No Show

Ned is a hotel industry veteran and principal of Grill Ventures International, and he talks with us about the past, present, and future of breakfast buffets. Also, what's wrong with coffee stations? And is the "grab and go" the future of hotel food?

Ned also makes special mention of the Express Start project's initiator and "owner," Jenifer Zeigler; extraordinary leadership (and hard work) was demonstrated continuously by Julie Baldwin, Gary Swanson, Ed Sellers (Royal Cup), Lisa Lang, Core Concepts, America's Kitchen and more.

Sue Morgan made it "hot," adding omelets, breakfast meats, pancakes and more. Jennifer Gribble and David Neves developed the incredible upgrades that launched in 2018. And throughout it all, Patti Javer made sure (and still does) that everything worked as it should.

https://www.costar.com/article/1426810412/hotel-buffets-have-returned-and-evolved

Why do you only get one luggage rack in your hotel room? Why can't pools stay open longer? What's the best compact suitcase for overhead compartments? What outdoor brands should partner up with hotels? Burning questions, spicy answers! Plus one of our predictions about hotel partnerships actually came true.

Ok, no more messing around. Travel expert Samir Bhatnagar tells us about getting compensated for delayed European flights, skipping ATM fees around the world, the best airline pajamas, the future of airport lounges, taxi tips when abroad, and the most useful travel apps.

Stuff we mentioned:
https://www.aerolopa.com
https://www.rome2rio.com
https://www.forbes.com/advisor/credit-cards/travel-rewards/eu-261/
https://thepointsguy.com/credit-cards/american-express-platinum/

We got going on hacks and could not stop. TSA lines, travel pants, airport lounges, bandanas, detergent pods ... there are so many ways to make your trip easier, cheaper, and much more pleasant.

Stuff we mentioned:
https://sudshare.com
https://www.hydroflask.com/32-oz-wide-mouth
https://www.mollyjogger.com/products/ccc-legacy-bandana
https://seatosummit.com/collections/dry-bags
https://www.chase.com/personal/credit-cards/education/rewards-benefits/a-guide-to-chase-sapphire-reserve-benefits

Boutique and lifestyle hotels are everywhere now. Why? And how do you define "boutique," exactly? And are we headed towards a world where every hotel is a lifestyle brand? What are lifestyle hotel brands you should check out? We'll answer these questions!

Links:
https://www.graduatehotels.com/
https://www.piaule.com/
https://www.21cmuseumhotels.com/
https://www.sbe.com/hotels/mondrian/park-avenue

What's our favorite travel statistic of the year? Our favorite travel tool? The most gratifying travel news? The most interesting corporate acquisition? The dumbest buzzword? Season 2 kicks off with a snappy roundup of the year that was.

Hopper's Nima Vaez and Tucker Holland drop in to tell us what's happening with "the world's fastest-growing mobile-first travel marketplace." Splashy new partnerships, machine learning, and fintech solutions are part of it, but what's the secret sauce?

Vegas literally defines itself as an experience, but is it selling something people want? As implosion comes for the casino icons of the 80s and 90s, our collective sense of what makes a satisfying user experience is changing. Is Vegas capturing the right “UX” of the moment, or just going through the motions? Is the architectural and experiential design of the town still, what’s the word … fun?

Part 2 of our interview with Matt Cornelius, EVP at Airports Council International - North America gets into the real nitty-gritty: how exactly do airports make money? How do dominant carriers affect the cities they're based in? And, most important, what's the best way to board an airplane?

What do movies and TV shows get universally wrong about hotels? What do they (occasionally) get right? What movie hotel would we want to visit? Wait, Stanley Kubrick never filmed a movie outside of the UK?

Links:
The design team that worked on interiors at the Park Hyatt Tokyo: https://superpotato.jp/en/
The inspiration for The Shining's Overlook Hotel: https://www.stanleyhotel.com
The Andaz West Hollywood: https://lucire.com/2021/1013vo0.shtml