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Artwork for Behind the Stays

Behind the Stays

Zach Busekrus
Hospitality Industry
Hospitality
Airbnb
Short-Term Rentals
Vacation Rentals
Entrepreneurship
Glamping
Boutique Hotels
Luxury Travel
Journey
Luxury Hospitality
Vacation Rental Management
AI In Hospitality
Customer Experience
Guest Experience
Unique Stays
Independent Hotels
Marriott
Cleaning Services
Travel

Welcome to Behind the Stays — a podcast that shares the stories behind your favorite boutique hotels, short-term rentals, and hospitality brands and the hosts, operators, and entrepreneurs who’ve brought them to life. Every Tuesday and Friday you’ll meet the military veterans, retired flight attendants, tech entrepreneurs, school teachers, single moms, hoteliers, and real estate investors who are ... more

PublishesTwice weeklyEpisodes369Founded6 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
EntrepreneurshipInvestingBusiness

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Artwork for Behind the Stays

Latest Episodes

This week, the squad breaks down Norwegian Air's World Cup Instagram stunt that cost next to nothing and generated more brand equity than campaigns with budgets a hundred times the size. Eivind Hammer Myhre, who leads comms and marketing at Norwegian... more

Connect with Colin: linkedin.com/in/colinjamesnagy/

Connect with Zach: www.linkedin.com/in/zacharybusekrus/

Apply to join the Journey Alliance: journey.com/alliance/

The luxury hotel boom of the last decade produced more five-sta... more

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Recent Guests

Eivind Myhre
Head of communications and marketing at Norwegian Air
Norwegian Air
Episode: This Week in Hospitality: How Norwegian Air Went Viral for Losing, Should Airbnb and Ennismore Hook Up? and the Slow Death of Organic Discovery on Vrbo
James McBride
CEO of NIHI Hotels
NIHI Hotels
Episode: This Week in Hospitality: Ideas, Stories, and Hot Takes with James McBride, Co-Founder & CEO of NIHI Hotels
Colin Nagy
Leads global brand strategy for Instagram and Threads at Meta; long-time writer on luxury travel for Skift
Meta (Instagram & Threads) and Skift
Episode: Why Luxury Hospitality Is Optimizing Itself Into Irrelevance — And What To Do About It (with Colin Nagy)
Sean O'Neill
Hospitality editor at Skift
Skift
Episode: This Week in Hospitality: Pali Society Goes Bonvoy, Hilton's Incubating 5 New Brands, and Hot Takes with Skift's Hospitality Editor, Sean O'Neil
Francis Davidson
Founder of Odessia; co-founder of Sonder
Odessia / Sonder
Episode: This Week in Hospitality: Sonder's Founder is Back, Hyatt's New Growth Strategy, The Human Concierge Book, and L.E/Miami Recap
Max Porterkhamsy
Founder of Epicurate, chef, former engineer
Epicurate (acquired by Journey)
Episode: How an Engineer-Turned-Michelin-Chef Built Epicurate, the Experience Platform for Luxury Stays
Noah Brodsky
CEO of Under Canvas, former Windermann Travel & Leisure executive
Under Canvas
Episode: This Week in Hospitality: The World Cup Bust, Spirit's Collapse, Priceline is Back, and Aman's Move in the Texas Hill Country
Vikas Sapra
DJ, tech founder and founder of Raina
Raina
Episode: He DJ'd for Jay-Z and Kanye — Now He's Rewiring Sound for Aman, Hyatt, and Jose Andrés
Bashar Wali
Hospitality entrepreneur and guest on the show
Independent hotels and hospitality brands
Episode: This Week In Hospitality: Hospitality’s Muddy Middle Is Breaking — With Bashar Wali

Host

Zach Busekrus
Host and guide of discussions; leads episodes on independent stays and loyalty platforms.

Reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars from 235 ratings
  • Beyond the Bromides

    Zach takes the listener beyond hospitality bromides, diving deep into the unique sauce that makes each stay a destination. His questions are sharp, his guests bring substance, and I always walk away with an insight or two that I can apply to my own ventures.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    @Janice
    United States5 months ago
  • Best Podcast

    My favourite podcast at the moment. Played all episodes even some of them a few times. Really insightful into current hospitality trends. Taking notes as I move to France to start building my own retreat.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Corealo
    United Kingdoma year ago
  • Get to the point

    There’s a lot of good here, and Zach curates a really wide breadth of guests, but would benefit from being less preachy and going down long winded rambles, to then turn it over to the guest to answer a non-question. Get to the question and set the guests up to answer beyond “do you agree?”

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    clouwho2
    United Statesa year ago
  • Let Guests Shine More!

    Host talks a lot and is a bit preachy, but guests are interesting.

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    MemoriNashay
    United Statesa year ago
  • The BEST for everything hospitality

    Behind the Stays is a must-listen for anyone passionate about the hospitality. I always learn something new!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Hill_ari
    United States2 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Zach asks sharp, insightful questions and pulls meaningful takeaways from guests.
Production quality and conversation flow are highly praised, with some feedback wishing for guests to shine a bit more.
Guests are consistently interesting with deep domain knowledge and practical lessons.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Why Luxury Hospitality Is Optimizing Itself Into Irrelevance — And What To Do About It (with Colin Nagy)
Q: How should luxury brands think about AI and automation in guest services without losing the human touch?
AI should handle boring, repetitive tasks to empower staff and allow more meaningful human interactions with guests, maintaining a balance where technology serves people rather than replacing them.
Why Luxury Hospitality Is Optimizing Itself Into Irrelevance — And What To Do About It (with Colin Nagy)
Q: Is luxury hospitality's move toward 'world-building' and lifestyle brands sustainable, or is it being driven by short-term capital and branding trends?
Colin argues that true world-building requires substantial capital and a clear, differentiated creative vision; while partnerships and acquisitions can help, lasting impact comes from visionaries with commercial acumen who avoid diluting the core guest experience.
This Week in Hospitality: Ideas, Stories, and Hot Takes with James McBride, Co-Founder & CEO of NIHI Hotels
Q: What are the right dynamics between owner, operator, and brand for a new independent project?
Focus on a great product, strong leadership, and marketing know-how. The owner should hire leadership who understands branding and can execute storytelling effectively; a brand can help with scale, but the day-to-day emotional experience comes from the people running the hotel.
This Week in Hospitality: Pali Society Goes Bonvoy, Hilton's Incubating 5 New Brands, and Hot Takes with Skift's Hospitality Editor, Sean O'Neil
Q: Given the trend toward asset-light models, do you see a future where the ownership and IP ownership stay with the same group, or is a two-thirds/one-third split increasingly likely?
The discussion suggests a mixed reality: while asset-light models remain dominant, there is a real push toward ownership and IP control in select cases, especially where brands can create unique guest experiences that justify higher margins. The trend is not uniform, and results may vary by region and market conditions.
How an Engineer-Turned-Michelin-Chef Built Epicurate, the Experience Platform for Luxury Stays
Q: What gap in the industry did Epicurate aim to fill?
The gap was the broken concierge ecosystem in vacation rentals, where lots of communication and sourcing happened via scattered tools; Epicurate centralized menus, scheduling, payments, and relationships to empower providers and concierges to work efficiently.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About Behind the Stays

What is Behind the Stays about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A show focused on the people behind unique stays, from boutique hotels to vacation rentals and wellness retreats. Conversations center on entrepreneurship, hospitality innovation, and the evolving guest experience, with frequent emphasis on direct bookings, loyalty, and brand storytelling for independents. Notable angles include luxury experiences, technology-enabled operations, and the challenge of balancing personal service with scalable growth. A standout trait is the emphasis on founder journeys, practical growth playbooks, and real-world lessons from operators shaping the future of travel and hospitality. Potential listeners include operators, investors, and marketers seeking actionable insights and inspiration from leaders building di... more

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Which podcasts are similar to Behind the Stays?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Behind the Stays:

1. Thanks For Visiting
2. The Outdoor Hospitality Podcast
3. The Short Term Show
4. Founders
5. This Week in Hospitality

How many episodes of Behind the Stays are there?

Behind the Stays launched 6 years ago and published 369 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Behind the Stays?

Recent guests on Behind the Stays include:

1. Eivind Myhre
2. James McBride
3. Colin Nagy
4. Sean O'Neill
5. Francis Davidson
6. Max Porterkhamsy
7. Noah Brodsky
8. Vikas Sapra

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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