Top Floor

Trisha Pérez Kennealy is a study in contrasts: a former investment banker who takes her greatest pleasure in teaching guests of her historic inn cooking techniques that they can take home. Founder and culinary educator of the Inn at Hastings Park, Trisha is also a competitive ballroom dancer and what she and Ron Burgundy call a marathon jogger. Susan and Trisha talk about on the job training, how physical challenges generate confidence, and what it's like to prepare New York strip for Bobby Flay.

Brian Proctor started his hotel career in Canada but soon hot-footed it down to the States, where he built a career working for the best hotel companies in the business. After taking a turn in corporate serviced apartments, Brian started his own consultancy, Leeds Hospitality Group, and a weekly podcast, Tuesday's Thanks. Susan and Brian talk about working together, how NOT to design hotel rooms for short people, and when to break ties with your local mafia boss.

Welcome back past guests Jody Merl, Kevin Rohani, Davonne Reaves, Peter Van Dorn, and Dawn Gallagher for some old-fashioned fortune-telling!

In this solo episode, elevator operator and host Susan Barry talks her early jobs, weird hobbies, and predictions for 2023. If you are curious about AI, solutions for social anxiety, or how to feel rich for a few hours, this is the place. Bonus points and a prize for the first listener to email [email protected] with the mistake in this episode or your own prediction for 2023.

Emmanuel Guisset had sort of a Goldilocks experience when he moved to Northern California from Belgium. San Jose was boring but allowed him to focus on work, while Santa Cruz had plenty of fun but not quite enought focus. Emmanuel founded Outsite to cater to digital nomads like himself that were looking for beautidul destinations with community that allowed them to focus on their careers. Susan and Emmanuel talk about travel, community, and ghost sightings.

Josiah Mackenzie started writing about hospitality marketing before he actually had a marketing job, which led him to a speaking gig in Italy, a new position with a tech company, and 70K monthly readers. As founder of Benchmark Research Partners, Hoteloperations.com, and Hospitality Daily, Josiah is betting that his own curiosity and desire to learn is not unique. Susan and Josiah talk about lighthouse hotels, cheap flights, and how to use artificial intelligence in a non-creepy way.

Mandy Farmer has a shaggin' wagon, and she's not afraid to use it. As CEO of Accent Inns and Hotel Zed, Mandy has spent her career trying to think of the weirdest ways to infuse fun into her hotels for guests, sure, but more importantly for employees. She believes that putting her team first is more than just a culture claim; it's her business strategy, and it has paid off in strong results before, during, and after the pandemic. Susan and Mandy talk about arcade games, special showers, and how to make work more like summer camp.

Connor Vanderholm has been a diamond dealer, a missionary, and a farmer, but his most comfortable role is as a hotel revenue management entrepreneur. Founder and CEO of Topline Revenue Management, Connor is developing software to automate a task that is simple but nor easy. Susan and Connor talk about traveling with large groups, picking a company over a job, and why they'll never have business partners.

This is the second part of Susan's conversation with sister and frequent guest Cat Meek, who also uses cloth napkins exclusively. Susan and Cat talk about creating their own entertaining style and holiday traditions as supposed adults.

Regular guest Cat Meek (and Susan's sister) stops by to talk about what she wanted to be when she grew up, weird holiday traditions, and fancy things. This episode has everything: cash registers, dessert trees, gift ideas, and more!