Frictionless Innkeeper Podcast

About Frictionless Innkeeper Podcast

Interesting interviews with innkeepers and lodging experts, aimed to improve the challenging life of the independent innkeeper and lodging professional.

Publisher

Steve Short

Category

business · business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

21 Jun 2018

Latest episode

5 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

1 of 97 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   5 Oct 2026

   097: Creating a Unique Identity for Your Inn

   Finding ways to differentiate your property can help turn an inn from simply a place to stay into a destination. Bruce and Emily Haupt, owners of The Landgrove Inn, Restaurant & Studio, share how they are bringing fresh ideas to a historic Vermont inn. They discuss modernizing operations, expanding its successful art program, and using unique experiences and partnerships to drive demand and differentiate the property. We are very thankful to Bruce and Emily for sharing their insights with us. You can learn more about The Landgrove Inn, Restaurant & Studio at thelandgrove.com (https://www.thelandgrove.com/). Our podcast is presented by the Frictionless Guest App, the digital concierge that helps your guests live like locals. To learn more, visit frictionlessguest.com (https://frictionlessguest.com/).

2. 

   9 Sept 2026

   096: The Warm Cookie Effect: Creating Standout Guest Experiences

   Great hospitality is about more than getting everything right. It is also about how innkeepers and their teams respond when things do not go according to plan. In this episode, hospitality consultant Samantha Irwin, author of The Warm Cookie Effect: The Secret to Standout Hospitality, shares lessons from her experience revitalizing a historic hotel. She discusses building the right team, strengthening guest loyalty and turning mistakes into opportunities to create better guest experiences. We are very thankful to Samantha for sharing her insights with us. You can learn more about Samantha at kaizen.zone. Our podcast is presented by the Frictionless Guest App, the digital concierge that helps your guests live like locals. To learn more, visit frictionlessguest.com (https://frictionlessguest.com/).

3. 

   12 Aug 2026

   095: The Human Element Still Matters

   Technology continues to reshape hospitality, but the personal connections that make guests feel genuinely welcomed and cared for remain just as important. In this episode, Lucy Lewand, a hospitality consultant with Happy Hospitality Solutions, draws on more than 40 years in hospitality to explore the human side of the guest experience. She shares ways to create meaningful interactions throughout the guest lifecycle for maintaining the human connection. We are very thankful to Lucy for sharing her insights with us. You can learn more about Happy Hospitality Solutions at happyhospitalitysolutions.com. Our podcast is presented by the Frictionless Guest App, the digital concierge that helps your guests live like locals. To learn more, visit frictionlessguest.com (https://frictionlessguest.com/).

Inside a recent episode

089: How AI Is Rewriting Travel Discovery

Published 9 Feb 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] It's no longer driven by Google ad being the first prompt that like pushes them through. I think historically we have to all do the same thing where we go like Charleston, these are my dates, and then I'm going to basically see what lodging options there are basically Google like logic. You can do your booking there. But it's becoming less and less common for people just to start in the booking window that kind of have a general idea of what property they're going to start with. And so it's kind of rewriting like how travel discovery happens. And I think part of it is we were talking about before we hopped on is this the way people are learning how to use the learning language models or how to use these chat bots. […]

Who has been a guest on Frictionless Innkeeper Podcast

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Kerri Thiel
• Mikki Suchomel
• Randy Bangs
• Scot Fuller-Beatty
• Tyler Otto

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.0 / 5

2 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 47 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

68

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

67

Contact Frictionless Innkeeper Podcast

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Questions about Frictionless Innkeeper Podcast