In this episode, we're learning from Craig Stanghetta, Founder and Creative Director of Ste Marie, about why the most successful hospitality concepts are designed around emotion rather than just aesthetics. Drawing on his background in theatre, Craig shares how story, risk, and a balance of comfort and wonder shape spaces guests actually return to. He also shares what emotional design looks like in an increasingly AI-driven world and why human connection remains hospitality's most durable advantage. 

Want more? 

• Listen to Craig's interview on Hospitality Design
• Check out Craig's work on Instagram or the Ste Marie website

A few more resources:

• If you're new to Hospitality Daily, start here.
• You can send me a message here with questions, comments, or guest suggestions
• If you want to get my summary and actionable insights from each episode delivered to your inbox each day, subscribe here for free.
• Follow Hospitality Daily and join the conversation on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
• If you want to advertise on Hospitality Daily, here 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 special bonus episode, we break down Actabl's Q3 2025 Hotel Labor Benchmarking Data and explore what it means for hotel operators planning for 2026. Sarah McCay Tams, Head of Research and Editorial for HotelData.com, walks through the major trends shaping wages, overtime, headcount, and productivity across U.S. hotels. She’s joined by experienced operators Shanell Marinuzzi and Peter Kilbourne, who share practical insights on staffing models, forecasting accuracy, cross-training, and using overtime strategically. Listeners will come away with a clearer understanding of how top-performing hotels protected margins in 2025 -- and what to do now to better align labor with real-time demand in the year ahead.

Resources:

• See the charts: Q3 2025 Hotel Labor Benchmarking Data
• Read: How Hotels Used Labor Efficiency to Protect Margins in 2025
• Read: The Future of Hotel Labor Management: A Smarter, People-First Approach to Profitability
• Request a call with Actabl to learn about how they can help you right-size labor

A few more resources:

• If you're new to Hospitality Daily, start here.
• You can send me a message here with questions, comments, or guest suggestions
• If you want to get my summary and actionable insights from each episode delivered to your inbox each day, subscribe here for free.
• Follow Hospitality Daily and join the conversation on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
• If you want to advertise on Hospitality Daily, here 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, we're learning from Daniel Lauber, founder of CERVO Mountain Resort, in a conversation with our innovation correspondent Matthias Huettebraeuker about reimagining what hospitality can be today. Daniel shares how CERVO evolved from a modern hunting lodge concept into a holistic “way of living” rooted in community, culture, and connection. He explains why mindfulness and enjoying life can naturally coexist, what authenticity really means beyond alpine clichés, and how design, rituals, and programming can create meaningful spaces for guests, staff, and locals. For hospitality leaders, this episode offers a deeply thoughtful look at innovation, guest expectations, and the human side of building a resort that feels alive.

A few more resources:

• If you're new to Hospitality Daily, start here.
• You can send me a message here with questions, comments, or guest suggestions
• If you want to get my summary and actionable insights from each episode delivered to your inbox each day, subscribe here for free.
• Follow Hospitality Daily and join the conversation on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
• If you want to advertise on Hospitality Daily, here 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 conversation, our guest experience correspondent, Danica Smith, interviews Matthew Bell, Managing Director at Mollie's, and former Chief Hotel Operations Officer at citizenM, about why so many digital initiatives continue to underperform. Matt explains how misaligned goals, over-engineered projects, and a lack of clear value metrics often hold hotels back, and why a more incremental, guest-led approach delivers better results. He also shares why personal devices, identity, and authentication will shape the next wave of guest experience innovation. Hospitality leaders will come away with a clearer framework for evaluating their tech stack and focusing on what actually delivers results.

A few more resources:

• If you're new to Hospitality Daily, start here.
• You can send me a message here with questions, comments, or guest suggestions
• If you want to get my summary and actionable insights from each episode delivered to your inbox each day, subscribe here for free.
• Follow Hospitality Daily and join the conversation on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
• If you want to advertise on Hospitality Daily, here 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 solo Thanksgiving episode, Hospitality Daily founder and publisher Josiah Mackenzie reflects on the bright spots he saw across the hospitality industry this year—from operators protecting profit amid headwinds to a renewed respect for on-property teams and the smart use of technology to drive results. He highlights the leadership, culture, and operational fundamentals that carried the industry through a challenging period. Josiah also shares the personal gratitude he feels for the collaborators, contributors, and listeners who helped shape the show and his own learning this year. 

A few more resources:

• If you're new to Hospitality Daily, start here.
• You can send me a message here with questions, comments, or guest suggestions
• If you want to get my summary and actionable insights from each episode delivered to your inbox each day, subscribe here for free.
• Follow Hospitality Daily and join the conversation on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
• If you want to advertise on Hospitality Daily, here 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 conversation, our guest experience correspondent, Danica Smith, speaks with Matthew Bell, Managing Director at Mollie's, and former Chief Hotel Operations Officer at citizenM, about what it really takes to scale a hospitality brand without losing its soul and energy. Matt explains the “starfish principle” behind great organizational design, showing how cross-functional, self-contained teams stay closer to the guest experience and make better decisions at speed. He also shares how clarity of vision and the right strategic frameworks create autonomy for creative, ambitious teams. 

A few more resources:

• If you're new to Hospitality Daily, start here.
• You can send me a message here with questions, comments, or guest suggestions
• If you want to get my summary and actionable insights from each episode delivered to your inbox each day, subscribe here for free.
• Follow Hospitality Daily and join the conversation on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
• If you want to advertise on Hospitality Daily, here 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

Matthew Bell, Managing Director at Mollie's, shares the foundational ideas that shape his approach to building modern hospitality brands in this conversation with our guest experience correspondent, Danica Smith -- from applying critical thinking and experimentation to empowering frontline teams through an inverted-pyramid culture. Drawing on formative experiences and a decade leading operations at citizenM, he explains how assumptions are tested, how failure becomes learning, and why clarity of product and guest-centric design matter most when scaling. Bell also offers a first look at the evolution of Mollie’s as it expands from roadside motels into urban, design-led hotels and diners, revealing the principles he believes will define high-performing hospitality in the years ahead. 

A few more resources:

• If you're new to Hospitality Daily, start here.
• You can send me a message here with questions, comments, or guest suggestions
• If you want to get my summary and actionable insights from each episode delivered to your inbox each day, subscribe here for free.
• Follow Hospitality Daily and join the conversation on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
• If you want to advertise on Hospitality Daily, here 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, we're learning from Jannes Sörensen, founder of Kepler Hotel Group and the Kepler International Hospitality Academy, in a conversation hosted by our innovation correspondent Matthias Huettebraeuker. 

A few more resources:

• If you're new to Hospitality Daily, start here.
• You can send me a message here with questions, comments, or guest suggestions
• If you want to get my summary and actionable insights from each episode delivered to your inbox each day, subscribe here for free.
• Follow Hospitality Daily and join the conversation on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
• If you want to advertise on Hospitality Daily, here 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 solo episode, Josiah shares why 2025 became the “Year of the Operator,” drawing on newly released hotel performance data and trends seen across the industry. He breaks down how top operators protected profitability despite softer-than-expected top-line performance and why operational excellence is emerging as the defining advantage heading into 2026. Josiah also explores the broader “virtuous cycle” that great operators create—connecting teams, guests, and financial performance—and invites leaders across hospitality to share the operational strategies and data stories shaping their work today.

• Read: Q3 2025 Hotel Profitability Report from HotelData.com by Actabl
• Listen: How Hotels Are Protecting Profit in 2025 (Despite a 15% Revenue Miss) - Lindsey Goedeker & Sarah McCay Tams, Actabl

A few more resources:

• If you're new to Hospitality Daily, start here.
• You can send me a message here with questions, comments, or guest suggestions
• If you want to get my summary and actionable insights from each episode delivered to your inbox each day, subscribe here for free.
• Follow Hospitality Daily and join the conversation on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
• If you want to advertise on Hospitality Daily, here 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, Ryan Magnon, Chief Operating Officer at Ithaka Hospitality Partners, shares how his team is reimagining food halls as vibrant “third places” that bring communities together. He explains why chef-driven concepts, flexible gathering spaces, and thoughtful experience design are fueling the rise of modern food halls, and what they reveal about how people want to connect today.

A few more resources:

• If you're new to Hospitality Daily, start here.
• You can send me a message here with questions, comments, or guest suggestions
• If you want to get my summary and actionable insights from each episode delivered to your inbox each day, subscribe here for free.
• Follow Hospitality Daily and join the conversation on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
• If you want to advertise on Hospitality Daily, here 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