How Iconic Hotels and Restaurants Are Designed for Both Magic and Profit!

What does it actually take to create a hospitality experience people never forget?

Jennie Yip has spent 30 years building the answer from opening The Delano Hotel with Ian Schrager and Philippe Starck, to designing F&B concepts across boutique hotels, private clubs, and restaurants around the world.

In this episode, Jennie breaks down the systems, strategies, and collaboration frameworks behind some of the most iconic food and beverage concepts ever built and why most owners get it completely wrong before they spend a single dollar.

What you'll learn:

Why the roundtable comes before the kitchen purchase every time

How lighting creates (or destroys) revenue in a hospitality space

The guest journey formula Jennie applies to every project she touches

Why cross-training staff is the most underutilized solution to the hospitality labor crisis

The three startup cost categories developers consistently overlook

How the Delano Hotel taught her that magic can be designed but only when every collaborator is fully committed from day one

Three tips Jennie leaves every owner with:

Get concept clarity through roundtable discussions before anything else

Understand your full startup costs before spending a dollar

Study your competition at every level programming, staffing, guest experience, and price point

Whether you're opening a boutique hotel, launching a restaurant concept, or trying to revitalize an underperforming F&B operation, this conversation is a masterclass in doing it right.

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