Hotel Happy Hour Podcast

In our podcast, Hotel Happy Hour, we interview some of the most experienced, innovative, and insightful hospitality executives through an informal chat-style session.

Episode 001: Carl Wilson (Retired CIO of Marriott International) and Tim Harvey (Retired CIO of Hilton) discuss their experiences with the 2008 financial crisis and how it compares with COVID19 crisis today.

Episode 2: We sat down with Kerry Ranson, Chief Development Officer at HP Hotels, to discuss the daily challenges facing hoteliers, preparing for the unexpected, and how hotel development is changing course.

Episode 3: We sat down with Greg Miller, former SVP of Marriott Finance, to discuss the state of hotel investment, innovation taking place within the travel space, and ways to spot signs of positivity for the future.

Episode 4: We met with Kirk Kinsell, Principal for private investment and advisory group Panther Ridge Partners and former executive at Loews Hotels and InterContinental Hotels Group, to discuss ways to celebrate hotel workers, the current investment landscape, and the creative ways the industry is adapting to the issues of the day.

Episode 5: We sat down with Michele Sarkisian, Partner at Avenger Capital and Board Member at Healthy Dining, to debate the future of group travel in hospitality, the mentality operators are working with at the property level, how to stand out during periods of reduced occupancy, and more.


Episode 6: We met with Mark Ricketts, President and COO of McNeill Hospitality, to discuss the ways hoteliers are adapting at the property level, strategies for this holiday season, and finding success in unexpected ways.


Episode 7: Kate Hughes, Editor at Lodging Magazine, stopped by the podcast to share her perspective on the ways the industry has changed over the past year, the trends that will remain, and what she misses most about travel.

Episode 8: We caught up with Larry Mogelonsky, Principal and Managing Partner at Hotel Mogel, alongside his son, operations manager, and business partner Adam Mogelonsky, to talk about the challenges taking place behind the front desk, the ways hotels are re-thinking F&B for 2021, and much more.

Episode 9: Peggy Berg, Founder & President of the Castell Project, stopped by to talk about growing diversity and women leadership within hospitality, recognizing your worth as an employee, and how hoteliers can improve their messaging to attract new talent.

Episode 10: Bjorn Hanson, Adjunct Professor at the New York University Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism, and Sports Management, joined us to discuss the the trajectory of the hotel industry’s recovery, the metrics hoteliers should be paying closest attention to in the coming months, and the exciting opportunities just around the corner.

Episode 11: Dr. Soyung Park and Dr. Ye Zhang, two researchers at Florida Atlantic University, stopped by Hotel Happy Hour to discuss the results of the university’s recent survey on labor and employment in hospitality following COVID-19. The researchers had a lot to say about where labor is evolving in hotels, how operators can shift to meet the needs of today’s workers, and what hotels can do to attract and retain workers going forward.