The Guest Cast

Author and travel blogger Karen Beddow, talks to Touch Stay about some of her amazing adventures in Africa - and how she coped taking her young children along for the ride.

In this episode, the Andy and Tyann touch on the importance of expectation versus reality, plus the power of the Tour Operator - and how having someone to guide you in an unfamiliar place enhances experience. 

In her thought-provoking episode, JoAnna talks to Andy and Tyann about how a friendly innkeeper made her day, and how the length of her hiking trip reinforced how it's possible for guests to have amazing travel experiences in a sustainable and meaningful way - and how hosts can help tourists do this as part of their sustainability efforts.

This week, we speak to Gethin Nadin, a UK based  award winning psychologist & author, HR influencer - and avid traveler.

Gethin talks to Tyann and Andy about his trips to New York and Tennessee, where he sought life-changing experiences and moments that would end up having huge impact on how he viewed his world. 

Founder of Happy Apples, Joette Reidy, talks to Andy and Tyann about how her adventures on the Camino de Santiago made her less judgmental, and why she can't get enough of shared accommodation.

Now Recording Season 2: Stories and lessons from guests about how an interaction with hospitality changed their travel. What stories will you hear?

• Communal living in Italy
• Long distance hiking in Austria
• Culture shock in Tanzania
• and many more

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Learn more about creating your own story-worthy experiences with your guests at touchstay.com.

Interested in being a guest? Email [email protected] with your story today.

Heading to Galicia in Northern Spain, Hannah's trip is interrupted when she falls sick, leading to someone very unexpected doing everything they can to help her. 

In Season 1’s bonus episode, Touch Stay’s Content Editor Hannah Gardiner tells the story of her first ever solo travel experience.

Hannah heads to the north of Spain to enjoy the cities of A Coruña and Santiago de Compostela. After a few days of soul searching, eating “pulpo” and feeling free, she falls seriously sick with tonsillitis (and naturally thinks she’s dying!).

Alone, scared and bed-bound, Hannah explains how her accommodation host went above and beyond to help her, transforming what could have been a nightmare travel experience into an extraordinarily special one. She also explains how the experience gave her the confidence to continue travelling alone all over the world.

In this episode, Andy and Tyann discuss the importance of being able to anticipate your guests’ needs. They touch on the logistics of having procedures and teams in place to respond to even the most unforeseeable circumstances, without having to assume all responsibility when your guests get into trouble.

As an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) with a medal from the Queen, Julie Dean is no stranger to interesting experiences. In fact, she actively seeks them out. 

During their stay in Morocco, she and her daughter find themselves eating mysterious meals with unknown ingredients, saying yes to invites from strangers, and securing the most precious travel souvenir they could ever imagine. All this, while staying somewhere that was "not polished within an inch of their lives".

In the last episode of The Guest Cast Season 1, hosts Andy and Tyann talk about the role the guest plays in making a trip memorable, and what hosts can do to help enhance it.  

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Learn more about increasing the happiness of your guests through the guest experience at touchstay.com.

Would you like to be a guest on The Guest Cast? Send your story to [email protected].

A velociraptor and the hum of robots greet robotics expert John McElligot on his arrival at a hotel in Tokyo run by a single person and a crew of robots.

The absence of human interaction propels him to discover why he seeks out interactions with the local bartender and others in the community.

In this fifth episode of The Guest Cast, hosts Andy and Tyann discuss the importance of human touch in guest interaction as technology rapidly increases in hospitality.

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Learn more about incorporating human touch into your technology stack at touchstay.com.

Would you like to be a guest on The Guest Cast? Send your story to [email protected].

Faced with a $150 fine for using Netflix, Wes and his family didn't feel welcome in their North Carolina vacation home. In fact, the strong fine for using the well known streaming service during their stay set the guest experience tone as stinky as a wet fish.

Founder of Nokori tech platform, Wes Melton had brought his family to the beach for a "workcation" during the pandemic. The multitude of signs around the property warning the family of what not to do made Wes feel like he was constantly under scrutiny and not able to relax.

In this fourth episode of The Guest Cast, hosts Andy and Tyann discuss proactive and welcoming messaging, human versus digital interactions, and setting expectations through positive guest communications.

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Learn more about brilliant communications with your guests at touchstay.com.

Would you like to be a guest on The Guest Cast? Send your story to [email protected].

Travel influencers Dave and Deb (aka Planet D) traverse the South American jungle on a small tour where Dave breaks his back on a remote section of the Amazon River and must be air transported by a tiny seaplane during a ferocious thunderstorm.

Not speaking the local language, Deb must rely on translators, the tour company, insurance agents, and local medical professionals for information on her husband's status as she arranges transports to safely get him home to Canada.

In this third episode of The Guest Cast, hosts Andy and Tyann discuss the incredible importance and value of travel insurance, especially when faced with a life or death situation from a simple accident that could happen anywhere at any time.

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Learn more about communicating essential emergency information for a better guest experience for your guests at touchstay.com.

Would you like to be a guest on The Guest Cast? Send your story to [email protected].