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This Week in Hospitality

thisweekinhospitality
Airbnb
Independent Hotels
Hilton
Hyatt
AI In Hospitality
Hospitality Industry
Expedia
Otas
Accor
Marriott International
Tiktok
Direct Booking
Journey
Hospitality
AI In Travel
Discovery
Virgin Hotels
Sonder Holdings
White Lotus
Aman Resorts

Every Friday morning, This Week in Hospitality brings you the most important stories, insights, and innovations shaping the global hospitality industry — distilled and discussed by people who actually build within it.

Hosted by Ben Wolff, Scott Eddy, Edwin Kramer, and Zach Busekrus, this weekly conversation is crafted for the founders, operators, and dreamers creating the next generation of hospi... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes37Founded9 months ago
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Artwork for This Week in Hospitality

Latest Episodes

Hilton CEO Chris Nassetta went on record defending the brand's 28-property portfolio — and the panel has thoughts. Is the multi-brand arms race really about guests, or is it just an elaborate play for developers and distribution?

Edwin makes the cas... more

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

YouTube

James McBride, Co-Founder & CEO of NIHI Hotels, joins the core four for a wide-ranging conversation on what it actually takes to build a legendary independent hospitality brand — from the jungles of Sumba to the halls of the Ritz-Carlton.

James trac... more

YouTube

Zach, Scott, and Edwin dig into three stories reshaping the industry this holiday week. First: Skift's The Big Squeeze Part 2, which spotlights a family in Iowa who let their Wyndham franchise expire, renovated their Super Eight, and beat their old r... more

YouTube

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Accepts Sponsors
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Number of Listeners
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Recent Guests

Sean O'Neill
Hospitality editor, Skift
Skift
Episode: Pali Society Goes Bonvoy, Hilton's Incubating 5 New Brands, and Hot Takes with Skift's Hospitality Editor, Sean O'Neil
Francis Davidson
Co-founder of Sonder, founder of Odessia
Odessia
Episode: Sonder's Founder is Back, Hyatt's New Growth Strategy, The Human Concierge Book, and L.E/Miami Recap
Bashar Wali
Guest referenced as a prior guest on the show
Episode: Airbnb Rethinks AI, Brands Move Into Safari, Spain’s Tourism Reckoning, Hospitality’s Human Premium
Noah Brodsky
CEO, Under Canvas (leadership transition context)
Under Canvas
Episode: The World Cup Bust, Spirit's Collapse, Priceline is Back, and Aman's Move in the Texas Hill Country
Bernard Bomenberger
Founder of Six Senses and Discover Collection
Discover Collection
Episode: The Hotel Owner Squeeze, Six Senses Founder's Comeback, Wyndham's Grandma Gambit, and Coachella's Dirty Secret
Ian Schrager
Renowned hotelier and founder of Public Hotels
Public Hotels (brand) / Highgate (partner)
Episode: Schrager’s Hotel Reset, Accor launches in ChatGPT, Disney’s Broader Hotel Play?

Hosts

Scott Eddy
Global hospitality voice, keynote speaker, digital strategist, and content creator with deep experience in luxury brands and traveler loyalty.
Ben Wolff
Founder or leader in experiential hospitality brands, with roles in Onera and Journey ecosystem, focused on storytelling, design, and guest immersion.
Edwin Kramer
Hospitality executive with luxury hotel background, operating at the intersection of service excellence and organizational leadership.
Zach Busekrus
Co-founder of Journey, loyalty-platform founder, and host of Behind the Stays; focused on independent hotel storytelling and guest loyalty.

Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars from 4 ratings
  • Really worth a listen!

    This isn’t my normal field and came across the podcast by happenstance. I found the information and their perspective interesting to listen to. Appreciated the different points of view.. Definitely translates to other fields, in my opinion. My background is luxury retail, but transitioned into banking with quite a bit of travel. So much of the information could be useful and make you think outside the box in a business development perspective. Good listening - I’m looking forward to next one!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Eternally Learning
    United States8 months ago

Listeners Say

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

Fresh takes on AI and distribution for independents are valuable for sponsors and guests alike.
Great real-world perspectives on loyalty and independent hotels.
The discussion style is energetic and opinionated, which resonates with executive audiences.
Able to translate complex tech trends into actionable strategies for owners.
Strong practitioner insights from operators and founders.

Chart Rankings

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

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Pali Society Goes Bonvoy, Hilton's Incubating 5 New Brands, and Hot Takes with Skift's Hospitality Editor, Sean O'Neil
Q: What did you think of the Pali Society joining Marriott Bonvoy—what does it signal for independents?
It signals that independents can gain distribution and visibility through a major network, but they must protect the unique guest experience and avoid homogenizing their identity; the test will be whether Marriott's involvement enhances occupancy without eroding the brand's character over time.
Hospitality’s Muddy Middle Is Breaking — With Bashar Wali
Q: How can hotels balance human-centered service with efficiency and technology to avoid commoditization?
He suggests reducing friction with tech, hiring better-trained staff, and giving employees flexibility within a strong framework to preserve personalized service without bloating costs.
Hospitality’s Muddy Middle Is Breaking — With Bashar Wali
Q: What is the future of capital for independent hotels, and how can developers secure the funding for unique concepts?
Bashar argues that institutional capital is misaligned with independent assets today; lenders should adjust return expectations and be prepared to fund more differentiated, education-backed opportunities with longer horizons and a deeper due diligence process.
Airbnb Rethinks AI, Brands Move Into Safari, Spain’s Tourism Reckoning, Hospitality’s Human Premium
Q: What did you think about Chesky's framing of the current state of AI in travel, and how should Airbnb approach solving AI challenges?
Chesky is right to acknowledge current AI limits, particularly for consumer-facing experiences; the panel suggests focusing on backend efficiency and partnerships with large LLMs while fixing booking flows and user interfaces before rolling out broad AI tools for customers.

Audience Metrics

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

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Gender Skew
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Frequently Asked Questions About This Week in Hospitality

What is This Week in Hospitality about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A roundtable-style show focused on hospitality, branding, distribution, and technology as they affect independent hotels, boutique brands, and experiential travel. Across episodes, the group analyzes AI's impact on discovery and loyalty, platform dynamics (OTAs, social channels, and AI agents), brand strategy, and owner-operator economics, often highlighting how independent properties can compete without surrendering soul or leverage. Guests range from founders and operators to industry leaders offering practical perspectives on leadership, loyalty platforms, and community-driven hospitality. A notable throughline is advocating for storytelling, human-centric service, and authentic guest experiences in a tech-enabled landscape, with frequen... more

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How many listeners does This Week in Hospitality get?

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Which podcasts are similar to This Week in Hospitality?

These podcasts share a similar audience with This Week in Hospitality:

1. Behind the Stays
2. The Person Who Believed In Me
3. Prof G Markets
4. The Outdoor Hospitality Podcast
5. Raging Moderates with Scott Galloway and Jessica Tarlov

How many episodes of This Week in Hospitality are there?

This Week in Hospitality launched 9 months ago and published 37 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 This Week in Hospitality?

Recent guests on This Week in Hospitality include:

1. Sean O'Neill
2. Francis Davidson
3. Bashar Wali
4. Noah Brodsky
5. Bernard Bomenberger
6. Ian Schrager

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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