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Behind the StaysAuthor: Zach Busekrus
Welcome to Behind the Stays a podcast that shares the stories behind your favorite boutique hotels, short-term rentals, and hospitality brands and the hosts, operators, and entrepreneurs whove brought them to life. Every Tuesday and Friday youll meet the military veterans, retired flight attendants, tech entrepreneurs, school teachers, single moms, hoteliers, and real estate investors who are all, in their unique ways, shaping the future of travel and hospitality. Discover how these visionaries from all over the world have built stunning landscape hotels in the mountains, designed bohemian bungalows on the beach, erected eclectic off-grid and nature-immersed escapes, and so much more. Behind the Stays is brought to you by Journey a first-of-its-kind loyalty program that brings together an alliance of the worlds top independently owned and operated stays and allows travelers to earn points and perks on boutique hotels, vacation rentals, treehouses, ski chalets, glamping experiences and so much more. Behind the States is hosted by Zach Busekrus, Head of the Journey Alliance. Language: en Genres: Business, Entrepreneurship, Investing Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Introducing: This Week in Hospitality—The Sonder Collapse, Hilton’s New Bet, and Airbnb’s Hotel Ambitions
Episode 330
Friday, 14 November, 2025
Subscribe to This Week in Hospitality wherever you get you podcasts: Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5oPExA0txHMjEI5Ye13IUy Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-week-in-hospitality/id1849637233 Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWeekinHospitality In this episode of This Week in Hospitality, Zach Busekrus sits down with Scott Eddy, Ben Wolff, and Edwin Kramer to unpack three major stories dominating the travel and hospitality world. From Sonder’s dramatic collapse following Marriott’s termination, to Hilton’s launch of the Outset Collection, to Airbnb’s bold embrace of hotels — this was one of the most consequential weeks the industry has seen in years. The team brings perspectives spanning global travel, hotel development, luxury operations, and hospitality tech. Fast-paced, unfiltered, and deeply informed — this is the weekly breakdown every hotelier, operator, developer, and investor should be listening to. This Week in Hospitality is presented to you by Journey. Journey is a loyalty platform built specifically for independent boutique hotels and high-touch hospitality brands. Our mission is to give operators the same powerful rewards engine, data intelligence, and guest insights that major chains rely on — without asking them to give up the individuality, soul, or story that makes their property extraordinary. If you’re an owner or operator of an extraordinary, independently owned and operated hotel or residence — and you want to see whether your property is a fit for the Journey Alliance — you can learn more and apply at alliance.journey.com. Key Topics & Timestamps 00:00 — Introductions & why this podcast exists 09:12 — Story #1: Sonder × Marriott partnership collapses 17:08 — Ben’s take: STR brand value & commodity product problem 23:45 — Marriott, scale, loyalty, and future brand strategy 25:47 — Story #2: Hilton launches The Outset Collection 33:50 — Owner perspective: data, flag strategies, ROI trade-offs 39:01 — Independents vs. major flags: the next 10 years 42:11 — Story #3: Airbnb officially welcomes hotels 45:42 — Airbnb’s evolution into a hospitality ecosystem 50:51 — Does Airbnb need a total rebrand? 54:00 — “Back to hospitality roots” debate 54:53 — Wrap-up & what’s coming next Your Hosts: Zach Busekrus — Journey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachbusekrus/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindthestays/ Scott Eddy — Global Travel & Hospitality Expert @MrScottEddy LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrscotteddy/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrscotteddy/ Ben Wolff — Founder of Onera & Oasi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-wolff/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uniquestaysguy/ Edwin Kramer — Luxury Hotelier Consultant & Former GM LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwinkramer/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edwinkramer/
