Hospitality Daily Podcast

In this episode, Jeremy Wells, principal at Longitude and partner at Flyover Developments, shares more on his LinkedIn post exploring hospitality through the lens of Christian faith. He explains how Christianity shapes his view of hospitality as love expressed through everyday actions at work, with guests, teams, and peers. The conversation focuses on integrating belief into professional life with humility, openness, and service. Read Jeremy's post on hospitality as an act of loveListen to our previous conversation: Why Being Yourself Attracts the Right Opportunities in HospitalityA few more resources: If you're new to Hospitality Daily, start here. You can send me a message here with questions, comments, or guest suggestions If you want to get my summary and actionable insights from each episode delivered to your inbox each day, subscribe here for free. Follow Hospitality Daily and join the conversation on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram. If you want to advertise on Hospitality Daily, here are the ways we can work together. If you found this episode interesting or helpful, send it to someone on your team so you can turn the ideas into action and benefit your business and the people you serve! Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands

In this episode, Jeremy Wells, principal at Longitude and partner at Flyover Developments, shares more on his recent LinkedIn post where he reflects on his life and career and how it connects to a key shift he made. Jeremy shares how years of trying to look and act the part in creative circles pulled him away from the work he actually wanted to do. He explains how leaning into his roots and his real strengths changed the kinds of opportunities, partners, and projects that started finding him. This conversation offers a practical perspective on authenticity as a strategic advantage for hospitality leaders building their careers.Learn about The Ozarker Lodge (Jeremy's hotel)Buy Jeremy's book -- INDIE HOTEL: Why Hoteliers Are Breaking Free from Chains and Choosing IndependenceListen to our first recording: "Why I moved from tech to hospitality...and stayed" (2022) A few more resources: If you're new to Hospitality Daily, start here. You can send me a message here with questions, comments, or guest suggestions If you want to get my summary and actionable insights from each episode delivered to your inbox each day, subscribe here for free. Follow Hospitality Daily and join the conversation on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram. If you want to advertise on Hospitality Daily, here are the ways we can work together. If you found this episode interesting or helpful, send it to someone on your team so you can turn the ideas into action and benefit your business and the people you serve! Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands

Jeremy Wells, a leading figure at Longitude Branding Agency and partner at Flyover Developments, discusses his latest endeavor—a fishing resort in the Ozarks. He shares insights on his immersive design process, which involves vintage fishing books for inspiration. The conversation delves into the future of hospitality, emphasizing a shift towards localized and authentic experiences. Wells argues that independent hotels offer unique, community-focused stays, contrasting with cookie-cutter brands and promoting local pride to ensure lasting success.

Rob Blood, founder and chairman of Lark, is a pioneer in hospitality-driven community development. He discusses how connected spaces like lodging, bars, and bookstores in Cambridge, Massachusetts cultivate relationships. Rob emphasizes the importance of creating environments that encourage people to linger, enhancing both guest and local experiences. He shares insights on transforming bookstores into inviting havens and the role hotels can play as community hubs, showcasing the power of hospitality in fostering connection.

Rob Blood, founder and chairman of Lark, joins the show to reflect on the collapse of Sonder and what it revealed for owners, operators, brands, and technology companies. Drawing from firsthand experience working with properties affected, Rob explains where the master lease model broke down and why control and transparency matter when hotels operate at scale. The conversation explores the right role of technology in hospitality, the limits of venture-driven growth, and how strong partnerships help hotels recover fast when things go wrong. For leaders across disciplines, this episode offers clear, practical lessons on building resilient hospitality businesses. A few more resources: If you're new to Hospitality Daily, start here. You can send me a message here with questions, comments, or guest suggestions If you want to get my summary and actionable insights from each episode delivered to your inbox each day, subscribe here for free. Follow Hospitality Daily and join the conversation on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram. If you want to advertise on Hospitality Daily, here are the ways we can work together. If you found this episode interesting or helpful, send it to someone on your team so you can turn the ideas into action and benefit your business and the people you serve! Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands

In this episode, Tony Roumph, Managing Director of Argonaut Hotel in San Francisco, shares a practical look at how his team balances timeless hospitality with modern operational realities. This episode includes a case study on how AI and workflow automation reduced front desk call volume by 80 percent, freeing teams to focus on the people in front of them.Technologies Tony mentions:EHVA AIAlice by Actabl Also see: "He Gave Me the Opportunity to Fail, and That Changed Everything" - Tony Roumph, Argonaut HotelWhy Mentorship Beats Micromanagement in Hotels - Tony Roumph, Argonaut HotelBetter Together: How We Aligned Hotel Operations, Staffing & Financial Performance with Actabl - Steven Marais, Noble House Hotels & Resorts A few more resources: If you're new to Hospitality Daily, start here. You can send me a message here with questions, comments, or guest suggestions If you want to get my summary and actionable insights from each episode delivered to your inbox each day, subscribe here for free. Follow Hospitality Daily and join the conversation on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram. If you want to advertise on Hospitality Daily, here are the ways we can work together. If you found this episode interesting or helpful, send it to someone on your team so you can turn the ideas into action and benefit your business and the people you serve! Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands

Tony Roumph, Managing Director of the Argonaut Hotel, shares insights on the value of mentorship over micromanagement in hotel operations. He emphasizes how empowering leaders improves team performance and builds a stronger culture. Roumph discusses the importance of teaching financial concepts to break down silos and foster collaboration across departments. He also highlights the blend of emotional intelligence and practical business strategies in hospitality, revealing how these elements can drive success.

Tony Roumph, the Managing Director of the Argonaut Hotel in San Francisco, shares insights from his impactful career in hospitality. He reflects on a pivotal moment when a former boss allowed him to fail, a lesson that fostered his leadership style. Tony discusses his unique hiring philosophy, emphasizing the importance of warmth over teachable skills, and offers practical interview questions to reveal a candidate's empathy. He also explores the delicate balance between embracing technology and maintaining meaningful human connections in the industry.

Tony Roumph, Managing Director of the Argonaut Hotel, dives into the heart of community engagement in San Francisco. He shares the hotel’s rich history and its role as a National Park Service museum, enhancing guests' connection to the city's past. Tony also highlights community initiatives like fundraising and local events that reflect civic responsibility. With renewed optimism for San Francisco’s recovery, he discusses how hospitality leaders can actively shape the city’s narrative and the exciting resurgence of its cultural scene.

In this episode, Mews founder Richard Valtr shares a practical look at how AI is reshaping hotel operations, guest experience, and revenue strategy. The conversation focuses on why hoteliers should design the guest journey first, then apply technology to scale it—along with concrete ideas for monetizing beyond rooms and preparing teams for what’s coming next in hospitality tech.Resources:Our previous conversation with Richard: Hospitality is 'eating the world' - here's what it means for your business and your careerBehind the Stays podcast: How He Built Mews — And Rewired the Modern Hotel StaySkift podcast: Rewiring Hotel Tech for HumansModern Hotelier podcast: Helping Hoteliers Monetize the Full 24 ExperienceBook a demo with MewsChapters: 00:02:16 What does Mews do?00:03:28 What is a PMS?00:05:42 The 3 assets in a hotel business00:08:01 Monetization opportunities00:14:19 Opportunities without admin work00:15:44 Experiment: Building customer archetypes with AI00:21:49 "Red teaming" to "destroy" the company00:24:38 Agentic hospitality00:25:55 Future: Mesh of AI-assisted work00:27:13 LLMs as middleware00:29:35 Misconceptions00:31:54 The first thing you need to do00:33:30 AI needs the truth00:35:38 Speeding up training content creation00:36:36 Where to start with using AI00:41:36 Advice for finding technology partners00:42:26 What Richard is proud of at Mews nowThis is a special sponsor bonus episode, sponsored by Mews.A few more resources: If you're new to Hospitality Daily, start here. You can send me a message here with questions, comments, or guest suggestions If you want to get my summary and actionable insights from each episode delivered to your inbox each day, subscribe here for free. Follow Hospitality Daily and join the conversation on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram. If you want to advertise on Hospitality Daily, here are the ways we can work together. If you found this episode interesting or helpful, send it to someone on your team so you can turn the ideas into action and benefit your business and the people you serve! Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands