Hospitality Reframed

A hotel refurbishment is a major investment. But how do you make sure it delivers more than a beautiful space?

Recorded live at the Independent Hotel Show in London, this Hospitality Reframed panel brings together hotel operations,interior design and brand expertise to examine what makes a refurbishment commercially successful - and what can go wrong when the right conversations happen too late.

Scot Turner, Founder & Managing Director of Auden Hospitality, is joined by Shaun Bowles, General Manager of the Francis Hotel Bath and Castle Hotel Windsor; Jan Janecek from Office for Contemporary Design; and Miroslava McDermott, Director of Brand & Marketing at Foxhills Club & Resort.

Together they explore why a clear brief matters, why operators and brand teams need a seat at the table from day one, how to balance budget with guest experience, and how a restaurant can become a destination in its own right.

The discussion includes real examples from the Castle Hotel Windsor, the Francis Hotel Bath and Foxhills' Manor Housetransformation, including the launch of Lomri. Hear how Foxhills approached its restaurant identity, website and guest journey — and the early changes it reported in attracting local diners and members.

From breakfast buffets and flexible spaces to construction disruption, team training and the value of involving contractors early, this is a practical conversation for hotel owners, generalmanagers, designers and anyone planning a hotel or restaurant refurbishment.

Explore Auden Hospitality's hotel F&B strategy and concept development work: https://www.audenhospitality.com/

Subscribe for more Hospitality Reframed conversations on hotel food and beverage strategy, restaurant concepts andcommercial performance.

01:59 – Why refurbishment success startswith the right project team

03:33 – Define the investment goals beforedesigning anything

04:46 – Why hotel operators must beinvolved from day one

06:38 – Brand is not marketing: getting theconcept right early

08:38 – How a clear brief keeps designersand operators aligned

10:40 – Building long-term value, notchasing quick wins

13:43 – Where to spend and save on hoteldesign

16:45 – Designing spaces around how guestsactually behave

18:22 – How Foxhills and Auden challengedthe traditional Manor House restaurant

20:30 – Making breakfast buffets andmulti-use spaces work

23:06 – Why breakfast affects the wholehotel experience

25:02 – Healthy conflict: protecting theconcept during design

28:23 – Managing hotel refurbishments whileguests are staying

30:00 – How Lomri became a restaurantdestination beyond Foxhills

33:15 – Removing booking barriers andattracting local diners

33:53 – Foxhills shares its earlyrestaurant audience results

35:30 – Why early collaboration made theconcept work

37:49 – The role of team culture indelivering the vision

41:00 – How Auden's training helped theFoxhills team bring Lomri to life

44:03 – Audience Q&A: shouldcontractors join projects earlier?

48:08 – Why the right people at the righttime save money

Most hotel restaurants fail for one simple reason.

They try to please everyone.

In this episode of Hospitality Reframed, Scot Turner sits down with Mark Hayton to discuss the transformation of The Manor House at Foxhills, one of the UK's most respected country club destinations.

Together they unpack the thinking behind creating Lomri, why Foxhills chose to move away from a traditional hotel restaurant, and how a bold concept has helped attract members back into the Manor House, increase repeat visits and bring new local diners through the gates.

More importantly, they discuss how successful hospitality projects are actually created.

From creating the right concept and involving operational teams early, to challenging assumptions, stress-testing ideas and building authenticity into every decision, this conversation offers practical lessons for hotel owners, operators and developers looking to create restaurants that genuinely perform.

If you're interested in hotel F&B strategy, restaurant concepts, hospitality design, destination dining, hotel food and beverage, or creating experiences guests actually remember, this episode is packed with insight.

Chapters

00:00 – Welcome to Foxhills and the story behind the club

02:40 – Why Foxhills never stops investing in the guest experience

04:15 – Why food & beverage is the glue that holds a club together

07:40 – The problem with the original Manor House restaurant

09:40 – Why the brief wasn't "refurbish the restaurant" but reinvent the Manor House

11:40 – Why Foxhills chose to be bold instead of playing safe

13:10 – Creating a collection of restaurants, not one restaurant

15:30 – Making multiple concepts work inside one building

18:20 – Why authenticity mattered more than curation

20:40 – How stories transformed the guest experience

22:10 – The moment Foxhills committed fully to the concept2

5:05 – The results after just three months: members returning and repeat visits

27:20 – How one restaurant started driving weddings, conferences and golf breaks

30:25 – Why the right consultant changes the outcome of a project

33:20 – The "premortem" exercise every hospitality project should use

35:05 – "Being bolder is more fun" — the biggest lesson from the project

36:45 – Why genuine hospitality always beats gimmicks

39:30 – Final reflections on creating places people genuinely enjoy

To learn more about Foxhills, visit their website https://www.foxhills.co.uk/

To visit Lomri https://www.lomri.co.uk/

And if you are thinking about a new food & beverage development and would like to know more about Auden Hospitality, visit our website https://www.audenhospitality.com/

Technology is no longer sitting behind hospitality.It’s shaping the space itself.Recorded live at the Hospitality Tech Expo 2026 at ExCeL London, this special episode of Hospitality Reframed in collaboration with the  @hoteliersvoice  podcast explores how technology, staffing pressures and digital behaviour are fundamentally changing how hospitality spaces are designed and operated.Hosted by Ryan Haynes and Scot Turner, the panel brings together:Alessandra Leoni, Head of Hospitality - Focus on HospitalityPaul Wells, Partner & Architect - Studio MorenPrem Jethwa-Odedra, CEO - Biteluxe…to unpack how smart technology, digital infrastructure and operational realities are reshaping hotel design, F&B spaces and guest experience.From ePOS systems and AI to connectivity, PMS integration, flexible public spaces and revenue-driven design, this conversation explores what modern hospitality spaces actually need to deliver today — commercially, operationally and emotionally.Chapters:00:00 – Welcome to Hospitality Tech Expo 202601:12 – Why hospitality spaces are being redesigned03:04 – The relationship between technology and guest experience05:18 – Designing spaces for both guests and teams07:44 – The operational pressures reshaping hotel layouts10:10 – Infrastructure first: cabling, connectivity and flexibility13:02 – The biggest mistakes made during hospitality design projects15:48 – Why WiFi and digital infrastructure are now critical utilities18:25 – PMS, handheld devices and operational flow21:14 – How F&B technology changes space utilisation24:33 – Reservations, ePOS and inventory systems in modern hospitality27:11 – Technology that improves service vs technology that frustrates it30:06 – Why collaboration between departments matters more than ever33:28 – AI, guest communications and digital engagement36:17 – How hotels are driving additional revenue through tech39:02 – Designing multi-use spaces guests genuinely want to stay in42:20 – Final reflections from the panel

What does great hospitality design actually do?In this special live episode of Hospitality Reframed, recorded at the HRC 2026 Vision Stage at ExCeL London, Scot Turner hosts a panel of operators, designers and sustainability experts to explore one big question:Does design drive revenue — or should we really be talking about profitability?Joined by:Alex Chapman, CEO - DECONDavid Chenery, Director - ReassembleGanan Kanagathurai, CEO - Roti King…the conversation dives into the real role of design in hospitality today — from guest behaviour and dwell time to operational flow, sustainability, emotional connection and commercial return.The panel explores why beautiful spaces alone are not enough, how operators often brief design incorrectly, where value engineering goes wrong, and why sustainability must be considered through the lens of durability, ROI and long-term performance.This is a practical, honest conversation about what hospitality spaces need to deliver today — commercially, emotionally and operationally.Chapters:00:00 – Introduction01:12 – Does design drive revenue… or profitability?03:45 – Why revenue can be the wrong metric for design06:10 – When design helps sales but hurts operations08:30 – What is the real job of hospitality design today?11:05 – Emotional vs operational design decisions13:18 – Why operators often brief design incorrectly16:40 – What a good hospitality design brief looks like22:15 – Where operators should spend vs save25:04 – Why value engineering gets a bad reputation28:11 – What should never be value engineered out31:22 – Sustainability beyond materials and greenwashing34:10 – Durability, ROI and designing for the long term37:08 – Designing spaces people want to stay in40:25 – Behavioural science, dwell time and craveability43:12 – Final takeaway from each panellist

This is the first episode of Hospitality Reframed — and it starts with one of the most misunderstood topics in business:

sustainability.In this conversation, Scot Turner sits down with David Chenery to strip sustainability back to its fundamentals. Not as a marketing message, but as a system of choices, constraints and long-term thinking.

They explore why sustainability is less about saving the planet and more about building healthier systems, why cost and competition create real tension, and how culture, design and storytelling shape whether sustainability actually works in practice.

From circular economy design to guest experience, procurement challenges to scaling across hotel groups, this episode reframes sustainability as something far more human, operational and commercially relevant.

Chapters:

00:00 – What sustainability actually means in business

02:45 – Cost vs sustainability: the real tension

04:40 – Culture as the driver of sustainable behaviour

08:33 – Why carbon isn’t the full story

10:03 – Designing for emotion, not just metrics

11:13 – Circular economy and storytelling in spaces

13:07 – Why “soul” matters more than aesthetics

14:55 – Non-places vs meaningful spaces

17:20 – Sustainability as an extension of hospitality

18:41 – Systems thinking and ecosystems in business

21:34 – Designing spaces that age and evolve

27:17 – Balancing real impact with visible actions

31:33 – The Restorative Design Framework explained

36:34 – Why circular economy works in practice

44:17 – Hotels vs independent agility

48:46 – Does sustainability cost more?

52:48 – Real examples: reuse, cost savings, and impact

57:00 – The future: abundance, resilience and systems

59:05 – Final reflections on hospitality and human connection

Hotels keep softening their concepts — and it’s killing their identity.
In this episode of Hospitality Huddles, Scot Turner and Bal Mahey dive into why bold F&B wins, why micro-niche strategy is the future, and why trying to please everyone leaves hotels with concepts that excite no one.
Chapters:
00:00 – The frustration: hotels keep softening concepts
01:15 – Bold F&B explained: clarity over gimmicks
03:02 – Why independents win (and hotels copy badly)
05:20 – Micro-niche strategy: stop trying to be everything
08:00 – Standing for something vs pleasing everyone
09:40 – Local-first positioning: not a buzzword
12:15 – Why “safe” menus are a risk
14:00 – Hotels need confidence, not committees
16:50 – What success looks like: purpose-built concepts
18:25 – Final reflections

Hotel strategy starts with data — but it can’t end there.
In this episode of Hospitality Huddles, Scot Turner and Bal Mahey discuss their recent trip to Dresden, Germany, and what it taught them about market research, data validation, and walking with purpose. They explore how real insights onlycome when you get out of spreadsheets and into the streets — talking to people, observing day parts, and seeing how locals and tourists actually behave.
Expect insights on:
- Why strategy needs both data and context
- How walking the city can validate or disprove the numbers
- Dresden’s F&B landscape: local vs tourist trade
- How to spot gaps in hotel positioning through observation
- Why teams must “walk with purpose” to see opportunity clearly
Chapters:
00:00 – Welcome to Hospitality Huddles at Vobos Studios
01:27 – How strategy and market research link together
02:00 – Why going on-site matters more than data alone
03:32 – Validating data in Dresden and finding real context
05:14 – First impressions vs. reality: what surprised us most
07:19 – Understanding the hotel and its F&B operations
08:55 – Walking the streets: outlet density and patterns
09:56 – What counts as “fine dining” in Dresden
11:18 – The difference between tourist and local areas
13:30 – Identifying opportunity in local neighbourhoods
14:35 – Exploring local operators and residential districts
15:48 – Why many hotels believe their own narrative
16:42 – Data without context: the danger of assumption
17:47 – Walking with purpose and learning to look up
18:28 – Closing reflections: take the time to see it for yourself

Toolkits aren’t paperwork. They’re performance.

In this episode of Hospitality Huddles, Scot Turner and Bal Mahey break down one of the most requested, yet most misunderstood, parts of hospitality operations: toolkits, SOPs, operational manuals, and digitised frameworks.
Chapters:
00:00 – Welcome from Vorboss Studios in East London
00:56 – “Toolkits vs SOPs”: why language matters
02:01 – Why operators struggle to build toolkits
02:36 – Toolkit structure: imagery, brand sheets, videos
03:25 – Development: analysing, visiting, filming, documenting
04:48 – Capturing day parts and service elements
05:25 – Sequence of service, rituals and tone of voice
06:31 – Making toolkits accessible: videos, planograms, formats
07:03 – Delivering toolkits digitally and physically
07:56 – Why PDFs become worthless after 3 months
08:23 – Amend: updating and correcting existing documentation
09:06 – Standardisation across multi-site or multi-country ops
10:14 – “Company standards vs brand specifics” explained
11:23 – Takeaway example: universal standards vs brand execution
12:12 – Why objectivity matters when amending SOPs
12:45 – Writing for operators, not HR
13:20 – Recommendations: workflow, equipment, digitisation
14:16 – Digitisation tools: scanning, barcoding, mobile-first ops
14:50 – Market research and operational insight
15:21 – Scoops, portion bottles and consistency tools
15:51 – Documentation + value-added recommendations
16:30 – Identifying roadblocks and workflow friction
17:17 – Equipment, people, digital: the three ops pillars
18:22 – Why toolkits matter for scaling hotel groups
18:53 – The McDonald’s systems lesson
19:10 – Final reflections

Luxury is undergoing a profound transformation — and the old rules no longer apply.

In this episode of Hospitality Huddles, Scot Turner is joined by Professor Zi Wang, luxury branding academic, consultant, writer and coach, to explore how a new generation of consumers is reshaping the meaning of luxury.
Zi reveals why today’s luxury is defined less by status and more by quietconfidence, emotional value, identity expression and cultural consciousness. They discuss Gen Z’s rejection of traditional luxury cues, the importance of authenticity, and why emotional intelligence is now one of the most essential skills in hospitality and brand-building.
Chapters:
00:00 – Introduction to Professor Zi Wang
01:05 – Zi’s journey: academia, luxury branding and coaching
03:10 – How luxury has evolved beyond status
05:45 – The rise of emotional value in luxury
08:20 – Gen Z and the rejection of traditional luxury codes
11:02 – Symbolism, social media and identity construction
13:40 – Post-pandemic shifts: meaning, intention and consciousness
16:12 – Why “personalisation” is misunderstood in hospitality
18:55 – Emotional intelligence as a luxury differentiator
21:10 – Why luxury brands lose relevance
23:44 – “Quiet confidence” as the new luxury aesthetic
26:11 – Time, space and attention as elite commodities
28:55 – Sustainability and conscious consumption
31:40 – Zi’s work as a consultant, writer and coach
33:20 – Final reflectionsTo learn more about Professor Zi, find her on LinkedIn here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/zi-wang-59a90b248/

This podcast is brought to you by Auden Hospitality, creating hotel F&B that rewrites the rules. Learn more by visiting our website www.audenhospitality.com

From Blackpool to Istanbul, via Kenya, Australia, Hong Kong, Vegas, Budapest, Kuwait and Dresden — this episode of Hospitality Huddles is our full 2025 Wrapped.
Recorded in early December, Scot Turner and Bal Mahey reflect on a year of global travel, concept development, hotel openings, operational toolkits, market research and big learnings. It’s a relaxed, honest recap of where the year took us, what stood out, and why 2026 will be the year the hard work of 2025 really comes to life.

Chapters:
00:00 – Welcome & setting the scene01:10 – January: Blackpool market research02:48 – Kenya and Nairobi market insights03:40 – Toolkits, SOPs and early-year groundwork04:04 – Asia trip: Bali, Australia and Hong Kong04:18 – Windsor and the Castle Hotel concept04:41 – Vegas and Bar & Restaurant Expo06:27 – Spring concepts and Foxhills development07:58 – Budapest: To The Table08:50 – Noreen opening and summer momentum09:59 – Mayfair flagship hotel concept11:27 – Kuwait reconnaissance and toolkit deep-dive15:23 – Dresden market research and strategy15:56 – Kensington Hideaway opening prep16:18 – Istanbul Hilton opening17:39 – Reflections on 2025 and looking ahead
To learn more about our work at Auden Hospitality, visit our website www.audenhospitality.com