hospitality keeps you informed, inspired, and ready for what’s next.So grab your morning coffee, and catch up on the stories that matter — before your guests check in.New episodes every Friday morning.Meet the HostsBen Wolff — Ben Wolff
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