Top Floor

Cory Mortensen is a travel writer and explorer who has published three books, the most recent called Embracing Bewilderment. Cory spent two years traveling around the world and having adventures, from eating stew in a farmer's backyard to being held at gunpoint by an authoritarian military regime. Susan and Cory talk about how photography is sometimes rude and how traveling can calm your fears.

What you'll learn about in this episode:

• How ancient aliens maybe did stuff
• When to pitch a tent in a new country
• Where you don't lose your common sense
• Why travel friendships can be like therapy
• What kind of tickets to always book in advance

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Ludovic Siouffi is founder and CEO of Fox Fold, a company that makes toilet paper and facial tissue dispensers that lower costs and reduce waste. After many years in finance, Ludo joined forces with three co-founders to reinvent toilet paper. Susan and Ludo talk about creating a supply chain, leaning on a co-founder, and discovering a secret on the loading dock.

What you'll learn about in this episode:

• When to contact your investors
• What is hard about folding tissue
• Why Ludo feels sorry for solo-preneurs
• How to keep your ideas safe from imitators
• Where to look for thrown-away toilet paper rolls

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts "I love Top Floor!" If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing the show! This helps other people like us find the show and makes our guests feel good about being on it.

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Chris Green is the author of The River Guide to Leadership and former President of Remington Hospitality. In his exit interview on Top Floor, he spills the beans about the hotel business, including dishing hte dirt on several hotel company CEOs. Susan and Chris talk about leadership, problem-solving, and lavender fields.

What you'll learn about in this episode:

• How to write a book
• Who is the best hotel company CEO
• What to share in your exit interview
• When great financial returns are an art
• Why being direct is the kindest thing you can do

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts "I love Top Floor!" If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing the show! This helps other people like us find the show and makes our guests feel good about being on it.

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Rebecca Dean has had concurrent career paths in healthcare and hospitality, which positioned her perfectly to found Healthpitality. A virtual medical practice, Healthpitality exists to serve hospitality employees, especially restaurant workers, who traditionally struggle to access healthcare. Susan and Rebecca talk about rifles, co-pays, and the future of insurance.

What you'll learn about in this episode:

• When to protest sidework
• Why you need an annual checkup
• How to keep staff members happy
• Who benefits from high-cost healthcare
• What legal restrictions govern medical practices

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts "I love Top Floor!" If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing the show! This helps other people like us find the show and makes our guests feel good about being on it.

Tap to give us five stars, and select "Write a Review." Be sure to let me know what you liked most about the episode! Also, if you haven't done so already, follow the podcast or restart automatic downloads. It's the best way to make sure you don't miss out.

Gary Saperstein is a 30 year restaurant veteran and founder of Out in the Vineyard, a travel and event company that brings the LGBTQ+ and winemaker communities together in Califonia's Wine Country. For more than 16 years, Gary has put on Gay Wine Weekend, a three-day extravaganza that builds community and raises money for charities like Face to Face. Susan and Gary talk about how the gay community was made visible, starting with a twilight T-Dance.

What you'll learn about in this episode:

• How to entertain non-drinkers in Sonoma Valley
• Why T-Dances hold a place of importance in gay history
• Who hotels need to be marketing to, especially for weddings
• Where to sneak away for a romantic rendezvous at a winery
• When to go to Gay Wine Weekend (spoiler: it's July 19-21, 2024!)

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts "I love Top Floor!" If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing the show! This helps other people like us find the show and makes our guests feel good about being on it.

Tap to give us five stars, and select "Write a Review." Be sure to let me know what you liked most about the episode! Also, if you haven't done so already, follow the podcast or restart automatic downloads. It's the best way to make sure you don't miss out.

Oliver Winter is founder and CEO of A&O Hostels, the largest privately-owned chain of hostels in Europe, with 40 properties in 25 cities. After a brush with "travel shame" during the pandemic, Oliver began to understand the threat that the climate crisis poses to the future of travel demand. As a result, he resolved to make A&O carbon neutral by 2025. Susan and Oliver talk about the carbon footprint of the lodging business.

What you'll learn about in this episode:

• How marmalade impacts carbon footprint
• When the best time to start a business is
• What mistakes to avoid in opening a hostel
• Why the fall of the Berlin wall gave Oliver confidence
• Who to ask for the best ideas to transform your business

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts "I love Top Floor!" If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing the show! This helps other people like us find the show and makes our guests feel good about being on it.

Tap to give us five stars, and select "Write a Review." Be sure to let me know what you liked most about the episode! Also, if you haven't done so already, follow the podcast or restart automatic downloads. It's the best way to make sure you don't miss out.

Scott Greenberg is a motivational speaker, former Edible Arrangements owner, and author of "Stop the Shift Show: Turn Your Struggling Hourly Workers into a Top-Performing Team." As the former owner of multiple Edible Arrangement stores, Scott has learned that approaching your hourly staff with a salaried mindset is a recipe for failure. Susan and Scott talk about what's still wrong with dining out and hard vs. soft needs.

What you'll learn about in this episode:

• How to decide when to give someone a raise
• Who makes up the best audience for a speaker
• What bosses should do when managing Gen Z employees
• What Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs has to do with pizza parties
• Which new service consultants should consider adding to their offering

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts "I love Susan, Top Floor, and the Loading Dock." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps other people like us find the show and makes our guests feel good about being on it.

Tap to give us five stars, and select "Write a Review." Be sure to let me know what you liked most about the episode! Also, if you haven't done so already, follow the podcast or restart automatic downloads. It's the best way to make sure you don't miss out.

David Lund is the Hotel Financial Coach, a thought leader and trainer on using finacial data to drive your business decisions and your career. A 30-year hotel vet, David has seen everything, a lot of which he shares in his book, The Prosperous Hotelier. Susan and David talk about railroads, scams, and Russians.

What you'll learn about in this episode:

• Why it is so important to ask questions
• How to get better at understanding the P&L
• What railroads have to do with luxury hotels
• How much time to spend on your expense checkbook
• What GMs and owners who don't share numbers are up to

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts "I love Susan, Top Floor, and the Loading Dock." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps other people like us find the show and makes our guests feel good about being on it.

Tap to give us five stars, and select "Write a Review." Be sure to let me know what you liked most about the episode! Also, if you haven't done so already, follow the podcast or restart automatic downloads. It's the best way to make sure you don't miss out.

From a haunted vacation rental to a casualty-free plane crash, the teams of the Hunter Hotel Investment Conference and Hunter Hotel Advisors brought their A-game stories to the mic for this trip to the Loading Dock. Experience the highs and lows of a life in hospitality when you listen to what just maybe our best collection of funny, crazy, and just-plain-weird stories yet!

You will hear about:

- Showering in the dark - A styrofoam wedding cake - The stolen and returned Mustang - Canceling the Hunter conference - Losing a boom box and making a sale - Jetski tours of an abandoned resort - The unlikely event of a water landing

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts "I love Susan, Top Floor, and the Loading Dock." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps other people like us find the show and makes our guests feel good about being on it.

Tap to give us five stars, and select "Write a Review." Be sure to let me know what you liked most about the episode! Also, if you haven't done so already, follow the podcast or restart automatic downloads. It's the best way to make sure you don't miss out.

Brian Miller is CEO of Patrice & Associates, a hospitality staffing franchise company with 180+ locations in North America. As a staffing expert, Brian says that there are demographic forces at play that will continue to put pressure on the labor market. Susan and Brian talk about French fries, franchising, and first-time executives.

What you'll learn about in this episode:

• How the aging workforce and low birth rates impact labor
• Unexpected types of franchises, including Patrice and Associates
• What a candidate should expect from a recruiter
• Why companies have no choice about becoming more felxible
• The lesson of a giant pink eraser

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts

"I love Susan, Top Floor, and the Loading Dock." If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps other people like us find the show and makes our guests feel good about being on it.

Tap to give us five stars, and select "Write a Review." Be sure to let me know what you liked most about the episode! Also, if you haven't done so already, follow the podcast or restart automatic downloads. It's the best way to make sure you don't miss out.