James Ferguson started his hospitality career at the front desk and worked his way up through operations and leadership roles. Now, as Director of Culture at Wurzak Hotel Group, he focuses on employee experience and engagement with the goal of making workplace culture his company's strongest asset. He's also the author of The Confetti Culture Playbook, a guide to building high-performing teams through recognition, reward, and real connection. Susan and James talk about cool titles and crazy weddings.

What you'll learn about:

🎉 Confetti Cleanup 101: James shares the ultimate hack for dealing with post-wedding ballroom disasters. (Hint: Leave the regular vacuums out of this.)

👔 Suit Up for Success: How a front desk job and a sharp suit transformed James' confidence—and his career trajectory.

🏨 From GM to Culture Guru: Why James took a step back from a general manager role to refine his leadership skills before stepping into a bigger game.

📖 Confetti Culture Playbook: The surprising backstory of how a personal leadership playbook turned into a published guide for workplace excellence.

🤝 Director of Culture – Best Job Ever?: James explains what his role entails and why every company needs to rethink how they engage employees.

🚀 Your Culture Is Your Competitive Edge: The dramatic shift in how hotel companies attract, retain, and inspire their teams—and why it's more crucial than ever.

🔥 Recognition Over Pizza Parties: Why celebrating employees properly is not about cheap perks but about real engagement that moves the needle.

🤯 Wedding Drama in the Lobby: The jaw-dropping loading dock story that could easily be mistaken for a reality TV plot.

📚 Grab James's Book: https://theconfetticultureplaybook.com/

🎧 Listen now and level up your workplace culture! If you loved enjoyed this episode want more like it, please subscribe, share, and leave a review. Need your burning hospitality questions answered? Call or text the hotline at 850-404-9630 to be featured on a future episode!

Mathew Focht is a pioneer in blending data-driven strategies with hospitality innovation. With a career spanning engineering, real estate development, and investments, he co-founded Consolidated Concepts, the largest group purchasing organization in the U.S., before launching Emerging Fund, a platform designed to scale tech-enabled concepts in the hospitality and entertainment sectors.

What You'll Learn About:

What really makes a location perfect for a restaurant?

How Mathew's love for data and design led him from planning golf course communities to revolutionizing mixed-use developments.

Which unorthodox methods Mathew used to gather insights for restaurant chains before big data became mainstream.

Why tech-enabled concepts like Putt Shack and F1 Arcade are taking center stage in the experience economy.

How undervaluing marketing costs you money.

If you loved enjoyed this episode want more like it, please subscribe, share, and leave a review. Need your burning hospitality questions answered? Call or text the hotline at 850-404-9630 to be featured on a future episode!

Alicia Zur-Szpiro is a trailblazer in creative industries, blending her background in game design with her passion for hospitality. Co-founder of Wonderland London, she helps hotels craft engaging, memorable experiences for families, backed by the insights from the company's pioneering "Kids and Teens Hospitality Report." Alicia's expertise spans innovation, family dynamics, and hospitality trends, with a focus on playful practicality and untapped potential.

What You'll Learn About:

From board games to boutique hotels: Alicia shares her journey from crafting card games to revolutionizing the family hotel experience.

The Kids and Teens Hospitality Report: Alicia discusses the surprising data on why urban hotels are missing out by not catering to younger guests.

Small touches, big returns: Learn why a dollar yo-yo earned more loyalty than a five-star view—and how hotels can replicate this magic.

Teens: The untapped market: Alicia explains why teens are often overlooked in hospitality and how small innovations, like a "kids minibar," can transform their stay.

Easy wins for hotels: Creative, cost-effective strategies for engaging kids and teens without turning the lobby into a water park.

Looking ahead: Alicia predicts that kids and teens will soon rival pets as hospitality VIPs and shares her vision for loyalty programs tailored to younger travelers.

If you loved Alicia's story and want more like it, please subscribe, share, and leave a review. Want your burning hospitality questions answered? Call or text the hotline at 850-404-9630 to be featured on a future episode!

Ryan Fitzgerald started his career as a saxophonist, faking his way onto a cruise ship gig and eventually becoming a cruise director. He transitioned to corporate roles with Carnival and Princess Cruises, managing brand partnerships and global entertainment. Now, as Executive VP of Sea Production at RWS Global, Ryan combines innovation, immersion, and improvisation to deliver world-class experiences across 40+ ships. Susan and Ryan talk about music, mentorship, and maritime magic.

What You'll Learn About:

How Ryan talked his way into a cruise gig as a musician—without fully knowing how to play all the instruments—and eventually mastered them!

What it was like behind the scenes creating jaw-dropping cruise entertainment, from oversized Yatzhee to improved opera.

How to adapt to challenges, like pivoting from a murder mystery to a jewelry heist experience due to some real-life, dark cruise drama.

What the Super Bowl and super ships have in common.

How to pack for your sea voyage, including why theme-night outfits can make or break your trip.

If you loved Ryan's story and want more like it, please subscribe, share, and leave a review. Want your burning hospitality questions answered? Call or text the hotline at 850-404-9630 to be featured on a future episode!

Micajah Sturdivant is the third-generation leader of MMI Hospitality Group, a hospitality company managing hotels, restaurants, golf clubs, and more across the Southeast. With roots in the foundational days of Holiday Inn, Micajah champions innovation in the ever-changing lodging industry. Susan and Micajah talk about embracing soft brands, fostering "psychological income," and blending tradition with modern business acumen.

What You'll Learn:

How Micajah's grandfather partnered with the Holiday Inn founder to diversify Mississippi's economy and plant the seeds for MMI's thriving hospitality empire.

Why fostering emotional well-being and trust among employees leads to unparalleled service in hospitality.

What the lodging spectrum can include: soft brands, branded residences, and multigenerational hotels.

How maintaining close personal connections helps Micajah's family innovate and thrive across generations.

What money laundering feels like in real life: a jaw-dropping story involving a Rolls Royce, a shady hotel owner, and some Ozark-style shenanigans.

Enjoyed Micajah's stories and insights? Don't forget to subscribe, share, and leave a review. Want your burning hospitality questions answered? Call or text the hotline at 850-404-9630 to be featured on a future episode!

Mitch Prensky is a food and beverage development consultant with a storied career spanning fine dining, catering, and hotel restaurant concepting. After founding and running Supper, a celebrated farm-to-table restaurant in Philadelphia, Mitch shifted gears to consulting, bringing his expertise to projects with Zabar's, Hyatt, and boutique hotels across the country. As co-founder of COJHO F&B Development, Mitch focuses on creating dining concepts that balance artistic vision with operational execution. Susan and Mitch talk about farms, budgets, and alien abduction.

What You'll Learn:

How time, capital, and talent factor into a successful restaurant launch.

Why building equity for staff and fostering kindness in the industry matters now more than ever. What Mitch predicts for a hyper-local, luxury-driven approach that emphasizes personalization and connection.

How Mitch's jazz background shaped his approach to hospitality and the parallels between performing and cooking.

Why Mitch pivoted from restaurant ownership to helping boutique hotels and independent operators refine their F&B programs.

Who picked vegetables at 6 AM for Mitch's acclaimed restaurant, Supper, where he grew his own ingredients just miles from the kitchen.

Loved Mitch's stories and insights? Don't forget to subscribe, share, and leave a review. Want your burning hospitality questions answered? Call or text the hotline at 850-404-9630 to be featured on a future episode!

Fabio Zaniboni is a visionary engineer with a career spanning automotive robotics, luxury yachting, and high-end hospitality. As a specialist in IoT solutions, Fabio combines innovation with sustainability to create unparalleled guest experiences in hotels worldwide with his company BubblyNet. Susan and Fabio talk about circadian lighting and sensor-driven HVAC for hospitality and guest well-being.

What You'll Learn:

How IoT can personalize guest stays, optimize HVAC, and even help you relax with customized lighting and fragrances.

Why IoT can cut energy waste without compromising guest experiences—and the importance of communicating those green efforts.

How the power of circadian lighting can improve sleep, mood, and overall well-being.

What affordable, impactful things hoteliers can do to enhance guest satisfaction.

Why the human touch still reigns supreme in the hotel 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.

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Geetika Agrawal is a designer and entrepreneur with a career that spans architecture, digital product creation, and cultural preservation. Formerly of Disney Imagineering and MasterCard, she has reimagined travel through Vacation With An Artist (VAWAA), a platform that connects travelers with master artisans for immersive craft experiences. Susan and Geetika talk about bamboo bicycles, beekeeping, and adventure.

Taking the Leap: Geetika shares how she transitioned from working for global brands like Disney Imagineering and MasterCard to launching her passion project, Vacation With An Artist (VAWAA).

Design Thinking for Life: How Geetika's background in architecture shaped her ability to design human-centered experiences in both digital products and cultural initiatives.

Crafting Connections: The transformative experiences of learning centuries-old crafts from master artisans worldwide, from Kyoto calligraphy to Napa Valley beekeeping.

Travel with Purpose: Why experiential learning vacations are more than just trips—they're immersive journeys into tradition, innovation, and personal growth.

The Future of Craftsmanship: Geetika predicts a revival of traditional crafts as tools for creativity and cultural preservation in a rapidly digitizing world.

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.

Niamh McAnally is an adventurer and author who has traveled the world as a hotelier and volunteer. With a career spanning from actor and director in Ireland to suba instructor on Key Largo, she's mastered the art of reinvention. In her book Following Sunshine, she chronicles her global volunteer journey, delivering insights on travel, resilience, and living boldly. Susan and Niamh talk about storytelling, sustainability, and self-discovery.

From Broadway to Beaches: Niamh shares how her theatrical upbringing in Ireland shaped her journey, from acting and directing to scuba diving and luxury hotel management on the remote island of Sark.

Island Life Hacks: Ever wonder what managing a hotel on an island with no cars, airports, or shopping malls teaches you? Niamh spills the beans on logistics, hiring for personality over experience, and making the best of tractor deliveries.

Following Sunshine: Learn how Niamh's passion for storytelling and exploration inspired her memoir about travel, personal growth, and finding connections around the globe.

Adventures in Volunteering: From tutoring in Tonga to marine conservation in Kenya, Niamh reveals the highs, the lessons, and even a few cringe-worthy moments of volunteering worldwide.

Life Lessons for Travelers and Dreamers: Niamh's advice on minimalism, adaptability, and trusting your instincts will inspire you to pack light and follow your dreams.

Tips for Smaller Hotels: Strategies for monetizing lobbies, meeting rooms, and more by rethinking public spaces as mixed-use areas.

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.

Pablo Torres is a seasoned hotelier with experience managing properties across Europe, from Spain to the UK. A revenue strategy expert, Pablo has trained hotel teams globally and collaborates with top industry software providers like Oaky. Susan and Pablo talk about creating customer-centric experiences, optimizing profit, and personalizing hospitality offerings.

From Night Audit to Revenue Maven: Pablo shares his journey from starting in night audit to becoming a sought-after expert in revenue strategy.

What is Ancillary Revenue?: Learn how hotels can transform overlooked offerings into profitable revenue streams and why they lag behind industries like airlines.

The Power of Upselling: Breakfasts and room upgrades? Pablo reveals simple upselling ideas that deliver immediate returns with minimal effort.

Lessons from Big Players: Pablo recounts a case study where a simple adjustment to staff incentives quadrupled a hotel's upselling revenue.

Tech in Action: How tools like Oaky are revolutionizing the guest experience by personalizing offers and boosting hotel profit margins.

Dynamic Pricing is Everywhere: Surprising examples from McDonald's to fine dining show how hotels can embrace this strategy without alienating guests.

Personalization is King: Pablo emphasizes using guest data wisely to create Netflix-like personalized experiences, driving loyalty and satisfaction.

Tips for Smaller Hotels: Strategies for monetizing lobbies, meeting rooms, and more by rethinking public spaces as mixed-use areas.

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.