In this episode, Suraj Hinduja, Managing Director of RTRX, shares how he and his team at Rockbridge are rethinking events by creating experiences centered around curiosity, connection, and impact. Originally inspired by the desire to support cancer research, RTRX has evolved from a small hospitality-focused gathering into a multi-day, cross-industry event intentionally designed to spark spontaneous discovery and meaningful interactions. Listen to learn how Suraj and RTRX use hospitality principles to inspire attendees, foster deeper connections, and drive positive action -- and why creating opportunities for serendipity might matter more now than ever.

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, Sarah Dinger, the first employee and now Executive Vice President of Franchise Operations at My Place Hotels, shares her advice on accelerating your hospitality career by embracing opportunities—even uncomfortable ones—and the critical role mentorship plays in professional growth. 

She also provides an exclusive behind-the-scenes perspective from her role as Chair of AHLA’s ForWard Advisory Committee, highlighting how women are reshaping leadership in the hospitality industry. This conversation will inspire you to take the next step and grow as a leader.

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, Sarah Dinger, Executive Vice President of Franchise Operations at My Place Hotels, shares how they build strong, profitable relationships with hotel owners. Learn how Sarah and her team engage owners strategically, using technology to drive bottom-line results and deliver value for all stakeholders.

Also see:

• How Sarah Dinger Helped Build My Place Hotels As Employee #1
• How We Built an Extended-Stay Hotel Empire from the Ground Up (Ryan Rivett, My Place Hotels)

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, Sarah McCay Tams, Head of Editorial at Actabl, joins Josiah Mackenzie to discuss the launch of HotelData.com and insights from their new 2025-2026 budgeting guide. The conversation explores how hotels are managing a gap between budgeted and actual RevPAR performance, while maintaining ADR discipline and successfully hitting gross operating profit targets through strategic cost management. Sarah also shares her journey from radio journalism to hospitality media and explains how data storytelling connects to the human side of hospitality operations.

Resources:

• Learn more about hotel labor management
• Learn more about Actabl's products, ProfitSword and Hotel Effectiveness

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, Sarah Dinger, Executive Vice President of Franchise Operations at My Place Hotels, shares how training and development drive guest satisfaction and fuel business growth. Sarah explains the innovative approach her team takes, including a dedicated group that regularly visits properties to ensure consistent excellence. Learn how investing in people directly impacts guest loyalty and long-term success.

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, Sarah Dinger, the first employee and now Executive Vice President of Franchise Operations at My Place Hotels, shares how operational culture and empowering frontline associates have driven the rapid growth and success of their brand. 

Also see:

• How Sarah Dinger Helped Build My Place Hotels As Employee #1
• How We Built an Extended-Stay Hotel Empire from the Ground Up (Ryan Rivett, My Place Hotels)

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

Sarah Dinger, the first employee and now Executive Vice President of Franchise Operations at My Place Hotels, shares how she helped build one of America's fastest-growing hotel brands from the ground up. In this episode, Sarah discusses the crucial decisions, early strategies, and core principles, such as human-centered hospitality, that shaped My Place’s remarkable growth story.

You may also like: How We Built an Extended-Stay Hotel Empire from the Ground Up (Ryan Rivett, My Place Hotels)

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, Chris Kluis, VP of Product Operations & Data at Actabl, discusses his family's unique history with artificial intelligence, how early curiosity sparked his career journey, and why experimentation matters more than theory. Chris provides practical advice for hospitality professionals looking to start leveraging AI today, shares lessons from implementing AI at scale, and explores how digitization, effective prompting, and careful data management can unlock real business value.

We cover:

• 0:00 – Intro
• 01:35 – How it started: Chris’s family history with AI
• 07:33 – What is AI? Definition and how it works
• 09:54 – Use case: AI for advertising
• 11:58 – Starting with personal AI use cases
• 13:43 – Encouraging curiosity and learning
• 14:57 – Personalized podcasts with NotebookLM
• 16:21 – AI podcasts replacing humans?
• 17:21 – Trust and AI
• 19:08 – Importance of “Human in the loop”
• 20:22 – HITEC 2025: AI in hotel tech today
• 23:21 – Can AI expand opportunities?
• 25:36 – Hoteliers: Start by digitizing workflows
• 29:13 – “Treat AI like a new employee”
• 33:17 – Higher-order thinking and AI
• 35:51 – Building repeatable AI systems
• 36:56 – ChatGPT vs Gemini vs other LLMs
• 39:56 – What makes a good AI prompt?
• 41:26 – Juxtaposition of new vs old
• 44:21 – Skills to develop to stay relevant
• 46:18 – Personal and professional next steps
• 49:03 – Voice-powered AI
• 50:50 – Corporate AI policies
• 51:58 – Where Chris learns about AI
• 54:26 – How AI will shape life and work

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 Bukstein shares what he's learned about the power of mentorship: both being mentored and mentoring others.

Resources:

• Podcast: The Problem with Men (Scott Galloway)
• Big Brothers, Big Sisters

If you or someone you know is struggling, get help:

• SAMHSA’s National Helpline
• The 988 Lifeline

Hear other episodes with Ryan here:

• Ace Hotel’s Early Days: Punk Spirit and Hospitality Innovation
• The Art of Turning Curiosity into Brand Equity: Lessons from Ace Hotel to Vacation & Beyond

Learn more about Ryan's firm, SMPL, here.

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 Bukstein shares the behind-the-scenes process of how brands like Ace Hotel and Vacation were built, showing how curiosity, experimentation, and unexpected collaborations drove their groundbreaking approaches. Ryan reveals how Ace Hotel thrived by challenging industry norms, embracing cultural programming, and forging authentic partnerships, like its notable collaboration with Converse. He illustrates how these same principles allowed Vacation to redefine sunscreen as a playful, nostalgic experience. This conversation offers a rare look into the strategic creativity, ecosystem leveraging, and relationship-building that made these brands resonate deeply within their communities and industries.

Learn more about Ryan's firm, SMPL, here.

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