Hospitality Daily

There are some dangerous blindspots hospitality leaders miss that we need to talk about. Today, COO-turned-hotel investor Adam Zembruski shares his perspective on the systemic issues within the hotel industry that are holding back real innovation and progress. 🎧 Listen to the Hospitality Daily Podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts The big idea: We must listen better to more voices than we are now to break out of "business as usual” and move forward. "I no longer go to conferences," Adam told me. "The general managers and others doing the work of hospitality don’t get to go." As a hospitality leader, it's easy to become disconnected from the day-to-day experiences of your frontline staff. Understanding their perspectives and challenges is essential for effective leadership and driving innovation. By reconnecting with your teams on the ground and actively seeking out “blind spots,” you can gain valuable insights into the realities of working in the industry today and move ahead in a way that benefits everyone. Take action on this: 1) Think about how you can create educational opportunities for people beyond the C-suite of your corporate offices. To use one example Adam mentioned, the issue with so many industry events is the same people attend, and it's rarely the general managers or people on the front lines of hospitality. Create opportunities for everyone in your organization to learn and grow. 2) Get involved with an organization like DECA that creates more opportunities for people and could be an opportunity to show others the power and beauty of a career in hospitality. 3) Move beyond limited zero-sum thinking and think more expansively about how we can all grow together. 4) Work with a forward-thinking hotel management company. (The more people I speak with, the more I realize the importance of this. I'm writing an update to my guide here on this, so let me know if you'd like to participate in creating this.) This conversation with Adam today is a must-listen if you want to move your organization - and the hospitality industry - forward: 🎧 Listen to the Hospitality Daily Podcast now on Spotify or Apple Podcasts ♻️ If you learned something here, repost it with your thoughts to help someone else! 👋 And if you're new here, I'm Josiah Mackenzie, and I invite you to follow this page (Hospitality Daily) for more stories like this I share each day

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San Francisco isn't just bouncing back—it's leaping forward. You need to hear the inside story of what's happening now... Anna Marie Presutti, the new President & CEO of the San Francisco Travel Association, is on a mission to revitalize the city through travel, and today joins us for her first exclusive in-depth interview to share: • Why San Francisco is a top destination: From Michelin-starred restaurants to world-class museums, there's something for everyone. • The power of collaboration: Success comes when businesses, city officials, and tourism leaders work together. • Misconceptions: Visitors are consistently surprised by how vibrant and clean the city actually is. • Innovation as a selling point: The "It All Starts Here" campaign highlights San Francisco's role in creating game-changing innovation. • Diverse appeal: Whether you're a foodie, art lover, or sports fan, San Francisco offers a "choose your own adventure" experience. If you're curious about the future of tourism in San Francisco and how it could impact your business, you won't want to miss this conversation: 🎧 Listen to the Hospitality Daily Podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts 📺 Watch our conversation on the Hospitality Daily YouTube channel ➕ Follow Hospitality Daily here for more stories like this

Hotels are a portal into another world. The best hospitality providers know this and design a transformational journey for their guests.

Could climbing the career ladder disconnect you from what matters most in hospitality? Today, someone I truly admire - Adam Zembruski - joins us to share his story and how he's faced this. With over 30 years of experience, Adam started on the front lines as a front desk agent, growing through the ranks to become a Chief Operating Officer and now a hotel investor and advisor to owners. Today, he discusses the realities and challenges of working in hospitality on the podcast. Adam’s perspective is both real and refreshing, and he shares insights that I think we should all consider, no matter where we are in our careers. 🎧 Listen to the Hospitality Daily Podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts Some takeaways: • Stay connected to the heart of hospitality. As careers progress into higher leadership roles, it's important to maintain a connection with front-line operations and staff. • Success can feed the ego, but true fulfillment comes from meaningful connections and impact. Adam found renewed purpose by reconnecting with people at the property level. • Career progression isn't always linear. It's okay to step back or change directions if it aligns better with your values and brings more personal satisfaction. • Recognize that even successful professionals face setbacks and self-doubt. It's a normal part of career development and personal growth. • Mental health is crucial. Adam openly discussed experiencing depression and anxiety, highlighting the importance of addressing these issues proactively. • Continuous learning and adaptability are vital. Adam's willingness to take on new roles and learn different aspects of the business contributed to his growth. • Small acts of encouragement can have a big impact. Supporting and uplifting others in the industry can be mutually beneficial. • Find ways to give back to the industry. Adam's return to mentoring and supporting front-line staff demonstrates the value of sharing accumulated knowledge and experience. I learned a lot from Adam in this conversation and encourage you to listen to the whole thing now: 🎧 Listen to the Hospitality Daily Podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts ♻️ If you learned something here, repost it with your thoughts to help someone else! 👋 And if you're new here, I'm Josiah Mackenzie, and I invite you to follow this page (Hospitality Daily) for more stories like this I share each day

A new wave of innovation in hospitality is coming - are you ready for it? One of my favorite things about Hospitality Daily is how it connects us with people pushing the industry forward. A few weeks ago, Bashar Wali joined the show to discuss the next wave of innovation in hospitality. After we published, I received one of the most thoughtful and detailed responses I've ever seen from today's guest, and I knew I had to bring him on the show. William Graf is the founder and CEO of ONDA, a new hospitality brand that blends the social experience of hostels with the comfort of boutique hotels. Today, on the podcast, we discuss where hospitality might be headed next. Specifically, we dive into the opportunities around guest experience, a topic that's often discussed but rarely with the level of detail Bill brings. 🎧 Listen to the Hospitality Daily Podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts Some of the takeaways: • "Hospitality 3.0" will focus on serving underserved niches rather than creating broad concepts for everyone. Smaller, more focused concepts allow for addressing the specific needs of particular traveler segments. • There's a shift from passive to active experiences across all price points in hospitality. • The four realms of experience (entertainment, educational, aesthetic, and escapist) provide a framework for creating more engaging hospitality concepts. • The biggest opportunities are in the "escapist" realm (active participation and full immersion), as many travelers are seeking it. • There's potential for concepts that go beyond experiences to offer "transformation" for guests. • The ability to deliver consistent, high-quality experiences across multiple locations will be a key differentiator for new hospitality brands. If you'd like more on this, I encourage you to listen to the full conversation to better understand what the future of hospitality could hold: 🎧 Listen to the Hospitality Daily Podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts ♻️ If you learned something here, repost it with your thoughts to help someone else! 👋 And if you're new here, I'm Josiah Mackenzie, and I invite you to follow this page (Hospitality Daily) for more stories like this I share each day

I turn to Scott Curran for leadership insights. Join me for 90 seconds to be inspired by how he's helping his team through a heat wave today: More to come with Scott soon! ♻️ If you appreciated this, repost it with your thoughts to help someone else! 👋 And if you're new here, I'm Josiah Mackenzie, and I invite you to follow this page (Hospitality Daily) for more stories like this I share each day

I don't know about you, but I needed to hear this from Jennifer Clay today: Feel the fear and do it anyway! This is just a short clip from my conversation with Jennifer today. If you want to hear how she encourages and empowers the people on her teams at Appellation - key for retaining and developing new leaders - then you won't want to miss our full conversation. 🎧 Listen to the Hospitality Daily Podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts ♻ Repost this with your thoughts to help someone else ➕ Follow Hospitality Daily here for more stories like this

Want to build a winning team in hospitality? Christopher B Hunsberger shares how he does it: https://lnkd.in/gQq_-Qwu Christopher worked his way up to President and Chief People Officer of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts before co-founding Appellation with Chef Charlie Palmer and learned a lot in the process. Luckily for us, he shares some of his winning strategies with us all. Check it out now: 🎧 Listen to the Hospitality Daily Podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts 📺 Watch our conversation on the Hospitality Daily YouTube channel ➕ Follow Hospitality Daily here for more stories like this 📥 Get my daily email with stories like this at HospitalityDaily.com

Today on #InternationalPodcastDay, level up your career and business by following some of my favorite podcasters: • Steve Turk at The Hospitality Mentor • Dan Ryan • David Arraya • 🎙️Steve Carran and David Millili at The Modern Hotelier • Mollie Reese Beyer • Susan Barry • Glenn Haussman • Anthony Melchiorri • Wil Slickers • Rachel Vandenberg • Zach Busekrus • Jeremy Wells • Naureen Ahmed • Teague Hunter • Seth Borko and Sarah Kopit at Skift What about you? Let me know in the comments who you're enjoying learning from these days...