I sat down with Blake Dailey, a dynamic figure in the boutique hospitality industry who transitioned from an Air Force officer to a powerhouse in short-term rentals and boutique hotel development. In this episode, Blake shares his journey from his first property investment to building a thriving portfolio of unique hotels, all while navigating the new responsibilities of fatherhood. We dive into the strategies he uses to raise capital, manage renovations, and build high-performing teams. If you're interested in scaling your own real estate ventures or getting into the boutique hotel business, this episode is packed with valuable insights on everything from property management to creating an unforgettable guest experience. Join us to learn how Blake approaches growth, legacy, and the joy of creating spaces that bring people together.

00:00:00 - Life Lessons from Playing Football at the Air Force Academy
00:09:45 - First Hires When Building Your Team
00:23:18 - Should Property Management Be In-House?
00:34:17 - How to Fund Fast Deals

Connect with Zeke Freeman:
Instagram: @zekefreeman_rootarchitecture and @rootarchitecture
YouTube: @rootarchitecture
Facebook: @RootArchitectureandDevelopment
LinkedIn: Zeke Freeman
X/Twitter: @zfreemanroot

Ready to get started with your hospitality project?
https://root-ad.com/

Get in Touch: Stay connected with the Radical Hospitality podcast for more episodes exploring the intersection of architecture, design, and unforgettable guest experiences.

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If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your network! Your support helps us continue delivering conversations with industry leaders redefining hospitality.

I sat down to interview Peter Towhy to hear his philosophy in working with clients, the role of the architect in the design process, and how he's using VR to helps clients visualize their final projects.

Peter Twohy, Principal of 2e Architects, is an award-winning residential architect who specializes in designing custom homes. Peter’s home designs focus on elevating the lifestyle and enjoyment his clients have in their home from traditional or modern to the custom aesthetic his clients seek. He believes that the most beautiful home in the world is the one custom designed for you. Each luxury home he designs is unique and tailored to a client’s sensibilities.

Connect with Zeke Freeman:
Instagram: @zekefreeman_rootarchitecture and @rootarchitecture
YouTube: @rootarchitecture
Facebook: @RootArchitectureandDevelopment
LinkedIn: Zeke Freeman
X/Twitter: @zfreemanroot

Ready to get started with your hospitality project?
https://root-ad.com/

Get in Touch: Stay connected with the Radical Hospitality podcast for more episodes exploring the intersection of architecture, design, and unforgettable guest experiences.

Follow, Rate & Review:
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your network! Your support helps us continue delivering conversations with industry leaders redefining hospitality.

I'm honored to have Callie Van Der Merwe join me on today's podcast to talk about how his firm uses humans hard-wired psychology to design the most efficient and effective spaces - what color temperature should lighting be, how heavy should chairs be, what angle should walls be. His firm always begins their design process by deeply understanding who is going to use the space, and then begin their process.

You can learn more about Callie Van Der Merwe at his firm's website: https://www.cooop.co/

Connect with Zeke Freeman:
Instagram: @zekefreeman_rootarchitecture and @rootarchitecture
YouTube: @rootarchitecture
Facebook: @RootArchitectureandDevelopment
LinkedIn: Zeke Freeman
X/Twitter: @zfreemanroot

Ready to get started with your hospitality project?
https://root-ad.com/

Get in Touch: Stay connected with the Radical Hospitality podcast for more episodes exploring the intersection of architecture, design, and unforgettable guest experiences.

Follow, Rate & Review:
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your network! Your support helps us continue delivering conversations with industry leaders redefining hospitality.

The 2010's were the Golden Era of STR's and it was easy to make money, but with rising interests rates, new regulations, and competition, making money with STRs is a little harder. Today, I want to present to you five unique strategies and ways to make money in this ever-changing short-term rental market.

00:00 - How I Got Started in Real Estate
05:10 - Short-Term Rental Boom of the 2010's
09:00 - Alternatives to Short-Term Rentals
13:42 - Bed and Breakfasts
15:09 - House Hacks and ADU's
16:40 - Glampgrounds, Treehouses, RV's, etc.
21:09 - Boutique Hotels
24:00 - The Life Real Estate Provides You

Connect with Zeke Freeman:
Instagram: @zekefreeman_rootarchitecture and @rootarchitecture
YouTube: @rootarchitecture
Facebook: @RootArchitectureandDevelopment
LinkedIn: Zeke Freeman
X/Twitter: @zfreemanroot

Ready to get started with your hospitality project?
https://root-ad.com/

Get in Touch: Stay connected with the Radical Hospitality podcast for more episodes exploring the intersection of architecture, design, and unforgettable guest experiences.

Follow, Rate & Review:
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your network! Your support helps us continue delivering conversations with industry leaders redefining hospitality.

Luke Pesce, a local 16 year old adventurer, has accomplished a lot in life. Today, I had the honor of chatting with him about how his journey on the Colorado Trail - an 486 mile trail from Denver to Durango - and what we all can learn from it.

00:00:00 - Why Do The Colorado Trail
00:03:20 - Logistics of the Colorado Trail
00:07:38 - Business Lessons from 500 Miles of Hiking
00:12:25 - Spiritual/Life Lessons from the Colorado Trail
00:16:00 - Luke's Next Big Project

www.RadicalHospitalityShow.com

Instagram @rootarchitecture
YouTube @rootarchitecture
TikTok @RadicalHospitalityShow
Facebook @RootArchitectureandDevelopment

Ready to get started with your hospitality project?
www.Root-AD.com

Connect with Zeke Freeman:
Instagram: @zekefreeman_rootarchitecture and @rootarchitecture
YouTube: @rootarchitecture
Facebook: @RootArchitectureandDevelopment
LinkedIn: Zeke Freeman
X/Twitter: @zfreemanroot

Ready to get started with your hospitality project?
https://root-ad.com/

Get in Touch: Stay connected with the Radical Hospitality podcast for more episodes exploring the intersection of architecture, design, and unforgettable guest experiences.

Follow, Rate & Review:
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your network! Your support helps us continue delivering conversations with industry leaders redefining hospitality.

Today, I sat down with Skyler Moore of Modus Real Estate who's launching Lost Fork - Colorado's newest clamping project just an hour from Denver. We talk his unlikely start in real estate, the challenges of finding and building his new project, and what the market looks like moving forward.

Skyler first obtained his real estate license in college while attending the University of Iowa for finance.  He moved to Colorado in late 2008 to begin purchasing foreclosed properties.  Since then, he has purchased, rehabbed and sold over 100 properties in the Denver market.  He co-founded MODUS Real Estate to fill a need in the market for cutting edge marketing and high level customer service.  In his free time, Skyler enjoys fly fishing, traveling, golf and spending time in the mountains.

00:00:00 - Getting Into Denver's Real Estate Market
00:04:33 - What is 'Vertical Integration' in Real Estate?
00:06:52 - The Start of Lost Fork Glamping Project
00:10:14 - Is It Better To Build New or Fix/Flip Hospitality Projects?
00:11:54 - Biggest Challenges In Hospitality
00:13:29 - How We Run 'Lost Fork'
00:18:45 - What's Next for Modus

Connect with Zeke Freeman:
Instagram: @zekefreeman_rootarchitecture and @rootarchitecture
YouTube: @rootarchitecture
Facebook: @RootArchitectureandDevelopment
LinkedIn: Zeke Freeman
X/Twitter: @zfreemanroot

Ready to get started with your hospitality project?
https://root-ad.com/

Get in Touch: Stay connected with the Radical Hospitality podcast for more episodes exploring the intersection of architecture, design, and unforgettable guest experiences.

Follow, Rate & Review:
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your network! Your support helps us continue delivering conversations with industry leaders redefining hospitality.

Today, I sit down with Shawn, a seasoned investor to, about the importance of creating unique experiences in the hospitality industry, providing exceptional and distinctive experiences, challenges and opportunities in scaling such projects, highlighting the need for strong fundamentals and effective management.

From reading real estate books at the public library to cashing his first wholesale check right out of college, Shawn has always been interested in finding the best opportunities in real estate. His desire to learn and achieve the best led him to seek great coaching from mentors and to be a good student. In his 22 years in the industry, Shawn has flipped homes, built a portfolio of long term rentals, attained land development deals, sold high-end luxury resort properties, and now leads the #1 short term rental education company and mastermind group in the world.

Shawn purchased his first vacation rental in 2006 and has not looked back since.  The Vodyssey collective portfolio is currently over 1000 properties across the US and includes several international markets as well. He and his team analyze more than 100 properties in various markets across the US and around the world each month; while advising Vodyssey Empire Club mastermind members on each phase of short term rental success. Vodyssey’s goal is to create Lifestyle & Financial Freedom by assisting new and experienced vacation home investors master Acquisition, Management, & Marketing of “Lifestyle Assets.”

00:00 - Creating a Unique Experience
05:08 - Pros and Cons of Cluster Properties
11:28 - Them-ing Your Boutique Hotel
14:25 - What It Takes to Scale
17:44 - What Private Equity Looks For When Buying Your Project
23:54 - The ONLY Way to Overcome an Oversaturated Market
30:17 - Why You Should or Shouldn't Get Into This Space

Connect with Zeke Freeman:
Instagram: @zekefreeman_rootarchitecture and @rootarchitecture
YouTube: @rootarchitecture
Facebook: @RootArchitectureandDevelopment
LinkedIn: Zeke Freeman
X/Twitter: @zfreemanroot

Ready to get started with your hospitality project?
https://root-ad.com/

Get in Touch: Stay connected with the Radical Hospitality podcast for more episodes exploring the intersection of architecture, design, and unforgettable guest experiences.

Follow, Rate & Review:
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your network! Your support helps us continue delivering conversations with industry leaders redefining hospitality.

Today, we're joined by Chris Kilcullen to talk about his story in the hospitality industry, capitalizing on experiential travel, and how you can beat the big-name hotel brands.

Christopher Kilcullen is an industry veteran with 30 years of experience in the hospitality business. Chris has spent time on both sides of the transaction, as SVP of Acquisitions for a REIT he completed over $160 million in transactions for its shareholders following a distinguished career as VP of Development for a major hospitality franchise company completing more than 250 transactions. Chris has built a trusted reputation by understanding the needs of his clients and looking for ways to move difficult transactions to a successful end for all parties involved.

When not working, Chris serves as Co-Founder of a non-profit food truck called Kitchen One for One, serving the homeless and impoverished in the Denver community.  Mr Kilcullen is married to his amazing wife, Tyra of 25 years with two children and enjoy cooking with friends and all the joys of life in the Colorado Rockies.

00:00 - Intro
02:48 - Starting A Nightclub Out of College
7:01 - From Selling Suit to Selling Franchises
12:40 - The Rise and Franchises and Online Booking
17:24 - The Rise of Experiential Travel
23:30 - The SECRET To Beating the Big Name Brands
27:07 - Chris' Free Food Truck Serving the Homeless
34:04 - Excellence Will Always Succeed

Connect with Zeke Freeman:
Instagram: @zekefreeman_rootarchitecture and @rootarchitecture
YouTube: @rootarchitecture
Facebook: @RootArchitectureandDevelopment
LinkedIn: Zeke Freeman
X/Twitter: @zfreemanroot

Ready to get started with your hospitality project?
https://root-ad.com/

Get in Touch: Stay connected with the Radical Hospitality podcast for more episodes exploring the intersection of architecture, design, and unforgettable guest experiences.

Follow, Rate & Review:
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your network! Your support helps us continue delivering conversations with industry leaders redefining hospitality.