Hospitality Daily Podcast

In this episode, Walter Isenberg, CEO and Co-Founder of Sage Hospitality Group, shares how his company thinks about “Sportspitality,” the intersection of hotels, mixed-use development, sports teams, and entertainment districts. He shares how projects tied to arenas and stadiums create amplified demand beyond traditional group, business, and leisure travel. The conversation explores real examples across professional sports, universities, and urban cores, including how hospitality plays a central role in placemaking. Learn more about Sage's McGregor Square project More with Walter: Hotels Are Splitting Into Two Completely Different Businesses - Walter Isenberg, Sage HospitalityThe Dana Crawford Playbook: How Risk, Storytelling, and Grit Built Iconic Hospitality - Walter Isenberg, Sage Hospitality GroupCrafting Places Guests Remember: Inside Sage Studio’s Story-First Approach - Walter Isenberg, Sage Hospitality GroupHospitality as a Catalyst: Revitalizing Cities with Walter Isenberg (Sage Hospitality Group)The Letter That Turned a Young Dishwasher into a Hospitality Leader - Walter Isenberg, Sage Hospitality GroupRegister here to join Josiah on February 5th for a live call on how to run better portfolio reporting A few more resources: start heresend me a message heresubscribe here for freeYouTubeLinkedInInstagramhere are the ways we can work together If you found this episode interesting or helpful, send it to someone on your team so you can turn the ideas into action and benefit your business and the people you serve! Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands

In this episode, Walter Isenberg, CEO and Co-Founder of Sage Hospitality Group, shares why his company forecasts labor down to the minute and tracks forecast accuracy at 30, 60, and 90 days out. You'll hear how forecast discipline directly impacts labor planning, cash flow, and investment returns in a business Walter describes as having "one-day leases." Resources: Hospitality Begins from WithinLearn more about the technology Sage uses: ActablWhy The National Forecast Is Your Starting Point - Jan Freitag, CoStar Register here to join Josiah on February 5th for a live call on how to run better portfolio reporting A few more resources: start heresend me a message heresubscribe here for freeYouTubeLinkedInInstagramhere are the ways we can work together If you found this episode interesting or helpful, send it to someone on your team so you can turn the ideas into action and benefit your business and the people you serve! Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands

In this episode, Walter Isenberg, CEO and Co-Founder of Sage Hospitality Group, shares his reflections on 2025, the lessons he's bringing into 2026, and his perspective on the bifurcation in hospitality: commodity hotels moving toward automation and reduced staffing versus experience-driven hospitality, where people remain the competitive advantage. More from Walter: Hospitality Begins from WithinThe Letter That Turned a Young Dishwasher into a Hospitality Leader - Walter Isenberg, Sage Hospitality GroupHow Sage Hospitality Enriches Lives Through Culture - Walter Isenberg, Sage Hospitality GroupThe Dana Crawford Playbook: How Risk, Storytelling, and Grit Built Iconic Hospitality - Walter Isenberg, Sage Hospitality Group A few more resources: start heresend me a message heresubscribe here for freeYouTubeLinkedInInstagramhere are the ways we can work together If you found this episode interesting or helpful, send it to someone on your team so you can turn the ideas into action and benefit your business and the people you serve! Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands

In this episode, Jan Freitag, National Director, Hospitality Analytics at CoStar Group, shares why the national forecast should be your starting point -- and gives specific things you can do to find growth this year. Links: Isaac CollazoApple PodcastsSpotify Read Jan's latest articles for CoStarTeague Talks with Jan Freitag of CoStar GroupTariffs, Travel Disruption, and What Hotel Leaders Must Do Now - Jan Freitag, CoStarI-92/APIS Dataset A few more resources: start heresend me a message heresubscribe here for freeYouTubeLinkedInInstagramhere are the ways we can work together If you found this episode interesting or helpful, send it to someone on your team so you can turn the ideas into action and benefit your business and the people you serve! Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands

Nazpari Aydin is the co-founder and managing director of Destination AI — the #1 hospitality AI event — which she built from scratch in just two years. In this episode, she shares why she created the conference, how she approached speaker selection and community building, and what she learned from bringing hospitality leaders, operators, and technologists into the same room. Register now for Destination AI 2026 You may also like: The Next Phase of AI Adoption Inside Hotel Companies - Stuart Greif A few more resources: start heresend me a message heresubscribe here for freeYouTubeLinkedInInstagramhere are the ways we can work together If you found this episode interesting or helpful, send it to someone on your team so you can turn the ideas into action and benefit your business and the people you serve! Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands

In this episode, Janette Roush, the SVP of Innovation and Chief AI Officer at Brand USA, shares how her team moved past AI hype to real, working applications across the organization. She explains what agentic AI looks like in practice, how organizations shift from individual experimentation to true organizational upskilling, and why trust and verified data are becoming mission-critical as travelers rely more on AI for planning. You’ll hear concrete examples from RFP evaluation, internal workflows, and campaign launches, along with a clear argument for why destination organizations must reposition themselves as trusted sources of truth. This episode is for hospitality and travel leaders who need practical direction on how AI is already reshaping discovery, decision-making, and organizational strategy. Listen to our previous conversation: America's Chief AI Officer for Travel Shares Advice Resources we mentioned: Janette's websiteClaude Code LovableAmerica the Beautiful campaign siteHow I AI PodcastEveryMarketing Against the Grain A few more resources: start heresend me a message heresubscribe here for freeYouTubeLinkedInInstagramhere are the ways we can work together If you found this episode interesting or helpful, send it to someone on your team so you can turn the ideas into action and benefit your business and the people you serve! Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands

Sarah Eustis, CEO of Main Street Hospitality, shares how art plays a direct role in how she leads and drives performance across her portfolio. She explains why her team invests in Artist in Residence programs, rotating galleries, and cultural programming as a way to create energy guests feel the moment they walk in. Sarah also talks about why she avoids standard hotel art packages and instead focuses on work with real meaning and local connection. Toward the end, she reveals an unexpected benefit of art that influences leadership, culture, and how people experience each day. See our earlier conversations: From 14-Year-Old Housekeeper to Ralph Lauren to CEO: What I've Learned in Hotel Management and BeyondThe Box and the Wavy Line: A Smarter Way to Lead Hospitality A few more resources: start heresend me a message heresubscribe here for freeYouTubeLinkedInInstagramhere are the ways we can work together If you found this episode interesting or helpful, send it to someone on your team so you can turn the ideas into action and benefit your business and the people you serve! Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands

Sarah Eustis, CEO of Main Street Hospitality, shares how she thinks about growth through the lens of irreplaceability. She explains why historic hotels with emotional and cultural relevance often present stronger long-term opportunities than new builds, especially in today’s environment. The conversation explores stewardship as an operating and investment discipline, where thoughtful repositioning, branding, and revenue management unlock value without erasing identity. Hospitality leaders will take away a clear framework for building durable advantage by leaning into what makes a property impossible to replace. See Sarah's TEDx talk: Old Wine in New Bottles: Generational Hospitality & Reinvention See our earlier conversations: From 14-Year-Old Housekeeper to Ralph Lauren to CEO: What I've Learned in Hotel Management and BeyondThe Box and the Wavy Line: A Smarter Way to Lead Hospitality A few more resources: start heresend me a message heresubscribe here for freeYouTubeLinkedInInstagramhere are the ways we can work together If you found this episode interesting or helpful, send it to someone on your team so you can turn the ideas into action and benefit your business and the people you serve! Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands

Josiah Mackenzie recaps his takeaways from ALIS 2026, including why some hotels continue to grow even as industry top-line performance plateaus and costs rise faster than inflation. You'll hear why operational discipline, service excellence, and clear plans for differentiation matter so much, and how pricing power is built through basics done exceptionally well. More: What I'm Looking For (At ALIS & Beyond) - Josiah MackenzieHow Luxury's Growth Is Reshaping Hospitality - Stuart Greif, Forbes Travel Guide A few more resources: start heresend me a message heresubscribe here for freeYouTubeLinkedInInstagramhere are the ways we can work together If you found this episode interesting or helpful, send it to someone on your team so you can turn the ideas into action and benefit your business and the people you serve! Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands

Stuart Greif, Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at Forbes Travel Guide, shares what he’s seeing as AI adoption within hotel companies matures. Drawing on his involvement with Destination AI and a panel he led with leaders from major global brands, Stuart explains why many remain stuck in an efficiency-first mindset. He walks through concrete examples where AI already supports revenue, sales, staffing decisions, and guest experience, and where things are moving next. Watch the panel Stuart led at Destination AI 2025: How Hotel Chains Are Deploying AI Today Companies mentioned: ActablAbra HospitalityLeveeGuestOSHyper NimbusRoomiy A few more resources: start heresend me a message heresubscribe here for freeYouTubeLinkedInInstagramhere are the ways we can work together If you found this episode interesting or helpful, send it to someone on your team so you can turn the ideas into action and benefit your business and the people you serve! Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands

Stuart Greif, Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at Forbes Travel Guide, shares how luxury’s rapid growth is reshaping hospitality. Stuart breaks down the data behind luxury’s expansion, then explores the second- and third-order effects, including changes in the workforce, leadership readiness, training, and differentiation in an increasingly crowded market. The conversation also looks ahead, discussing how hospitality could play a larger role as other industries change and why human connection and caring matter more as luxury scales. This episode offers a clear perspective for hospitality leaders thinking about what comes next and how to prepare. You may also enjoy: The Evolution of Luxury Hospitality From Comfort to ConnectionBeyond AI: Engineering the Future of Luxury Travel No Check-Ins: Redefining Luxury with "Sartorial Hospitality" Behind the Stars: How Forbes Travel Guide Defines Luxury & Five-Star HospitalityThe Transformation Economy A few more resources: start heresend me a message heresubscribe here for freeYouTubeLinkedInInstagramhere are the ways we can work together If you found this episode interesting or helpful, send it to someone on your team so you can turn the ideas into action and benefit your business and the people you serve! Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands

Josiah Mackenzie shares what he's looking for at the ALIS conference this week -- a quick solo episode from the road! A few more resources: start heresend me a message heresubscribe here for freeYouTubeLinkedInInstagramhere are the ways we can work together If you found this episode interesting or helpful, send it to someone on your team so you can turn the ideas into action and benefit your business and the people you serve! Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands

Stuart Greif, Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at Forbes Travel Guide, shares how he approaches industry conferences like ALIS with intention, curiosity, and care. He explains how he balances business goals with human connection, why he avoids over-scheduling meetings, and how leaving space for unplanned conversations leads to better relationships and ideas. The conversation also covers rotating events to stay exposed to new communities, avoiding transactional networking, and managing energy on the road. A few more resources: start heresend me a message heresubscribe here for freeYouTubeLinkedInInstagramhere are the ways we can work together If you found this episode interesting or helpful, send it to someone on your team so you can turn the ideas into action and benefit your business and the people you serve! Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands

In this episode, Melissa Maher, a former travel and hospitality executive and author of Holding Your Own, unpacks the leadership skills many professionals never get taught on the job. Melissa shares why she wrote the book and how confidence, self-advocacy, executive presence, and communication shape career progress more than performance alone. The conversation explores practical ways to build trust, navigate feedback, strengthen personal brand, and adapt in a fast-changing, AI-influenced workplace. This episode is for hospitality leaders who want to advance their careers, lead more effectively, and have the conversations that move work and people forward. Listen to our previous recordings with Melissa: Think Big: What I Learned As Expedia's CMO (And Beyond) What It Takes to Operate at Peak Personal Performance A few more resources: start heresend me a message heresubscribe here for freeYouTubeLinkedInInstagramhere are the ways we can work together If you found this episode interesting or helpful, send it to someone on your team so you can turn the ideas into action and benefit your business and the people you serve! Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands

In this episode, Matthias Huettebraeuker and Josiah Mackenzie unpack what innovation actually means in hospitality, and why most efforts start in the wrong place. This conversation moves past trends to focus on first principles, specifically how designing around human needs creates more resilient, relevant hospitality businesses. Matthias shares a clear framework for rethinking hotels through convergence, fluidity, and versatility, with real-world examples from hospitality and beyond. Listeners will leave with practical ways to apply these ideas immediately, whether they work in sales, marketing, guest services, or operations. Read Matthias' article in HospitalityNet's Hotel Yearbook: "Can we please not say Hybrid, please" You may also enjoy: Rethinking Hospitality - Matthias HuettebraeukerFrom Concept to Success: The Strategy Behind Our Hospitality InnovationCulture of Innovation: How Hospitality Leaders Can Stay AheadHospitality Beyond Hotels: Redefining the Future of Retirement Living A few more resources: start heresend me a message heresubscribe here for freeYouTubeLinkedInInstagramhere are the ways we can work together If you found this episode interesting or helpful, send it to someone on your team so you can turn the ideas into action and benefit your business and the people you serve! Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands

In this episode, Sarah Eustis, CEO of Main Street Hospitality, shares why having a clear point of view defines effective leadership. Drawing from her early career inside global fashion brands, she explains how leaders build trust by showing up with conviction, articulating rationale, and setting direction instead of reacting to others. See our earlier conversation: From 14-Year-Old Housekeeper to Ralph Lauren to CEO: What I've Learned in Hotel Management and Beyond - Sarah Eustis, Main Street Hospitality Group A few more resources: start heresend me a message heresubscribe here for freeYouTubeLinkedInInstagramhere are the ways we can work together If you found this episode interesting or helpful, send it to someone on your team so you can turn the ideas into action and benefit your business and the people you serve! Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands

In this episode, Sarah Eustis, CEO of Main Street Hospitality, shares how she leads with what she calls “the box and the wavy line.” She explains how disciplined operating systems, clear SOPs, and financial rigor create the stability teams need in a volatile market. Sarah also breaks down why structure does not limit creativity and how it creates room for innovation, new concepts, and thoughtful growth. This conversation offers a practical leadership framework for hospitality executives balancing control, culture, and expansion. See our previous conversation: From 14-Year-Old Housekeeper to Ralph Lauren to CEO: What I've Learned in Hotel Management and Beyond - Sarah Eustis, Main Street Hospitality Group A few more resources: start heresend me a message heresubscribe here for freeYouTubeLinkedInInstagramhere are the ways we can work together If you found this episode interesting or helpful, send it to someone on your team so you can turn the ideas into action and benefit your business and the people you serve! Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands

In this episode, Sarah Eustis, CEO of Main Street Hospitality, explains how the company earned an employee Net Promoter Score of 78 in an industry known for hiring and retention challenges. She breaks down the specific leadership behaviors, hiring philosophy, and feedback systems that shape engagement long before someone’s first day. The conversation focuses on interviewing for emotional intelligence, using 360-degree input, and treating development and feedback as daily operating disciplines. Hospitality leaders will take away a clear view of what high employee satisfaction requires and why it directly impacts guest experience and financial performance. See our previous conversation: From 14-Year-Old Housekeeper to Ralph Lauren to CEO: What I've Learned in Hotel Management and Beyond - Sarah Eustis, Main Street Hospitality Group A few more resources: start heresend me a message heresubscribe here for freeYouTubeLinkedInInstagramhere are the ways we can work together If you found this episode interesting or helpful, send it to someone on your team so you can turn the ideas into action and benefit your business and the people you serve! Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands

In this episode, Sarah Eustis, CEO of Main Street Hospitality, shares her perspective on leadership and alignment across a diverse, multi-property hotel portfolio. Sarah explains how she defines leadership, why inclusion and shared authorship matter, and how alignment holds culture together across teams, properties, and regions. She also walks through her approach to decision-making and change management. This conversation offers practical insight for hospitality leaders at any level who want to lead more effectively, build trust, and drive better results across their teams. See our previous conversation: From 14-Year-Old Housekeeper to Ralph Lauren to CEO: What I've Learned in Hotel Management and Beyond - Sarah Eustis, Main Street Hospitality Group Properties in Main Street Hospitality's portfolio: The Red Lion InnHammetts HotelCanoe PlacePorches InnThe BeatriceHotel DownstreetPort Cunnington LodgeThe Little LionIsland House Newport A few more resources: start heresend me a message heresubscribe here for freeYouTubeLinkedInInstagramhere are the ways we can work together If you found this episode interesting or helpful, send it to someone on your team so you can turn the ideas into action and benefit your business and the people you serve! Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands

In this episode, Betsy Freeman joins Josiah Mackenzie to share her thinking behind creating Hospitality Daily’s first piece of merch: a special edition t-shirt. The conversation explores how art, feeling, and collaboration shape brand identity. Betsy breaks down her creative process, why emotion matters, and how collaboration leads to great outcomes. Watch on YouTubeGet the shirtLearn more about Betsy's workA few more resources: start heresend me a message heresubscribe here for freeYouTubeLinkedInInstagramhere are the ways we can work together If you found this episode interesting or helpful, send it to someone on your team so you can turn the ideas into action and benefit your business and the people you serve! Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands