Defining Hospitality

What if the most unreasonable thing you can do for your business is make people feel something? This reair brings back a conversation that is well worth a second listen. Dan Ryan and Will Guidara dig into why the smallest gestures leave the biggest marks, how a daily 30 minute huddle can reshape a culture, and why connection beats being right every single time. A six hour dinner that felt like six minutes and a handwritten card of travel tips prove the point, and along the way they make the case that every industry is already in the hospitality business, whether it knows it or not.

Will Guidara is the author of Unreasonable Hospitality and the restaurateur behind Eleven Madison Park and NoMad. He cut his teeth at Tribeca Grill, Spago, and Tabla before opening restaurants at the Museum of Modern Art. He also created the Welcome Conference, a gathering that has left a lasting mark on the people who attend it.

Chapters:
00:00 Restaurant or Hospitality

00:52 Meet Will Guidara

01:25 Six Hour Magic Meal

02:23 Nomad Library Surprise

03:42 Games and Card Trick

04:29 Culture Takes Root

06:36 Finding Your Why

07:38 Will Origin Story

08:50 Hosting and Family

11:19 Hospitality Economy

14:09 Scaling Culture Daily

16:56 Values Beyond Posters

19:58 Impact of the Book

23:24 Unreasonable Intentionality

26:30 Offense in Adversity

31:10 Defining Hospitality

35:39 Beginner Mindset Dad

37:51 Advice and Farewell

Quote of the Show:

“Service is black and white. Hospitality is color.” - Will Guidara

Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.

🔗 CONNECT:

• Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/willguidara/
• Guests Website: https://www.unreasonablehospitality.com/
• Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/

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🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/

🎧 LISTEN ON YOUR FAVORITE PLATFORM:

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
• Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/

What if a hotel could change the way you see the world? Dan sits down with Paolo Ferrari, founder of Studio Paolo Ferrari, to talk about design that goes beyond beautiful and into transformational. They get into why luxury lives in the stitch and not the chair, how film shapes the way he designs urban hotels, and why constraints and friction make for better work. Paolo also explains why shared values matter more than any pitch, how to protect a big vision when the budget gets real, and why physical spaces will matter more than ever as life moves online.

Paolo Ferrari is the founder and principal designer of Studio Paolo Ferrari and was named Boutique Design's 2025 Designer of the Year. For over 20 years he has been shaping some of the most ambitious hospitality projects in the world, including the cave-carved Desert Rock resort in Saudi Arabia. He is known for blending timelessness with courageous invention, and for chasing that moment when someone walks into a space and feels something they never expected.

Chapters:
00:00 Ambition And Uncertainty

00:31 Podcast Mission And Sponsor

01:06 Meet Paolo Ferrari

03:03 Optimism And Joyful Energy

03:57 Defining Hospitality As Generosity

04:41 Luxury Lives In Details

09:34 From Experience To Transformation

16:04 Programming And Urban Wonder

22:04 Designing For The Future

33:53 Friction Fuels Excellence

34:58 Sponsor Sustainability Update

35:23 Why Budgets Must Be Shared

36:55 Start With Vision

39:06 Value Engineering Creativity

43:01 Paradigm Shifting Projects

46:16 Design As Optimism

49:26 Choosing Aligned Clients

54:17 Analog Spaces Matter

Quote of the Show:
"Those physical spaces are gonna carry so much more weight. They're not just indulgent. They're how we connect." - Paolo Ferrari

Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.

Links:

• Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
• Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/studio-paolo-ferrari/?originalSubdomain=ca
• Guests Website: https://www.paoloferrari.com/
• Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/

🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/

Ways to Tune In:

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
• Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/

What if the best sign of great hospitality is that nothing ever gets in your way? Dan Ryan sits down for a live recording of Defining Hospitality, set in a podcast studio tucked inside a former 1930s sandwich shop at Rockefeller Center. The conversation moves from frictionless guest experiences to the habit of saying “we” instead of “I,” with stops along the way for world building, big stakeholder rooms, and the fears that grow as a business does. It’s candid, funny, and built on a friendship that came before any business did.

Drew Stewart is an architect, interior designer, and occasional developer, and a founding partner and director of construction and development at INC Architecture & Design. He has spent 20 years growing the New York studio into a powerhouse, earning a spot in the Interior Design Hall of Fame along the way. His work includes the TWA Hotel, 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, and the Atlas Hotel at Harvard, and he is celebrating the milestone with a monograph, Us Is More, hitting shelves TODAY October 14th.

Chapters:

00:00 Why Hospitality Matters

00:35 Meet Drew Stewart

01:22 Recording at Rock Center

03:00 A Designer’s Eye for Detail

04:09 Defining Frictionless Hospitality

05:44 Managing Mega Projects

11:19 Tech That Aligns Stakeholders

14:52 Hall of Fame Moment

19:07 Us Is More and The Book

34:38 Spending Your Own Money

35:10 Fine Tuning Design Value

35:54 New Empathy For Developers

37:06 Entrepreneurship And Risk

38:04 Fear Grows With Success

39:08 TWA And World Building

41:06 Rockefeller Concourse Redesign

47:29 Building 1 Hotel With Barry

50:51 Book Future And Farewell

Quote of the Show:

“Having creative, thoughtful people across the table turns out to be the single most important thing about any project.” - Drew Stuart

Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.

Links:

• Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
• Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drew-stuart-22bb286/
• Guests Website: https://inc.nyc/
• Us is More Book: https://a.co/d/01ctnv2F
• Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/

🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/

Ways to Tune In:

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
• Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/

What if the biggest advantage in hospitality design isn't having more options, but fewer, better ones?

On this episode of Defining Hospitality, Ashley Squires walks through how The Stylist Group is rethinking the front end of design sourcing. She breaks down how her team narrows a project down to a tailored "starter kit" pulled from dozens of premier manufacturers, why a fast turnaround can save a firm real time and money, and how she's working to bring a sense of joy back into a process that too often feels like a grind.

Ashley Squires is an interior designer, hospitality design expert, and creative strategist with more than 25 years of experience across hospitality, multifamily, and private aviation spaces. She's led design work for major hotel brands, multifamily developments, and cruise lines, giving her firsthand insight into where the sourcing process breaks down for design teams. Alongside her partner Andrea, she co-founded The Stylist Group to turn that experience into a free resource other designers could lean on.

Chapters:
00:00 Stylist Group Promise

00:24 Show Mission Intro

00:48 Sponsor Message

00:57 Meet Ashley Squires

01:23 Time Is Money Setup

02:57 Defining Hospitality

03:25 What Stylus Group Does

04:50 Library Space Problem

06:24 Curating From 27 Makers

09:26 Designer Testimonials

11:26 Fast Turnarounds

15:33 How Palettes Get Picked

18:25 Christmas Day Unboxing

19:54 Sustainability Break

20:19 Measurable Time Savings

22:06 How To Get Started

25:12 Recent Project Wins

33:27 Wrap Up And Contact

Quote of the Show: "No matter what the needs are, whether you're a big firm or you're just starting out, consider us your design resource library." - Ashley Squires

Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.

Links:

• Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
• Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleyksquires/
• Guests Website: https://www.stylist-group.com/
• Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/

🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/

Ways to Tune In:

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
• Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/

Matthew Boone joins Dan Ryan to break down what it actually takes to turn a hospitality project from blueprint to guest ready. They dig into the tension between design vision and hard budget numbers, why cost estimating works so differently around the world, and the on the job lessons that shaped how he leads projects today.

Matthew Boone is head of hospitality at Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB), bringing 20+ years of architecture, construction and project management experience to some of the industry's most complex hotel developments. Trained as an architect, his work includes San Francisco's Huntington Hotel, a project that landed in Architectural Digest. He now leads RLB's hospitality growth across North America, pairing design instinct with financial discipline.

Chapters:
00:00 Architectural Digest Moment

00:56 Meet Matthew Boone

02:31 Architecture Roots

04:17 Defining Hospitality

07:12 Front vs Back of House

07:57 ROI and Budget Tradeoffs

10:07 QS vs US Project Model

16:13 Transparency and True Costs

23:50 CapEx and Aging Systems

31:07 Shower Controls Code

32:10 Sponsor Sustainability Update

32:35 RLB Roots In Hawaii

35:10 Hilton Hawaiian Village Lessons

37:59 Clift Hotel Crunch Renovation

41:59 Erin And RLB Culture

43:38 Mainland Growth Markets

47:51 LA Olympics Hotel Conundrum

54:19 Wrap Up And How To Connect

Quote of the Show:

"Hospitality is thinking about what people need, what people want, before they even know they need it." - Matthew Boone

Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.

Links:

• Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
• Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mboonebayarea/
• Guests Website: https://www.rlb.com/americas/
• Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/

🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/

Ways to Tune In:

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
• Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/

Hospitality has ancient roots, and this week's guest traces her own path in the industry back to something surprising: a master's degree in philosophy. What started as bartending to pay for grad school became a full blown philosophy of service, one built on presence, reciprocity, and treating every guest interaction as its own small act of care. From building a team that turned an old motel into a two Michelin Key destination to launching a groundbreaking childcare pilot for hospitality workers, this conversation covers what it really takes to scale a business without losing the soul that made it special in the first place.

Colleen Rafferty is the President of Tourists, an award winning hotel in North Adams, Massachusetts that has earned two Michelin Keys and national recognition from outlets like Vanity Fair. She rose through the ranks from guest experience manager to the top leadership seat, helping build a culture so strong that her own team members have collectively logged 40 years of tenure at a hotel that has only been open eight. Beyond the hotel, Colleen is leading a new pilot childcare program funded by the state of Massachusetts in partnership with the Governor's Office, built specifically for hospitality workers whose schedules don't run Monday through Friday, 9 to 5.

Chapters:
00:00 Housekeeping Meltdown

00:36 Podcast Mission Intro

01:09 Meet Colleen Rafferty

01:50 Berkshires Festival Vibes

03:32 Defining Hospitality Xenia

06:35 Philosophy to Hospitality

13:57 Tourists Growth Michelin Keys

19:28 Scaling Culture and Structure

26:58 Childcare Pilot for Workers

33:02 Funding and Coalition

33:47 Red Tape Worries

35:23 Pilot Program Unknowns

36:10 Universal Pre-K Lessons

37:14 Michelin Inspector Details

38:10 Sing for Your Slumber

41:01 Tourists Expansion Plans

44:11 Scaling Without Losing Magic

48:28 Mentors and Gratitude

Quote of the Show:
"This isn't really about you. This is about this moment and what the space can provide and what the guest is looking for." - Colleen Rafferty

Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.

Links:

• Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
• Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colleen-rafferty-88603072/
• Guests Website: https://www.touristswelcome.com/
• Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/

🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/

Ways to Tune In:

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
• Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/

What if the best conversations aren't about being interesting, but about being present? In this episode, Dan sits down with his close friend and mentor to explore why so many of us struggle to truly connect, even with people we've known for years. The conversation covers vulnerability, the difference between listening to respond and listening to understand, and why removing performance from a room changes everything.

David Rich is the founder of Palabra, a story driven event format he has hosted hundreds of times across nearly every continent, from intimate dinners to gatherings of over 100 people. What started as a personal search for deeper friendships after moving back from Spain has grown into a platform used by corporations, families, and entrepreneurs to build genuine relationships. His approach to storytelling and presence has made him one of the most sought after voices on modern connection.

Chapters:

00:00 Stories Over Opinions

00:53 Meet David Rich

02:00 What Hospitality Means

03:42 Palabra Born in Spain

07:27 Designing the Container

09:53 Conversation First Format

13:03 Vulnerability and Story Prep

15:58 Listening With Heart

23:32 Opinion Free Safe Space

31:16 Sales Through Trust

32:34 Sponsor Sustainability Note

32:59 Forum Style Story Learning

34:34 Introverts Love Structure

35:57 Long Tail Impact Stories

38:13 Scaling Palabra Formats

39:58 Everest Circle Experiment

43:36 Analog Connection In AI Age

48:42 Guardrails And Closing Reflections

Quote of the Show:

"A good event isn't that someone cried, so it was a good event. It's that people become a little bit more of themselves." - David RIch

Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.

Links:

• Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
• Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjrich/
• Guests Website: https://www.palabra.co/
• Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/

🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/

Ways to Tune In:

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
• Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/

What does luxury actually mean once you strip away the thread counts and marble bathrooms? Dan sits down with Diarmaid O'Sullivan, Director of Marketing at the Hamilton Princess & Beach Club, a Fairmont Hotel in Bermuda, for a conversation about connection, patience, and the moments that turn a guest into a regular. Diarmaid brings more than 30 years of international experience in hospitality marketing, tourism strategy, and luxury brand building, and has spent over a decade shaping some of the industry's most talked about lifestyle partnerships, including collaborations with Steamline Luggage and a custom fragrance created with Bermuda's oldest perfumery. The two dig into what luxury means as a moving target, how far patience can take a brand partnership, and why the first five minutes of a stay might matter more than the room itself.

Chapters:

00:00 Show Mission Intro

00:35 Meet Diarmaid

02:01 Hospitality Means People

05:25 Bermuda Move Story

07:30 Partnership Playbook

11:09 Fairmont Brand Legacy

15:32 Redefining Luxury

20:10 Curated Art Experiences

23:57 Tech Versus Human Touch

32:53 Mentoring With Honesty

34:12 Helping Staff Move On

35:11 I Want Your Job

36:13 Six Months To Prove It

38:01 Boss As Your Guide

40:38 Networking On A Small Island

43:56 Bermuda Awareness Challenge

47:52 New Opportunities And Partnerships

50:21 Measuring Wins And Wrapping Up

Quote of the Show:

"You can teach someone the skills to operate a system, how to make a bed, how to make a dish. But you cannot teach someone to have empathy, to connect with people, or just be happy." - Diarmaid OSullivan

Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.

Links:

• Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
• Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• Luggage Collab: https://steamlineluggage.com/collections/the-hamilton-princess-hotel
• Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diarmaidosullivan/
• Guests Website: https://www.thehamiltonprincess.com/
• Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/

🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/

Ways to Tune In:

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
• Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/

In this episode of Defining Hospitality, Dan sits down with Adam Lara, principal at KTGY Interior Design and Branded Environments, to talk about career, culture, and what it really takes to build a studio that works. From formative early experiences to his latest chapter leading a growing team in Chicago, Adam offers a grounded look at what shapes great design work over the long haul.

Adam Lara has spent nearly three decades moving across architecture, interiors, and brand side operations, giving him a rare, well rounded view of the hospitality design world. His career has included time at Hyatt, a formative stretch under acclaimed designer Jordan Mosher, and now a leadership role at KTGY. That range makes him one of the more thoughtful voices working in hospitality design today.

Chapters:

00:00 Why Hospitality Matters

00:35 Meet Adam Lara

01:55 Defining Hospitality

02:53 Career Pivot After 9/11

04:22 Inside-Out Design Thinking

05:29 Why Architects Avoid Interiors

07:26 Hyatt HQ Memories

08:31 Brand Side Lessons at Hyatt

10:27 Ops and Owner Mindset

13:40 Jordan Mozer Maker Culture

16:27 Micro to Macro Design

18:40 Joining Simeone Deary

20:25 Merging Into KTGY

22:44 Learning From Gina and Lisa

24:48 New Office and Integration

28:49 Venetian Bars Storytelling

34:59 Leadership and Culture

45:06 In-Person Collaboration Finale

Quote of the Show:

"It's not just design, it's basically problem solving." - Adam Lara

Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.

Links:

• Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
• Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-lara-aia-leed-ap-ishc-7aa04751/
• Guests Website: https://ktgy.com/
• Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/

🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/

Ways to Tune In:

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
• Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/

In this episode, Dan Ryan sits down with Ryan Diggins, founder and operator of The Ramble Hotel and co-founder of Gravitas Development, to unpack how his company, Midnight Auteur, builds boutique hotels that lead with food and beverage instead of treating it as an afterthought. Ryan walks through the thinking behind properties like The Ramble in Denver and Municipal Grand in Savannah, why smaller hotels can outperform bigger ones when you optimize for revenue per square foot instead of RevPAR alone, and how staying involved in the smallest design details, right down to how brass patinas on a toilet handle, keeps a project from losing its soul as it scales. The conversation also dives into how Ryan finds overlooked real estate opportunities, how he builds teams around a fully formed vision instead of the other way around, and what the future of hotel discovery looks like as AI reshapes how travelers find where to stay.

Ryan Diggins is a real estate development veteran with over 15 years of experience building in Denver and beyond, and he's spent that time proving that boutique hotels can compete with, and outperform, some of the biggest names in the business. As founder and operator of The Ramble Hotel and co-founder of Gravitas Development, he leads hotel concepting, development, and operations through his company Midnight Auteur, marrying serious development chops with a hospitality first sensibility. His latest project, Municipal Grand in Savannah, was recently named one of the top 19 places to travel in 2026 by Architectural Digest, cementing his reputation as one of the industry's sharpest voices on design-driven, food and beverage anchored hospitality.

Chapters:
00:00 Real Estate vs Purpose

00:22 Show Mission Intro

00:55 Guest Spotlight Ryan

02:26 Defining Hospitality

04:00 Placemaking Through Hotels

06:43 Artfulness Over Formula

10:42 Why Secret Sauce Gets Lost

16:25 F&B Led Hotel Economics

26:04 Staying Curious While Scaling

31:34 Process Without Strangling

33:23 Design For The Picky Guest

35:22 Thoughtfulness As True North

37:23 Values Shape The Team

40:58 Winning Over Investors

44:29 Choosing Design Partners

48:22 Future Markets And Pipeline

50:53 Marketing In The AI Era

55:04 Death And Co Origin Story

Quote of the Show:

"If we can't answer what is this here for or why are we doing this, well now you're just a Pinterest board." - Ryan Diggins

Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.

Links:

• Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
• Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-diggins-8a1297a/
• Guests Website: https://www.theramblehotel.com/
• Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/

🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/

Ways to Tune In:

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
• Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/

In this episode, Dan sits down with longtime industry counterpart Carl Long for a conversation twenty years in the making. They dig into how relationships compound like interest, why hospitality has resisted disruption from AI, and the vocational program Carl helped build at Richardson High School that's giving students a debt free path into the industry. It is a candid, reflective talk about risk, trust, and what actually keeps people in this business for the long haul.

About the Guest:

Carl Long is CEO of PMI and PMI Tribal Services, with more than two decades of experience in hospitality purchasing and project management spanning India, Latin America, and major hotel, casino, and senior living projects across the US. He sits on the board of the Indian Gaming Association, serves on the AHLA Design and Construction Committee, and is the past president of ISHP. He is also breaking ground on his own hotel development this year, adding developer to an already impressive resume.

Chapters:

00:00 Spy Joke and Mission

00:46 Meet Carl Long

02:07 Project Years and Perspective

04:32 Defining Hospitality

05:57 Building Their Own Hotel

07:28 Balancing Kindness and Deadlines

10:50 Relationships Over Transactions

17:38 Trust Erosion and Overdocumentation

28:58 Disruption AI and Last Mile

36:20 AI Meets Reality

38:12 People Over Process

38:49 Hospitality Career Lab

39:58 Richardson High Program

42:28 Building A Hotel Lobby

45:13 Opportunity Without Debt

47:21 Connection Beats Remote

53:59 CapEx And Renovation Cycle

01:05:19 Future Of Relational Hospitality

Quote of the Show: "Those relationships, they have to start somewhere. It comes over time, it comes over effort, and when you do that, relationships are what make great projects easy to move ahead." - Carl Long

Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.

Links:

• Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
• Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-long-pmi/
• Guests Website: https://pmiconnect.com/
• Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/

🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/

Ways to Tune In:

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
• Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/

To celebrate over three years of Defining Hospitality, Dan Ryan pulls together some of the most powerful moments from the show's history into one episode. From the etymology of the word "hospitality" itself to the sacred duty of welcoming strangers, this compilation revisits the ideas that have shaped the conversation around design, service, and business in our industry. Guests reflect on the moments that changed them, the leaps of faith that built their careers, and the small human details, like how a rendering makes people feel, that separate good hospitality from great hospitality. It's a reminder of just how much wisdom has passed through this mic, and why the question "what does hospitality really mean" never gets old.

This episode brings back some of the sharpest minds Dan has hosted, including novelist and hospitality thinker Ian, designer and procurement leader Chelsea Hershelman, hospitality veteran John O'Sullivan, caterer to presidents Steve, architect and designer Eileen, casino and resort design expert Bruno Viterbo, real estate developer Margot Stern, and hospitality tech innovator John Duffield. Each brought a distinct perspective to the show, from the sacred history of welcoming guests to the future of biometric personalization in travel. Together, their stories map out just how wide, and how deep, the world of hospitality really runs.

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome to Defining Hospitality

00:35 Hospitality Roots and Meaning

01:32 Designing the Guest Journey

02:14 A Sacred Sense of Belonging

02:40 Conviction as Leadership Gravity

03:14 Four Seasons Culture Shift

03:57 Hope and Opportunity Abroad

05:03 White Box to Model Room

06:03 Designing for Real People

07:11 Is It Right or Wrong

07:55 Sponsor Sustainability Update

08:20 Creating Vacation Joy

09:06 Leaps of Faith and Belonging

11:07 Friends Who Expand Possibility

12:04 Don’t Disqualify Yourself

13:46 Winning Town Alignment

15:05 High Stakes Catering Moments

15:44 Future of Travel and Wisdom

Quote of the Show:

"It wasn't about, hey, we have these great finishes on the walls. It was about what does it feel like to be in that place." - Bruno Viterbo

Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.

Get Connected with the Guests

• Bruno Viterbo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bruno-viterbo/
• Chelsea Hershelman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelsea-hershelman-a0639656/
• Eileen Madigan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eileenamadiganasid/
• Ian Sharpe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianstuartsharpe/
• John Duffield: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnjduffield/
• John O’Sullivan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-o-sullivan-6719551/
• Margot Stern: https://www.linkedin.com/in/margot-stern-67a0a97/
• Steve Fortunato:https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-fortunato-3b990516/
• Dan Ryan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/

🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/

Ways to Tune In:

• Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
• Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
• Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/

Gary Brandeis, CEO of Scholar Hotels, joins Dan Ryan to talk about a strategy most hoteliers never even consider: betting everything on college towns. Gary explains why a large public university like Penn State makes for one of the most stable demand drivers in hospitality, and how his company has grown to nearly 1,000 rooms in State College alone. The conversation dives into his real estate investor first, hospitality operator second philosophy, the wild 16 month renovation of the historic Nittany Lion Inn, and his new Regulation A offering that lets everyday fans, not just accredited investors, own a piece of the hotels they love to visit. It is a masterclass in finding your niche, going deep instead of wide, and turning community passion into capital.

About the Guest:

Gary Brandeis is the CEO of Scholar Hotels, a hotel executive and real estate investor who has spent 35 years working with major brands like Marriott, Hyatt, and IHG while building a specialized portfolio around university markets. He has also launched award winning real estate technology companies focused on innovation and tenant experience, proving he is just as comfortable disrupting the model as he is running it. What makes Gary worth listening to is his willingness to buck conventional investment wisdom, concentrating his business in college towns like State College, Pennsylvania, and turning that focus into one of the most consistent and creative hospitality plays in the industry today.

Chapters:
00:00 Why Hospitality Matters

00:25 Meet Gary Brandeis

01:04 Penn State Roots and Nittany Lion

03:09 A Thousand Rooms in State College

07:22 Hospitality Meets Profitability

12:22 College Town Brands and Graduate

16:49 Graduate Growth and Real Estate Risks

20:00 Democratizing Hotel Investing Reg A

32:46 Scaling Investor Communication

35:08 Investor Updates Tech

35:57 Radical Transparency

36:42 University Demand Engine

38:44 Crowdfunding Reg A Basics

40:37 Targeting Superfans Social

44:28 Nittany Lion Inn Turnaround

46:08 Choosing The Right Designer

50:14 Hands On Ownership Grit

58:17 University Hotels Investment Thesis

Quote of the Show:
"If we don't make a profit and we don't invest well, our ability to provide a good experience for our guests is significantly hindered." - Gary Brandeis

Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.

Links:

• Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
• Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garybrandeis/
• Guests Website: https://www.scholarhh.com/
• Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/

🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/

Ways to Tune In:

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
• Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/

In this episode, Dan Ryan sits down with Michelle Finn, longtime industry fixture and the driving force behind Alis Design Plus, to trace the evolution of hospitality trade events from HD Expo's chaotic 1990s launch (earthquakes, riots and all) to today's design and investment ecosystem. Michelle unpacks her "dinner party" philosophy of hosting, the power of relationships over transactions, and how she scaled that intimacy from a dozen guests to thousands of attendees without losing the human touch. The conversation moves through mentorship, the rise of owner involvement in design, the new Alis Cala expansion into the Caribbean, and even a few fun detours into what a Vogue or Garden and Guns hotel might look like.

About the Guest:

Michelle Finn heads The BHN Group's hotel design and construction events, including the launch of Alis Design Plus. Previously, she led the management and development of Hospitality Design Expo, HD Boutique, HD Summit, HD Awards, Hospitality Design, Boutique Design NY, Boutique Design West, the BD Forum Series, Boutique Design and Senior Lifestyle Design Match events, the Gold Key Awards, and more. A dedicated, long standing member of NEWH, she has earned numerous awards for innovation spanning trade fair development, publishing, leadership, and service, and is firmly established as a notable presence in Chicago's hospitality landscape.

Chapters:

00:00 Defining Hospitality Intro

00:35 Meet Michelle Finn

01:47 What Hospitality Means

03:38 Hosting Lessons Early On

06:00 Launching HD Expo Origins

08:48 Riots Earthquakes and Vegas Pivot

13:42 Winning Leadership Buy In

22:41 Why ALIS Design Plus Exists

25:21 Growth Plans and Industry Shifts

33:38 Analog Event Magic

34:36 Word of Mouth Wins

35:08 Hospitality Shifts

36:19 Product Categories Boom

37:47 Launching Alice Cala

39:59 Measuring Referrals

43:56 Hosting Like a Pro

48:11 Newcomer Event Playbook

52:22 Future Plans and Farewell

Quote of the Show:

"Identify a need, see something that doesn't exist. That's pretty much what we did." - Michelle Finn

Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.

Links:

• Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
• Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alis-design-plus
• Guests Website: https://www.alisdesignplus.com/
• Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/

🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/

Ways to Tune In:

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
• Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/

In this episode, Dan sits down with Adrienne Scribner, principal and managing director of hospitality at Baskerville, to unpack what three decades in hotel design has taught her about the unglamorous work that actually makes projects succeed. They dig into why there is no "coordination fairy" waiting to catch your mistakes, how typing specs into a purchasing system in the early '90s built the foundation for her entire career, and why mentoring the next generation means being approachable rather than intimidating.

About the Guest:

Adrienne Scribner is a Principal and Managing Director of Hospitality at Baskervill, bringing more than 20 years of experience across the Maryland, Virginia, and DC design corridor. Her client roster reads like a hospitality hall of fame, including Marriott, Gaylord, Ritz Carlton, and Moxy, and her research driven approach has made her a trusted voice for owners navigating renovations of every scale. Beyond the projects themselves, she has built a reputation as a generous mentor, the kind of leader who would rather answer a question than let someone learn the hard way.

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome back to Defining Hospitality

00:58 Meet Adrienne Scribner

01:41 Conference Mentorship Moment

02:52 Why She Stayed in Hotels

04:17 Learning Through Specs

07:16 Hybrid Work and Phone Calls

10:54 Marriott Years and Prototypes

14:11 No Coordination Fairy

17:57 Mentorship and Coachable Talent

31:18 Baskerville Office Footprint

32:30 Hiring Without Relocation

32:47 Why DC Attracts Designers

34:40 DC Cost and Lifestyle Reality

35:01 Sponsor Sustainability Note

35:26 Market Cycle and CapEx Slowdown

38:08 Compressed Schedules and Pauses

39:36 Mentorship Through Project Conflict

40:45 Model Rooms and Risk Management

46:40 Career Lessons From Marriott

49:25 Working With Brand Standards

54:09 Owners Concepts and AI Inspiration

57:14 Research Versus Inspiration Images

59:50 Cross-Pollination Across Verticals

Quote of the Show:

"If you don't know exactly who is going to do the work, it's probably you. You need to find that person." - Adrienne Scribner

Links:

• Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
• Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrienne-scribner-265b045/
• Guests Website: https://www.baskervill.com/
• Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/

🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/

Ways to Tune In:

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
• Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/

Dan Ryan sat down with Alexa d'Argence, senior interior designer at Ken Fulk Inc., to explore what it really means to design spaces people fall in love with. Alexa pulls back the curtain on KFI's work at the Huntington Hotel in San Francisco and the Beverly Hills Hotel. sharing how a strong concept and cinematic vision guide every decision from the big picture down to the smallest detail. The conversation gets reflective too, touching on why slowing down is sometimes the only way forward, and what it means to truly love the work you do.

About the Guest:

Alexa d'Argence is a Senior Interior Designer at Ken Fulk Inc. in San Francisco. With a background rooted in hospitality and residential design, she has worked on projects ranging from The Flamingo Hotel in Santa Rosa to the Huntington Hotel on Nob Hill, recently featured in Architectural Digest, and is currently deep in the renovation of the Beverly Hills Hotel. A graduate of Cornell and a lifelong lover of hotels, she approaches every project as an act of care, craft, and storytelling.

Chapters:

00:42 Meet Alexa d’Argence

01:45 Sketching Under Pressure

04:02 What Hospitality Means

05:03 Hotels and Childhood Memories

05:59 From Marin to Hospitality Design

07:51 Storytelling and the Movie Mind

13:23 Designing for the Guest

17:22 History Beloved and Future Dreams

28:19 Sketching Together Works

29:08 Hidden Beauty Onsite

32:05 Details Beyond The Spread

33:15 Beloved Places And Memories

34:54 Renovations And Responsibility

36:10 Sustainability Sponsor Break

36:37 Tools Sketches And Renderings

39:40 Puzzling As Design Mindset

44:19 Mentorship Scent And Farewell

Quote of the Show:

"It's a calling, a vocation for me. So there's a lot of love that goes into it. This is a job where you are working long hours, and if you don't love it, you're gonna burn out." - Alexa d'Argence

Links:

• Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
• Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexadargence/
• Guests Website: https://www.kenfulk.com/
• Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/

🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/

Ways to Tune In:

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
• Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/

This week, Dan Ryan sits down with Alex Kuby, Associate Principal at Dyelot and a lifelong student of how built environments shape human experience. From his early days at HBA in Santa Monica to helping lead a studio through a full brand transformation, Alex has spent his career asking what it really means to make people feel seen, supported, and cared for inside a space. Together, Dan and Alex explore approachable hospitality, the power of integrated services, and what niching down actually looks like when you are doing it from the inside.

About the Guest:

On this episode, Dan Ryan sits down with Alex Kuby, Associate Principal at Dyelot, a hospitality interiors studio bolstered by branding, procurement, and architectural services. Alex has been part of the firm since its days as RDC, helping shape its evolution into a focused, values driven hospitality design practice. When he is not leading visioning workshops or authoring the Dylot blog, he is probably thinking about how a grocery store can double as a neighborhood heartbeat.

Chapters:

00:42 Show Intro and Sponsor

01:04 Meet Alex Kuby

01:31 Shared Roots and Catching Up

03:19 Defining Hospitality

03:58 Approachable Hospitality

05:25 RDC to Dyelot Story

09:34 WELL and Sustainable FF&E

20:59 Capital ROI and Visioning

32:23 Sustainable Sponsor Shoutout

32:41 Design Meets Procurement

35:38 Why Branding Comes First

39:04 Blogging and Brand Transition

41:49 Niching Down the Studio

43:22 Grocery as Community Hub

46:09 Public Spaces and Connection

50:12 Career Advice and Mentorship

53:28 Memory Lane and Farewell

Quote of the Show:

"Hospitality is the humanity in the built environment, that is the way in which we express care and facilitate all of those great high touch point, high emotional engagements that the best hospitality spaces are known for." - Alex Kuby

Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.

Links:

• Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
• Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akuby/
• Guests Website: https://dyelot.com/
• Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/

🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/

Ways to Tune In:

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
• Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/

Dan Ryan talks with Thomas Paterson, founder and lighting designer at Lux Populi, about one of hospitality's most overlooked design disciplines… light. Thomas explains why lighting designers need a seat at the table from day one, not after the drawings are done, and shares his take on how light shapes a space's emotional experience. The conversation covers the gap between the 2% of projects that engage a true lighting specialist and the 30-50% that probably should, what it means to design from the inside out, his unconventional path from Australia to Mexico City, the sustainability case for old-school screw-in bulbs, and why asking the right question at the right moment is the smartest move a lighting designer can make.

About the Guest:

Thomas Paterson is the founder, director, and principal lighting designer at Lux Populi, a Mexico City based lighting design studio. He brings a first principles approach to every project, asking what light can do before how it should look. His portfolio spans luxury resorts, boutique hotels, restaurants, museums, and infrastructure, including 15 years with Sandals Resorts, the Four Seasons Los Cabos, and a landmark tunnel gateway in Sydney. Originally from Australia and formerly based in London, he landed in Mexico City by chance and built one of the industry's most distinctive lighting practices.

Chapters:

00:25 Meet Lighting Designer Thomas

03:09 Hospitality Through Light

06:43 Bring Lighting In Early

10:17 Who Owns The Brief

11:46 Do Projects Hire Lighting

17:23 Lighting As Editing Tool

25:43 Fixing Spaces After Opening

29:09 Why Mexico City

31:53 Mexico City Safety Shift

32:43 Designing the Cocoon

33:17 Contrast and Tone Basics

34:14 Fixing a Brand’s Lighting

35:47 Kelvin Myths Explained

37:38 Infrared and Homogenous LEDs

42:39 Culture and Buying Bulbs

47:37 Sustainability and PoE Lighting

54:53 Future of Lighting Design

Quote of the Show:

"Lighting design is an editing tool. Emphasize, de-emphasize, reveal, conceal." - Thomas Paterson

Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.

Links:

• Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
• Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tpaterson/
• Guests Website: https://luxpopuli.com/New/
• Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/

🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/

Ways to Tune In:

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
• Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/

This week, Dan Ryan sits down with Larry Traxler, a 30+ year veteran of architecture and design, former SVP Global Head of Architecture & Design at Hilton Hotels & Resorts, and founder of Traxworks Hospitality Collaborative, to make the case that great hospitality design isn’t about replicating what’s trending, it’s about understanding place, people, and purpose. From breaking ceramic tiles on job sites in Japan to navigating 102 countries and opening 1,000 hotels a year at Hilton, Larry has spent his career building bridges between creative vision and business reality, and now, finally free to say no, he’s going deeper than ever.

About the Guest:
On this episode, Dan Ryan sits down with Larry Traxler, founder of Traxworks Hospitality Collaborative and former SVP Global Head of Architecture and Design at Hilton Hotels & Resorts. Larry has shaped some of the most memorable spaces in global hospitality, one mosaic wall, and one very deliberate hammer swing at a time. When he’s not advising owners on design strategy or racking up passport stamps across his 102nd country, he’s photographing wildlife in his backyard, plotting a month in Africa, and finally, finally, getting to put more into the projects that truly light him up.

Chapters:

00:25 Welcome to Defining Hospitality

01:28 Mentors Safari and Photography

02:53 Backyard Safari and Reps

05:42 Defining Hospitality Through Design

12:09 Traxworks Freedom to Say No

15:13 Jordan Mozer Narrative Craft

22:31 Becoming the Bridge Conductor

30:36 The Clift Deep Dive Details

35:27 Nine Million Miles

36:43 Creativity in the Air

38:27 Hilton Lessons to Trexworks

43:10 Solo Founder Reality

45:13 AI as Creative Toolkit

50:00 Recessions and Resilience

54:04 Hospitality Beyond Hotels

01:00:20 Fighting Design Sameness

01:02:35 Traxworks Freedom and Farewell

Quote of the Show:
“It’s those people that have a fear of the future that get held back. Sometimes you just have to jump off the bridge and leap into those entrepreneurial waters.” - Larry Traxler

Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.

Links:

• Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
• Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larrytraxler/
• Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/

🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by BermanFalk https://www.bermanfalk.com/

Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/

Ways to Tune In:

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419
• Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/

This week, Dan Ryan sits down with John O'Sullivan, hospitality executive, published poet, painter, and Regional Vice President & General Manager at Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita, to make the case that great hospitality isn't a service standard, it's a soul practice. A GM at just 25 who started peeling potatoes in a small Irish hotel at 12, John has spent over three decades opening and leading luxury properties across seven countries, building a career on the radical belief that belonging is borderless, failure is just success in progress, and heart intelligence will always outperform artificial intelligence.

About the Guest:
On this episode, Dan Ryan sits down with John O'Sullivan, Regional Vice President and General Manager at Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita in Mexico. With 31 years at Four Seasons and properties across Cairo, Bali, Jakarta, and beyond, John has spent his career quietly proving that the most powerful management tool isn't a system, it's sincerity. When he's not leading a team of more than 1,000 warriors, he's painting, publishing poetry, or stealing cookies from his director of rooms' office. He moves through the world the same way he runs his hotel, with curiosity, warmth, and zero interest in being the most important person in the room.

Chapters:

00:35 Meet John O Sullivan

02:25 Defining Hospitality And Belonging

03:06 From Ireland To GM At 25

04:18 Making Room For Others

10:30 Mentors And Ripple Effects

16:22 Travel Memories And Magic Details

20:56 Why Punta Mita Wins

26:21 Creativity Process And Failure

34:02 Potato Peeler Origins

34:34 Curiosity Becomes Calling

37:06 Heart Intelligence Hospitality

38:13 Creativity Fuels Positivity

39:14 Recharging Through Adventure

41:56 Fun as Leadership

42:56 Vulnerability and Forgiveness

47:46 Egypt Opening Hope Story

54:33 Future of Authentic Luxury

Quote of the Show:
"Hospitality is the almost sacred act of seeing another human being and saying, without words, that you authentically belong here." - John O’Sullivan

Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on.

Links:

• Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1
• Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/
• Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-o-sullivan-6719551/
• Guests Website: https://www.fourseasons.com/puntamita/
• Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/

🏨✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! 🌍🌱 https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/

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