The Hospitality Mentor

Nathan Kaplan left his family's real estate business to build something closer to the life he wanted to live. That decision led to Grotto Baths, a social bathhouse preparing to open in Miami's Wynwood neighborhood.

In this episode of The Hospitality Mentor Podcast, Steve Turk sits down with Nathan to explore how the idea became a business. Nathan shares how CrossFit changed his relationship with wellness and community, why he stepped away from a familiar career, and what it took to find a location, secure financing and bring the right partners together.

They also get into the guest experience: sauna rituals, cold plunges, an outdoor café, and the challenge of growing a membership community while protecting access for the people who join.

Nathan closes with a reminder for anyone building a business: approach the work with “I get to” instead of “I have to.”

• Leaving a family business to pursue your own direction
• Turning an interest in wellness and community into a hospitality concept
• Finding a Miami location and financing the project
• Building a team with complementary skills
• How six parking spaces helped shape the café concept
• Balancing membership growth with the guest experience
• Staying grounded through the pressure of opening

Grotto was preparing to open when this conversation was recorded in September 2026. Visit its website for the latest opening and membership updates.

00:00 Meet Nathan Kaplan of Grotto Baths

01:48 How CrossFit sparked a wellness shift

04:05 Growing up in a real estate family

05:09 Leaving the family business and finding support

08:16 How the Grotto Baths idea took shape

11:01 What makes a social bathhouse different

13:25 Finding a Miami location and financing the vision

15:58 Building the hospitality team and guest experience

19:51 Growing Grotto’s founding member community

21:09 Balancing membership growth and the guest experience

22:18 Sauna rituals, cold plunges and the outdoor café

25:06 Nathan’s advice on approaching the work

Grotto Baths

Nathan Kaplan on LinkedIn

Presented by Lodgify.

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What does it take to go from working in Italian fruit markets to leading a private members club in Miami?

Giuseppe Castiello, general manager of the Member Social Club at The Moore, joins Steve Turk on The Hospitality Mentor to share his journey through hotel room service, bartending, restaurant management and private club leadership.

Giuseppe shares the early lessons that shaped his approach to guest service, what starting over taught him, and how he adapted by launching a food truck during the pandemic. We also discuss leading by example, building relationships that open doors, and making guests feel recognized.

Whether you work in hotels, restaurants or private clubs, this conversation offers practical lessons for building your hospitality career.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Meet Giuseppe Castiello

00:51 Lessons from Italian fruit markets

05:52 First steps into hospitality

09:04 Miami and the tipping lightbulb moment

12:56 Starting again in room service

19:30 Building a career in restaurant leadership

25:23 The COVID food-truck pivot

28:23 Growing with Pummarola and Motek

35:55 The relationships that opened the next door

41:13 Becoming GM at The Moore

46:12 Hospitality is human connection

PRESENTED BY LODGIFY

Thank you to Lodgify for supporting The Hospitality Mentor.

Learn more about Lodgify

EXPLORE THE MOORE

Visit The Moore

Subscribe to The Hospitality Mentor for more conversations with the people building careers and businesses in hospitality.

What moment helped move your hospitality career forward? Share your story in the comments.

How do you build a luxury resort on an island most travelers have never visited? Michael Tibbetts shares the story behind Salterra in South Caicos and the decisions that made it possible.

Michael is the founder and CEO of Salterra, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa. Before committing fully to hospitality, he was an ophthalmologist balancing patient care with responsibility for his family's resorts in the Cayman Islands.

In this episode of The Hospitality Mentor Podcast, he joins Steve Turk to discuss what medicine taught him about trust, how he made the decision to change careers and what it took to turn an existing property into a luxury resort with a clear sense of place.

We get into:

• What caring for patients taught Michael about caring for guests and leading teams
• Why outside experience can make you a stronger leader in a family business
• How South Caicos' salt history shaped Salterra's design and guest experience
• The shipping, staffing and access challenges behind a small-island resort
• Why he chose Marriott's Luxury Collection for Salterra
• Why a major hotel affiliation still requires personal sales and relationship work
• The human skills Michael believes future hospitality leaders should develop

Explore Salterra:

https://www.salterra.com/

Presented by Lodgify. Use promo code THM60 for the show's Lodgify offer. See Lodgify for current terms and eligible plans:

https://www.lodgify.com/

Subscribe to The Hospitality Mentor for conversations with the people building, operating and leading hospitality businesses.

00:00 Welcome and Lodgify

00:44 Meet Michael Tibbetts

02:33 A first job on the landscaping crew

03:16 His family's Cayman Islands resort legacy

04:51 Choosing a career in medicine

07:10 What patient care taught him about hospitality

10:22 How to handle difficult conversations

13:02 Choosing between medicine and the family business

17:01 Finding the South Caicos opportunity

21:28 Rethinking the project during COVID

23:19 The story behind Salterra's design

27:35 Partners, construction and island logistics

29:00 Making South Caicos easier to reach

31:28 Staff housing and a global team

33:12 Why join Marriott's Luxury Collection?

34:50 Why the owner still has to build relationships

37:34 Gelato, family and the moments guests remember

39:04 Michael's vision for Salterra's next chapter

41:07 Advice for future hospitality leaders

Host Steve Turk interviews Melissa Blettner, CEO of Boyd Hollow Resorts and Ancient Lore Village in Knoxville, Tennessee. Melissa explains founder Tom Boyd’s book inspired mission to create a fantasy village where only good exists and guests leave happier, kinder, and friendlier.

She shares her hospitality start from an XL Inn front desk job to studying hospitality management, advancing through roles in front office, sales, and leadership, and spending 20 years at Great Wolf Lodge building brand culture, openings, and a large call center with strong standards.

After Great Wolf’s culture shifted following Blackstone’s acquisition and a corporate move to Chicago, she consulted before joining Boyd Hollow. Ancient Lore Village offers 14 themed dwellings on 67 acres, day passes, dining, axe throwing, archery, events, retreats, and weddings, and is expanding with Boki’s Trek Experience and an Ancient Lore Wellbeing Retreat.

00:00 Show Kickoff

00:31 Sponsor Lodgify

01:34 Meet Melissa

02:23 Ancient Lore Origin

04:03 First Hospitality Job

06:08 Breaking Into Hotels

07:51 Career Steps Forward

10:18 Great Wolf Breakthrough

12:44 Growing at Great Wolf

16:13 Call Center Culture

17:41 Brand Building Playbook

21:19 Leaving After 20 Years

22:12 From Mars To Buyout

22:49 Dream Big Consulting Reality

24:24 Finding Boyne Hollow

26:19 What Ancient Lore Offers

28:23 Managing Crowds And Groups

30:39 Small Resort Big Opening

32:20 Guests Define The Magic

34:41 Future Attractions And Wellness

36:02 Luxury Not Kitschy Design

40:13 Team Growth And Mentorship

42:10 Advice And Farewell

Host Steve Turk introduces Josef Forstmayr, managing director of Round Hill Hotel and Villas in Jamaica. Forstmayr shares growing up working in his parents’ Austrian farm restaurant, attending hotel school in Salzburg, and arriving in Jamaica in 1979 as a German tutor before quickly becoming an assistant manager and advancing to GM roles, including rebuilding Trident after Hurricane Allen.

Hired in 1989 to convert Round Hill from a winter-only operation to a year-round resort, he describes evolving the property into a family- and group-friendly luxury destination guided by “timeless elegance, understated luxury, warm Jamaican heart,” with design input from shareholder Ralph Lauren and tech perspective from Bob Pittman.

He emphasizes Jamaica’s authentic luxury, staff legacy across generations, strong community investment and charity work, rapid recovery after Hurricane Melissa, and advises young hoteliers to learn multiple languages to build international careers.

00:00 Welcome to the Podcast

00:31 Sponsor Lodgify Message

01:34 Meet Josef in Jamaica

01:57 First Job and Jamaica Move

04:13 Hurricanes and Career Growth

06:11 Transforming Round Hill Year Round

09:02 Growing Up in Family Restaurant

11:23 Why He Stayed in Jamaica

14:27 Round Hill Owners and Design

19:08 Evolving with Core Values

23:53 Real Jamaica Beyond Cruises

29:52 Community Hikes and Belonging

31:27 Running Long Term with Locals

33:32 Giving Back and Hurricane Recovery

36:33 Future of Authentic Luxury Jamaica

39:27 Advice Learn More Languages

42:04 Wrap Up and Where to Visit

In this “random show” episode of The Hospitality Mentor Podcast, Steve Turk shares a multi-generational Miami Beach staycation at the Marriott Stanton South Beach, highlighting the South of Fifth location, Michelin star-winning The Den inside Azabu, and strong beach service and guest acknowledgment as a key hospitality lesson.

He also recommends the Loews Miami Beach Hotel’s Sushi Bar inside Bar Collins, praising Chef Khaleel Ali and the value of standout culinary “hidden gems” in big hotels.

The family then takes the Brightline train from Miami to Orlando for a Disney trip, emphasizing assigned seating, onboard amenities, and the productivity and low-stress benefits versus driving. In Orlando, he reviews the Signia by Hilton (connected to Waldorf Astoria) as a strong value with great rooms, pool, restaurants, and fireworks views, noting slower bus transport to the parks, and shares a Disney day tip: book an air-conditioned sit-down meal like the Brown Derby.

He announces the launch of staybaya.com for Baya, his upscale resort on a tropical fruit farm in Miami’s Redland area targeting a mid-year opening next summer with a $50 VIP program offering 40% discounts, and he confirms plans for a Hospitality Power Breakfast series, with the first eight-person event hosted at The Moor in the Design District.

Thank you to this episode's sponsor, Lodgify. Make sure to use promo code THM60 for 60% off.

00:00 Welcome and Topics

00:39 Sponsor Lodgify

01:25 Miami Beach Staycation

02:37 South Beach Service Lesson

03:54 Loews Sushi Find

05:28 Brightline to Orlando

07:31 Signia Hotel Review

09:41 Disney Dining Tip

11:05 Train Back and Florida Travel

12:08 Baya Resort Announcement

13:31 Hospitality Power Breakfast

14:14 Wrap Up and Subscribe

In a solo “random show” episode, Steve shares recent travel experiences and hospitality takeaways. He recaps six weeks of travel from HITEC in San Antonio to San Francisco with the Baya team, a visit to One Thread Farm, scouting land in Desert Hot Springs, and a last-minute trip to St. John in the US Virgin Islands, noting “island time” and the national-park beaches. A highlight is chartering to Jost Van Dyke to swim ashore to the Soggy Dollar Bar, home of the original Painkiller, and lessons on memorable arrival, history, and premium branding.

He previews upcoming stays at Marriott Stanton Miami Beach and a family trip to Disney via Brightline, discussing hotel and Disney upsells and reducing purchase friction. He announces a new Hospitality Power Breakfast launching next month at The Moore in Miami, and gives a Baya Miami update, including site work, a 2027 opening plan, and an upcoming website launch.

This episode is brought to you by Lodgify with code THM60 for 60% off yearly products

00:00 Solo Random Show

00:25 Sponsor Lodgify

01:36 Travel Whirlwind Recap

02:34 Island Time St John

03:24 Soggy Dollar Adventure

04:33 Painkiller And Vibes

07:06 Lessons And Branding

08:07 Miami Beach Birthday Stay

09:01 Brightline To Disney

10:14 Upsells And Disney Planning

12:05 Hospitality Power Breakfast

13:32 Launching At The Moore

14:47 Topics And Third Places

15:44 Baya Miami Update

16:17 Wrap Up And Farewell

Host Steve Turk interviews Mario Del Duca, Managing Director of Nuba, a 30+ year-old luxury travel company focused on high end outbound leisure that expanded into the Americas via acquisitions in Mexico and Miami.

Mario oversees the Americas and says the business has nearly tripled under his leadership. Mario shares his nontraditional path from banking in London/New York to an MBA at IE in Madrid, entrepreneurship in Mexico, and a year and a half of world travel that led to social media driven hotel partnerships and eventually becoming an independent travel consultant before Nuba acquired his agency.

They discuss serving high and ultra-high net worth clients, the importance of client profiling and problem solving, using technology and AI to enhance (not replace) advisors, growth plans across Latin America, and travel trends like Japan and slower, secondary destination travel.

The Hospitality Mentor Podcast is sponsored by Lodgify (60% off yearly/bi-yearly plans with code THM60)

00:00 Podcast Welcome

00:31 Sponsor Lodgify

01:34 Meet Mario Del Duca

01:53 What Is Nuba

03:31 From Banking To Travel

07:22 Quitting Banking For MBA

10:54 Entrepreneur Roots

12:02 Moving To Mexico

13:03 Remote Work World Travel

17:44 From Influencer To Advisor

20:50 Luxury Advisor Reality Check

22:31 Owning Client Problems

23:51 Perks and Lifestyle

24:48 Remote Discipline

26:25 Nuba Client Profile

29:51 Designing Bespoke Trips

32:38 AI Versus Human Touch

37:18 Growth and Hiring Advisors

40:48 Hot Destinations Trends

44:37 Career Advice Closing

Host Steve Turk interviews Nikheel Advani , co-founder and COO of Grace Bay Resorts, who shares how he entered hospitality at 16 after his father pushed him to work, leading to dishwashing, banqueting, and founding a small events company in Singapore. He trained at UMass Amherst, worked in restaurants and hotels, joined a Pizza Uno turnaround team, then spent years with Ritz-Carlton opening multiple properties and emphasizing mentorship.

He became hotel manager at Singapore’s Raffles, helped elevate its global ranking, then moved to Turks and Caicos to build a hotel into Grace Bay Resorts, focusing on training, local talent, service excellence, food and beverage, airlift, and a luxury branded-residence model that funds development and gives owners hotel access and rental income.

It's an amazing episode with fantastic stories and pieces of advice that you should listen to today.

A big thank you to our sponsor, Lodgify. Make sure to use promo code THM60 when you sign up at Lodgify

00:00 Sponsor Lodgify

01:07 Meet Nikheel Advani

01:48 First Hospitality Job

02:08 Dad’s Tough Lesson

03:21 Starting a Company at 16

04:42 Choosing Hotel School

07:18 UMass and Working Through School

08:42 Pizza Turnaround Years

10:09 Breaking Into Ritz Carlton

11:48 Mentors That Changed Everything

14:42 Leaving for Raffles Singapore

16:24 Running an Iconic Hotel

17:28 Profit Meets Guest Experience

18:35 Leap to Turks and Caicos

20:57 Caribbean Service Reset

21:55 Risk and Ownership Leap

22:55 Partners and Fast Decisions

23:56 Awards and Signature Wins

25:43 Building Local Talent

28:29 Selling a New Destination

31:46 Airlift and Island Strategy

34:08 Next Projects Pipeline

36:06 Branded Residences Model

38:59 Advice and Farewell

Live from HITEC in San Antonio, the Steve Turk and Sarah Dandashy recap the inaugural Hospitality Creator Summit, created by Anna Blue and Anthony Melchiorri, which drew 200+ attendees for a full day of networking and creator-focused education. Sara shares first impressions of the high-energy event, meeting online peers in person, and the supportive, low-ego atmosphere.

A panel on “behind the brand deal” featured Margaritaville and My Place Hotels discussing how brands choose creators, partnership paths from in-kind to paid, and the challenge of tracking bookings driven by content, including working with small-audience creators for fit and aesthetic.

They note sessions on newsletters and podcasting milestones, HITEC’s creator booth with interview and green-screen setups, and floor trends like better booth experiences, fewer AI buzzwords but more specific integrations, data consolidation, and room automation savings, plus a push for brands to create personality-driven, value-first content.

A big shout out to our sponsor Lodgify! Starting June 17th to June 30th, use promo code THM60 for 60% off

00:00 Live From HITEC

00:21 Sponsor Shoutout - Lodgify

00:58 Creator Summit Recap

02:55 Brand Deals Panel

05:09 Creator Growth Tips

05:50 Meet Tyler Behind Scenes

06:37 Content Booth Setup

07:31 HITEC Floor Highlights

08:27 Tech Trends And AI

09:57 Venue Vibes San Antonio

10:16 Creators Take Over

10:57 Booth Snacks and Vibes

11:24 Why Brands Need Content

12:55 Make Value Not Ads

14:19 One Post Big Impact

16:05 HCS First Day Energy

17:54 After Party and Wrap