In this episode of Hotel Moment, Karen Stephens welcomes Jordi Solé, president of UMusic Hospitality and Lifestyle, whose two-decade career in hotel operations across Europe and the Americas led him to create one of hospitality's most innovative concepts. Backed by Universal Music Group, UMusic represents a fundamental reimagining of what hotels can be: entertainment with a room, where music becomes the storytelling platform connecting guests, places, and communities.


What you'll learn: 

• Music as storytelling platform: How hospitality naturally amplifies emotion, and music transforms that into memorable experiences from pre-arrival through departure, creating brand awareness that generated 3 billion digital views and 35 million euros in marketing media value since opening.
• Entertainment-driven hospitality model: The Madrid property features a 900-seat theater hosting Universal Music artists, a piano bar with emerging talent, and activations throughout the property including rooftop performances and album launches, creating over 900 events in two years.
• Personalization through technology: Their "digital twin" platform captures guest music preferences across touchpoints, then curates customized vinyl selections from Universal's extensive library, delivered to rooms with turntables or available in their dedicated music lounge.
• Community integration strategy: Partnerships with local music schools bring young musicians to perform throughout the property, local painters reinterpret Universal Music artist imagery in their own styles for each hotel floor, and local sourcing creates transparent supply chain impact.
• Packaging entertainment experiences: Direct channel bundles combine accommodations with theater tickets, backstage passes, meet-and-greets with artists, and premier access, with suite packages offering the most exclusive experiences for superfans.
• Global expansion vision: Beyond hotels, UMusic manages entertainment venues, retail stores, and restaurants, with properties opening in São Paulo, a second luxury Madrid location, and upcoming US properties, all unified through their loyalty platform.
• Finding your differentiation: In competitive hospitality markets, properties must identify their unique niche whether gastronomy, education, or music and become recognized for delivering that specific curated experience better than anyone else.
  
  

Jordi also discusses how music serves as the universal language connecting diverse guests, why purpose-driven community impact creates authentic brand value, and how their partnership with Universal Music provides access to 7,000 artists across 70 labels to create experiences impossible for independent properties to replicate.

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Connect with Jordi Sole here:

• LinkedIn
• UMusic Hospitality & Lifestyle

Connect with Karen Stephens here:

• LinkedIn
• Revinate

Follow the podcast here:

• LinkedIn

Episode Highlights
[02:17] Music transforms hospitality - Jordi explains his revelation joining Universal Music Group: "Music could change everything. Hospitality is about emotion and how we make people feel, and music naturally amplifies that. Music is not just a theme, but it's a storytelling platform that could transform the entire guest experience from even before arriving to the hotel until they leave the property."

[04:57] The Madrid property's impact - Since opening in September 2023, Jordi shares remarkable results: "We had more than 900 events since we opened, all musical events with Universal Music artists. And these events brought more than 200,000 superfans to the property. We had three billion digital views and 35 million euros marketing media value."

[10:49] Personalization through the digital twin - Jordi describes their technology approach: "We have a digital twin, a tech platform. We learn from the client before they arrive, when they do check-in, and at different touch points. We learn what they like in terms of music. We have a music library where we can curate and craft the vinyls that they like and bring them to the room."

[13:10] Community as creative partner - Describing an emerging artist's organic performance, Jordi illustrates authentic engagement: "She just grabbed the guitar, stayed on the stage, played, and she gave those organically, naturally, because when she gets to the hotel and the way that my team personalizes her stay, she feels home. That's one of the examples on how she personalizes the stay of somebody else."

[17:38] Advice for differentiation - Jordi offers his key insight for hoteliers: "They need to find their niche. Maybe it's gastronomy, maybe it's education, it's different, but they need to find and be recognized by one thing and stand out from the rest of the competitors. If you find something unique and something different you can be known for, it's easier for guests to recognize you."

Chapters:00:00 - Intro02:17 - Discovering music's power in hospitality03:25 - What UMusic Hospitality represents04:57 - The Madrid property and remarkable results06:49 - Packaging entertainment with accommodations07:59 - Community partnerships and local integration12:36 - Personalization through the digital twin platform15:05 - Global expansion plans17:38 - Advice for hoteliers: Finding your differentiation
If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review it on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Instructions on how to do this are here.
Hotel Moment Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

Previous guests include: Shannon Knapp, CEO of Leading Hotels of the World (LHW), Patrick Norton of Brittain Resorts & Hotels, Shawn Jereb of Montage International, Carlo Del Mistro, Chief Digital Officer of Ennismore, Jason Pirock of Springboard Hospitality, and many more.

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