Checking In

In this episode we’re joined by Mark Spanton, the Pre-Opening General Manager of Dakota Newcastle. Mark speaks about his transition to managerial roles and background in F&B and Operations, how to best navigate the thorough process of a hotel’s snag stage alongside a supportive, communicative team, and why Newcastle is well positioned to be a prime hub for hospitality.

This episode is sponsored by Howden, the global insurance broker that knows the hotel business inside-out. https://www.howdengroup.com/hotel-insurance

In this episode we speak to Ben Harper, CEO of the Watergate Bay Hotel and the recently launched SeaSpace, an experience-led, lifestyle aparthotel on the Cornish coastline. Ben discusses his time at SACO, where he helped launch and scale the innovative Locke brand, how SeaSpace fosters a community-led ecosystem and the benefits this brings, and how experience-led stays are forging the way in hospitality.

This episode is sponsored by Howden, the global insurance broker that knows the hotel business inside-out. https://www.howdengroup.com/hotel-insurance

This episode we speak to Mark and Sherene Fuller, co-owners of the legendary Karma Sanctum Soho hotel. They talk about their vibrant background in the music and nightlife industry, and the colourful characters they’ve met along the way, how the hotel has fostered a creative community through its exclusive membership model, and how Karma Sanctum Soho became London’s ultimate rock ‘n’ roll hotel.

This episode is sponsored by Howden, the global insurance broker that knows the hotel business inside-out. https://www.howdengroup.com/hotel-insurance

In this episode we're joined by Eric Jafari, co-founder and managing director of AENDRE. We discussed how listing all the things he disliked about his experiences as a guest led him to create the first innovative extended-stay lifestyle brand, how AENDRE is looking to meet the needs and tastes of today’s ‘Zillennial’ traveller, and his advice for hoteliers looking to work with private equity firms to create their ideal hotel brand .

This episode is sponsored by Howden, the global insurance broker that knows the hotel business inside-out. https://www.howdengroup.com/hotel-insurance

In this episode we speak with Joe Cainey, co-founder of Sunbeam, an AI platform that helps hoteliers get useful insights by processing masses of guest feedback. We spoke about the surprising things hoteliers learn from the data, the importance of text as opposed to star ratings in making insights useful, and how customer feedback in the future will get hoteliers ever closer to the truth about their performance.

This episode is sponsored by Howden, the global insurance broker that knows the hotel business inside-out. https://www.howdengroup.com/hotel-insurance

In this episode we speak to Robert Alley, Brand Development Director at BWH. He talks about the emergence of soft and hard brands under the Best Western umbrella, how BWH allows its independent hoteliers to benefit from the heritage power of Best Western whilst enjoying flexibility in their own operations, and the importance of forging strong relationships with owners through open communication and respect.

This episode is sponsored by Howden, the global insurance broker that knows the hotel business inside-out. https://www.howdengroup.com/hotel-insurance

In this episode we speak to Lorraine Copes, the Founder and CEO of Be Inclusive Hospitality, a not-for-profit organisation aiming to accelerate racial equity in hospitality. Lorraine spoke about her own career journey and what inspired her to launch the organisation, the barriers that still exist when it comes to people of colour’s representation in senior hospitality roles, and how Be Inclusive is restructuring attitudes through EDI education.

This episode is sponsored by Howden, the global insurance broker that knows the hotel business inside-out. https://www.howdengroup.com/hotel-insurance

In this episode we're joined by Chris Wayne-Wills, the CEO of Crerar Hotels. We discussed the advantages of working in some of the smaller regional markets, what it was like leading the repositioning of the hotel group, helping to elevate its average daily room rate across its portfolio and the work he does for UK Hospitality Scotland and HIT Scotland in ensuring the sector’s future success.

This episode is sponsored by Howden, the global insurance broker that knows the hotel business inside-out. https://www.howdengroup.com/hotel-insurance

In this episode we speak to Samantha van Exter, Head of Hotels at the Montcalm Collection. We discussed her background in working across multiple luxury hotel markets, how she oversaw the extensive refurb of Montcalm’s flagship Mayfair site, her advice for navigating a B-Corp certification journey and what the London hotel market looks like in the year ahead.

This episode is sponsored by Howden, the global insurance broker that knows the

hotel business inside-out. https://www.howdengroup.com/hotel-insurance

In this episode we speak to Andrew Secker, RBH Hospitality Management’s Commercial Director. We discussed Andrew’s own career journey, how he leads and develops commercial strategies for RBH’s diverse portfolio, and what it takes to be successful as part of a sales and commercial team.

This episode is sponsored by Howden, the global insurance broker that knows the

hotel business inside-out. https://www.howdengroup.com/hotel-insurance