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PODCAST

Top Floor

Top Floor is a weekly podcast with tangible tips and excellent stories from the experts and characters who elevate hospitality. Host and elevator operator Susan Barry explores the idea that everything is marketing in the hotel business. Our interviews with creators, thought leaders and hospitality groundbreakers are designed to provide practical tactics that hoteliers, restaurateurs and travel mavens can use to promote their businesses. Along the way, we answer burning marketing questions

business marketing

All Episodes

43:51

94 | Activate Your Wanderlust

Top Floor ·

2023/06/27

Megan Grant is a lifelong solo traveler with a talent for executing details. Having visited 35 countries and planned events for hundreds of thousands of attendees, Megan put her particular combination of skills into action as founder and memory creator of Cherish Tours, a travel company that plans adventurous vacations for women. Susan and Megan talk about finding the entrepreneur inside, traveling with priorities rather than agendas, and packing in a carry on. This episode is part of a

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39:44

93 | 40 Stolen TVs

Top Floor ·

2023/06/20

Jordan Locke has priced everything from water balloons to oil and gas, but he now spends his time setting revenue strategy for short-term rental property portfolios. After military service and a degree from Columbia University, Jordan learned what we all do -- hospitality has the magical power to suck you in and never let go. Susan and Jordan talk about what is similar and different about how hotels and short-term rentals set prices and manage inventory.

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34:41

92 | Reclaimed for Good

Top Floor ·

2023/06/13

Unclaimed Baggage in the country's only reseller of lost luggage, and Sonni Hood has worked there since high school. As public and community relations manager, Sonni sees all of the luxury and loony things that people leave in their luggage. Susan and Sonni talk about taxidermy rattlesnakes, ancient artifacts, and celebrity needlework.

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09:06

91 | Pool Heat Miser

Top Floor ·

2023/06/06

In this birthday solo episode, Susan Barry talks about how lodging businesses of all types should be thinking about upselling. The short version is that if a hotel or short-term rental tries to decide what is valuable on behalf of a traveler, it will backfire. Your lodging business does not need to be all things to all people. Happy Pride!

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48:32

90 | Safe on Wheels

Top Floor ·

2023/05/30

Peter Ricci hated law school, and the entire hospitality industry is very lucky he did. As Director of the Hospitality and Tourism Management Program at Florida Atlantic University, Peter became a household name when he created a free online hospitality certificate during the pandemic that served more than 70,000 people. Susan and Peter talk about the state of higher education, the state of Florida, and the state of mind it takes to work in hotels.

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44:43

89 | Prime Rib River

Top Floor ·

2023/05/23

It took Chris Green four years from his first day working in a hotel to his first day as a hotel general manager, and he thinks you can do it faster. As President of Remington Hotels, Chris is focused on generating top line and talent, but he's not afraid of talking about every dollar every day. Susan and Chris talk about firing sales people (calm down, we're being dramatic!), hiring robots, and dropping money in the St. Johns River.

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40:38

88 | Dating App Surprise

Top Floor ·

2023/05/16

Karen Laos has surfed in Costa Rica, hiked in the Grand Canyon, and danced in the ballroom, but being adventurous doesn't mean she's always been self-confident. As a keynote speaker, Karen is on a mission to eradicate self-doubt in ten million women over the next ten years. Susan and Karen talk about making eye contact on Zoom, singing negative self-talk in the car, and meeting boyfriends over dating apps.

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41:55

87 | Meta Loading Dock

Top Floor ·

2023/05/09

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41:53

86 | Fist Bump Welcome

Top Floor ·

2023/05/02

Mary Mattson-Quagliana is a hotelier who tried to escape the business. After many years as a corporate trainer and talent leader for Rosewood, Mary started her company, Curated Critique, to help hotels operationalize their values. Susan and Mary talk about the Olympics, executive coaches, and broken glass.

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42:31

85 | Fake Wedding Officiant

Top Floor ·

2023/04/25

Michael Cecchi-Azzolina is a life-long maitre d' and restaurant person, and his book "Your Table is Ready" dishes more dirt than 200 loading dock stories. Susan and Michael talk about palming a tip, acting on the dining room floor, and what an American bistro should be.

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31:26

84 | Ice Pack Nursemaid

Top Floor ·

2023/04/18

Kate Jerkens planned her childhood birthday parties with the efficiency of Jennifer Lopez in the Wedding Planner and parlayed those organizational skills into an events, sales, and marketing career in hotels. When former colleague Fawn Weaver approached with a top secret project in 2016, Kate was in, and together they launched Uncle Nearest. On its face a whiskey brand, Uncle Nearest is so much more, and Susan and Kate talk about how the company is building a legacy that transcends the liquid in the

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23:23

83 | Let's Go Part 2

Top Floor ·

2023/04/11

The loading dock is the best place in a hospitality business to tell tall tales, share secrets, and generally dish the dirt. From a mysterious top hat to a motorbike accident, part two of this year's loading dock stories from the 34th Hunter Hotel Investment Conference are all over the map. ICYMI, catch part one of stories from Hunter in episode 81.

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33:04

82 | Beware Fishy Fish

Top Floor ·

2023/04/04

Ryan Rivett grew up surrounded by two things: fish and hotels. As CEO of My Place Hotels, Ryan sees himself as a builder, both literally as he oversees the company's construction efforts, and figuratively as he shepards his brand through its growth to more than 100 franchises. Susan and Ryan talk about the itch to travel, the inefficiencies of public space, and the dangers of fishy fish.

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27:20

81 | Let's Go Part 1

Top Floor ·

2023/03/28

From being held up at gun point to mistaking a potted plant for a urinal, this year's loading dock stories from the 34th Hunter Hotel Investment Conference did not disappoint. Listen to these funny, crazy, and just-plain-weird tales from hoteliers, and count your blessings if none of this foolishness has ever happened to you. More stories from Hunter coming in episode 83.

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40:24

80 | Hotel Death Team

Top Floor ·

2023/03/21

Lori Kiel sold vacuums door-to-door and studied to be a travel agent, but she found her home in the hotel business. As Chief Commercial Officer at the Kessler Collection, Lori sees her role as directing traffic by keeping the experts in sales, marketing, and revenue strategy moving forward at the same speeds without crashing into each other. Susan and Lori talk about moving from prospecting to R&D, avoiding an obsession with the red pen, and creating special teams for special duties, including

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27:45

79 | Hawaiian Kayak Car

Top Floor ·

2023/03/14

Madison Rifkin invented a bike lock at age 12, patented it at 15, and is now CEO of the company it inspired a decade later. As co-founder of Mount, Madi helps travelers make memories by allowing them to easily rent equipment and gear like kayaks, golf clubs, and scooters. Susan and Madi talk about revenue streams for short-term rental hosts, fundraising, and how to (maybe?) rent a car in Hawaii.

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37:57

78 | Oyster Shucking Sister

Top Floor ·

2023/03/07

Joanna Jagger is a championship oyster-shucker, but her real passion lies in making space for women at every table in hospitality. As a professor and leader of WORTH Association, Joanna conducts research and holds events that endeavor to move women in recreation, tourism, and hospitality forward. Susan and Joanna talk about their non-biological sisterhood, how higher ed can help hospitality, and when you've got to kick out a high-dollar guest.

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40:50

77 | GM in the Dumpster

Top Floor ·

2023/02/28

Eleanor Erickson is something of a hotel unicorn. She spent the first 22 years of her career at the same hotel, rising from the front desk to regional director in the process. After wrapping up that chapter, Eleanor is now a hotel culture consultant and coach who helps properties bridge the gaps between brand identity and local operations. Susan and Eleanor talk about fried chicken vs. pizza, combing through trash, and how to keep cool when guests are acting, well, crazy.

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33:07

76 | Liquid Closing Dinner

Top Floor ·

2023/02/21

Derrick Barker was a football player, robot maker, and Goldman Sachs trader before he started investing in multi-family real estate. After getting his hands dirty as a real estate investor, Derrick and co-founder/spouse Brittany Mosely founded Nectar, a start-up that endeavors to provide cash flow financing to the short-term rental industry. Susan and Derrick talk about parental expectations, tough markets, and why phone calls are no longer allowed at closing dinners.

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53:48

75 | Crying at the Dock

Top Floor ·

2023/02/14

Jennifer Hill is everyone's favorite revenue person, most likely because she brings an improv veteran's "yes, and" attitude to everything she does. Vice President of Commercial Strategy at Kalibri Labs, Jennifer is spreading the gospel about how data-driven decision-making and collaboration can make hotels more profitable. Susan and Jennifer talk about leaving jobs that don't quite fit, building a better revenue mousetrap, and crying at the Loading Dock.

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145 results

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