Hospitality Daily Podcast

In this conversation, Emily Johnson, founder of Elevate Wellness Collective, returns to move the conversation from wellness theory to practical execution. Drawing on her background in luxury mystery shopping and experiential audits, she explains how a structured wellness audit helps hotels uncover hidden revenue opportunities already inside their operations. From sleep-focused room upgrades and minibar redesigns to team training and retreat partnerships, she outlines how operators can drive incremental top-line growth without major capital investment. If you are looking to offset rising costs, improve retention, and open new pockets of demand, this episode gives you a clear framework to turn wellness into a measurable profit center.More from Emily:Elevate Wellness CollectiveSubstackInstagram 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 suggestionsIf 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 conversation, Emily Johnson, founder of Elevate Wellness Collective, joins the show to unpack what hotels often misunderstand about wellness. Drawing on her background in hotel investment and development, Emily explains why wellness extends beyond the spa and how mental health and emotional well-being shape the overall stay. The discussion explores wellness as a strategic lens for design and operations, not a standalone amenity, and why hospitality leaders need to rethink how wellness fits into their business objectives. More from Emily:Elevate Wellness CollectiveSubstackInstagramGlobal Wellness Institute postLinkedIn post: Accor x Globetrender studyLinkedIn Post: Global Wellness Summit recapArticle: How Integrating Mental Health Into the Guest Journey Drives Profit 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 suggestionsIf 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, Bashar Wali, founder and CEO of Practice Hospitality and This Assembly, shares how observing human behavior shapes his perspective on hospitality. 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 suggestionsIf 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, Bashar Wali, founder and CEO of Practice Hospitality and This Assembly, shares a candid perspective shaped by staying in a different hotel every night he travels, explaining how overdesigned spaces, sensory overload, and scripted service have pushed hospitality away from its core purpose. This conversation reframes hotels as a respite from daily chaos, not an experience competing for attention. Also see: Delighting Guests: Easier Than Ever? (Bashar Wali, Practice Hospitality)Let's Return To The Art of Hospitality - Bashar Wali, Practice Hospitality 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 suggestionsIf 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 special bonus episode from Actabl, Josiah Mackenzie and Sarah McCay Tams lead a candid discussion with Shozib Khan, David Lund, and Chris Green on how hotel leaders stop flying blind and win in 2026. The panel explains why having the numbers alone is not enough and why shared data, forecast accuracy, and daily execution drive real performance across portfolios. They explore how operators align revenue, labor, CapEx, and culture, while democratizing financial insight from the boardroom to the front line. You will learn how better reporting builds confidence, sharper decisions, and sustainable profit without losing sight of people.Learn more about Actabl's business intelligence and forecasting solutionsA few more resources:If you're new to Hospitality Daily, start here. You can send me a message here with questions, comments, or guest suggestionsIf 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, Bashar Wali, founder and CEO of Practice Hospitality and This Assembly, shares an unfiltered look at what is shaping his thinking as the industry enters 2026. He breaks down the reality of flat revenues, rising labor and insurance costs, policy uncertainty, and why eroding margins feel more dangerous than an outright downturn. Bashar explains how uncertainty is freezing investment, delaying renovations, and reshaping owners' thinking about growth, debt, and risk. This conversation provides hospitality executives with a grounded view of what matters most right now and where disciplined operators continue to focus to survive tough cycles.Also see: The Next Wave of Hospitality: Trends, Brands, and Innovation - Bashar Wali, Practice Hospitality 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 suggestionsIf 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, Heather Dunwoody, founder and principal of Hospitality in Bloom, shares how participatory experiences, community, and a strong sense of place create guest experiences people remember and return for. Drawing from her background across agencies, large brands, and hospitality, she explains why humans are starving for connection and how hospitality is uniquely positioned to deliver it. You’ll come away with a clearer perspective on how designing for connection builds stronger brands and more 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 suggestionsIf 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, Stacey Milgram Plotska, VP of Operations and Implementations at Actabl, shares how hotel technology delivers the best results when it’s set up and used the right way. This conversation is a deep dive into what needs to happen, including the implementation, onboarding, training, and systems required to support ongoing learning and adoption. Stacey breaks down how strong technology partnerships work, what hotel teams need to do to succeed, and where some organizations struggle. If you care about driving performance, empowering teams, and getting real value from your technology investments, this conversation offers a clear, practical perspective.Resources:Request a conversation with Actabl about what Stacey shared hereRequest a product demo from ActablActabl customer story: Fast Track to Financial Visibility: How Commonwealth Hotels Quickly Activated ProfitSword Across More Than 40 HotelsActabl customer story: Future-Ready Hospitality: Hotel Equities Invests in the Actabl Platform to Scale with PurposeActabl customer story: Better Together: How We Aligned Hotel Operations, Staffing & Financial Performance with Actabl - Steven Marais, Noble House Hotels & ResortsActabl customer story: How Hospitality America’s CEO Ben Campbell Makes Work a Team SportPodcast: The Secret to Unlocking Performance: Your Technology Partner's Customer Success Team - Megan Yagoda Kaplan, ActablPodcast: The Magic Wand Question: Building Digital Night Audit (and Hotel Tech That Matters) - Brian Blanda & Stephen German, Actabl 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 suggestionsIf 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, Walter Isenberg, CEO and Co-Founder of Sage Hospitality Group, shares how his company thinks about “Sportspitality,” the intersection of hotels, mixed-use development, sports teams, and entertainment districts. He shares how projects tied to arenas and stadiums create amplified demand beyond traditional group, business, and leisure travel. The conversation explores real examples across professional sports, universities, and urban cores, including how hospitality plays a central role in placemaking. Learn more about Sage's McGregor Square projectMore with Walter:Hotels Are Splitting Into Two Completely Different Businesses - Walter Isenberg, Sage HospitalityThe Dana Crawford Playbook: How Risk, Storytelling, and Grit Built Iconic Hospitality - Walter Isenberg, Sage Hospitality GroupCrafting Places Guests Remember: Inside Sage Studio’s Story-First Approach - Walter Isenberg, Sage Hospitality GroupHospitality as a Catalyst: Revitalizing Cities with Walter Isenberg (Sage Hospitality Group)The Letter That Turned a Young Dishwasher into a Hospitality Leader - Walter Isenberg, Sage Hospitality Group 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 suggestionsIf 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, Walter Isenberg, CEO and Co-Founder of Sage Hospitality Group, shares why his company forecasts labor down to the minute and tracks forecast accuracy at 30, 60, and 90 days out. You'll hear how forecast discipline directly impacts labor planning, cash flow, and investment returns in a business Walter describes as having "one-day leases."Resources:Walter's article in Hotel Management: "Hospitality Begins from Within"Learn more about the technology Sage uses: ActablWhy The National Forecast Is Your Starting Point - Jan Freitag, CoStar 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 suggestionsIf 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