What does luxury really mean in 2025? And how can hotels and restaurants design experiences that guests will never forget?

In this episode of Hospitality Huddles, Scot Turner sits down with Oliver Corrin, Creative Director at EDG, to unpack how luxury hospitality is evolving.

From autonomy and storytelling to the power of small moments, Oliver shares why guest-centric design, immersive experiences, and family travel are redefining what five-star service looks like today.

Expect thought-provoking insights on:

• Why designing for freedom is the new definition of luxury
• How small details create lasting emotional connections
• Why families are undervalued in the luxury sector (and the big ROI opportunity)
• The role of storytelling and service rituals in building world-class brands
• The rising trends of dinner parties and brand collaborations

Chapters:
00:00 – Introduction and Oliver’s journey into branding
03:28 – Data and gut instinct in defining hospitality concepts
05:44 – Why guest-centric design beats stakeholder-centric decisions
06:25 – How definitions of luxury are changing
09:50 – Designing for freedom and autonomy in guest experience
14:11 – The debate: technology vs. touch in luxury service
20:59 – Why hotels undervalue families (and why that’s a mistake)
28:10 – Small moments and details that matter most
34:44 – Training teams to deliver authenticity and storytelling
43:42 – Storytelling as the foundation of hospitality
48:09 – Future luxury trends: dinner parties & brand collaborations
53:48 – Closing reflections

#HospitalityHuddles#LuxuryHospitality #FBStrategy #HotelConsultants #GuestExperience#StorytellingInHospitality

What really makes or breaks a restaurant opening? It’s not just the food, the marketing, or even the buzz on launch day — it’s how you manage recruitment, training, and reputation from day one.
In this bite-size episode of Hospitality Huddles, Scot Turner and Bal Mahey reflect on their recent opening of Noreen in London’s St. Christopher’s Place.

They share the lessons learned from a busy launch, from why they deliberately limited covers in the first few weeks, to how overstaffing and focusing on the basics can protect long-term success.
If you’re preparing to open a restaurant or hotel F&B venue, these insights are essential.
Chapters:
00:00 – The biggest challenge of openings: recruitment
00:57 – Opening at Noreen, London – the reality
02:13 – Why limiting covers can protect reputation
04:18 – Overstaffing and recruitment challenges in London
07:57 – Market competition and the realities of labour force
09:28 – The power of Google reviews for reputation
13:03 – Training and reinforcing the basics
14:55 – The three key lessons from Noreen’s opening
16:08 – Final reflections

How do you build a lasting network for F&B leaders in one of the toughest hospitality cities in the world?
In this episode of Hospitality Huddles, Scot Turner is joined by Desiree Dills and Roy Sommer, Co-Founders of the Food & Beverage Managers Association (FBMA) London. Together, they share the story of how FBMA was born, why it matters, and what’s next for the association that’s been supporting F&B leaders for over a decade.
Expect insights on:
- Why F&B needed its own dedicated peer-to-peer network
- How FBMA has grown from 10 members to a thriving London community
- The power of mentoring, peer learning, and shared best practice
- How networking events and sponsors keep the association strong
- The international partnerships shaping the future of FBMA

Chapters:
00:00 – Introduction and welcome at Great Northern Hotel
01:00 – Desiree & Roy’s journeys in F&B and leadership
03:00 – Why FBMA was created and the first London gathering
05:00 – Building structure: committees, sponsors, and growth
07:00 – Longevity, passion, and keeping the association relevant
08:00 – Networking events, sponsors, and community building
10:00 – The importance of peer-to-peer mentoring in F&B
12:00 – FBMA today: development, training, and future plans
16:00 – Challenges for F&B leaders: staffing, creativity, and relevance
20:00 – Why hotels must look beyond “functional” F&B
23:00 – Advice for aspiring F&B managers
27:00 – FBMA international partnerships and global connections
33:00 – Technology, automation, and the future of hospitality
35:00 – What’s next for FBMA London

Hospitality Huddles is back! In this bite-size relaunch episode, Scot Turner and Bal Mahey share why we pressed pause, what’s changed behind the scenes, and why the future of hotel F&B strategy, thought leadership, and authentic contentmatters more than ever.

From rethinking the role of boutique hoteliers to learning from content creators like Stephen Bartlett, this episode sets the tone for the next chapter of Hospitality Huddles — where we’ll feature industry leaders, creative thinkers, and voices beyond hospitality who inspire us to think differently.

Whether you’re a hotelier, F&B consultant, or hospitality brand, this conversation will spark ideas about strategy, content, and the power of authenticity in today’s fast-changing world.

Chapters:
00:00 – Why we paused Hospitality Huddles
01:05 – The value of stopping, rethinking, and rebranding
02:24 – Going bigger with guests: hoteliers, leaders & fresh voices
03:40 – The importance of boutique hoteliers and new perspectives
04:23 – What bite-size episodes will deliver
05:13 – Making it relevant beyond hospitality
06:25 – Personal journeys and lessons learnt
08:24 – Shifting from operators to creators
10:15 – Why raw, authentic content resonates
12:38 – Bal’s first vlog in Paris
14:17 – What to expect on YouTube and what’s coming next

Join Scot Turner for this week's Hospitality Huddles episode as he speaks with Jason E Brooks of HospIvation as they talk about leadership in hospitality and why say someone is a Manager isn’t a dirty word.

Listen to the episiode as Jason shares his favourite five chapters of his book, Every Leader Needs Followers.

Timestamp:

0:00 - Challenges in Professional Coaching and Management

2:22 - The Role of Data and Comfort in Leadership 

5:44 - The Importance of Clear and Concise Communication

9:48 - The Difference Between Consulting and Coaching

15:52 - Creating Space for Effective Coaching

22:41 - The Role of Delegation in Leadership

30:00 - Challenges Faced by Hospitality Leaders

32:41 - Effective Communication in Leadership

37:52 - How to Work with Jason E Brooks

To learn more about Jason follow her on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-e-brooks/

Visit his website here https://www.jasonebrooks.com/ 

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Hospitality Huddles is brought to you by Auden Hospitality. 

Rewriting the rules of hotel F&B. 

If you would like to embrace a different mindset, check out our website www.audenhospitality.com 

For the video of this episode and other tips and tricks to think differently in food & beverage, follow our YouTube channel

https://www.youtube.com/@audenhospitality?sub_confirmation

Join Scot Turner as he sits with Chef Smokey & Sandra of the Homies on Donkeys to reflect on their first two years of running their own brick and mortar restaurant. This is a candid account of a founders journey to being on Time Out, Hardens and Infatuations places to visit let alone a great review from Grace Dent on opening night.

Join Scot Turner for this week's Hospitality Huddles episode as he speaks with global award-winning chef, Jodi-Ann Palmer of The Food Design Agency about how she uses data mining and science to create fun and innovative food menus that make a difference.

This episode is packed full of knowledge for F&B leaders and Executive Chefs globally.

To learn more about Jodi-Ann follow her on socials 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodi-ann-palmer-841aa617/

To work with The Food Design Agency or learn more

https://www.thefooddesignagency.com/ 

A link to the book Scot and Jodi discussed in the episode, The Flavour Thesaurus

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Flavour-Thesaurus-Niki-Segnit/dp/0747599777 

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Hospitality Huddles is brought to you by Auden Hospitality. 

Rewriting the rules of hotel F&B. 

If you would like to embrace a different mindset, check out our website www.audenhospitality.com 

For the video of this episode and other tips and tricks to think differently in food & beverage, follow our YouTube channel

https://www.youtube.com/@audenhospitality?sub_confirmation

Join Scot Turner for this week's Hospitality Huddles episode as he speaks with Crissy Saint of Kidsmenus.com about why restaurants are missing out if they don’t take kids seriously and how their platform is making operators lives so much more easier.

To learn more about Crissy follow her on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/csaint/

To learn more about Kidsmenus.com visit their website.

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Hospitality Huddles is brought to you by Auden Hospitality. 

Rewriting the rules of hotel F&B. 

If you would like to embrace a different mindset, check out our website www.audenhospitality.com 

For the video of this episode and other tips and tricks to think differently in food & beverage, follow our YouTube channel

https://www.youtube.com/@audenhospitality?sub_confirmation

Would you want to get brand visibility to 5.7 Billion people - to put that in perspective that's 10X the amount of people that watched this years Super Bowl!

Join Scot Turner for this week's Hospitality Huddles episode as he speaks with Michael French from Room Runners about the use of robots in food & beverage and how it can support and not replace humans.

A chat sure to get you curious over how you could help your teams.

To learn more about Michael follow him on LinkedIn 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeldfrench/

If you are interested in Room Runner and the launch

https://www.roomrunner.io/

The robot company Michael recommended in the episode was Keenon

https://www.keenon.com/en/

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Hospitality Huddles is brought to you by Auden Hospitality. 

Rewriting the rules of hotel F&B. 

If you would like to embrace a different mindset, check out our website www.audenhospitality.com

For the video of this episode and other tips and tricks to think differently in food & beverage, follow our YouTube channel

https://www.youtube.com/@audenhospitality?sub_confirmation