hotels and motels

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.

Kate Jerkens planned her childhood birthday parties with the efficiency of Jennifer Lopez in the Wedding Planner and parlayed those organizational skills into an events, sales, and marketing career in hotels. When former colleague Fawn Weaver approached with a top secret project in 2016, Kate was in, and together they launched Uncle Nearest. On its face a whiskey brand, Uncle Nearest is so much more, and Susan and Kate talk about how the company is building a legacy that transcends the liquid in the bottle.

The loading dock is the best place in a hospitality business to tell tall tales, share secrets, and generally dish the dirt. From a mysterious top hat to a motorbike accident, part two of this year's loading dock stories from the 34th Hunter Hotel Investment Conference are all over the map. ICYMI, catch part one of stories from Hunter in episode 81.

Ryan Rivett grew up surrounded by two things: fish and hotels. As CEO of My Place Hotels, Ryan sees himself as a builder, both literally as he oversees the company's construction efforts, and figuratively as he shepards his brand through its growth to more than 100 franchises. Susan and Ryan talk about the itch to travel, the inefficiencies of public space, and the dangers of fishy fish.

From being held up at gun point to mistaking a potted plant for a urinal, this year's loading dock stories from the 34th Hunter Hotel Investment Conference did not disappoint. Listen to these funny, crazy, and just-plain-weird tales from hoteliers, and count your blessings if none of this foolishness has ever happened to you. More stories from Hunter coming in episode 83.

Lori Kiel sold vacuums door-to-door and studied to be a travel agent, but she found her home in the hotel business. As Chief Commercial Officer at the Kessler Collection, Lori sees her role as directing traffic by keeping the experts in sales, marketing, and revenue strategy moving forward at the same speeds without crashing into each other. Susan and Lori talk about moving from prospecting to R&D, avoiding an obsession with the red pen, and creating special teams for special duties, including dealing with dead bodies.

Madison Rifkin invented a bike lock at age 12, patented it at 15, and is now CEO of the company it inspired a decade later. As co-founder of Mount, Madi helps travelers make memories by allowing them to easily rent equipment and gear like kayaks, golf clubs, and scooters. Susan and Madi talk about revenue streams for short-term rental hosts, fundraising, and how to (maybe?) rent a car in Hawaii.

Joanna Jagger is a championship oyster-shucker, but her real passion lies in making space for women at every table in hospitality. As a professor and leader of WORTH Association, Joanna conducts research and holds events that endeavor to move women in recreation, tourism, and hospitality forward. Susan and Joanna talk about their non-biological sisterhood, how higher ed can help hospitality, and when you've got to kick out a high-dollar guest.

Eleanor Erickson is something of a hotel unicorn. She spent the first 22 years of her career at the same hotel, rising from the front desk to regional director in the process. After wrapping up that chapter, Eleanor is now a hotel culture consultant and coach who helps properties bridge the gaps between brand identity and local operations. Susan and Eleanor talk about fried chicken vs. pizza, combing through trash, and how to keep cool when guests are acting, well, crazy.

Derrick Barker was a football player, robot maker, and Goldman Sachs trader before he started investing in multi-family real estate. After getting his hands dirty as a real estate investor, Derrick and co-founder/spouse Brittany Mosely founded Nectar, a start-up that endeavors to provide cash flow financing to the short-term rental industry. Susan and Derrick talk about parental expectations, tough markets, and why phone calls are no longer allowed at closing dinners.

Jennifer Hill is everyone's favorite revenue person, most likely because she brings an improv veteran's "yes, and" attitude to everything she does. Vice President of Commercial Strategy at Kalibri Labs, Jennifer is spreading the gospel about how data-driven decision-making and collaboration can make hotels more profitable. Susan and Jennifer talk about leaving jobs that don't quite fit, building a better revenue mousetrap, and crying at the Loading Dock.

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 susan@topfloorpodcast.com 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.