Top Floor

Megan Grant is a lifelong solo traveler with a talent for executing details. Having visited 35 countries and planned events for hundreds of thousands of attendees, Megan put her particular combination of skills into action as founder and memory creator of Cherish Tours, a travel company that plans adventurous vacations for women. Susan and Megan talk about finding the entrepreneur inside, traveling with priorities rather than agendas, and packing in a carry on. This episode is part of a collaboration between Top Floor and Cherish Tours.

Jordan Locke has priced everything from water balloons to oil and gas, but he now spends his time setting revenue strategy for short-term rental property portfolios. After military service and a degree from Columbia University, Jordan learned what we all do -- hospitality has the magical power to suck you in and never let go. Susan and Jordan talk about what is similar and different about how hotels and short-term rentals set prices and manage inventory.

Unclaimed Baggage in the country's only reseller of lost luggage, and Sonni Hood has worked there since high school. As public and community relations manager, Sonni sees all of the luxury and loony things that people leave in their luggage. Susan and Sonni talk about taxidermy rattlesnakes, ancient artifacts, and celebrity needlework.

In this birthday solo episode, Susan Barry talks about how lodging businesses of all types should be thinking about upselling. The short version is that if a hotel or short-term rental tries to decide what is valuable on behalf of a traveler, it will backfire. Your lodging business does not need to be all things to all people. Happy Pride!

Peter Ricci hated law school, and the entire hospitality industry is very lucky he did. As Director of the Hospitality and Tourism Management Program at Florida Atlantic University, Peter became a household name when he created a free online hospitality certificate during the pandemic that served more than 70,000 people. Susan and Peter talk about the state of higher education, the state of Florida, and the state of mind it takes to work in hotels.

It took Chris Green four years from his first day working in a hotel to his first day as a hotel general manager, and he thinks you can do it faster. As President of Remington Hotels, Chris is focused on generating top line and talent, but he's not afraid of talking about every dollar every day. Susan and Chris talk about firing sales people (calm down, we're being dramatic!), hiring robots, and dropping money in the St. Johns River.

Karen Laos has surfed in Costa Rica, hiked in the Grand Canyon, and danced in the ballroom, but being adventurous doesn't mean she's always been self-confident. As a keynote speaker, Karen is on a mission to eradicate self-doubt in ten million women over the next ten years. Susan and Karen talk about making eye contact on Zoom, singing negative self-talk in the car, and meeting boyfriends over dating apps.

Mary Mattson-Quagliana is a hotelier who tried to escape the business. After many years as a corporate trainer and talent leader for Rosewood, Mary started her company, Curated Critique, to help hotels operationalize their values. Susan and Mary talk about the Olympics, executive coaches, and broken glass.

Michael Cecchi-Azzolina is a life-long maitre d' and restaurant person, and his book "Your Table is Ready" dishes more dirt than 200 loading dock stories. Susan and Michael talk about palming a tip, acting on the dining room floor, and what an American bistro should be.