SMACK Hospitality Archiv
118 Episoden
52 Minuten
We are back with a brand new podcast season of #smackstories and stopped at nothing short of one of the biggest names in Hospitality globally to kick off the season in style. Sébastien Bazin, Chairman & CEO of Accor Group, joined us on the show and had a lot of fun giving us a recap on his past 10 years with Accor and what is planned for the upcoming years. Sébastien & Fritz discussed Accor’s idea of augmented reality, a more leaner and agile business concept, a shift in the developers mindset as well as an orientation towards sustainability. Sébastien also explained to us what the core of Accor’s Heartist concept is and why the love for people is so important for this industry. We also learned how to make a loyalty program sexy and how to connect with local communities. Needless to say that Fritz and Sébastien couldn’t help but briefly talk about their mutual passion for football and do a quick analysis of Fritz’ discoveries while visiting one of the Mama Shelter properties for the first time as he was on a date there several years ago. Enjoy the show!
51 Minuten
For our 18th episode this season we got the chance to speak to Edith Gerhardt, CEO of Hirmer Hospitality. We discussed her personal career path from The Ritz Carlton to Marriott International, which ultimately lead her to Travel Charme and Hirmer Hospitality. Edith told us about employee motivation and success factors for a hospitality company and emphasized the importance of clear values and measurability to inspire others as visionaries. Further, she elaborates on the significance of positive mistake culture and in that context introduces Mr. BIV, a documentation program to track and learn from mistakes. We learn more about Hirmer Hospitality and the three different brands in the portfolio, namely “Travel Charme”, “Urban Nature” and “truuee” and discuss the difference between operational and strategic thinking. As if all that wasn’t enough, Edith also shared her favorite sports with us, causing our host Philip to propose a challenge to Edith at the end. Enjoy the show!
49 Minuten
Innovation never stops! Welcome to a brand new podcast episode featuring Julian Trautwein, Co-founder and Managing Director at Raus. Before Julian started his career in hospitality he was spinning records, so it’s no surprise he met his first boss in a bar. From there he went on to work for an agency, 6 years at Airbnb and finally Tourlane, before creating the concept of Raus. Julian shared some insights on the idea for Raus and why it is so important to be open to disruption and vision driven against all odds. We also learned how Johann, Christopher and Julian founded and shaped the business, with the idea to create a space for people to recharge their batteries and connect with nature. Of course we didn’t let him go without a quick outlook on his vision for the next years and how he sees Raus expanding. Enjoy the show!
44 Minuten
More top-level insights you ask?! Your prayers have been answered [emojis] Check out our brand new podcast episode featuring Satya Anand, President of Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) for Marriott International. Satya talked to us through his career path into hospitality, starting as a night auditor and making it all the way to the top of the company in EMEA, after having been with the company for 30 years now. We discussed the changes that Covid brought to the industry and talked about how the inspiring leaders of Marriott, including @Bill Marriott Jr., his son @David Marriott, the current CEO @Anthony Capuano and the late @Arne Sorenson have each left their mark on the company. Satya also explained the different travel and loyalty preferences people will have going forward and how that affects loyalty programs such as Marriott Bonvoy. As if all that wasn’t plenty to be hyped for, we added an outlook on brand structure and opening up new brands within the Marriott cosmos to the episode, to really leave you no choice but to tune in. Enjoy the show!
52 Minuten
Kayleigh Wiltshire, Global Learning and Development Manager at the Dorchester Collection came by on the show and discussed the importance of learning and development in hospitality, as the whole industry is facing massive staff shortage. Coming from a background of health science and nutrition we talked about her journey into hospitality and Dorchester in particular, and how the job’s demands, requirements and preferences have changed over the last years in the industry. Also on the menu are topics such as the impact of Covid-19 on human resources, the importance of mentoring, coaching and what difference a positive company culture can make. Enjoy the show!
43 Minuten
Sustainability is such an important matter! For this episode we spoke to Naomi Mackenzie, Co-founder of KITRO. Naomi told us how she and Anastasia had the idea to found KITRO, when they were still at the hospitality school, seeing how much food was wasted in every day’s hotel operations and how her position in the company has changed since 2017. She explained the idea and digital components behind the company and how important it is to have support from the outside as well, when founding a company. We learned how the idea of KITRO was developed at an early stage, coming from a passion for the topic and developing and adjusting the idea until it could turn into a company. Additionally Naomi also told us what she and her crew are planning for KITRO in the future. Enjoy the show!
48 Minuten
Jan Valentin, Founder and General Partner at ennea capital partners, joined us for another SMACK story. Starting off as a travel journalist, he led us through the stages of his career, including travel24.com and KAYAK Europe, to the venture capital and M&A space. Giving us a current market check of the industry, he talked about how we are almost getting used to the state of “crisis”, how he remains consciously optimistic and how business travel is stepping up week after week. He gave us his take on what the effects of inflation for the present and future are, what the importance of innovation is and what the driving force behind becoming an entrepreneur and starting off his own business for him was. Also in the discussion pot: block chain, artificial intelligence, and future technologies for the hospitality industry. Enjoy the show!
46 Minuten
Ariel Schiff, the mastermind behind the Amano Hotel Group joined us on SMACK for episode 12 of the podcast and told us all about his roots, his passion for F&B and how his family members supply the names for his hotels and their outlets. Ariel rarely does interviews and doesn’t even have a cell phone (!), so we are all the more thrilled he chose to speak to us about the expansion plans of Amano, the upcoming opening in London and the future of hotels. Enjoy the show!
59 Minuten
A true entrepreneur joined us for this podcast episode. Olivier Bracard, CEO & Co-founder of Hosco. Olivier gave us an insight on his career path into hospitality from his early starts, over EHL, his first internship, his time at JLL Hotels & Hospitality and finally, how he became an entrepreneur and started Hosco. He talked about the challenging times of the crisis but also about the possibilities that arose from it, when being forced to leave the comfort zone and think creatively. We learned about the key aspects of an entrepreneurial mindset and how Olivier used his passion to develop Hosco and create a platform, both for employees and employers, that has become the world’s leading hospitality network. Enjoy the show! This episode is brought to you by apaleo, your platform for simplified digital hotel operations. Check them out at: www.apaleo.com
47 Minuten
For the second episode of 2022 we were lucky to catch Gilda Perez-Alvarado for a chat. She talked to us about her time at Cornell University, her love for travel and cultures and how she found her passion for real estate finance in combination with hospitality. Leading a team of 350 professionals all over the world at JLL Hotels & Hospitality, Gilda explained how important it is to invest in people and to set them up for success and how the industry is shifting towards more diversity as well as more women in leadership positions. Lastly, we learned about Gilda’s mentors, how giving birth to a child during the pandemic has shifted her focus onto the next generation and how we will see a great amount of change through technology as the next major revolution.
1 Stunde 1 Minute
Kicking off the year in style, we met Cyrus Heydarian, Operator & Managing Director of the Breidenbacher Hof in Düsseldorf. Having been in the business facing two crisis, he elaborated how the employee is the most valuable resource and how important communication is with all the uncertainty the pandemic has caused. He talked about the challenges and chances that arise from Covid-19 for the hotel business, how topics such as employee shortage, salary and price structures will affect the industry in the near future and how the Breidenbacher Hof managed to increase its rates during the pandemic. Cyrus also told us about his experiences with J-LO, the Rolling Stones and one of his close friends, Udo Lindenberg. Enjoy the show!
50 Minuten
For the final episode in 2021, Mathieu Jaton, CEO of Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland stopped by, just before Christmas. Having graduated from the Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL), Mathieu gives us an insight on what hospitality has taught him and how his background affects his day to day job. He told us about how he and Claude Nobs, the co-founder of the festival and his predecessor, met and what he learned from both of them and why it is so important to create valuable experiences for people, welcoming them and creating a home-like-atmosphere. Mathieu further talks about how he and his team at the festival reacted to the crisis, why Montreux is so different and unique and what he and his team do to stay innovative, relevant and present year-round in a moving business. Enjoy the show!
49 Minuten
We had the chance to catch Charlie MacGregor, CEO and founder of The Student Hotel for a quick chat before the end of the year and he told us about how he got into the industry and the origins of his very unique hotel concept with TSH. As travelling is about experiences, Charlie explained how a hybrid company that accommodates students, young professionals, leisure and business guests all at the same time offers exactly that, by creating co-working spaces and areas for people to meet and connect, adding locals to join the conversations too. Beyond that, we spoke about the new generation of corporate travellers and students, how the needs of the young generation have changed and the business model of TSH allows more work flexibility than traditional hotel companies. Lastly Charlie talked us through the importance of tech in hospitality and vice versa and preview what the future holds for TSH. Enjoy the show!
49 Minuten
For this episode we met Jan Starcke, Travel Industry Lead at Meta, formerly Facebook. He allowed us some interesting glimpses behind the scenes of his work and told us, what it was like to join Facebook back in 2013, being part of the first one percent of the company. We learned about trends and evolvements emerging in the world of Meta, especially communication apps such as Instagram or virtual reality like Oculus. We also got an insight on which investments didn’t pay off, what the covid reaction on a global scale was like for Meta and what the differences between the old and new economy are. Further, Jan spoke about the consumer behaviour towards certain apps, the impact of Meta on the social and private life and how Meta is driving an upfront mindset when it comes to change and development. Enjoy the show!
51 Minuten
This episode takes us back to the German Hotel Convention 2021 (Deutscher Hotelkongress 2021), hosted by the dfv Mediengruppe and ahgz, where we caught up with Michaela Reitterer, President of the Austrian Hoteliers Association (ÖHV) and Hotel Director of the Boutiquehotel Stadthalle in Vienna. Michaela talked to us about the structure and organisation of the ÖHV, tourism policies and the significance of hotels and gastronomy for the industry. Beyond that, she explained how important solution-focused thinking is, how and in which areas work 4.0 should be redesigned. We also got an insight into the sustainability management of the Boutiquehotel Stadthalle Vienna and learned about the very unique idea of implementing 17 sustainable development goals into the interior design of the hotel. Enjoy the show!
