SMACK Hospitality

"The guest is God."

While the rest of the world builds cookie-cutter luxury, Puneet Chhatwal is here to school the industry on what luxury hospitality with a soul actually looks like.

As the MD & CEO of The Indian Hotels Company Limited - the force behind Taj Hotels - he's leading the charge on building a global empire powered entirely by emotion.

Recorded at the brand-new Taj Hessischer Hof in Frankfurt, Fritz gets the full breakdown from Puneet on how it's done…

Here's the deal:

The full episode is live, if you need a reminder of what hospitality with a pulse feels like, this is it.

And last but not least… This month of SMACK was brought to you in partnership with our friends at the Future Hospitality Summit, check them out in the comments.

Enjoy the show!

350 hotels. 58 countries. And they reject 95% of hotel applications. Ouch.

Fritz caught up with Stijn Oyen, Managing Director of Design Hotels, at upnxt26 - organised by Elevatr Hospitality - to talk about how you build a global brand without selling your soul…

Fun fact: Stijn's career started in a two-star Michelin kitchen. He still runs hospitality like a chef: teamwork, zero compromises, and every detail has to be perfect or it doesn't leave the pass.

Now, here's what Stijn shared:

Design Hotels gets 400+ applications a year. Only 5% make it in. They're not just collecting properties, but rather building a community of visionaries. (And 60% of their owners are first-timers. Bold moves only.)

Design Hotels brought Marriott 90 new destinations. In return? Access to Marriott Bonvoy's global reach and serious commercial firepower, while staying fiercely independent.

Nobody books a trip to feel exactly the same afterward. People want to learn something, connect with locals, and come home as a slightly better version of themselves. The bar has officially been raised.

So… Ready to hear how Design Hotels stays fiercely independent while playing in the big leagues? Hit play.

This month of SMACK is sponsored by RoomPriceGenie.

What if the best hotels stopped trying to worship you?

Flo just sat down with Lily Wecker, CEO of Aethos, who's building hotels that treat you like an actual human being. No pedestals, no scripts: just real conversation, human to human. Revolutionary? Maybe. Refreshing? Absolutely.

This episode was recorded at the amazing IHIF EMEA, and is brought to you by our sponsor RoomPriceGenie. Check them out in the comments!

Now, here's the tea Lily spilled:

Gen Z: socializing less, dating less, drinking less. Living their best lives? Not quite. Aethos stepped in with programming, emotional density (yes, that's a thing), and spaces literally designed for you to bump into interesting humans.

Lily's leadership philosophy? Own your mistakes, give your team psychological safety to experiment, and stay relentlessly optimistic. That's how you build something that lasts.

Ready to rethink everything you thought you knew about luxury? Hit play.

Enjoy the show!

“There are a lot of logos in this industry. Very few brands.”

When Barbara Muckermann, CEO of Kempinski Hotels, drops a line like that at the Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin, you sit up straight.

What's the difference between a real luxury brand and just a fancy logo, you may ask? In the latest SMACK episode, Fritz gets the unfiltered answer from Barbara. They're talking heritage, gravitas, and turning the 'good life' into a serious business model.

On the table:

Why most “luxury” brands are just logos with attributes, and how a 170+ year-old brand gives Kempinski an unfair advantage.

Kempinski as the curator of joy: open-to-the-city lobbies, locals in the bar, and giving guests “permission to enjoy.”

Why Kempinski is moving towards more asset control in a world obsessed with asset-light models.

Tune in now on all platforms and hear how one of hospitality’s sharpest brand minds is steering a luxury icon into its next chapter.

Enjoy the show!

What if the most important career advice you get this year comes from an ex-investment banker?

That's exactly what happened when Florian sat down with the incredible Eu Chin Fen, CEO of Frasers Hospitality, for a LIVEPodcast at IHIF EMEA’s Under 30s Hangout.

Eu Chin Fen didn't come from a traditional hotel background, and that's exactly why her take on how to win in this industry is a highlight.

Here's a taste of the wisdom she dropped:

Your job isn't just your department. From the FrontDesk to the P&L, understand how the whole thing works. Know which line item your role impacts. That's your superpower.

So, stop panicking about robots taking over! Tech is just a tool. Your real, irreplaceable value comes from your experience and the judgment calls you make. AI can't do that for you.

The most important leadership skill? Being a real human. Especially in a crisis, being vulnerable and finding the "path of truth" is what actually inspires people. Forget the old-school playbook.

Ready for a career masterclass without the corporate fluff?

"Projects always go wrong."

This week, Florian’s got Jan Heringa, VP Development and Project Management at Leonardo Hotels, in the SMACK spotlight. From kitchen chaos at 15 to masterminding the launch of iconic brands like NYX Hotels by Leonardo Hotels across Europe, Jan’s career is pure, unfiltered hotelier grit.

But trust us, it’s not all smooth openings and clinking champagne glasses.

They’re tearing down the curtain on:

Now, here’s Jan’s unvarnished advice for young hoteliers: forget shortcuts. Walk the talk, get your hands dirty in every department, and build that solid foundation.

Ready for the truth about building a hospitality empire, straight from the guy who lives it?

Enjoy the show!

The brand is sold, the tech is integrated, and a new star is rising.

If you are wondering what hotel operations will actually look like in the next few years, Lennert De Jong is already there, blueprint in hand.

In the latest SMACK episode, Florian sits down with the CEO of Another Star (and ex-CitizenM legend) to unpack one of the most talked-about moves in hospitality lately: CitizenM selling the brand to Marriott. Yep. That one.

They get into how Lennert and his team pulled off a record-speed tech integration in four months (casual) and why the so-called “death of loyalty” is wildly exaggerated in the age of AI.

What is on the table:

Hit play on all platforms and check out how Lennert and his team decided to flip the game once again.

Think big hotel chains are dinosaurs? This episode might ruin that narrative.

Enjoy the show!

Building a travel media empire isn’t for the faint-hearted, and Rafat Ali knows exactly what he’s talking about.

This December, Fritz sits down with Rafat, founder and CEO of Skift, for a conversation loaded with insider insights on travel media, startups, and the raw realities of running a global brand.

They get into everything from how Skift carved out a voice that matters worldwide, to keeping pace in a whirlwind industry, Rafat’s personal journey navigating the rollercoaster of entrepreneurship, and even their thoughts on New York’s new mayor, Zohran Mamdani.

In other words, here’s what you’ll hear about:

Hit play, this one hits both the head and the gut.

Enjoy the show!

Money talks, but hotels walk the walk!

And Dirk Bakker knows exactly which ones are worth your attention…

We’re warming up this month of November with an episode packed with insider perspectives from Dirk, Head of EMEA Hotels at Colliers.

During the Future Hospitality Summit 2025 in Dubai, Dirk and Fritz dove into what’s shaping hotel investments, how destinations get Instagram-famous overnight, and much more…

In other words, you’ll hear about:

Enjoy the show!

What does it really take to grow a hotel brand across continents?

SMACK is back with an episode packed with insider insights from Elie Milky, Chief Development Officer of Radisson Hotel Group for the Middle East, North East Africa, Cyprus, and Greece.

In preparation for the upcoming Future Hospitality Summit, he joined Fritz in Dubai to unpack how Radisson Hotel Group develops brands that last, navigates lifestyle hotels, and explores the booming world of branded residences.

In this episode:

If you thought hotel development was boring… think again.

Enjoy the show!