Rephonic
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
Vacation Rental Management
Luxury Hospitality
AI In Hospitality
Customer Experience
Guest Experience
Unique Stays
Marriott
Cleaning Services
Sponstayneous
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 weeklyEpisodes354Founded5 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
InvestingEntrepreneurshipBusiness

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Artwork for Behind the Stays

Latest Episodes

Subscribe to This Week in Hospitality wherever you get you podcasts:

Spotify - open.spotify.com/show/5oPExA0txHMjEI5Ye13IUy

Apple Podcasts - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-week-in-hospitality/id1849637233

Youtube - www.... more

Connect with Corey: www.linkedin.com/in/corey-jones-a66a004/

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

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

His tenant stopped paying rent. When he went t... more

YouTube

Subscribe to This Week in Hospitality wherever you get you podcasts:

Spotify - open.spotify.com/show/5oPExA0txHMjEI5Ye13IUy

Apple Podcasts - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-week-in-hospitality/id1849637233

Youtube - www.... more

Key Facts

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Contact Information
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Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

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Recent Guests

Corey Jones
Owner/Operator of Lucky Savannah, vacation rental portfolio in Savannah, GA
Lucky Savannah
Episode: Inside the Vrbo Where George Washington Stayed — and the Operator Turning Savannah Into a Historic Luxury Destination
Diana Stobo
Founder behind The Retreat Costa Rica
The Retreat Costa Rica
Episode: How a Health Crisis, a Divorce, and a Thai Monk Led Her to Create the #1 Spa in the World: Meet Diana Stobo of The Retreat Costa Rica
David Kaplan
Founder of Death & Co; entrepreneur in hospitality
Gin & Luck / Death & Co / Midnight Auteur Hotels
Episode: He Built the Most Iconic Cocktail Bar of a Generation. Now Death&Co's Founder is Coming for Boutique Hotels.
Scott Wiseman
CEO of Nocturne Luxury Villas
Nocturne Luxury Villas
Episode: Why a Marketing Executive at Accor Became the CEO of a Luxury Villa Brand — Meet Scott Wiseman of Nocturne Luxury Villas
Nadine Choe
Founder and curator of The Stanza
The Stanza
Episode: From Developing Aman to Building The Stanza: How Nadine Choe Built a Media Brand Where Taste Is the Moat
Janice Wilson
Destination design strategist and founder of Menizei
Menizei
Episode: How to Build a Category-of-One Hospitality Brand in the Age of AI
Paula Oblen
Experiential designer and entrepreneur with over 20 years in the hospitality space
Hotelements
Episode: How to Build a Category-of-One Hospitality Brand in the Age of AI
Christopher Issa
Owner of the S Hotel in Kingston and the S Hotel in Montego Bay.
Episode: This Week in Hospitality: Schrager’s Hotel Reset, Accor launches in ChatGPT, Disney’s Broader Hotel Play?
Rohit Bezawada
CEO of AirDNA
AirDNA
Episode: The Next Frontier of Short-Term Rentals: Building, Investing, Operating at Scale w/ the CEO of AirDNA

Host

Zach Busekrus
Host of Behind the Stays

Reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars from 234 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 States2 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 Kingdom8 months 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 Statesa year ago

Listeners Say

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

The show is described as essential listening for hospitality pros and investors seeking practical insights.
Guests are highlighted as the standout, with audiences appreciating depth when hosts let experts shine.
Listeners consistently praise the host for thoughtful questions and strong production quality.

Chart Rankings

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

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Inside the Vrbo Where George Washington Stayed — and the Operator Turning Savannah Into a Historic Luxury Destination
Q: How did Corey get into vacation rentals and what sparked the Lucky Savannah idea?
Corey recounts the accidental start when a tenant stopped paying rent, leading to the discovery of their property being featured on VRBO and in a New York Times travel piece, which inspired turning the space into a business and eventually growing into Lucky Savannah.
From Developing Aman to Building The Stanza: How Nadine Choe Built a Media Brand Where Taste Is the Moat
Q: What advice would you give to someone raising money today for an experiential hospitality project?
Focus on the story as much as the concept. Build relationships well in advance, learn how to underwrite real estate and hospitality, and avoid VC terminology when pitching a hotel deal. Use a structure like Opco/Propco to align incentives and de-risk the investment while preserving upside.
From Developing Aman to Building The Stanza: How Nadine Choe Built a Media Brand Where Taste Is the Moat
Q: I want to dive in here. From your time at Kane, what are some lessons or takeaways that surprised you about luxury development and financing?
The biggest takeaway is that marquee, ultra-luxury projects require incredibly sophisticated financing structures, with the ability to manage air rights, entitlements, and patient capital. You must balance the art of delivering experience with the science of capital efficiency, ensuring you can return capital while creating perceived or real value for end customers.
From Pilot to Expansion: How Arcana is Scaling a Nature-Driven Hospitality Brand
Q: What did you learn that gave you the confidence to step into this next chapter of Arcana's life?
We had a 24,000 person wait list for the pilot site, demonstrating significant demand for our concept as we prepared for expansion.
From Pilot to Expansion: How Arcana is Scaling a Nature-Driven Hospitality Brand
Q: What were like one or two surprising insights that you garnered from the initial pilot test?
We learned that the entrance design can greatly impact guest privacy and experience, influencing cabin layout decisions accordingly.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Behind the Stays

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

Behind the Stays is a hospitality-focused series that centers on the people behind unique stays—boutique hotels, short-term rentals, and experiential brands. Episodes frequently explore how identity, design, and storytelling shape guest experiences, with topical discussions around brand architecture, AI-driven distribution, loyalty ecosystems, and the evolving landscape of independent properties in a consolidation-heavy market. Notable throughlines include preserving authenticity at scale, the role of data and technology in hospitality, and practical takeaways for operators on marketing, guest experience, and growth. The show tends to feature founders, operators, and designers who blend luxury, culture, and community, making it valuable for... more

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How many listeners does Behind the Stays get?

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How many subscribers and views does Behind the Stays have?

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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 Short Term Show
3. This Week in Hospitality
4. The Hotel Investor Playbook
5. Build Your Tribe | Grow Your Business with Social Media

How many episodes of Behind the Stays are there?

Behind the Stays launched 5 years ago and published 354 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Behind the Stays?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Behind the Stays?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Behind the Stays from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

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What guests have appeared on Behind the Stays?

Recent guests on Behind the Stays include:

1. Corey Jones
2. Diana Stobo
3. David Kaplan
4. Scott Wiseman
5. Nadine Choe
6. Janice Wilson
7. Paula Oblen
8. Christopher Issa

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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