Hospitality Daily Podcast

In this episode, Micah Solomon shares advice for hospitality leaders on creating a culture that empowers employees to delight guests.Listeners will learn:The importance of proper employee selection, considering both technical skills and interpersonal abilities (00:50)How to create a culture where exceptional performance becomes "how it's done around here" (01:44)The impact of senior leadership and veteran employees on setting the tone for new hires (02:26)How Apple Stores learned from the hospitality industry to provide exceptional customer service (04:21)The role of training and a "culture of yes" in fostering employee excitement and customer-centric behavior (05:46) 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, Micah Solomon, author, speaker, and customer experience expert, shares insights on creating memorable experiences for guests and customers through the power of presence.Listeners will learn:The importance of giving customers your full attention and stopping conversations with colleagues when a customer approaches (01:43)Understanding the dislocated state of mind customers are in, especially in the hospitality industry, and the need for empathy (02:43)Avoiding overused questions and instead asking fresh, engaging questions (04:26)The significance of attentiveness, creativity, and having enough staff to provide exceptional service (06:00)The Ritz-Carlton's approach to empowering staff to create "wow" experiences for guests (06:25)An example of The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain going above and beyond to create a memorable Hobbit-themed experience for a guest's birthday (07:18)The importance of recognizing when it's not the right time for a "wow" experience (09:13) 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, Micah Solomon, author, speaker, and customer experience expert, shares insights on the importance of service in the hospitality industry and how businesses can stand out, drive word of mouth, and succeed.Examples of service excellence (01:06) - How companies like Ritz-Carlton and Audi of America use exceptional service as a competitive advantage.The impact of word of mouth (01:58) - How word of mouth and online reviews influence customer decisions and the importance of creating memorable customer experiences.Challenges and opportunities in hospitality 04:21) - Observations on the hospitality industry over the past five years, including the impact of COVID-19 and rising customer expectations.Cost-effective ways to improve service (05:35) - Strategies for improving service without significant capital investment, such as focusing on customer interactions and avoiding ineffective cost-cutting measures like check-in kiosks.Personalized guest experiences (06:32) - The importance of personalized service and how different guests have different preferences, including the use of mobile check-in options. 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, Micah Solomon, a customer service expert and author, shares his insights on creating memorable customer experiences and elevating businesses to the highest level of customer service.Listeners will learn:The three levels of customer service and why businesses should aim for the top level (01:01)How Micah conducts idiosyncratic mystery shopping to assess a company's customer service (02:15)The importance of using appropriate language, greeting customers promptly, and handling complaints without getting defensive (03:07)Micah's background in running a successful manufacturing company and co-authoring a book with a Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company representative (03:57)How Micah's childhood experiences and attention to detail led him to his current profession (05:02)The applicability of customer service principles across various industries, as they are rooted in understanding human nature (06:31) 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

Dina Belon, president of Staypineapple Hotels, discusses the growing significance of sustainability in the hospitality sector. She highlights how eco-friendly practices attract modern travelers, especially in group and business travel. Belon emphasizes the need for creativity in sustainability, revealing how it’s more than just costs. She also addresses the role of industry associations in unifying sustainability certifications and the importance of precise, third-party verified sustainability reporting for marketing hotels effectively.

In this episode, Casey Barks, Vice President of Marketing at Staypineapple Hotels, shares his insights on how Staypineapple has digitized and streamlined its influencer management process.Listeners will learn:The tools and metrics Staypineapple uses to evaluate an influencer's true monetary value (03:52)Their innovative approach to influencer contracts, ensuring accountability and protecting the hotel's interests (06:50)Why influencer marketing is set to become even more significant in the future and how the hospitality industry can do it right (10:29) 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, Dina Belon, President at Staypineapple Hotels, shares insights on their innovative approach to working with hotel owners and investors. Mike Hirschler, the company's Chief Growth Officer, discusses the challenges that have held back many in the industry and how Staypineapple is addressing them. Casey Barks, the company's VP of Marketing, explains how they're capturing the magic of their brand to drive demand and accelerate business growth.Listeners will learn:The challenges with the traditional hotel business model and fee structures that owners and investors are struggling with (01:30)How Staypineapple's centralized model allows for a more efficient approach to hotel management (02:57)The importance of innovation (08:21)The structural barriers to innovation in the hotel industry and how Staypineapple is overcoming them (11:28)The benefits of building relationships and taking a long-term approach (30:59)How Staypineapple is leveraging technology to provide a competitive advantage (39:40)The power of a playful and genuine brand in driving recognition and demand (46:33)The marketing rule of three and the importance of having your brand drive interest and curiosity (48:47) 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

This episode is part of our series with Staypineapple Hotels. Listen to episode 1, episode 2, and episode 3 if you missed them.In this episode, Dina Belon, President at Staypineapple Hotels, shares how they use technology, including AI, to enhance personalized service and create memorable guest experiences.Listeners will learn:How Staypineapple pushed its technology partners to align with their goal of delivering hyper-personalized service (01:34)The importance of collecting and using actionable guest data across the portfolio to build stronger guest relationships (04:58)Why Staypineapple is integrating its POS system with its PMS to eliminate transactions and allow staff to focus on engaging with guests (06:24)The need to utilize AI to help build better relationships, not eliminate human interaction (07:45)How Staypineapple created its own AI, "Chat Pineapple," which is learning from all of the company's intellectual property (09:40)The goal of using AI to replace traditional SOP manuals and provide contextual, conversation-based training for employees (11:04)An example of how Chat Pineapple assists staff in drafting authentic responses to guest reviews (12:58)The belief that AI will give the hospitality industry the ability to be more hospitable and cater to guests' desire for human connection and memorable experiences (14:30)If you enjoyed this, listen to my earlier conversation with Dina here: How We Are Upgrading Our Hotel Tech To Delight Our Guests 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

This episode is part of our series with Staypineapple Hotels. Listen to episode 1 and episode 2 if you missed them.In this episode, Dina Belon and Mike Hirschler at Staypineapple Hotels share insights into the company's unique approach to people and culture, which has earned them recognition as the "best place to work" by The Seattle Times.By listening, you'll learn:How Staypineapple refers to their frontline staff as "hoteliers" to reflect their company values (01:41)The "Surprise and Delight" program that empowers team members to go above and beyond for guests, exemplified by a story of someone who did this (02:14)How Staypineapple encourages authenticity among team members by allowing them to wear their own clothes, use preferred pronouns, and cultivate friendships at work (05:39)The importance of the company's internal Facebook group in fostering authentic connections among team members (06:44)How Staypineapple incorporates team members' passions and interests to create curated guest experiences (07:41)The significance of storytelling in reinforcing company culture and values (11:29)How focusing on team member experience translates to delivering value for hotel owners through increased revenue and reduced expenses (12:36)The role of executive leadership in staying connected with frontline staff and supporting a strong company culture (16:26) 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

This episode is part of our series with Staypineapple Hotels. Listen to episode 1 here.In this episode, Dina Belon, President at Staypineapple Hotels, shares her company's unique vision for hospitality and what's behind their successful operations.Listeners will learn:How Staypineapple Hotels focuses on teaching the "why" to their employees, empowering them to solve problems using critical thinking (01:04)The importance of creating memories for guests and how it ties into Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (05:07)The three key elements of Staypineapple's health and wellness approach: sleep, hydration, and movement (07:01)How the company strategically selects hotel locations near public transit to encourage guests to explore cities on foot or by alternative transportation (08:22)The adaptability of the Staypineapple concept, which allows them to work with various building types and help independent hotel owners maintain their unique character (10:50) 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