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PODCAST

Behind the Stays

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 who’ve brought them to life. Every Tuesday and Friday you’ll 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

business entrepreneurship

All Episodes

53:55

How They Transformed a Cape Cod Inn into the #1 Inn...

Behind the Stays ·

2025/02/28

What happens when you pour your heart and soul into reviving a historic inn, transform it into the #1 Bed & Breakfast in America, and then decide to walk away? In this episode, Marco DiDomizio, co-owner of the Candleberry Inn, shares his incredible journey — from leaving a succesful corporate careers in New York City to restoring a hidden gem on Cape Cod into a TripAdvisor and Travel + Leisure award-winning destination.Marco takes us behind the scenes of how he and his partner, Angelo, spotted

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35:46

From Rock Bottom to 100+ STRs: How Patryk Swietek...

Behind the Stays ·

2025/02/25

What does it take to scale a thriving hospitality business from scratch—and do it at lightning speed? Today, we sit down with Patryk Swietek, founder of The Co-Host Company, a rising star in the short-term rental space who’s proving that the smartest way to grow isn’t always from the ground up—it’s by acquiring, optimizing, and redefining what great hospitality looks like. Patryk’s journey is anything but ordinary. From shoveling snow in Chicago as a kid to building a gaming server business at 14,

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01:01:07

How to Build a Boutique Hotel That Feels Like It’s...

Behind the Stays ·

2025/02/14

Some people enter hospitality by accident. Others are born into it—raised at tables where the meal was just the beginning of the experience.For Bobby Quintal, hospitality isn’t just a career — it’s a lifelong passion shaped by growing up in New Orleans, one of the most culturally rich and culinary-driven cities in the world. From his early days working in restaurants to leading development for Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group, one of the most highly regarded restaurant groups in the

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47:39

Ultra-Luxury Travel, Billionaire Guests, and the Art...

Behind the Stays ·

2025/02/11

Imagine owning so many homes around the world that you lose track of them—so instead of letting them sit empty, you hire someone to manage them, curate them, and quietly offer them to an elite circle of travelers who can afford $20,000-a-night stays.If that’s the world you live in, you might hire Wolf Worster lives in. As the founder of Sirreti, a private network shaping the ultra-luxury villa and private residence industry, Wolf works with high-net-worth individuals, property managers, and travel

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01:00:23

How to Choose the Perfect Location for Your Micro-Resort

Behind the Stays ·

2025/02/07

Meet Ian Joseph — real estate investor turned hospitality entrepreneur — who is on a mission to bring a new kind of micro-resort experience to life.What started as a simple desire to buy a vacation home led him to Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, a historic spa town with deep hospitality roots. Now, Ian is in the early stages of launching Branch, an experiential micro-resort designed to blend striking architecture, immersive nature experiences, and strong community connections. Branch hasn’t

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56:28

From Chains to Originals: How John Rutledge Builds,...

Behind the Stays ·

2025/02/04

Meet John Rutledge, founder of Oxford Capital Group and creator of the Godfrey Hotels—an innovative collection of boutique properties that blend upscale luxury with a social, lifestyle-driven experience. With a unique vantage point in both the world of branded chain hotels and independent boutique properties, John’s insights are invaluable for understanding today’s rapidly changing hospitality landscape. In this episode, John discusses: The modern luxury traveler: How today’s travelers are moving

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31:21

How Inspirato Built the Ultimate Travel Membership...

Behind the Stays ·

2025/01/28

Meet Morgan Brown, the force behind new portfolio additions at Inspirato, the premier luxury travel membership that unlocks access to some of the world’s most exclusive homes, hotels, and experiences.Inspirato isn’t just about five-star stays—it’s about curating seamless, high-touch, high-design travel for discerning members who expect the extraordinary. But what exactly do today’s luxury travelers want? And how is the concept of loyalty evolving in an era of shifting preferences? In this episode,

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52:26

Can You Franchise Glamping? Brian Linton Thinks So —...

Behind the Stays ·

2025/01/24

Meet Brian Linton—entrepreneur, brand builder, and now a rising force in boutique hospitality. From founding the sustainable apparel company United by Blue to transforming rundown motels into sought-after boutique stays, Brian has mastered the art of brand storytelling and customer experience.His hospitality journey started unexpectedly in 2020 when he and his wife purchased a neglected roadside motel in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains. What began as a pandemic side project became The Rex, a

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50:50

The Hard Truth About Scaling a Luxury Vacation Rental...

Behind the Stays ·

2025/01/21

Sean Breuner and Reuben Doetsch saw an opportunity to transform the short-term rental space long before the industry exploded. In 2017, they set out to build AvantStay, a brand that blends the best of boutique hospitality with the freedom of private homes. Their approach is anything but casual. Every property is meticulously designed, every experience carefully curated. While others rushed into the space during the pandemic, Sean and Reuben were already scaling with precision, setting a new standard

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58:35

Building the Next Generation of Luxury Hotels: Dan...

Behind the Stays ·

2025/01/14

Meet Dan Flannery, a hospitality leader with an extraordinary career, has spent decades redefining luxury travel. From his early days at Marriott to helping launch the Edition brand with Ian Schrager, and now leading operations at Loews Hotels, Dan’s journey is a masterclass in blending vision with execution.Guided by a belief that true luxury lies in refinement and authenticity, Dan’s approach to hospitality is both rooted in tradition and forward-thinking. His story is one of passion, precision,

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57:58

How She Gave Independent Hotels a Voice and a...

Behind the Stays ·

2025/01/10

Meet Frances Kiradjian, founder and CEO of the Boutique Luxury Lodging Association (BLLA) and a leading voice and force in the independent boutique hotel space. Fran’s journey began in the corporate travel world, managing massive accounts like Disney and Toyota. But it was her bold decision to champion the boutique hotel sector—long before it was trendy—that cemented her legacy. Since founding BLLA in 2009, Fran has built a thriving community for independent hoteliers and other hospitality

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01:03:49

The Untouchable Edge That’s Made Abode a Ski-Town...

Behind the Stays ·

2025/01/07

Rachel Alday, co-founder of Abode Luxury Rentals, has been quietly redefining what it means to deliver high-end hospitality in the heart of the mountains. With a background in marketing and her husband Rob’s roots in real estate, the duo created a company that marries meticulous service with a deep love for ski-town culture. Abode’s journey began humbly in Park City, but today it spans over 200 elite properties in three coveted destinations: Park City, Jackson Hole, and Sun Valley. Guided by the

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58:48

Why Curated Villas Will Dominate the Next Decade of...

Behind the Stays ·

2024/12/24

Meet Steve Lassman, Vice President of Villas of Distinction—a luxury villa company that’s been curating remarkable vacation homes since the 1980s.Steve’s story runs three generations deep in the travel industry, and he’s worn just about every hat you can imagine—from airline sales to hotel operations—before finding his calling in the world of private villa experiences. In this episode, Steve reveals why Villas of Distinction is all about quality over quantity, and how they’ve nurtured enduring

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01:07:49

He Sold His Startup to Microsoft—Now He’s Using AI to...

Behind the Stays ·

2024/12/20

Meet Ari Smith, co-founder of Balanced Farm, a visionary micro-resort in Vermont that blends sustainable luxury with the power of AI. Ari’s journey began in tech entrepreneurship, where he sold a company to a Microsoft subsidiary and learned hard lessons about innovation, scale, and adaptability. But it was meeting his wife, Hillary (co-founder of Folly Collection), that inspired him to fuse his tech-savvy background with hospitality. Today, on 540 acres of pristine land, Ari and Hillary are

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57:56

She Studied Snake-Handlers, Scaled a Restaurant...

Behind the Stays ·

2024/12/17

Meet Valerie Gangas, a hospitality visionary who’s redefining the guest experience by blending soulful intention, authentic service, and meticulous design. Raised in a family of restaurateurs, Valerie learned the art of hospitality from childhood—serving customers as a four-year-old “pickle girl” in her father’s Chicago eateries. But her journey would be anything but conventional. Driven by both a love for warm, communal spaces and a deep fascination with spiritual connection, Valerie spent years

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01:01:57

How Uganda and Thoreau Shaped a Texan's Vision for...

Behind the Stays ·

2024/12/13

Meet Blake Smith, the visionary founder of Walden Retreats, a boutique property that masterfully blends the serenity of nature with sophisticated design. Inspired by his years living and working in East Africa, Blake brought lessons from safari camps and Ugandan hospitality back to Texas, reimagining what it means to escape into nature. Walden Retreats, named after Henry David Thoreau's iconic work, offers guests a profound connection to the outdoors—crafted through thoughtful design, simplicity,

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28:17

Behind the Stays Wrapped! The Top 10 Episodes of 2024

Behind the Stays ·

2024/12/10

As 2024 draws to a close, we’re celebrating the standout conversations that defined our year. Today’s episode revisits your top 10 favorites:#10 The New Era of Exploration: How Today's Travelers Think About Loyalty, Independent Hotels, and Experiential Stays #9 He Buys RV Parks: Predictions on the Future of Camping and Outdoor Hospitality #8 How They Transformed a 100-Year-Old Beach House into a Chic Airbnb (And Booked it Fully in Just 11 Days) #7 How They're Building the Hottest New Tiny Home: The

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54:37

Netflix Fame, Rock-Star Roots, and a Treehouse...

Behind the Stays ·

2024/12/06

Meet Tori Bolt — Co-Founder of Bolt Farm, a celebrated nature retreat in Whitwell Tennessee, offering 23 meticulously designed villas.In 2016, Tori and Seth Bolt embarked on a bold adventure, building their first luxury treehouse—an intimate project that began as a handcrafted wedding gift. What they didn’t know then was that this creative labor of love would spark a new era in experiential hospitality. Long before the surge in unique stays and experiential accommodations, the Bolts were leading

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01:00:22

What Most Hotels and STRs Miss: The Hidden Power of...

Behind the Stays ·

2024/12/03

Meet Samantha Hardcastle — founder of The Storied Experience, a Creative Studio Re-imagining Hospitality Destinations, Tourism Experiences & Lifestyle Hotels. Samantha specializes in helping boutique hotels and unique stays craft meaningful guest journeys that inspire connection, curiosity, and reflection. Her journey began in 2011, when she launched a social media marketing company. After years of creating content for boutique hotels, Samantha felt called to dive deeper—beyond the surface of

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56:56

Scaling Soulfully: The Story of The Archer Hotel and...

Behind the Stays ·

2024/11/26

In just a moment you'll meet Peter Triolo, the General Manager of Archer Hotel Tysons, a standout boutique hotel that's redefining hospitality in Virginia.With over eight years at Archer, Peter has been a driving force behind the brand's growth—from his beginnings at the Archer Hotel Napa to the expansion of unique properties across the country. His journey is all about creating genuine, memorable experiences that resonate with every guest. Archer Hotels are more than just places to stay; they're

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323 results

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