Joining the show this week is someone who rejects normality in his pursuit to disrupt the hospitality industry, and who uses hospitality as a tool for preservation. Please welcome to the show, Author of the book “More Escapism”, and Director of Bensley Studios, Bill Bensley!

Bill sits down with Host Dan Ryan for an enlightening conversation on the intersection between hospitality and conservation. Bill shares the importance of understanding the natural site you’re building on, the benefit to training a local talent pool, and how his paintings build houses. Bill also shares some of the work the Shinta Mani Foundation has done including building over 150 houses and 1800 water wells, and funding local conservation projects. 

Takeaways: 

• Hospitality involves sharing the deep knowledge of a place through architecture and design. A good project should always reflect the culture and the environment in which it is based. 
• While much of hospitality is focused on sharing new experiences, it also needs to be focused on protecting the local environments. Through the revenue generated at a hotel, conservation programs should be put in place. 
• Understanding the idiosyncrasies of natural sites is key to successful projects. Embracing and respecting Mother Nature's beauty is crucial in landscape and architectural design.
• Budget is a key component of any project, and when clients come in with big dreams, balancing those two desires can be tricky. To alleviate this, strong communication allows you to educate clients on what can realistically be achieved
• The best way to learn about a site is to physically  spend time there before you start designing. By sketching on site, you get new perspectives and up close details that may not be accounted for on a first pass render. 
• If you are building a hotel in an area with a limited talent pool, training local citizens is a strong strategy. This approach both develops a local workforce for the hotel, and offers local communities the chance to learn new skills and find employment. 

Quote of the Show:

• “Even though I'm a pretty darn good architect, no matter what I put on that site, it's never gonna be as good as what Mother Nature has already given us.” - Bill Bensley

Links:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/billbensley/?hl=en 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-bensley-336984b3/ 
• Website: https://www.bensley.com/ 
• Website: https://shintamanifoundation.org/ 
• Book Link: https://thamesandhudson.com/more-escapism-hotels-resorts-and-gardens-around-the-world-by-bill-bensley-9780500024683 

Shout Outs:

• 04:20 - Shinta Mani Wild: https://shintamani.com/wild/ 
• 07:50 - Cal Poly Pomona: https://www.cpp.edu/ 
• 08:05 - Intercontinental Danang: https://www.danang.intercontinental.com/ 
• 08:06 - JW Marriott Phu Quoc: https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/pqcjw-jw-marriott-phu-quoc-emerald-bay-resort-and-spa/overview/ 
• 08:08 - Rosewood Luang Prabang: https://www.rosewoodhotels.com/en/luang-prabang 
• 15:57 - Capella Ubud: https://capellahotels.com/en/capella-ubud 
• 18:31 - Coleman: https://www.coleman.com/ 
• 23:29 - Shinta Mani Mustang: https://shintamani.com/mustang/ 
• 23:58 - Conde Nast: https://www.condenast.com/ 
• 25:27 - Hôtel de la Paix
• 26:40 - Park Hyatt Siem Reap: https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/cambodia/park-hyatt-siem-reap/repph 
• 28:58 - MOCA Bangkok: https://mocabangkok.com/about-us/ 
• 31:58 - Shinta Mani Foundation: https://shintamanifoundation.org/ 
• 37:32 - Baker Furniture: https://www.bakerfurniture.com/ 
• 38:04 - Restoration Hardware: https://rh.com/us/en/ 
• 38:18 - Jim Thompson: https://www.jimthompson.com/en 
• 38:39 - High Point Market: https://www.highpointmarket.org/ 
• 44:36 - Jim Thompson House: https://jimthompsonhouse.org/ 

Ways to Tune In: 

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419