Welcome back to Hospitality Meets where today we have a special treat as we sit down with none other than James Brown (no, not the legendary blues singer - Highly original and never been used before joke) the dynamic CEO of Brewdog's bar division as well as being the co-founder of Tipjar.

Join us as James takes us through his remarkable journey, from his humble beginnings at a chip shop in rural Scotland to leading Brewdog’s international bar operations. We'll dive into the fun and innovative culture at Brewdog that attracts young, ambitious talent, and explore how they navigate the challenges of opening new locations, including a whirlwind expansion into Ohio and beyond.

James shares valuable insights into the importance of in-person social experiences, especially post-COVID, and the unique challenges and rewards of the hospitality industry. We'll also chat about his entrepreneurial venture, Tipjar, a platform revolutionising the way tips are distributed in the hospitality sector.

Get ready for an episode filled with entrepreneurial spirit, risk-taking stories, and the captivating energy of the hospitality world. Tune in as we uncover the passion and dedication that drives James and his team to create memorable experiences for both staff and guests around the globe.

Enjoy!

The Guest

Instagram - @james_rides_bikes

X - @BrewDogJB

The Sponsor

Today’s episode comes to you in partnership with RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

Today, on Hospitality Meets, we dive deep into the fascinating career journey of Phil Murphy, the Managing Director at Hoar Cross Hall Hotel & Spa.

Starting his career in leisure and fitness, and facing numerous challenges, including personal tragedy and the unforeseen impact of Covid-19, Phil demonstrates the resilience and dedication required to thrive in the hospitality industry. From restructuring a large spa facility to overseeing a landmark hotel, Phil shares valuable insights into leadership, the importance of relationships, and the power of mutual respect as well as knowing when to say no, as well as yes!

Join us as Phil reminisces about his beginnings in hospitality, the camaraderie that fuelled his passion, and the pivotal experiences that shaped his career. We’ll explore his achievements in sustainability, including the creation of a zero landfill business, and his strategies for maintaining high brand standards. And as a special treat, Phil reveals his unique interview question that helps uncover true potential in candidates.

Stay tuned for an inspiring conversation filled with wisdom, humour, and life lessons from one of our industry’s seasoned professionals.

Enjoy!

The Guest

Phil Murphy is the Managing Director at Hoar Cross Hall Spa Hotel a 104 Bedroom, 85,000 square foot spa destination. Welcoming over 100,000 guests per year, 400 staff members. Previously he's had roles such as Group Leisure and Spa Operations Manager at QHotels overseeing 26 leisure and spa properties with Experience at Macdonald Hotels, DW and JJB fitness.

LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/phil-murphy-8a3185154

The Sponsor

Today’s episode comes to you in partnership with RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

Welcome to another episode of "Hospitality Meets," where this week we delve into the vibrant world of the hospitality and night time economy. Phil is joined by none other than Michael Kill, the dynamic Chief Executive of the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA).

Michael shares an array of fascinating stories—from being pranked early in his career at Fifth Avenue to orchestrating his own elaborate pranks as promotional stunts. Listen as Phil and Michael explore how such experiences build resilience and break down barriers.

Michael’s journey into the industry was a serendipitous shift from a potentially very different path leading him to discover a profound sense of camaraderie and community. They discuss the quintessential role of problem-solving in hospitality, drawing parallels between past and present dynamics, especially influenced by social media. Michael underscores the importance of unity within the industry to influence governmental policies and enhance representation, touching upon his work with NTIA and the Institute of Hospitality.

Together, Phil and Michael reflect on the multifaceted nature of the hospitality industry—from unglamorous tasks to major political manoeuvres—and its power to shape character and personal growth. Tune in to hear about Michael's hands on experience, his advocacy for collective industry success, and his strategic initiatives that aim to elevate the industry's stature on both national and international stages.

Don’t miss out on this insightful conversation brimming with practical wisdom, laughter, and a touch of nostalgia. Cheers!

The Guest

With several decades of experience working within independent, corporate and public sector environments at executive level, Michael specialises in Marketing, Operations, Licensing, Logistics and System Implementation. With significant senior management roles within Luminar Leisure Plc, The Drinks Group and the University of East Anglia and now as the Chief Executive of the Night Time Industries Association, Michael has been exposed to a considerable range of businesses within the night time economy business sector.

NTIA - https://ntia.co.uk/

Instagram - @ntiaofficial

X - @wearethentia

The Sponsor

Today’s episode comes to you in partnership with RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

Today we bring you the superstar that is Jane Sunley, Founder and CEO of Purple Cubed (https://purplecubed.com/).

As always, we get through loads including:-

• Humble beginnings
• Being the naughty one
• Being spurred on by negativity
• Becoming a manager
• Moving to Reading
• London
• Starting in contract catering
• Setting up a temp agency
• Purpled Cubed
• Culture
• Book writing
• Shenanigans in the dry store

And so much more.

Jane is one of the most recognisable humans in hospitality and has an epic story from start to finish, told with humour and humility. I guarantee you'll take massive value from our conversation.

Enjoy!

What a week UK Hospitality has had since our last episode. 3 huge fundraisers - Lunch4Ukraine, The Springboard Awards for Excellence and Back to the floor for Hospitality Action. The Latter, gave me the opportunity to meet today's guest.

I got some time with Jason Adams, Managing Director of the beautiful Rockliffe Hall in the North East (https://www.rockliffehall.com/).

As always, we get through loads including:-

• Taking on a new role at the beginning of Covid
• The Staycation
• The North East
• Grabbing the bull by the horns on your career
• Starting in the kitchen
• Moving to the front operation
• Le Manoir Standards
• Moving to Jersey
• Developing people
• Letting good people get their wings
• Improving business
• Looking after people
• The adapting leader
• The expansion of Rockliffe
• Community
• How to complain

And so much more. Jason has built a cracking career so far and with a history of improving businesses wherever he goes. There's so much learning in here from start to finish including being proactive in your career.

Thanks so much Jason.

Enjoy!

At the time of writing, Hospitality Meets has now been downloaded in 113 countries (still looking for our first listener in Greenland). So this week, we've gone international and not only that, we managed to get some time with Denise Flanders, the General Manager of one of the worlds most legendary hotels, Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles (https://www.dorchestercollection.com/en/los-angeles/hotel-bel-air/).

We get through all manner of things including:-

• The view from Bel-Air
• The Bridge
• Moving to New York
• Joining Four Seasons
• Moving around the US
• Finding your home
• Aligning values
• Creating luxury hospitality
• Guests who knit
• The importance of relationships
• Culture
• Having confidence in the future
• The magical moments
• Kindness
• FUN!

This conversation is like an advertisement for hospitality heavily laden with compelling reasons as to why hospitality is so awesome and Denise talks so passionately about the industry from the outset.

She is someone who clearly has hospitality coursing through her veins and has a wonderfully calming tone throughout.

What a pleasure it was to chat to her and I know you will all take some great nuggets with you from this.

Enjoy!

I was first alerted to today's guest as she featured in the 2021 Acorn award winners, celebrating 30 people under the age of 30 to look out for.

She then very kindly agreed to be a panelist at the inaugural Rooms101 event later that year and I knew then that I totally needed to get some time with Amelia Harper, Director of Communications for Rosewood London (https://www.rosewoodhotels.com/en/london).

We cover off so much as always including:-

• The suites at the Rosewood
• Living above a pub
• Pineapple hedgehogs
• Getting a start at Harrods
• Moving into events
• Rebranding
• Manifestation
• People vs buildings
• Marketing
• Respecting the operation
• Creating cookery books
• Afternoon tea
• Working for the George Clooney of the hospitality industry
• Why Hospitality is AWESOME
• Making mistakes

And so much more. Amelia is absolutely a rising star and a shining light for this industry and our chat is full of golden nuggets and humour.

Enjoy!

I was so happy to get some time with todays guest, one of the most recognisable names in the Hotel industry, none other than Danny Pecorelli, MD of Exclusive Collection (https://www.exclusive.co.uk).

Danny is a 2nd generation hotelier but as we find out, that didn't necessarily translate into a clear path being formed for him as he took time to forge his own career and capability.

This chat is rammed full of useful stuff from start to finish including:-

• Danny - the man, the Mystery
• Staying busy
• Being a 2nd generation hotelier
• Finding your own path
• Making sandwiches
• The Savoy Training program
• Working in a convention hotel
• Cornell School
• Golf
• Detail
• The glory of Hospitality
• People
• B-Corp
• Giving back
• The Future
• Evolution
• Monstrous Wedding cakes
• Jonny Wilkinson & Cameron Diaz

And so much more.

Danny's story is everything you'd hope it would be but in many ways it still sounds like he's at the beginning of an epic journey.

Enjoy!

Ever since I saw today's guest on BBC 2's Great British Menu in 2020, I knew I wanted to get some time with him on the show.

Now Head Chef at Boiler & Co (https://boilerandco.com), Kerth Gumbs is everything you hope for in a chef working in Hospitality. No doubt he brings the flair and creativity but more importantly, he brings just a wonderful zest and passion for what he does that is incredibly infectious, and we definitely need more of that.

We get through loads including:-

• Spring
• Boiler & Co
• Growing up in the Caribbean
• Let me knows Pizza
• Starting in front of house
• Excelling at Track & Field
• Moving to the UK
• Walking and Running around London
• Le Cordon Bleu
• The first foray into Michelin Kitchens
• Learning resilience
• Shoulder pressing
• Learning French
• Diversifying the knowledge base
• Leadership
• Great British Menu Experience
• Dreams about chocolate

And so much more. There’s some excellent learning in here all the way through but expecially around resilience and the amazing things that await you if you keep pushing through.

Enjoy!

I'm not going to lie, I'm a sucker for a luxury hotel.

So imagine my delight when I asked Group Operations Director of Iconic Luxury Hotels, Francisco Macedo on the show to chat through his journey.

We get through loads including:-

• Staying busy
• The hospitality way
• Getting into Hotels early
• The similarities within the Medicine and hospitality industries
• The importance of the right mentors
• Juggling work and education
• World Class UK Hospitality
• Madeira
• Working through the country house hotel scene
• Taking the helm at Cliveden House
• Strategic emailing
• Finding a balance
• Journaling
• Confusing guests in cloakrooms
• Master Inn Holders

And so much more.

There are wonderful lessons and ideas all the way through our chat and Francisco talks with passion and humour throughout.

Enjoy!

Happy International Women's!

And to celebrate that, we have the wonderful Emily Goldfischer, Founder and Editor in Chief at Hertelier.com - celebrating all that is brilliant about the female workforce in Hospitality.

We get through loads including:-

• Winning awards
• Falling into PR
• Moving in house
• Moving to London
• Argentina
• Founding Hertelier.com
• Women doing incredible things
• Sustainability
• Women and innovation
• Telling stories
• Women in F&B
• Women blazing a trail
• The roundup
• Dogs
• Pulling together in times of adversity
• Podcasting live

Emily has founded something really quite special and it's great to see so many amazing stories coming out of hospitality.

Enjoy!

We're back!

Season 2 is up and running and what a way to kick things off as I got some time with Employer Branding expert Oli Cavaliero from Honest Burgers (https://www.honestburgers.co.uk/).

There's all manner of excellent insight in here as to why Honest Burgers are so highly regarded as an employer as well as Oli's brilliant story so far.

We also get through:

• Hurricanes and bathrooms
• Starting out of industry
• Travel
• Recruitment
• Finding yourself out your depth
• Unstructured Structure
• The power of Honest
• Authenticity of talent attraction
• Getting creative with engagement
• The different ways of learning

And so much more. Oli is a shining light for hospitality and we are very lucky to have him.

Enjoy!

Hospitality Meets will return for it's 2nd season in March 2022.

We've got an epic line up of guests and we'll once again be bringing the fun to showcase why Hospitality is the greatest industry on earth.

Can you afford to miss it?

Of course not!

This week on Hospitality Meets, we had the incredible privilege to sit down with Natasha Robinson, a torchbearer for a storied legacy in the restaurant industry. Natasha’s deep-rooted connection to hospitality comes from a lineage spanning generations, with her parents standing out as boundary-pushing restaurateurs. From her upbringing amidst the bustling energy of family restaurants to her contemporary role guiding young talents, Natasha’s journey is awe-inspiring!

We cover

• January
• Changing trends
• Being Born into restaurants
• Growing up with your community
• Rejecting restaurants (And then being sucked back in)
• Getting Michelin Stars
• Winning 3 stars
• Shouting
• Interior Design
• Unite the Clans
• Competitions and the Gold Service Scholarship

And so much more.

🌟 Tune in to hear more about Natasha’s inspiring journey and her vision for the future of hospitality!

Enjoy!

The Guest

Natasha is a fourth generation restaurateur, worked Front of House for 40 years, in a family business, at the highest level, in London (Chez Nico, Incognico, Deca). She's now the other half of Serenata Hospitality (with Sergio Rebecchi). She and Sergio in run the 3 major FoH Competitions in the UK (AAE and MCA for RACA and GSS). She lobby's for the Hospitality Industry and gives motivational talks to FoH teams. They encourage, support and mentor young people in Hospitality whilst being ambassadors and advocates for the Hospitality Industry. Natasha is also a Director of Rye News and champion the Highstreet and independent businesses in her regular columns.

Instagram - @Serenatahospitality

The Sponsor

Today’s episode comes to you in partnership with RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

Let's face it, we maybe thought we were going to get through Christmas 2021 unscathed.

Covid had other ideas so in an effort to lift some spirits, even if for only a moment, I'm rereleasing the 2020 Christmas Special episode where I pulled in people from all over the industry to tell us all a tale of Christmas past from within Hospitality.

We've got Cyrus Todiwala, Kellie Rixon, Cat Pengelly, Simon Taylor, Hayley Connor, Kellie Rixon, Elsa De Jager, Liam Wood, Kate Nicholls and Andrew Scott who join Kieron Bailey, Chris Fletcher and me, Phil Street, as we cover off Public speaking, amazing customer service, poo, brushes with the law, sponging music, alcohol, unhelpful services, confused guests, drag acts and so much more.

This was a wonderful 2020 collaboration with EXP101 (https://www.experience101.live) to raise some much needed money for Hospitality Action (https://www.hospitalityaction.org.uk).

The need has not gone away and with the increased pressure on Hospitality, please consider a donation.

Please DONATE Anything you can by following these links:-

👉 Donate directly to Hospitality Action in your region via the Emergency Fund. This is a not-for-profit venture powered by TiPJAR and 100% of your donation will go directly to those that need it:

💚 Donate to England: https://tip.wearetipjar.com/p/hw1

💚 Donate to Scotland: https://tip.wearetipjar.com/p/hw4

💚 Donate to Wales: https://tip.wearetipjar.com/p/hw2

💚 Donate toIreland : https://tip.wearetipjar.com/p/hw3

We hope this brings you a little moment of joy in amongst all the madness of this year.

Merry Christmas everyone and we will see you in 2022 for season 2.

It has arrived. I can't quite believe we got here but episode 100 has landed!

And to do something a little bit different, I've taken a look back at some of the best stories from season one (The longest ever season on any show in any format no doubt).

There's some crackers in here:-

• First day mistakes - Jon Dawson
• Gnomes being stolen - Anne Golden
• Getting the "Craic" with Arnold Schwarzenegger - Shane McHugh
• Being Thrown in Jail - Debra Ward
• Bob Geldof impressions - Phil Street
• Guests making mistakes - Jose Ruiz
• Doing orientation whilst drenched - Eugenio Pirri
• Working with Giorgio Armani - Marc Dardenne

Amongst many others. Notwithstanding all the amazing stories I just didn't have time to put in.

This also marks the end of season one and I'm off to take a break for a couple of months but don't worry, like James Bond, Hospitality Meets... with Phil Street will return.

Keep an eye out on all our socials for announcements as to when that will happen but thank you to everyone who has listened in so far. It really does mean a lot.

And a MASSIVE thank you to everyone who agreed to come on the show and chat. There's no show without your generosity.

Have a truly awesome Christmas and New Year and see you all in 2022.

My Warmest

Phil

Episode 99 (We're nearly there) and boy do I have another hum dinger for you today.

I got some time with the Wonderful (that will stick now) Tom Ross, Group Operations Director at The Pig Hotels (https://www.thepighotel.com/).

Tom's story is epic and we cover off loads including:-

• The wonderful Tom Ross
• Awards
• Events
• Being born into the industry
• Getting the start
• Moving to the USA
• Using the industry to travel
• Moving to the Napa valley
• Making people feel welcome
• The Relais Chateaux Book
• The French Laundry
• Back to the UK
• Serendipity
• Retention
• Hotelier of the year award
• Let people fly
• Badly behaved guests
• Knitting
• The Monotony of Excellence

And so much more.

Tom chats with amazing energy and passion throughout and is yet another indication of where this industry can take you with a bit of graft and a bit of focus.

Enjoy!

As I mention at the top of the show, I can't believe it's taken me this long to get someone from the world of tech on to chat through their story and journey.

And my word have I gone and found you a cracker!

I chat to Dan Brookman, CEO of Airship (https://airship.co.uk) & Toggle (https://www.usetoggle.com)

We cram in loads as always including:-

• Seasonal adjustment disorder
• Dog friendly office
• Starting as a glass collector
• Being academically challenged
• Buying the first business at 22
• The entrepreneurial spirit
• The Hillsborough Baths
• Regeneration projects
• Experiencing failure
• Becoming a serial entrepreneur
• Becoming a landlord
• Managing family fights
• The start of power text
• Starting again
• Moving into Tech
• Airship & Toggle
• The Pandemic as a good thing
• Speak to people
• Giving back & Mentoring

And so much more. Dan's story is all action from the get go and he tells it with humility and humour throughout. He has formed two businesses that are doing superb work in supporting hospitality but how he ended up there will amaze you.

Enjoy!

I've known today's guest loosely for a number of years and was delighted to read earlier in the year that she had been promoted to the Managing Director role for the UK & Ireland at IHG (www.ihg.com).

I am of course talking about the wonderful Joanna Kurowska.

As always, we get through loads including:-

• Meetings from Home
• The first 100 days
• Remaining upbeat
• Lego
• Taking your fathers advice
• Heading to Senegal
• Starting as a Director of Finance
• Becoming in tune with the industry
• Croatia to Mozambique
• Moving to IHG
• Being headhunted
• Being made to feel welcome
• Moving to the corporate office
• The Last 100 Days
• Leading Leaders
• Moving to operations
• Travel
• Plan A B & C
• Think time
• Inspiring yourself
• Tackling ghosts

And so much more. Joanna is a born leader and it's also clear that she is devoted to continued self improvement. Her story is an inspiration and demonstrates what you can achieve when you remain flexible and have the right mentality.

Enjoy!

Another week goes by and another wonderful chat with someone who played their part in why this show exists. 5 years ago, the intricate weave of life put me in touch with the wonderful David Guile (http://www.davidguile.com/), Leadership Coach, Speaker and Author of the fabulous book "Potential".

We got through so many golden nuggets around leadership as well as:-

• Podcast origins
• The value of the coffee chat
• Falling into Hotels
• Wanting to become a prison guard
• Focus on the job you’re given
• Focus on what’s in front of you
• Control what you can control
• Finding your style
• Staying true to yourself
• Leading through kindness
• Identifying your strengths
• Resilience
• Imposter syndrome
• Writing a book
• Achieving balance

And so much more.

David forged an incredible career within hotels before making the leap into leadership coaching and he was very generous with his time today.

Get your copy of Potential here

Enjoy!

96 episodes in and I don't know why it took me so long to speak to multi-award winning Joanne Taylor-Stagg, General Manager of The Athenaeum Hotel & Residences (https://www.athenaeumhotel.com/) but I'll be forever grateful that we got some time.

When not running her hotel and picking up awards left, right and centre, Joanne is busy creating something quite magnificent, That being MIDAS (Master Innholders Developing Additional Skills) You can learn more about that here https://masterinnholders.co.uk/midas/.

We got through so much in our chat including:-

• Big intro’s
• Respect the human
• The knowledge of Grand Mother
• Wimpey & MacDonald's
• Afternoon tea
• Early start in South Africa
• The best laid plans
• Marriott
• Being a GM during 2012 Olympics
• Taking a regional role
• Elon Musk
• Learning new skills
• The Athenaeum
• The importance of good owners
• Doing some good
• Rewarding intent
• MIDAS
• Hoteliers Charter
• Fixing the industry
• Doing the right thing
• Spielberg editing movies on property
• Churchill the adaptable drinker 

And so much more.

We absolutely need more people like Joanne in our industry and she is leading the way on making a significant difference to how this industry is perceived. I was so grateful to get some time with her and hope you'll agree, it's a fabulous chat.

Enjoy!

I can't believe it's taken this long for me to chat to today's guest, especially as she played her part in why this humble little podcast exists in the first place.

So I finally got some time with Monica Or, Founder of Star Quality Hospitality (https://starqualityhospitality.co.uk) and author of 3 wonderful books.

We get through a lot including:-

• Springboard pantomime
• Podcast influencer
• Education
• Cruise ships
• Life at sea
• A move into recruitment
• Practical v Academia Qualifications
• London
• Hilton
• Sorting out HR
• Westminster Kingsway College
• Supporting the army
• Live assessment days
• Networking
• Becoming chair of the IOH
• Key Person of influence
• Star Quality Hospitality
• Book writing
• Promoting this industry as a career of choice
• World Host
• Holiday brain

And so much more. Monica is definitely a beacon of positivity for hospitality and is doing her bit in promoting the industry as a career of choice.

Contact Monica at monica@starqualityhospitality.co.uk

Get the Books here

Enjoy!

Throughout my time of running this humble little show, I've been introduced to people from all over the industry in various capacities. It's one of things I love the most.

Today's guest is inspiring hearts and minds on choosing a career in hospitality but is not just leaving it there, he's then facilitating connections to help get them the best start possible.

I got some time with John Holden, Food & Beverage Lecturer at Tameside College and Founder of Bridging the Skills Gap (https://www.btsg.org.uk)

We chat through:-

• Hospitality meets (Yay)
• Moving into academia
• Passing on the passion
• Moving to London
• Learning German
• Dealing with legal issues
• Starting in pubs
• Changing perspective
• Moving over to training
• Grabbing life by the balls
• Sliding doors
• Competitions
• Helping students
• Work experience
• Awful guests
• Being a good guest
• Striking up relationships

And so much more.

John's work is exceptional and I'd encourage anyone who wants to help give the next generation a great start in their career to reach out to him on Bridgingtheskillsgap@btinternet.com

Enjoy!

I was thrilled to get some time with todays guest, Mark Fenelon, CEO of Clink Hostels (https://www.clinkhostels.com/). Not just to chat to someone from within another sector of hospitality that we have not yet covered, but also because Mark's Journey to CEO of the company is not your average, every day route.

We get through loads including:-

• The Hostel experience
• Australia
• The change of standards
• The rise and rise of the hostel sector
• Relationship facilitation
• Bcorp
• Covid - the experience inhibitor
• Shut up and listen
• Rewarding volunteers
• Being socially responsible
• Marginal gains
• Finding your passion
• The potential of the hostel sector
• Guest experience
• Lisbon
• Diversity & Inclusion

And so much more.

Mark sounds very comfortable in his own skin and has clearly found a sector where he feels at home. I for one am excited about the growth potential of this sector along with the great work that Mark and his teams are doing around B corp accreditation.

Enjoy!

What happens when you merge tech, hospitality and proprietary AI? The answer may well be the future of hospitality in the form of short stay power brand Bob W, headed up by todays guest, the awesome Niko Karstikko.

Niko and Phil dive deep into the world of innovation in the hospitality industry, featuring an engaging conversation around the continued development of Bob W, a revolutionary hybrid accommodation brand. In this episode, you'll hear all about Niko's journey from an Air BnB Super host to a tech entrepreneur, and how he's leveraging technology to reshape the guest experience, from automated check-ins to bespoke local experiences. We'll discuss the challenges of breaking away from traditional methods, the importance of customer-centric solutions, and the exciting future ahead for the hospitality sector.

Whether you're curious about the latest tech trends in travel or looking for entrepreneurial insights, this episode has something for everyone. Stay tuned as we explore how Niko and his team are creating the most loved hospitality brand around, one innovative idea at a time

The Guest

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/nkarstikko/

LinkedIn - https://fi.linkedin.com/in/nikokarstikko

Bob W - https://www.instagram.com/bobwco/

https://bobw.co/

Niko Karstikko is a Finnish tech entrepreneur reinventing the hospitality industry as Co-founder and CEO of Bob W. Bob W is a tech company operating in hospitality and the first international climate-neutral hospitality provider. Under Karstikko’s leadership, Bob W has raised a total of over €70M in funding, and outperformed hotels and competition, whilst expanding to 10 countries and 17 cities across Europe operating 36 aparthotels to-date.

In addition to previously being the founder and CEO of VC-backed multinational consumer tech startup SportSetter (exit in 2016), Karstikko is also an experienced hospitality entrepreneur and occasional angel investor with a Bachelor degree in International Business and Finance from the University of South Carolina.

The Sponsor

Today’s episode comes to you in partnership with RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

Time spent with today's guest is time well spent indeed!

I once again got Jim Knight back on the show to chat about his recently released "Leadership That Rocks" (Available here - https://www.knightspeaker.com/product-page/rock-n-roll-with-it). Jim is a previously published author and Public Speaker extraordinaire around Leadership and Culture and is a special friend of the show.

We get through:-

• Florida
• Covid in the USA
• Changing culture
• Music
• Ideas inspiration
• Book writing
• Gaining more leaders
• Learning
• Hiring Rock stars
• Life happening for you
• Shrek
• Jim & Brantisms
• Ted v Ted
• Not muscling results
• Mentoring
• Respect
• Jim’s future books

And so much more! Jim is incredibly comfortable chatting about this topic and I do my level best to keep up with him. He chats with passion and knowledge all the way through and you are sure to take away some absolute golden nuggets.

I'm eternally grateful to Jim for his time.

Enjoy!

This week I bring you another superb human being. I chatted to Grant Campbell, General Manager at the Nobu Hotel London Portman Square.

We get through a lot as always including:-

• Having a hospitality family
• Being introduced to hard work
• Starting as a chef
• Pioneering free wifi
• Inspiring Leaders
• Moving into Lifestyle
• Sense of arrival
• The mad hatters tea
• Reassessing goals
• A Covid pre-opening
• Mentors
• St Julians Scholars
• Coopetition
• The Nobu London Portman Square
• A brief history of Nobu
• Brand endorsers
• Special bonds
• Finding your niche

And so much more. Grant is an excellent ambassador for the industry and has built a superb career for himself so far. There's lots of great content on how he has built to this date.

Enjoy!

I love how some things work out, you read an article and then you are immediately captivated by someone's story. I stumbled on today's guest through a late night LinkedIn feed trawl. And boy, am I glad that I did.

Inspiring from start to finish, I got some time with the inspirational and absolute force of nature that is Amber Staynings, CEO of Bums On Seats (https://bumsonseats.org/).

It's all action from the get go as we cover off:-

• Frogs in throat
• Moving to Guildford
• Being a glass half full person
• School
• Being rebellious
• Driving without sat nav
• What is Sales?
• Going (Not going) to South America
• Working harder than hard
• Having a health scare at 21
• Knowing when to slow down
• People over profit
• The 2nd health scare
• A Phil Street Rant
• Bums on Seats
• Mentors

And so much more!

Amber really has one hell of a story with more than her fair share of adversity to conquer and as a result, it's inspiring throughout.

A massive thank you to Amber for sharing her story so openly.

Enjoy!

What a delight I have for you this week as I delve into the world of wine with one of the best in the business, non other than Shane McHugh, Group Wine Buyer at the glorious Goodman Restaurants.

Shane is very open with his time and his stories and we get through loads including:-

• Transport Links
• Post pandemic positivity
• Family ties
• The Celtic Tiger
• Family hospitality
• Starting out in hotels
• Supportive parents
• Going to America
• Opening rare and expensive wine
• Passion v knowledge
• Wine stories
• Taking the learning from each experience
• Getting the craic with Arnold Schwarzenegger
• Restaurant openings
• Taking the knocks
• Wine buying in a pandemic
• Shane the wine supplier
• Californian Wine

And so much more. Shane has a natural hospitality personality and his humourous storytelling is never too far away in our packed chat.

Enjoy!

Ahhhhhh Culture. What is it? How do we achieve a good one? All this and more when we got some time with today's guest, Benjamin Drury AKA the Culture Guy!

As you might expect, there's a lot of chat around culture but a whole lot more too including:-

• Receiving Parcels
• The Culture Guy
• The Inner workings of a company
• What is Culture?
• Creating Cult like status
• Values
• Sanity check
• Trust
• Hiring for cultural contribution
• Simplifying business
• Bringing the emotion
• Job Adverts
• Creating a safe space for mistakes
• The Legacy impact challenge
• Changing the world

Benjamin talks with such passion and energy from start to finish, it's difficult not to feel uplifted so if you are thinking about getting the culture in your business nailed down, then have a listen and engage with Benjamin to fill in the rest.

Enjoy!

I am so delighted to unleash this weeks chat to you all as I got some time with one of my early career mentors, Ian Wynne-Smythe or as I affectionately know him, Sir Winnifred of Smythe.

Sir Winnifred is a veteran of the cruise world having forged a 30+ year career on board. We chat through his career and get through a lot including:-

• Names
• Covid and Cruising
• The Isle of Mann
• Careers advice
• Starting in the arts
• From Bursar to Purser
• Leaders who remain quiet
• Balancing your float
• Discovering the leader you want to be
• Ship rumours
• Greg “The Printer”
• Humble ship beginnings
• Counting money
• The training ground of reception
• Dealing with immigration
• Tiny Statue of Liberty
• Nine Eleven on a cruise ship
• The origins of “Set in Stone”

And so much more. There is so much humour throughout this chat and I was grateful to Ian for the time afforded. I hope you enjoy.

I love who I get introduced to as part of the Podcast. Todays guest represents that.

I chat to Stephen Carter OBE, one of Scotland's most legendary hoteliers. For someone whose career has spanned over 40 years, you can imagine we get through a lot including:-

• East Neuk
• Untrue reputations
• Scottish seafood
• Humble beginnings
• Picking up accents
• Rejecting the Seychelles
• Holiday Inn
• Moving to Scotland
• The Motivated Team
• The Tobacco Patch
• Buying the rights to Le Man
• Cars
• Setting aside time to dream
• Integrating locally
• The East coast path
• New opening foibles
• State of the art fire alarm systems
• Making the best of a bad situation
• Entertaining the King of Jordan
• The OBE

And so much more. Stephen is an absolutely legend and is very open with some cracking stories throughout.

Enjoy!

Today's guest is doing something special. If you are an independent hospitality business and you are just getting started (Or even if you are not) then focus on your strengths and let Liam and his team support the rest.

We chat to Liam Jones, CEO and Founder of Foursquare Group, A support services consultancy based out of Liverpool.

Our chat is rammed full of business intelligence and in addition we get through:-

• World Heritage
• Jewson
• Corporate Life
• Health & Safety
• The many hats of Hospitality
• Covid response
• Creating goodwill
• Naming companies
• Evolution
• The life cycle of business
• Tapping into your strengths
• Leadership as a career
• Authenticity
• Diverse boardrooms
• Creating stories with mates
• Podcasting

And Liam's excellent journey. It's a privilege to get some time with people like Liam and there's so many golden nuggets in the chat.

Enjoy!

The variety of opportunity in hospitality is something I bang on about all the time (You'll no doubt know that by now).

Today's guest is another example of that. I chatted to James Lemon, Founder of the awesome Mentoring platform Otolo (www.myotolo.com).

It's a packed chat, as always, covering off:-

• Wimbledon
• Cowes
• Giving up your bed
• Selling books door to door
• Recruitment
• Strategy
• Big business
• Small start-up
• Downturns
• Otolo
• Attitude and Values
• Intrapreneur
• Damon Hill driving boats
• The origins of Otolo
• Mentoring
• Attracting people in
• Hospitality training
• Collaboration
• Locking yourself out in Lisbon

And so much more. James talks with such intelligence and energy that it's hard not to get hooked in and he has created an awesome platform for the industry.

Enjoy!

Where to begin on this weeks guest? I always had a dream to interview Harry Murray MBE, Chairman of Lucknam Park (https://www.lucknampark.co.uk) and today is a fulfilment of that dream.

We get through a lot as always including:-

• Hospitality as show business
• The industry of dreams
• Having a vision
• Salford tech
• Breakfast for 2000 people
• Respect
• Leadership
• Learning French quickly
• Climbing the ranks in hotels
• Becoming GM
• Unexploded bombs
• South Africa
• Being made a chief
• Moving to the English Riveira
• Pressure points
• Master Inn Holders
• South Africa in the 90’s
• Events for Royalty
• Lucknam Park
• The MBE

And so much more. There's some wonderful snippets of advice throughout and I'm in awe of the work that Harry continues to do for this industry, he is an inspiration. The day after our chat he was off on a 200 mile bike ride for Hospitality Action.

Enjoy!

Almost 2 years ago to the day, I was lucky enough to get the industry legend that is Danny Pecorelli on the show to tell his story. Within that story we got talking about a very special event that was about to happen called Back to the Floor and he kindly invited me to join his table.

What unfolded at that event was what undoubtedly makes Back to the Floor one of the most celebrated events on the hospitality calendar. Fun and Carnage in equal measure, all whilst raising some much needed funds for those legends over at Hospitality Action.

2 years on, and it's nearly time for 2024's version to take centre stage, this time hosted at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge. With all that in mind, I thought it'd be great to shine a light on the event again through the GM of that very hotel, James Clarke.

In this special we talk about

• James' Story
• Park Plaza Westminster Bridge
• The history of Back to the Floor
• What to expect on the night
• The auction prizes
• What it’s like as a waiter or sommelier at the event
• Stories of the Carnage
• How to support the event

No doubt James has his work cut out for him keeping scores of our industry's finest under control for the evening but 2024's Back to the floor promises to be quite magnificent.

Enjoy!

To get behind this quite magnificent event, head to https://www.hospitalityaction.org.uk/events/2024/april/back-to-the-floor/

What a cracker we have for you this week. What does it take to be an HR leader in an iconic hotel and restaurant?

Well, we chatted to Sarah Powell, HR Director at Le Manoir Aux Quat'Saisons (https://www.belmond.com/hotels/europe/uk/oxfordshire/belmond-le-manoir-aux-quat-saisons) to find out. Look out for another mispronunciation from Phil.

We get through loads including:-

• Reopening
• Admin days
• Studying languages
• Teaching English in the Indian ocean
• The careers book
• The Hilton graduate programme
• Plan v no plan
• Housekeeping
• The move into HR
• Bad interviews
• Opening the Soho Farmhouse
• Working in a pub
• Le Manoir
• Raymond Blanc
• The garden
• HR’s Role
• Richard Osmond
• The IOH
• Hospitality Minister
• Hospitality - the career of choice
• Attitude is everything

And of course Sarah's superb journey so far. Sarah talks with great knowledge and passion around HR and hospitality throughout our chat and I love the fact that she has built a career around seeing where the opportunity is.

Enjoy!

Covid has impacted many of us, no question about that. Today's guest has taken the negatives surrounding 2020 and turned them into real positives.

I got some time with Maria Malaniia, Founder of the Savvy Hotelier (https://www.savvyhotelier.net/) and self employed guest experience consultant (https://www.malaniia.com).

As always it's an action packed chat and we cover:-

• Getting the start
• Theme parks
• Frying food
• Stockholm weather
• Getting paid to travel
• Learning Finnish
• Seeking experiences
• Working on cruise ships
• Moving to London
• The IHG Office
• Career paths
• Kickboxing
• Timing
• Loyalty programmes
• Redundancy
• The Savvy Hotelier
• Maria’s favourite work trip
• Monaco Refurbishments
• Co-Opetition
• Big Brand

And Maria's awesome story so far. Maria has a natural hospitality personality and she has used 2020 to significantly upskill. Look out for her content across LinkedIn and Instagram.

Enjoy!

In the next of our Bonus Episode's we chat to the brilliant Ken McGarrie, Passionate hospitality advocate, Founder of Korgen Hospitality in Chicago, USA and author of the superb "The Surprise Restaurant Manager".

We get through loads including:-

• The career start
• Finding “A real Job”
• How people arrive at being a restaurant manager
• Where the book came from
• Asking for help
• I have the time
• The power of language
• Being alert to the first impression
• Being aware of your guests mood
• The complainers who don’t complain
• Covid US & UK
• Being thankful to your team
• Making your team "unpoachable"
• Psychology
• Whingeing
• The Surprise Restaurant Manager
• Ken’s pay it forward

And of course Ken's superb journey. The book rightly takes front and centre here and Ken has created an invaluable resource for the industry.

A massive thank you to Ken for coming on to chat, especially at 4.00am his time!

Enjoy!

In this weeks episode of Hospitality Meets, we got some time with the wonderful Lorraine Copes, Founder of Be Inclusive Hospitality (https://www.bihospitality.co.uk), Procurement consultant and Life coach.

It's a jam packed chat with another wonderful human with an exceptional journey. We talk about:-

• Being Purpose Led
• Starting in logistics
• Making pragmatic plans
• Working for brands you respect
• Working with Danny Meyer
• Managing change
• Career break
• Triangle of success
• Be Inclusive Hospitality
• Inclusion & diversity
• Coaching
• Authentic leadership
• Over eating at food tastings
• The Greg Wallace pallet

And of course Lorraine's fantastic journey.

It's yet another indication of the variety of journeys and roles that you can do in this incredible industry culminating in Lorraine leading the conversation on inclusivity within the sector.

Bravo Lorraine!

Enjoy.

I'm not going to lie, I'm a huge fan of the venue that today's guest leads.

I got some time with Andrew Coggings, Managing Director of Entertaining and Hospitality at the Goodwood Estate (https://www.goodwood.com).

It's an epic chat and we get through loads including:-

• The Festival of Speed
• The values of Goodwood
• Bottling selfies
• Growing up in Durham
• Going against careers advice
• The Caterer & Hotelkeeper
• Being headhunted to Hilton
• Moving to Dubai
• Being a forerunner hotel
• Moving to South Africa
• Using Rugby to get a job
• Being in SA for 1995 Rugby world Cup
• Pressurised refurbishments
• Harry Murray as a mentor
• Langkawi
• The importance of contracts
• Moving back to UK
• Doormats
• Slaley Hall
• Buying a pub
• Running a burger restaurant
• The Goodwood magic dust
• Trust & Respect
• The Duke
• Salman Rushdi and Rats
• Nelson Mandela and Photo’s

And so much more. Andrew treats us to many a story throughout his chat and I'm grateful for the time he gave me.

Enjoy!

Episode 78, the day that Hospitality Meets ACTUALLY MET SOMEONE.

Yes, this week, we got some actual face to face time with the epicness that is Paul Spencer, Operations Director at Locke (https://www.lockeliving.com). He shared some time with me out of his more than hectic schedule at the beautiful Bermonds Locke, one of the newest properties in the ever expanding Locke portfolio.

Paul is all action from the get go and you can tell he's abundantly passionate about what he does which means we get through loads in our short time, including:-

• Bermondsey
• People and culture
• School
• Starting as a chef
• Moving to front of house
• Learning
• The support network
• Mentors
• Working from portacabins
• Dealing with clashes
• Taking the first GM role
• Moving around
• Golf
• London
• Beating your revenue manager on rates
• IHG
• Being out of your depth
• Learning lessons
• Finding your home

Paul is one of Hospitality's inspirational leaders and I found his energy infectious for all the right reasons.

Our chat also made me realise that I need to upgrade my "out and about" kit.

Enjoy!

There are so many exceptional people in hospitality and this week we got some time with yet another of those.

We chat to Aseem Kapoor, Founder & Chief ARK-itect at Ark People Solutions (https://arkpeoplesolutions.com).

We chat about:-

• Being an Ark-itect
• Travel plans
• The first meeting
• Standing meetings
• Heated debates
• Creating positive work environments
• Early path to becoming a doctor
• Hotel openings
• Defining brands
• Creating culture
• Job titles
• Leadership
• Starting your own business
• Kindness
• Enjoying what you do
• Who are you?
• Laughing through hysteria
• Breaking in to a hotel
• Ark and the future
• Creating Apps

And of course Aseem's amazing journey.

Aseem talks with so much business intelligence it's a cracking chat, not to be missed.

Enjoy!

Well, what a lovely treat we have in store for you today. We got some time with the awesome humans at the sharp end of the Institute of Hospitality (https://www.instituteofhospitality.org), Kellie Rixon, Chair and Robert Richardson, the new CEO.

We chat about:

• The Tom cruise of the Hospitality Industry
• Richard Robertson
• World exclusives
• The impact of the weather
• How Robert’s appointment came about
• Serendipity
• Recording conversations with yourself
• The support
• Signatures
• Roberts email strategy
• Walking
• I’m In
• Collaboration
• Robert’s Instagram
• Phil Street Love in

and of course we talk through the story behind Roberts appointment and what the future holds.

It's an exciting time I'm super excited to see what this new appointment will bring.

Enjoy!

In the first of our two chats with the Institute of Hospitality (https://www.instituteofhospitality.org), we got some time with outgoing CEO Peter Ducker.

No doubt Peter has forged an enviable career and we were honoured to have a chat with him ahead of his end of June departure from the Institute. As always, we got through a lot including:-

• Getting an early start
• Defying careers advisors
• Heading off to London
• Taking the road less travelled
• Having a mentor
• Moving into sales and marketing
• Starting capital breaks
• Moving into a public company
• Redundancy
• Starting your own business
• The rich tapestry of life
• Setting up a code of conduct
• Giving back
• Taking the IOH Reins
• Getting the house in order
• Catering for a Gibbon
• April fools

It's a wonderful chat with a wonderful human and we wish Peter all the best in his next chapter.

Enjoy!

What a treat we have for you this week as we bring you the natural story teller that is Debra Ward, Global Transition Director at ISS Facility Services UK.

Debra has some brilliant stories from a truly spectacular career built in many areas of hospitality. As always, we get through lots including:-

• Starting out in Canada
• Working the family business
• Calling out your professors
• Moving to the city
• Working with Wolfgang Puck
• The comedy and safety of small town
• Respecting local customs
• Jail time in Kuwait
• Moving to the Gambia
• The African pride
• Being interrogated
• Studying without google and the internet
• Bringing experience to facilities services
• Jelly Bellies V Jelly Beans
• Toilet paper interview questions
• The power of language
• Human experience in the work place
• Joining a start up
• Storytelling
• FOMO
• Ingenuity at work

And of course Debra's fantastic career story so far. We really just scratched the surface from a phenomenal journey and look forward to more from Debra in the future.

Enjoy!

Today marks the end of season 5 of the show and we are signing off with a bang. I welcomed Hamish Anderson to the show, CEO of Tate Enterprises. This episode was a totally joyous education from the outset and represents another wonderful corner of the industry, where art and hospitality collide, in glorious fashion (Have I just inadvertently written a tagline for next years fashion week?).

Hamish is brilliant, he oozes effortless passion for hospitality all the way through and with some cracking stories too.

We cover:-

• January
• The many enterprises of Tate
• Early career
• Getting into wine
• Stock taking evolution
• Bibendum
• Writing a book about wine
• Climbing the ranks at Tate
• Deep thinking
• Leadership Lessons
• Finding a bottle of Dubonnet for the queen
• Magnums of Bollinger
• The evolution of Tate

And so much more.

I can't sign off season 5 without thanking you all for listening, this has been the most incredible season of the show, climbing into the top 1% of all podcasts and more of you are listening than ever before which I'll be forever grateful for. A huge thank you also goes to our Headline Sponsor, RotaCloud. Without the support of sponsors, it makes it very difficult to run the show.

I'll be back in the summer with more fun and shenanigans from the world of hospitality.

Enjoy!

The Guest

Hamish Anderson is the CEO of Tate Enterprises, a diverse business running Tate's commercial activity - Events, F&B, Retail, E Commerce, Publishing, Merchandise, Product & Image Licensing, a coffee roasting business (Coffee by Tate)

The Sponsor

Today’s episode comes to you in partnership with RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

Ahhhh, Drink. We all love it. But not all drinks are made equally and today's guest is part of a team who have produced a world class no alcohol beer.

As a fanboy, I was delighted I got some time with Felix von Hurter, Co-Founder of No Alcohol drinks guru's Freestar Drinks (https://freestar.co).

As always, we cram in loads including:-

• Facebook advertising
• The need for hospitality’s return
• Starting in flavours and fragrance
• Sipsmith
• The rise and rise of Gin
• Lame and Soda
• The de-alcoholising process
• Having a positive impact on the planet
• Liquid engineering
• What it takes to pioneer a product
• Winning a world beer award
• Occasions for generations
• The emergence of the Alcohol free category
• Lo & No perceptions
• Sunk cost fallacy
• Palate fatigue
• The future
• The now

It's a cracking chat and Felix and his Co-founders level of tenacity is to be applauded but it is most certainly worth it. They have produced a world class product.

Enjoy.

When I started this podcast, I had no idea what stories I'd uncover. Well, today's story is an absolute belter!

I got some time with the crew of HospoRow, A 250km row up the west coast of Scotland across 72 continuous hours, all to raise money for Hospitality Action.

The crew consisted of Elsa De Jager - People & Culture Director at Guest House Hotels, Angus Collins - Founder at Beyond Endurance, Josh McIntyre - Group Bars Manager at Caravan Restaurants and Will David - CEO & Founder at Fixture Calendar.

This chat talks through the challenge from inception through to completion covering off:-

• How it came about
• Moving from Spain to Scotland
• The beauty of Scotland
• Injured Angus
• Elsa the land boss
• Putting the team together
• Setting the date
• Training
• The Scottish weather
• Having to adapt the plan
• The boat
• Elsa’s Chunder Plunder
• The mental side
• Night 2
• The support
• The fund raising
• Hospitality Action

It's a packed chat with 4 awe inspiring human beings.

Congrats guys!

Enjoy!

This week we move into the world of consulting and we got some time with brilliant Mike Stocks, Founder of Mike Stocks Consulting (https://mikestocks.co.uk) and known as "the wine guy" (He's got a lot more knowledge than merely wine).

We cover off a lot, including:-

• Boris' road map
• Travel plans
• Working in a meat processing factory
• Holding down 2 part time jobs
• Uni
• Giving up the law
• The start at Carluccios
• Following your own passion
• Barista/Barrister
• Training
• Moving into drink
• Buying wine
• Branching out internationally
• Openings
• Becoming a diplomat
• The Turkish/Italian/English breakfast
• Obvs
• The need to evolve and stay agile
• Moving into consulting
• Adding value
• Demystifying wine
• Cider
• Kitchen training without gas
• Know your bars in Turkey
• And of course Mike's brilliant story.

Mike demonstrates that it's good to be aware of opportunity as it presents itself and how that has added a wonderful richness to his career which allows him to offer exceptional consulting services around so many things.

Bravo Mike

Enjoy!