Shows
No ShowThe Grand Designs of Tonya Almallah SchmittAs founder and creative director of the boutique interior design firm AIDT Designs, Tonya is changing the way we think about boutique hotel, resort, and lifestyle design. Whether design property in the Keys or reimagining a resort brand from the ground up, her work is layered, luxe, and never, ever forgettable.We talk about her early career working under Las Vegas visionaries Steve Wynn & Roger Thomas, how design can influence the entire guest experience, collaborating on Margaritaville, sourcing one-of-a-kind local finds, and elevating design on a tight budget.For more on Tonya and AIDT visit...2025-08-0527 minNo ShowUrban Cowboy's Lyon PorterLyon Porter is one of the most talked-about hoteliers of our time. Alongside co-founder and partner Jersey Banks, he transformed a five-room Brooklyn townhouse into the first Urban Cowboy. The industry, and the media, pay close attention to the brand, which now spokes into hotel properties in the Catskills, Nashville, and the newest location, a Gilded Age Denver mansion, which opened within the last year.We talk about the origins of Urban Cowboy, catching cities and regions at the right time, the unique method of sourcing items for each property, how big hospitality chases (and f...2025-07-2229 minNo ShowOn The Road With Ben Hill, Minor League Baseball's StorytellerThere are dream jobs, and then there are jobs like Ben Hill's. Ben's Baseball Traveler newsletter is part culinary adventure, part architecture column on stadiums new and old, part biography series on characters of the game, part observer of the wild and wacky situations that occur nightly in cities coast to coast, part troubadour of the joys and heartbreaks inherent in Minor League Baseball.But where does he go, what does he see, what stories does he tell, where does he stay, how did he get into this business, and what are his favorite minor...2025-07-0827 minNo ShowRocco Bova's Profit-Sharing Hotel Business ModelFrom New Delhi to the Yucatan Jungle, from the Indian Ocean to the Caribbean, Rocco Bova has crisscrossed the world, defining what luxury hotels are and can be. The My Humble House founder talks about building a profit-sharing hospitality company, creating change in a change-averse industry, working within nature, finding the right investors, and offbeat destinations in Italy and Mexico.https://www.instagram.com/rocco.bova/https://www.linkedin.com/company/my-humble-house/2025-06-1726 minNo ShowHeather Heverling from Audley TravelJeff and Matt speak with Heather Heverling, President and Managing Director of Audley Travel, about the stratospheric rise of bespoke travel, the purchasing power of solo female travelers, the growing desire for unique in-country experiences, the need for local connections, the trip that totally subverted her expectations, and what makes Audley Travel different in the travel market.https://www.audleytravel.com/https://www.instagram.com/audleytravel/2025-06-0426 minNo ShowGlenn HaussmanGlenn Haussman's podcast No Vacancy is essential listening for anyone in the business, featuring notable names in the industry, coverage of major events, and reportage on ideas and economics. He joins us to talk luxury, labor costs, practicing the art of optimism in 2025, sustainability, and, of course, Phish.https://novacancynews.com/https://www.instagram.com/travelingglenn/2025-05-2034 minNo ShowBig Questions about Hotels (Spring 2025 Edition)Questions like:What's the secret number hotel people really care about?Is the hotel market oversaturated in the U.S.?Are there any markets that really are oversaturated though?What's an underserved luxury market?Who are the hotel winners in 2025? Who's making lemonade?And is the hotel concierge truly dead?2025-05-0937 minNo ShowU.S. Tourism in Crisis: Aran Ryan on Travel, Tariffs, and TradeFear, money, and restrictions are a combustible mixture in any business sector, but in travel it can be a death knell for some businesses. The tariff situation is changing daily, and while the emphasis has been on physical goods, there is a growing shadow on tourism. Aran Ryan, Director of Industry Studies at Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics Company, talks about how trade wars negatively affect US travel, how tourism is already taking a hit, and what we can do to ride this out.2025-04-1523 minNo ShowWhat Exactly Is Regenerative Tourism?Regenerative tourism focuses on leaving places better than you found them, supporting local economies, preserving culture, and protecting the environment. How does that translate to street-level tourism? Does the term "regenerative" suffer from the same thing that plagues "sustainability"—where rhetoric is strong and the action remains weak? Travelers regularly rate sustainability as a top five criteria in making travel decisions, but their buying behavior tells a very different story.Then again, there are huge upsides in rethinking everything about the way we travel, especially now. We look at what's working, what's not, and what's ahead....2025-04-0322 minNo ShowMysteries of Air Traffic Control with Greg AretakisFlying through a perfect storm of staff shortages, archaic technology, DOGE crosshairs, and mounting safety concerns, America's air traffic control system stands at a critical crossroads. So, how can we fix all this? Master of the Air Greg Aretakis returns to guide us to the runway, providing a 101 course on how air traffic control works.2025-03-1833 minNo Show8 Solutions for OvertourismOvertourism is one of those sprawling topics that everybody in the travel business has opinions on. Solutions are a bit more complicated, but let's dig in with tourism taxes, diversionary tactics, bans on cruise ships, the rise of "de-marketing," tax credits for better business practices, caps on hotel construction, and other tools that make our lives and our travel plans a bit less frantic.2025-03-0422 minNo ShowTravel Journalist Carley ThornellOn a stunningly regular basis, Pulitzer Prize winner Carley Thornell delivers insightful stories about sustainability, design, adventure, health, and travel. We talk space tourism, secret hotels, how people think about luxury, what Trump 2.0 means for tourism, the tax on families when they travel, and lots, lots more.https://muckrack.com/carley-d-thornell/articles 2025-02-1926 minNo ShowView From The Wing's Gary LeffWhen people say that someone needs no introduction, we think they're talking about View From The Wing's Gary Leff. He is one of the world's foremost experts in miles, points, and frequent business travel. Gary talks with us about the math behind airline loyalty programs, how he comes across the strangest stories in travel, the differences between airlines and hotels when they start co-branding with partners, how airlines define their "best customers" and way, way more.https://viewfromthewing.com/2025-02-0533 minNo ShowZach Demuth from JLL's Hotels and Hospitality GroupThe hardest working man in hotel research talks with us about the state of hotel brand acquisitions, optimism among investors about urban markets and luxury assets, and how hotels can learn from Taylor Swift (can't we all?). Plus: What's the most overrated statistic in hotel research? What's one piece of unvarnished advice he'd give to a new investment group? Why are partnerships on the rise in Vegas and Orlando?https://www.us.jll.com/en/people/zachariah-demuthhttps://www.hotelmanagement.net/transactions/review-2024-year-us-hospitality-deals2025-01-2134 minNo ShowFake Listener Mailbag - 2024 EditionRejoice America, Jeff and Matt answer critical questions from fake listeners. If we could change one thing about the travel industry, what would it be? What are some of the best travel and travel business articles we've read this year? What's the next hot destination? What's the biggest trend coming for the industry in 2025? Whatever happened to Yakov Smirnoff?Articles we mention:The Branson PilgrimAirbnb's idea to hold gladiator battles in Rome's Colosseum isn't going down well with some local lawmakersCBRE analysis of loyalty programsColorado’s I-70 Ha...2024-12-2325 minNo ShowThe State of Hotel Loyalty ProgramsCBRE's Rachel Rothman and Christine Bang understand hotel brand performance and equity analysis like very few others in this business. We talk about the overall health grade they'd give to hotel loyalty programs, what we mean when we talk about luxury, hospitality partnerships aiming to reach new audiences, how loyalty programs can grow, and way, way more.https://www.cbre.com/insights/reports/hotel-brand-performance-2024https://www.cbre.com/insights/articles/hotel-loyalty-programs-betting-on-the-law-of-large-numbershttps://www.cbre.com/insights/viewpoints/maturation-of-the-hotel-industry-drives-convergence-with-other-sectors-to-facilitate-growth2024-12-1328 minNo ShowWarm Cookies and Changing Skies: The Evolution and Future of Air Travel with Greg AretakisIf Greg Aretakis had a coaching tree, it would literally include every CEO and high-ranking executive in the airline industry. We talk with the Midwest Express Airlines president about the much-needed role of mid-sized airlines, how antitrust investigations get started, the future of private air travel and small airfields, whether completely electric planes will ever fly, and so so so much more!2024-11-2533 minNo ShowHotel Valuation with Steve RushmoreSteve Rushmore can tell you everything, and I mean everything about your hotel. His "Rushmore Approach" for allocating a hotel’s total value is the stuff of lore, but how do you even begin to evaluate a hotel's worth? What are all the factors that go into it? What makes for a particularly difficult appraisal? Is the "income approach" really the best way to appraise a hotel? And is it true Steve can appraise a hotel in 60 seconds?https://steverushmore.com/2024-11-1326 minNo ShowWhat's In The Air?When we fly, most of us have no idea what kind of plane we're on, we just get in and go. Travel and airline journalist Edward Russell tells us what kinds of planes dominate the U.S. market, why they dominate the market, how long planes stay in circulation, and the process for buying, selling, and regulating big ol' jet airliners. Plus: America's best small airport, one thing he'd change about the check-in process, and the biggest change facing the airline industry.https://byerussell.substack.com/2024-10-1625 minNo ShowTravel Journalism with JD ShadelAre "sensory inclusive" cities possible? Why do we take the basic UX of airports, hotels, and public spaces for granted? What's the report card on hotel and travel company marketing to LGBTQ+ audiences? What's the problem with carbon offsets? And why aren't more airports like PDX? Matt and Jeff solve mysteries and speak truths with JD Shadel, a London-based strategist, editor, and freelance journalist working at the intersection of tech and lifestyle, and you can read their recent work at:https://www.cntraveler.com/contributor/jd-shadelhttps://www.jdshadel.com/https://www.washingtonpost.com/people...2024-10-0132 minNo ShowHolly Zoba, Pioneer of Travel MarketingLike a prophet emerging from the haze of the Arizona desert, our guest Holly Zoba leads hospitality brands to the promised land. She has decades of experience in hotel sales and marketing, and has founded, co-founded, or been essential to companies that are dedicated to educating generations of hotel professionals. Her classes are THE gold standard of hospitality sales training, and we talk about how digital marketing is changing to meet new audiences, getting on board the AI train, new trends in customer loyalty, and the importance of carpool etiquette on snow days.https://hotelbschool...2024-09-1725 minNo ShowTara Boyce-Hofmann of AFS-USATravel inspires us to imagine and the American Field Service is a special catalyst. President Tara Boyce-Hofmann shares with No Show the spark that AFS-USA unleashes through the unlimited power of young minds to dream. To become global citizens. To question the ethics of borders and practice diplomatic dialog.https://www.afsusa.org/ https://www.instagram.com/afs_usa2024-09-0326 minNo ShowHow Government Travel WorksThis time of year is known as RFP season, the glorious time when corporate America sends their travel planners to conferences like GBTA (Global Business Travel Association) to negotiate prices and with hotels for next year. A time of wonder and mystery!If it were a company, the federal government would be the largest travel buyer of hotel stays in America, possibly in the world. And not by a little bit, it dwarfs the next highest which is believed to be Deloitte, BY TEN TIMES!How does all of this work, who benefits, where's it...2024-08-2021 minNo ShowIsaac Collazo from STRIsaac Collazo is VP of Analytics at STR, Smith Travel Research, THE global leader in hospitality data benchmarking, analytics and marketplace insights. What does that mean? It means when it comes to hotel numbers, nobody understands them like Isaac, but what he really understands, Moneyball style, is the story behind the data.We get into STR reports, what metaphor Isaac would use to describe the first half of this year, the future of extended stay, how a new U.S. president would affect the hotel industry, the difference between office vacancy stats and hotel vacancy stats, and...2024-07-3121 minNo ShowBrian Sumers of The Airline ObserverThe airline industry. Brian Sumers lives it, he breathes, he speaks truth about it unlike anybody else. He is the founder and editor of The Airline Observer, a newsletter covering the global airline business. He's also co-host of The Air Show in which he discusses the business of the sky.Brian talks with Jeff and Matt about shenanigans at Southwest Airlines, whether inbound flight traffic from China is ever coming back, saving Boeing, Jetblue's pivot, and the future of loyalty programs.2024-07-2527 min