50 Shades of Hospitality

Hosted by 50 Shades of Hospitality

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Episodes

167

Latest episode

Aug 2026

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EN-US

About the show

A global podcast dedicated to learning from industry players around the world. These podcasts are a series of interviews with international hospitality and tourism industry professionals. I prompt our guests to share their personal experiences, as well as analyse the current trends, technology and innovations. The podcast’s goal is to inspire people in the field and to encourage young people to join this exciting industry. I am committed to evaluating the current educational and training opportunities for industry professionals in the hopes of finding solutions to the challenges the industry is now facing.

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60 recent

August 17, 202626 min

Creating Equitable and Sustainable Food Systems

In this podcast, Nicola Gryckza informs our listeners about equitable and sustainable food systems in the hospitality industry and how she became, in her words, “a change-maker, dreamer and social entrepreneur”. As co-founder and leader of the Social Gastronomy Movement (SGM), Nicola connects communities globally to drive equitable and sustainable food systems. Her background includes pioneering solutions to combat food waste, advancing educational content for underserved communities, and consulting in the social enterprise space. The Social Gastronomy Movement cultivates connections, collaborations and partnerships that strengthen our individual and collective capacity to co-create an equitable future, inclusive society and healthy planet. SGM advocates for positive changes in local food systems so that together we move towards global progress creating a new ecosystem for change. With experience at the World Economic Forum, TIME Magazine, and Gastromotiva, Nicola brings a unique multi-stakeholder approach to her work. With a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management, and an Entrepreneurship specialization from the Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne, a Masters in International Negotiation and Policy Making from the Graduate Institute, and an MBA with a specialization on social enterprises, her passion lies at the cross road of grass root activism and policy making, especially in fields of food, agriculture and education. Since 2016 she has started to work with innovative solutions to stop the vicious circle of food waste, such as a food surplus product line, online educational content for underprivileged communities and tech solutions to scale impact globally, involving the powerful convening power of chefs. Most of her career was in the development world, continuously focusing on solutions through a multi-stakeholder approach. She started her career at the World Economic Forum, working with Strategic Partnerships and later within the Latin American Centre for Regional Strategies, and has since worked for TIME Magazine, as the CEO of Brazilian social enterprise Gastromotiva during the internationalization and expansion, as well acted as a consultant in a variety of areas. She sits on the board of social organizations such as Catalyst2030 in Holland and Mater Foundation in Switzerland, while actively coaching and supporting young women and social entrepreneurs around the world. Most recently she is also an entrepreneur in residence for the prestigious the Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne / EHL Group. Nicola has become a motivational speaker and consultant at renowned organizations and events such as IADB, FAO Latam, WFP, WEF and SxSW among others.

August 3, 2026Episode 1632 min

The Future of Hospitality Training: Why Knowledge Isn’t Enough Anymore

Alison Magee-Barker is the Founder of ImmersiV XP , an immersive behavioural learning platform that combines virtual reality, AI and realistic workplace scenarios to help hospitality businesses recruit better, onboard faster, build confident teams and deliver consistently exceptional guest experiences. Rather than simply delivering training, ImmersiV XP allows employees to practise real-life workplace situations in a safe, engaging environment where they can learn from their decisions before facing them in the real world. The platform helps improve leadership capability, customer service, sales performance, confidence, employee engagement, retention and operational consistency. In this episode, Alison shares why traditional hospitality training is no longer enough, what inspired her to create ImmersiV XP, and how immersive learning is helping hospitality businesses tackle some of the industry’s biggest challenges – from recruitment and onboarding to leadership development, retention and creating high-performing teams. Alison is also the Founder and CEO of AJ Lakes Consultancy and AJ Lakes Training Academy Ltd , an award-winning consultancy, coaching and training business that helps hospitality leaders and businesses achieve exceptional commercial results while creating greater freedom, profitability and long-term sustainability. With more than 35 years of hospitality leadership experience, Alison has worked across every level of the industry, from frontline operations to Hotel General Manager, leading businesses through economic challenges, industry disruption and transformational growth. She has coached and trained hundreds of hospitality business owners, managers and teams across the UK and is passionate about making hospitality a career of choice once again. In this conversation, Alison shares practical insights into the future of hospitality, exploring how AI, immersive learning and behavioural change are reshaping recruitment, training, leadership and guest experience. She challenges leaders to rethink how they develop their people and explains why investing in human potential, supported by the right technology, will be one of the biggest competitive advantages for hospitality businesses over the next decade.

July 20, 2026Episode 1533 min

Beyond Service: Inspiring the Future of Hospitality

Maxime Blot, Meilleur Ouvrier de France (French Best Craftsman) for Hotel Reception, talks to our listeners about this professional honor and describes the demanding process of competing and winning this prestigious award. Maxime has worked in some of the most prestigious and luxurious palaces in the world and in this podcast, he describes his first few years of honing and perfecting his skills. Maxime also talks to us about his current job as a hospitality consultant and the Hospitality Insiders podcast producer and host. We find out more about what motivated Maxime to create his hospitality podcast and why he thinks his podcasts can support and motivate hospitality professionals. Maxime also shares his ideas on the current French hospitality industry and the kinds of challenges it currently faces. For Maxime, service excellence and the use of cutting-edge technology are the keys to improving hospitality service. Maxime Blot is a recognized leader in the world of hospitality, renowned for his commitment to service excellence and his innovative approach to guest experience. With nearly two decades in the industry, he has mastered the art of hospitality, earning the prestigious title of Meilleur Ouvrier de France 2023 in the category of hotel reception—one of the highest distinctions in French craftsmanship. As the founder of Hospitality Insiders , Maxime shares his expertise through consulting, training, coaching, and keynote speaking , helping professionals and businesses elevate their service standards. His deep understanding of guest expectations and operational efficiency makes him a sought-after expert for luxury hotels and high-end establishments. He is also the voice behind the Hospitality Insiders Podcast , the first French podcast dedicated to service excellence, where he interviews industry leaders and shares insights on creating unforgettable guest experiences. Passionate about craftsmanship in hospitality, Maxime embodies the idea that exceptional service is not just a profession—it’s an art. Whether advising hotel brands, coaching teams, or inspiring the next generation, his mission remains the same: to redefine excellence in hospitality, one guest at a time."

July 6, 2026Episode 1429 min

Hospitality Beyond the Tangible: Rethinking Value Creation

In this podcast, we speak to Mouna Ennour, the Managing Director of YALTEN, a consulting firm specializing in brand equity, intangible capital, and experience governance across hospitality, tourism, and real estate. Mouna describes her Hospitality Management studies in Switzerland and answers my questions about hospitality education today. Mouna goes on to describe what motivated her to create her own company and she gives our listeners her perspective on tourism, destination development and guest governance development. We discuss why operational excellence is no longer the main driver behind guest loyalty and how intangible value must be cultivated if hospitality and tourism businesses want to thrive. The discussion continues with the importance of family travel and the opportunities it can create for the hospitality and tourism fields. Children who travel with their families will most likely become future clients and hotels and resorts that prioritise family travel experiences benefit from their engagement. Finally, Mouna shares her thoughts on the future of hospitality and travel in an era of increasing personalization, technology, and changing traveler expectations. Mouna Ennour is the Managing Director of YALTEN, a consulting firm specializing in guest experience, place attractiveness, and hospitality governance. Her work focuses on the intersection of hospitality, tourism, destination development, and service ecosystems. She advises hospitality organizations, destinations, and stakeholders on how to transform infrastructure, services, and visitor journeys into drivers of performance, reputation, and long-term intangible value. Mouna is also the creator of Adam & Mia, an experiential brand developed at the intersection of hospitality, tourism, and family engagement. Her areas of research and interest include the Experience Economy, intangible capital, tourism development, hospitality strategy, and emerging approaches to territorial structuring and destination attractiveness. She is the author of two papers, “Tourism Through the Lens of Lived Experience” and “From Contemplative Hospitality to Structuring Hospitality,” which explore contemporary shifts in experience design, hospitality, and place development through the lens of sustainable value creation.

June 22, 2026Episode 1341 min

How To Make Access to Hospitality Luxury Easier and In Tune with Our Times

In this podcast, Robert Recupero shares his extraordinary career path with our listeners and explains how this path led to the creation of Moomenti, a high-end marketplace for booking luxury hotel experiences. This entrepreneurial adventure was Robert’s answer to making hospitality luxury easier to navigate and enjoy. Early in his career, Robert worked at Swissport, which enabled him to learn essential service and leadership skills that have helped him throughout his career and triggered his passion for travel and hospitality. His move to Thomson Reuters, the multinational information corporation, as the Senior Vice-President of Sales and Services allowed him to hone his leadership skills and he brought these skills to JP Morgan Private Banking. In 2021, Robert started his own company, Moomenti and he explains his reasons and motivation for moving into the Luxury Hotel Experiences sector. Robert also describes how the hospitality sector is an ever-changing landscape that is creating new avenues and why technology is at the forefront of this movement. Robert’s broad experience allows him to evaluate and understand what travelers and guests are looking for and how to meet their growing expectations. Finally, Robert explains his bold decision to become an entrepreneur and what he has learned so far. Robert Recupero is an expert in organizational design, technology metrics, and user experience/customer experience (UX/CX). With an impressive career spanning senior leadership roles in banking, finance, and technology, Robert brings a wealth of knowledge and insight to his current endeavors. As a former Managing Director at JP Morgan Private Bank and Senior Vice President at Thomson Reuters, Robert has demonstrated exceptional leadership in banking technology operations and high-end client service. His strategic vision and expertise have driven significant advancements in these areas, making him a respected figure in the industry. Following his tenure in banking and finance, Robert transitioned to a successful career as a Senior Independent Consultant. In this role, he advised numerous organizations on organizational design, IT leadership, and governance, helping them navigate complex challenges and achieve their strategic objectives. Currently, Robert is the founder and CEO of Moomenti, a high-end marketplace for booking luxury hotel experiences. Launched in Switzerland, Moomenti is now expanding to Asia, Latin America, and the United States, reflecting Robert's innovative approach and global vision. Don’t hesitate to reach out to him should you want to know more about Moomenti.

June 8, 2026Episode 1242 min

Human Innovation in Hospitality: Meaning, Psychological Safety and the Courage to Lead

In this episode of 50 Shades of Hospitality , Crystal Cavin speaks with Jay Humphries , a hospitality advisor, educator, communicator and co-founder of HoCoSo, whose career has moved across hotel operations, corporate leadership, development, asset management, academia, concept creation and media. Together, they explore the idea of human innovation in hospitality : not innovation as technology alone, but as the design of places, cultures and leadership systems where people can think clearly, speak honestly, serve well and remain human under pressure. Drawing on more than 30 years in the hospitality industry, as well as their current work in mental health, resilience, Logotherapy, Compassionate Inquiry and human-centred organisational design, Jay reflects on why wellbeing, psychological safety and values-based leadership can no longer be treated as “soft topics”. In an industry built on care, trust, welcome and emotional labour, these are not side issues. They are the foundations of performance, service quality, retention and long-term resilience. Jay also shares the personal practice behind their work, including more than 1,000 cold-water swims. The image of Jay in a swim robe is not just a personal detail. It reflects a lived commitment to discipline, nervous-system regulation, ritual, resilience and the small daily choices that shape who we become. The conversation also looks at leadership in a more anxious and polarised world. Jay and Crystal discuss why values matter most when they are tested, why psychological safety requires both compassion and clarity, and why hospitality leaders must become more emotionally, culturally and ethically intelligent if they want to build organisations where people can truly belong. For hospitality professionals, students and alumni, this is a conversation about what the industry is really becoming: not only a business of hotels, travel, restaurants and experiences, but a human system that can either exhaust people or help them recover meaning, dignity, connection and possibility.

May 25, 2026Episode 1129 min

Reaching for Excellence – Running an Amalfi Coast Luxury Boutique Hotel

In this podcast, we interview Estelle Vassallo, who is the General Manager of the Anantara Convento di Amalfi Grand Hotel in Italy. Estelle answers our questions about crisis management in the hospitality field and about what it takes to become a GM. We ask Estelle to describe what it is like to manage a hotel in an iconic location like the Amalfi Coast and she explains what kind of clients the Anantara Convento di Amalfi Grand Hotel attracts. We also discuss the selection and hiring process for a luxury hotel GM, gender equality in the Hospitality Industry and the increasing number of women who are filling GM positions. We also discuss the importance of having a cool and calm demeanor in the face of crises such as terrorist attacks, union strikes or political instability and Estelle explains how she goes about managing these very difficult situations. Estelle Vassallo is a passionate hospitality leader with extensive background in all hotel areas, both on-property as well as regional. Being half-German, half-French, married to an Italian and having lived in 7 European countries, she considers herself a proud and multi-lingual European. She loves every aspect of the hotel life, especially team motivation and engagement, as well as delivering quality service to her guests, always keeping innovation and change as a priority. Estelle is very organized and has a strong orientation for results, with a lot of budgeting, forecasting and cost adjustment experience. Crisis management is one of her specialties, having had unfortunately to deal with many crises throughout her career, including various terrorist attacks, difficult union situations and strikes, and political instability. In 2010, Estelle was the winner of Hospitality Career Award and she speaks five languages.

May 11, 2026Episode 1025 min

Cooking Her Way Around the World

Celine Maier, the EuroSkills Gold Medalist for Culinary Arts, decided after winning Gold to embark on a global, culinary journey. Since 2024, she has been a culinary globetrotter, traveling through Europe, America, and Asia to explore the diversity of international cuisines, learn new techniques, deepen and expand her network, and experience cultural influences firsthand. In this podcast, Celine talks about the competitions she has participated in and how, during her journey, she continues to grow beyond her limits, consciously steps out of her comfort zone, learns new languages, and gains valuable self-knowledge. Celine has been working passionately in the hospitality industry since 2018 and has completed her apprenticeship as a certified Swiss chef. During her apprenticeship, she gained early insights into the world of culinary competitions and took part in numerous apprentice and cooking contests. Among the most formative experiences was her participation in the Bocuse d’Or and the SwissSkills, through which she qualified for the EuroSkills competition in Gdansk, Poland and won first place. In this interview, Celine describes this unforgettable experience and praises her mentors and coaches for their unwavering support. During the recording of this interview, Celine was in China and had plans to visit and work South Korea and Japan. Her passion and enthusiasm for the culinary arts is simply astounding and infectious for such a young woman.

April 27, 2026Episode 933 min

Creating a Dynamic Career Path in Hospitality Management

In this episode, Andrra Berisha describes how she has dynamically created an envious hospitality management path for herself after her hospitality studies in Switzerland. As the Business Development Manager at Lighthouse , the leading commercial platform for the travel & hospitality industry, Andrra uses her hospitality acumen to drive revenue growth and foster long-term client partnerships. We ask Andrra to describe her hospitality education and how it has helped her to succeed in the hospitality sector and she gives our listeners some insights on how to creatively and dynamically approach a successful management career. Working in the luxury hotel sector gave Andrra the skills she needed to engage with demanding clients and to understand the importance of having a service-based approach to business. In addition, Andrra understood early in her career the importance of technology and how to use it optimally. She also explains how she moved from a traditional hospitality role into a more technology-based position and the challenges she faced during this time. Finally, Andrra gives us her opinion of AI and how this new technology can improve the customer experience while underpinning her solid conviction that the human touch will always be appreciated and needed. With a proven track record in academia and business development, Andrra is a dynamic force in the field. As the Business Development Manager at Lighthouse , Andrra drives growth by forging strategic partnerships and securing enterprise-level contracts. Based in Pristina, Kosovo, Andrra excels in remote environments, leveraging strong relationships with C-level executives to expand market reach and drive sales. Previously, Andrra served as a Business & Sales Consultant for Everguest, where they pioneered entry market strategies and elevated client portfolios through innovative approaches to online reputation management. Prior to this, Andrra demonstrated exceptional leadership as the Front Office & Revenue Manager at Four Points by Sheraton, optimizing guest experiences and increasing satisfaction scores through Design Thinking methodologies. With a background spanning pre-opening project management, client experience design, and sales, Andrra brings a wealth of expertise to every endeavor. From internships at neuvoo to roles at renowned hospitality establishments like Perry Lane Hotel and Penha Longa Resort, Andrra has consistently delivered outstanding results, earning accolades for her dedication and innovation.

April 13, 2026Episode 834 min

Discovering One of Turkey’s Lifestyle Destinations – Scorpios Bodrum

As a young hotelier, Can Erikan explains how his global career and Swiss hospitality education has led him back to his native country of Turkey where he is currently the General Manager of Scorpios Bodrum , part of the Soho House Group. Bodrum was once known as the ancient city of Halicarnassus and it is home to one of the seven ancient wonders of the world. Scorpios Bodrum is set on a 70,000 square metres and Can explains to our listeners why their aim is to recreate a Greek agora – a place where thought is cultivated and the soul nourished by sublime surroundings, fresh food and inspired cultural programming. It is no wonder that Scorpios Bodrum is a high-end destination for travelers looking for authenticity and a world-class hospitality experience. In this podcast, we ask Can about his global experience and his mind-set. He explains the importance of self-discipline and how his first experiences in the hospitality world, in particular in Food and Beverage, helped shape his approach to hospitality. Can shares his views on how the industry has changed over the past ten years and the importance of creating unforgettable memories for guests. Finally, we encourage Can to explain why wellness has become so important for guests and how these initiatives are balanced between ancient healing techniques and modern medical technology. As a highly skilled and results-driven hospitality professional, Can offers extensive experience in managing food and beverage operations within luxury hotels and resorts. With a proven track record of delivering exceptional guest experiences and driving profitability, He is well-versed in overseeing all aspects of hotel operations, from leadership development and strategizing to staffing and financial analysis. Can’s global living and working exposure, spanning the USA, France, Switzerland, China, Kazakhstan and Turkey, has equipped him with a keen understanding of diverse cultures and business practices. Throughout his career, Can has delivered outstanding services to renowned luxury hotel brands, including EDITION, Ritz-Carlton Hotels, and The Peninsula Hotels. As a strategic and collaborative leader, Can excels at building high-performing teams and fostering a positive work culture. His ability to navigate complex challenges, adapt to evolving industry trends, and implement innovative solutions has consistently driven business growth and success. He is passionate about delivering exceptional guest experiences, driving revenue and operational excellence in the hospitality industry.