
This Week in Hospitality
Claim This Podcastby thisweekinhospitality
Podcast Overview
<p>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.</p> <p>Hosted by <strong>Ben Wolff</strong>, <strong>Scott Eddy</strong>, <strong>Edwin Kramer</strong>, and <strong>Zach Busekrus</strong>, this weekly conversation is crafted for the founders, operators, and dreamers creating the next generation of hospitality brands.</p> <p>You’ll get more than just headlines — you’ll get perspective. Each episode breaks down the week’s most compelling hospitality stories and explores what they really mean for independent hotel owners, boutique brands, and experiential travel entrepreneurs. From brand strategy and design trends to tech disruption and capital markets, This Week in Hospitality keeps you informed, inspired, and ready for what’s next.</p> <p>So grab your morning coffee, and catch up on the stories that matter — before your guests check in.</p> <p><strong>New episodes every Friday morning.</strong></p> <p><strong><a class="decorated-link" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-wolff">Ben Wolff<span class="ms-0.5 inline-block align-middle leading-none"></span></a></strong><br />Ben Wolff is the visionary founder behind <strong>Onera</strong>, a trailblazing landscape hotel brand in the Texas Hill Country, and <strong>Oasi</strong>, a next-generation management company pioneering experiential hospitality. Known for pushing the boundaries of design, wellness, and guest immersion, Ben has become a leading voice in the evolution of high-end, nature-driven travel experiences. His work sits at the intersection of architecture, emotion, and environment — redefining what modern luxury feels like in the wild.</p> <p><strong><a class="decorated-link" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrscotteddy/">Scott Eddy<span class="ms-0.5 inline-block align-middle leading-none"></span></a></strong><br />Scott Eddy is one of the world’s most recognized hospitality voices — a global keynote speaker, digital strategist, and content creator who has partnered with hundreds of luxury hotel brands, tourism boards, and travel startups. Named among the top travel influencers worldwide, Scott brings a rare blend of brand storytelling expertise, social strategy, and on-the-ground hospitality experience, offering a panoramic view of how digital connection drives modern guest loyalty.</p> <p><strong><a class="decorated-link" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwinckramer/">Edwin Kramer<span class="ms-0.5 inline-block align-middle leading-none"></span></a></strong><br />A hospitality executive with a pedigree forged at the world’s leading luxury hotels, Edwin has held senior leadership roles with brands like <strong>Four Seasons</strong>, <strong>EDITION</strong>, Campbell, Gray, Hyatt, and <strong>NOBU Hotels</strong> across multiple continents. Known for operational excellence and cultural leadership, Edwin has built and managed five-star teams that deliver some of the most lauded guest experiences in the industry. Today, he brings that global lens to the conversations shaping hospitality’s future — where service, innovation, and storytelling converge.</p> <p><strong><a class="decorated-link" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacharybusekrus/">Zach Busekrus<span class="ms-0.5 inline-block align-middle leading-none"></span></a></strong><br />Zach is on the founding team of <strong>Journey</strong>, a next-generation loyalty and storytelling platform empowering independent hotels and vacation rental brands to compete globally without losing their soul. He’s also the creator and host of <strong>Behind the Stays</strong>, one of the fastest-growing podcasts in hospitality, where he’s interviewed the visionaries behind some of the world’s most creative stays. With a decade in growth strategy and marketing, Zach brings a founder’s curiosity and contagious optimism to every conversation — always championing the builders shaping the future of independent hospitality.</p>
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
10/30/2025
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Recent Episodes

June 12, 2026
The Airbnb-Marriott Deal That Almost Happened, MGM Goes Private(?), Journey & Cloudbeds Partner, & What Premium Travelers Want
Two of the biggest casino operators in the world became takeover targets in the same week — and the squad has thoughts.Barry Diller's People Inc. just offered $18 billion to take MGM Resorts private, days after Fertitta agreed to buy Caesars. MGM's own CFO didn't argue the company was fairly valued — he argued investors aren't doing the work. Ben, Scott, and Edwin debate whether public markets are simply too lazy to underwrite experience-driven hospitality, and what the next-generation casino actually looks like.Then: the deal that almost rewrote the industry. On a recent podcast, Airbnb's former Chief Strategy Officer Chip Conley revealed that Marriott and Airbnb spent six months negotiating a major partnership in 2016 — including talk of earning and burning Bonvoy points on Airbnb stays — before Marriott's owners killed it. Was it the most expensive "no" in hospitality history?Plus: Zach got access to Odesia, the AI travel search platform from Sonder's co-founder that just landed $6M from Sequoia — and it's the best AI trip-planning experience he's seen, full stop. And a new survey of 2,000 travelers reveals what premium guests will actually pay more for: quiet rooms, verified sustainability, and tech that connects rather than dazzles. Spoiler — it's a home-field advantage for independents.Spice of the Week covers a sandwich shop that turned away revenue over a tiny dog, why full hotels fool owners into thinking their marketing works, the OTA-fee budget shell game, and Zach's big announcement: Journey's new strategic partnership with Cloudbeds. This Week in Hospitality is presented to you by Journey. Journey is a loyalty platform built specifically for independent boutique hotels and high-touch hospitality brands. Our mission is to give operators the same powerful rewards engine, data intelligence, and guest insights that major chains rely on — without asking them to give up the individuality, soul, or story that makes their property extraordinary. If you’re an owner or operator of an extraordinary, independently owned and operated hotel or residence — and you want to see whether your property is a fit for the Journey Alliance — you can learn more and apply at https://www.journey.com/alliance Key Topics & Timestamps 00:00 — Intro05:08 — Story #1: MGM’s Take-Private Bid and the Value of Live Experience16:31 — Story #2: Marriott and Airbnb’s Partnership That Never Happened33:43 — Story #3: Travelers Will Pay More for Quiet, Calm, and Credibility44:54 — Spice of the Week Your Hosts: Zach Busekrus — Journey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachbusekrus/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindthestays/ Scott Eddy — Global Travel & Hospitality Expert @MrScottEddy LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrscotteddy/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrscotteddy/ Ben Wolff — Founder of Onera & Oasi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-wolff/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iambenwolff/ Edwin Kramer — Luxury Hotelier Consultant & Former GM LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwinckramer/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edwinkramer/

June 5, 2026
Sonder's Founder is Back, Hyatt's New Growth Strategy, The Human Concierge Book, and L.E/Miami Recap
This week opens at LE Miami — which Scott describes less like a travel conference and more like Coachella for hotel nerds — before the guys dive into the real industry tension underneath the party. Hyatt tells investors to stop counting rooms and start counting fees, arguing that “empty calorie” growth is the wrong metric. But the panel digs into the contradiction: the premium story is Park Hyatt, Andaz, Thompson, and Alila — while the actual growth engine may be Essentials, all-inclusives, and credit card economics. Translation: hotel companies are increasingly distribution platforms, loyalty machines, and maybe even banks. Then Hilton’s Undergraduate by Hilton gets a second look. The name still gets roasted, but the strategy starts to make sense: college towns are wildly underserved, Graduate doesn’t pencil everywhere, and tired select-service boxes are begging for conversion. The question is whether this is lifestyle innovation — or just another brand solving an owner pipeline problem. The guys also react to Sonder co-founder Francis Davidson’s new AI travel startup, Odessia, and debate whether dedicated AI travel agents can win when ChatGPT and Claude already own so much user context. That leads into a bigger conversation about trust, human travel advisors, preference passports, and why overwhelmed travelers may want fewer options — not more. Finally, Minor Hotels makes the case for “asset-right” hospitality, arguing that brands need more skin in the game if they want owner trust. The crew closes with DMs, celebrity hotel speculation, World Cup demand anxiety, and Ben teasing a possible conversion-brand play of his own. This Week in Hospitality is presented to you by Journey. Journey is a loyalty platform built specifically for independent boutique hotels and high-touch hospitality brands. Our mission is to give operators the same powerful rewards engine, data intelligence, and guest insights that major chains rely on — without asking them to give up the individuality, soul, or story that makes their property extraordinary. If you’re an owner or operator of an extraordinary, independently owned and operated hotel or residence — and you want to see whether your property is a fit for the Journey Alliance — you can learn more and apply at https://www.journey.com/alliance Key Topics & Timestamps 00:00 — Intro & L.E/Miami Recap05:52 — Hyatt’s New Growth Strategy16:35 — Hilton’s Undergraduate Brand Bet24:25 — Sonder’s Founder Is Back: Odessia and AI Travel Planning33:35 — The Human Concierge Is Making a Comeback50:00 — What’s In Your DMs?59:25 — Spice of the Week Your Hosts: Zach Busekrus — Journey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachbusekrus/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindthestays/ Scott Eddy — Global Travel & Hospitality Expert @MrScottEddy LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrscotteddy/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrscotteddy/ Ben Wolff — Founder of Onera & Oasi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-wolff/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iambenwolff/ Edwin Kramer — Luxury Hotelier Consultant & Former GM LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwinckramer/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edwinkramer/

May 29, 2026
The Uber-Hotel Hookup, Expedia Optimizes for AI Agents, and Why Americans Are Skipping Europe
Mews embeds Uber directly into its PMS, promising seamless guest transportation and a cut of ancillary revenue hotels have long been leaving on the table. The guys are skeptical — cool concept, questionable adoption, and the real winner might just be Uber’s data team.Then Expedia announces B2A — a marketing function built not for humans, but for AI agents. Scott doesn’t mince words: AI is about to expose how hollow most hotel marketing actually is. Ben connects the dots to the accelerating rise of independent, story-driven properties that LLMs will increasingly favor over generic flag brands.Americans aren’t canceling travel — they’re shortening trips, going domestic, and scrutinizing every dollar. Scott just did seven hotel site visits in Tuscany. Not one was at capacity. The Smoky Mountains are not having the same problem.Finally, a sharp op-ed on the structural dysfunction between hotel owners and operators sparks a broader debate about why the aligned owner-operator model is the decade’s single biggest competitive advantage — and why capital still hasn’t caught up. This Week in Hospitality is presented to you by Journey. Journey is a loyalty platform built specifically for independent boutique hotels and high-touch hospitality brands. Our mission is to give operators the same powerful rewards engine, data intelligence, and guest insights that major chains rely on — without asking them to give up the individuality, soul, or story that makes their property extraordinary. If you’re an owner or operator of an extraordinary, independently owned and operated hotel or residence — and you want to see whether your property is a fit for the Journey Alliance — you can learn more and apply at https://www.journey.com/alliance Key Topics & Timestamps 00:00 — Intro02:28 — Story #1: Mews embeds Uber into the PMS15:28 — Story #2: Expedia’s B2A strategy for AI agents37:17 — Story #3: Travelers trade down, not out50:04 — Story #4: The owner-operator information gap56:36 — Spice of the Week Your Hosts: Zach Busekrus — Journey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachbusekrus/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindthestays/ Scott Eddy — Global Travel & Hospitality Expert @MrScottEddy LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrscotteddy/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrscotteddy/ Ben Wolff — Founder of Onera & Oasi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-wolff/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iambenwolff/ Edwin Kramer — Luxury Hotelier Consultant & Former GM LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwinckramer/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edwinkramer/
31 total episodes available
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- What is This Week in Hospitality?
<p>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.</p> <p>Hosted by <strong>Ben Wolff</strong>, <strong>Scott Eddy</strong>, <strong>Edwin Kramer</strong>, and <strong>Zach Busekrus</strong>, this weekly conversation is crafted for the founders, operators, and dreamers creating the next generation of hospitality brands.</p> <p>You’ll get more than just headlines — you’ll get perspective. Each episode breaks down the week’s most compelling hospitality stories and explores what they really mean for independent hotel owners, boutique brands, and experiential travel entrepreneurs. From brand strategy and design trends to tech disruption and capital markets, This Week in Hospitality keeps you informed, inspired, and ready for what’s next.</p> <p>So grab your morning coffee, and catch up on the stories that matter — before your guests check in.</p> <p><strong>New episodes every Friday morning.</strong></p> <p><strong><a class="decorated-link" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-wolff">Ben Wolff<span class="ms-0.5 inline-block align-middle leading-none"></span></a></strong><br />Ben Wolff is the visionary founder behind <strong>Onera</strong>, a trailblazing landscape hotel brand in the Texas Hill Country, and <strong>Oasi</strong>, a next-generation management company pioneering experiential hospitality. Known for pushing the boundaries of design, wellness, and guest immersion, Ben has become a leading voice in the evolution of high-end, nature-driven travel experiences. His work sits at the intersection of architecture, emotion, and environment — redefining what modern luxury feels like in the wild.</p> <p><strong><a class="decorated-link" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrscotteddy/">Scott Eddy<span class="ms-0.5 inline-block align-middle leading-none"></span></a></strong><br />Scott Eddy is one of the world’s most recognized hospitality voices — a global keynote speaker, digital strategist, and content creator who has partnered with hundreds of luxury hotel brands, tourism boards, and travel startups. Named among the top travel influencers worldwide, Scott brings a rare blend of brand storytelling expertise, social strategy, and on-the-ground hospitality experience, offering a panoramic view of how digital connection drives modern guest loyalty.</p> <p><strong><a class="decorated-link" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwinckramer/">Edwin Kramer<span class="ms-0.5 inline-block align-middle leading-none"></span></a></strong><br />A hospitality executive with a pedigree forged at the world’s leading luxury hotels, Edwin has held senior leadership roles with brands like <strong>Four Seasons</strong>, <strong>EDITION</strong>, Campbell, Gray, Hyatt, and <strong>NOBU Hotels</strong> across multiple continents. Known for operational excellence and cultural leadership, Edwin has built and managed five-star teams that deliver some of the most lauded guest experiences in the industry. Today, he brings that global lens to the conversations shaping hospitality’s future — where service, innovation, and storytelling converge.</p> <p><strong><a class="decorated-link" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacharybusekrus/">Zach Busekrus<span class="ms-0.5 inline-block align-middle leading-none"></span></a></strong><br />Zach is on the founding team of <strong>Journey</strong>, a next-generation loyalty and storytelling platform empowering independent hotels and vacation rental brands to compete globally without losing their soul. He’s also the creator and host of <strong>Behind the Stays</strong>, one of the fastest-growing podcasts in hospitality, where he’s interviewed the visionaries behind some of the world’s most creative stays. With a decade in growth strategy and marketing, Zach brings a founder’s curiosity and contagious optimism to every conversation — always championing the builders shaping the future of independent hospitality.</p> - How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates daily.
- Where can I listen to this podcast?
This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
- Does this podcast accept guests?
Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.
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