Hospitality Meets... with Phil Street

Hosted by Phil Street

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Jun 2026

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Hospitality Meets is a weekly podcast that explores the stories and journeys of people from all walks of life in the hospitality industry. Host Phil Street talks to everyone from founders and chefs to hotel general managers and restaurant managers, as well as engineers, designers, financiers, and even politicians. Through these conversations, Phil showcases the sheer diversity of opportunity that exists within hospitality, and the fun you can have along the way. He also shares insights into the latest trends and challenges facing the industry, and gives listeners a behind-the-scenes look at some of the most exciting and innovative businesses in hospitality. If you're interested in a career in hospitality, or if you're simply curious about the world of hospitality, then Hospitality Meets is the podcast for you. Join Phil for a weekly dose of inspiration, insight, and humor. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

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June 10, 20261 hr 11 min

#259 - Hospitality Meets Caroline Ottoy - Dough Balls & Big Dreams

What do dough balls, coffee, Covid crisis meetings, global expansion, and one very determined mum have in common?This week's guest is Caroline Ottoy, Managing Director of WatchHouse.Today, WatchHouse is one of the most exciting hospitality brands on the planet, with 29 locations across the UK, USA and Dubai, and ambitious plans to reach 100 sites globally over the next few years.But Caroline's journey started in a very different place.A teenager destined for a science degree, a year spent slightly losing her way, and a mum who effectively packed her bags and sent her to hospitality university whether she liked it or not.Thankfully, she did.In this episode we chat about:How an agricultural college accidentally launched a hospitality careerSpending a year working in France and becoming fluent in FrenchThe early days of ASK and opening restaurants across the UKLiving above the restaurant and learning hospitality the hard wayThe legendary Dough Ball IncidentGrowing brands from start up to national successThe move from restaurants into Planet OrganicLeading through Covid and creating daily "Cobra Meetings" to keep teams alignedLearning to step up when uncertainty is everywhereOvercoming imposter syndrome and finding confidence on stageThe mentors, cheerleaders and leaders who changed her lifeWhy EOS has become one of the most powerful tools behind WatchHouse's growthThe ambitious journey to 100 WatchHouse locations worldwideSome of my Favourite Quotables"Visions are irrelevant without great people""Everything is about people. Everything""I was a really good waitress. I'm telling you now, I could handle a big section""We didn't really know what we were doing. We were just finding out as we went along"Along the way we explore leadership, resilience, culture, friendship, hospitality careers, and the extraordinary impact great people can have on the direction of our lives.One of my favourite moments came when Caroline reflected on receiving a message from a former team member years later, thanking her for the role she'd played in shaping his career and life.It's a beautiful reminder that in hospitality, we often have a far bigger impact on people than we ever realise.Funny, thoughtful, inspiring and packed with lessons for anyone building teams, leading people, or simply trying to figure things out as they go.And yes...There is a story involving enough dough balls to fill half of Bristol.Enjoy.Show PartnerA big shout out to today’s show partner, RotaCloud — the people management platform built specifically for shift-based teams.RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from one simple, web-based app.It also makes life easier for teams, allowing staff to check rotas, request holiday, and pick up extra shifts directly from their phones.To find out more, head to RotaCloudThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

June 3, 20261 hr 8 min

#258 - Hospitality Meets Barrie Robinson - The Glass Collector Who Got Lucky

What do holiday parks, imposter syndrome, accidental career sabotage, and one of the UK's most respected hospitality leaders have in common?This week's guest is Barrie Robinson, National Operations Director at Parkdean Resorts and Chair of the newly launched North Star Competitive Career Accelerator.Barrie's journey into hospitality wasn't exactly traditional.After lasting just six weeks at university ("reading newspapers and pretending to be a tree" wasn't quite the career path he'd envisioned), he started work as a glass collector in his local pub.Fast forward a few decades and he's now responsible for operations across the UK's largest holiday park operator.But the route between those two points is where things get interesting.In this episode we chat about:Why hospitality might be the UK's best-kept career secretWhat makes holiday parks one of the most overlooked sectors in hospitalityTurning a village pub from £500 a week into £6,000 a weekThe power of creating experiences rather than simply serving customersLiving with imposter syndrome, even at senior leadership levelThe boss who became known as "Eff Off, Don't Answer"The unfortunate incident involving a new boss, several pints, and a train journey homeWhy great leaders allow people to fail safelyHow winning the ALMR Operations Manager of the Year award transformed Barrie's confidence foreverThe return of the North Star Competitive Career Accelerator and why it's set to develop the next generation of hospitality leadersAlong the way we explore leadership, community, career development, truth-telling, resilience, and why some of the most valuable lessons in hospitality come from the moments you'd rather forget.Some Cracking Quotables"Hospitality is one of the UK's best-kept career secrets.""People don't come to work to do a bad job.""If you trust the truth, it is always the right thing to do."Barrie is thoughtful, honest, funny, and deeply passionate about helping people realise their potential.And if nothing else, this episode contains one of the greatest leadership stories ever told involving an Audi A6.Enjoy.Show PartnerA big shout out to today’s show partner, RotaCloud — the people management platform built specifically for shift-based teams.RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from one simple, web-based app.It also makes life easier for teams, allowing staff to check rotas, request holiday, and pick up extra shifts directly from their phones.To find out more, head to RotaCloudThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

May 27, 20261 hr 7 min

#257 - Hospitality Meets Jonny Bramwell - Laughs & Balance

This week I sat down with Jonny Bramwell, Regional Head of Operations for Rosa’s Thai — a man responsible for 22 restaurants, thousands of miles of motorway, and quite possibly the most unexpectedly philosophical conversation we’ve had on Hospitality Meets in a while.What starts as a chat about pubs, restaurants and leadership quickly becomes a brilliant conversation about burnout, ambition, balance, accidental life lessons, and why sometimes the best thing that can happen to your career… is getting sacked from your first hospitality job.There are stories of legendary £4.50 breakfasts, pub landlords who accidentally become life mentors, entrepreneurial chaos, brutal kitchen lessons, and one particularly wonderful moment involving a manager solving Phil’s chronic lateness problem with the revolutionary concept of… buying a second alarm clock.Groundbreaking leadership.Along the way, Jonny talks openly about the moments where hospitality nearly broke him, the dangers of arrogance disguised as ambition, and how learning to understand yourself is just as important as learning how to run a business.It’s thoughtful, funny, honest, slightly chaotic at times… and packed full of gold.In this episode, Jonny and I get into…• Why a bike accident and a few days in hospital unexpectedly sparked a fascination with medicine• Falling into hospitality almost by accident — and immediately becoming obsessed with food, drink and learning• Getting fired from his very first hospitality job… then finding his career-changing mentor in the pub next door• The magic of great pubs and why community operators still matter so much• How the right leader at the right moment can completely change someone’s life• Why hospitality relationships become so deep and enduring• The difference between management and true leadership• Burnout, arrogance, ambition and learning difficult lessons early in your career• Why some jobs teach you more in one year than others teach in ten• The brutal but brilliant education of kitchens and gastropub culture• The changing role of modern operations leadership in hospitality• Why coaching matters far more than fear• Work-life balance… or just “balance” full stop• How hospitality can become both your stress and your safe place at the same time• Why being comfortable isn’t always a bad thing• The importance of recognising what actually matters in your life before it’s too late• The joy, madness and sheer unpredictability of hospitality careersSome cracking quoteables from Jonny…“If you enjoy food and drink, it’s probably a pretty good industry to be in.”“I accidentally built roots in Reading.”“The enemy of your enemy is your friend.”“It’s a school of hard knocks.”“You’re one great day away from having a crap day.”“Hospitality became my place of joy.”And perhaps the most important leadership breakthrough in modern history:“If one alarm clock isn’t working… buy a second alarm clock.”Revolutionary stuff.Why this episode is worth your earsThis one feels incredibly human.Yes, there’s loads in here about hospitality operations, leadership, career growth and team culture… but underneath all of that is a really honest conversation about figuring yourself out while trying to build a career at the same time.Jonny speaks brilliantly about the moments where things didn’t go well, the leaders who shaped him, the mistakes that taught him the most, and how hospitality has evolved from old-school fear-based management into something far more people-focused.It’s funny, reflective, occasionally chaotic, and full of the sort of stories that remind you why this industry gets under people’s skin in the first place.Also…Any episode featuring:• Pub philosophy• Angry chefs• Ping pong bars• A grammar school kid discovering kinaesthetic learning• And the phrase “the avenue of arsehole is a two-way street”……was probably always going to be a good one.Show PartnerA big shout out to today’s show partner, RotaCloud — the people management platform built specifically for shift-based teams.RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from one simple, web-based app.It also makes life easier for teams, allowing staff to check rotas, request holiday, and pick up extra shifts directly from their phones.To find out more, head to RotaCloudThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

May 20, 202656 min

#256 - Hospitality Meets Adam Hamadache - Data, Dogs & Direct Bookings

This week I sat down with Adam Hamadache, founder of Formula and host of the Hotel Growth Podcast, a man who has spent the last 15 years helping hotels figure out how to grow in an industry that never seems to sit still for more than five minutes.What followed was part hospitality strategy masterclass, part therapy session for modern business owners, and part beautifully chaotic conversation about AI, audience-less keynote speeches, and why hiring experts only to tell them exactly what to do might be “the definition of madness.”From working in a shoe shop during school work experience while dreaming of hotels, to shouting orders on the grill in a Sydney restaurant kitchen overlooking the Opera House, Adam’s journey is full of sharp pivots, curiosity, and a relentless obsession with solving problems properly.Along the way we get into the terrifying speed of AI, why hospitality still massively underuses its own data, what business owners can learn from bad football defending, and the deeply humbling experience of delivering a keynote presentation to an audience of… one.And honestly?The audience of one story alone is worth the price of admission (Which is free by the way)In this episode, Adam and I get into…• Why careers often evolve through curiosity rather than rigid planning• How a failed hotel promotion model accidentally launched an entire hospitality marketing career• The ongoing battle between hotels and OTAs, and why direct bookings still matter so much• What operators misunderstand about marketing partnerships• Why Formula made the bold decision to hire only highly experienced people• The power of friction, challenge and healthy disagreement in great businesses• Why “slow down to speed up” might be the most important business lesson of all• The terrifying speed of AI and how search behaviour is fundamentally changing• Why hospitality still isn’t using data and technology anywhere near its full potential• How fear of being left behind can push businesses into bad tech decisions• Why independent hoteliers often feel isolated when facing huge commercial challenges• The thinking behind Adam’s new hospitality advisory board conceptAnd so much more.Some cracking quote-ables from Adam…“You don’t buy a dog and bark yourself”“Search has changed more in the last 18 months than in the previous 18 years”“You’ve got to slow down to speed up”“The bold, harder decisions are often much less expensive than the easy decisions you choose to tolerate”“Doing the same thing and expecting a different result is madness… but so is hiring experts and then telling them exactly how to do their job”Why this episode is worth your earsThis is one of those conversations that goes way beyond marketing.Yes, there’s loads in here about AI, growth strategy, technology, customer behaviour and the future of hospitality… but underneath all of that is a really thoughtful conversation about leadership, humility, evolution and the importance of staying curious when the world feels like it’s changing at breakneck speed.Adam’s honesty around business ownership, difficult decisions, and learning to pause before reacting makes this one feel incredibly grounded and real.It’s also reassuringly human.Because sometimes even successful keynote speakers end up presenting to one confused bloke in a conference room.And somehow…that might actually be the perfect metaphor for modern business.Show PartnerA big shout out to today’s show partner, RotaCloud, the people management platform built specifically for shift based teams.RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes, all from one simple, web-based app.It also makes life easier for teams, allowing staff to check rotas, request holiday, and pick up extra shifts directly from their phones.To find out more, head to RotaCloudThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

May 13, 20261 hr 2 min

#255 - Hospitality Meets Gareth Rees - Mindset, Misfit & Misunderstood

This week, I sat down with Gareth Rees, and this is one of those conversations that feels properly important.Not just for hospitality… but for how we think about people, performance, and what “doing a good job” actually meansGareth now runs ADHospitalityD, with a mission to educate the industry on neurodiversity, breaking down misconceptions, supporting individuals, and helping businesses create environments where people can genuinely thrive.But his story starts where many of ours do…On the floorIn this episode, Gareth and I get into…Growing up in hospitality with both parents in the industryFalling in love with the buzz (and chaos) of a busy service at a young ageOriginally planning a career in sports… before hospitality pulled him back inWorking his way through the industry via the Exclusive Collection grad schemeWhy understanding the full guest journey matters in leadershipStepping into a Head of Department role, and suddenly hitting a wallThe shift from doing the job to enabling others to do itStruggling with admin, pressure, and expectations, despite loving the industryDiscovering ADHD later in life and what that explainedThe concept of interest-based vs importance-based nervous systems (game-changer 👀)Why traditional productivity advice doesn’t work for everyoneAdjusting ways of working to suit how your brain actually functionsAnd ultimately… turning that experience into a mission to support othersSome cracking quote-ables from Gareth“We need to value the strengths, but appreciate the struggles”“I wasn’t failing… I just hadn’t been set up in a way that worked for me”“At Head of Department level, your output changes, and that’s where it hit me”“I could do the job… but I couldn’t do it the way everyone else expected”“You don’t ‘fix’ this, you learn how to work with it”Why this episode is worth your earsIf you lead people… this one mattersBecause it challenges a lot of assumptions we make about:ProductivityPerformanceCommunicationAnd what “good” looks like at workGareth’s story is a powerful reminder that not everyone operates the same way, and that’s not a weakness.In fact, when you understand it properly?It can be a huge strengthAnd for an industry built on people…That’s something we can’t afford to ignore.Contact Gareth through his website at https://adhospitalityd.com/ or InstagramShow PartnersA big shout out to the first of today’s show partner, 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/philThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

May 6, 202654 min

#254 - Hospitality Meets Phil Andreopoulos - Planes, Pods & People

This week on Hospitality Meets, Phil sits down with another Phil, that being Phil Andreopoulos, CEO of YOTEL, for a conversation that starts with washing pots in restaurants… and somehow ends with power naps, gorilla trekking, hotel disruption and leadership philosophy.Inspired by a first class airline cabin and created by the founder of YO! Sushi, YOTEL has always challenged the “that’s just how hotels work” mentality, and this episode dives into exactly why.Along the way, the two Phils discuss:Why understanding your own energy patterns might be one of the most underrated leadership skills aroundThe importance of healthy friction in teamsBuilding cultures that aren’t just clones of the leaderWhy communication matters most when uncertainty is highestThe reality of navigating major business changeWhy hospitality still offers one of the greatest careers in the worldAnd why getting promoted from pots and pans to plates and glasses once felt like a massive career breakthrough 😂There’s also loads of brilliant insight around leadership, culture, growth and vision, without ever disappearing too far up its own backside.Phil Andreopoulos speaks openly about:Growing through the hospitality industryHis journey from kitchen porter to CEOBuilding franchise growth across global hotel brandsThe recent Hilton partnership with YOTELWhy “fun at work” matters more than people thinkAnd the importance of creating environments where people actually want to beSome standout quotes from the episode:“Knowing yourself is a hugely underrated leadership skill”“If you leave gaps in communication, people will fill them”“We spend a huge amount of our lives at work. It should be successful… but it should also be fun”“You don’t build great teams by hiring people exactly like you”“Hospitality is one of the greatest industries in the world… and I still don’t think we tell that story well enough”There’s wisdom in this one.There’s humour in this one.There’s also a genuinely fascinating story about how a first-class airline seat accidentally became a hotel concept.Classic hospitality really. Somebody looked at a plane seat and thought:“…yeah, but what if we put a shower next to it?” 😂Enjoy.Show PartnersA big shout out to the first of today’s show partner, 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.comThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

April 29, 202652 min

#253 - Hospitality Meets Guy Freedman - Fun, Fudge & Floodwater

This week, I sat down with the brilliant Guy Freedman, Hotel Director at The Pig & The Pig in the Wall, and honestly, this one felt like a giant exhale.A conversation about leadership, yes.Culture, absolutely.But also… naked guests, rogue deer, flood rescues in a Land Rover, student days in a fudge kitchen, and why maybe fun has been unfairly underestimated as a serious business strategy.Guy’s journey, from a self-confessed chatty teenager being redirected out of the kitchen and into front of house, to Hotel Director at The Pig - is packed with warmth, mischief, humility and some beautifully simple thinking about what makes hospitality…well... hospitality.In this episode, Guy and I get into…How a careers adviser effectively turned “I like eating and drinking” into a career path 😅Why his kitchen career lasted roughly three weeksStudent jobs in fudge kitchens, pot washing and night cleaning, and why every odd job teaches you somethingFalling for The Pig over a hungover lunch… then resigning before he even had the jobWhy great hospitality businesses recruit personality first, train skill secondGrowing through the ranks at The Pig and opening a hotel just in time for COVID (timing 👀)Why fun at work isn’t fluff, it’s cultureTurning staffing shortages into team challenges, not team stressThe now-legendary flood dayWhy adversity often creates the best guest experiencesWorking nights in London and the surprisingly frequent issue of naked guests locking themselves out of roomsRogue animals, escaped deer, wandering bullocks… and the operational realities no hotel school prepares you forSome cracking quote-ables from Guy“We’ve always recruited personality.”“I got to play at those hotels”“If we can make it fun, people want to come to work”“Don’t take a step back”“There’s always adversity in this industry… so you may as well have fun with it”“It’s only work” (which somehow sounded profound in context)🎧 Why this episode is worth your earsThis one is a brilliant reminder that hospitality doesn’t have to choose between performance and joy.You can be serious about standards…and still be playful.You can lead through pressure…and still laugh.And maybe, just maybe, the teams that have the most fun are often the teams that perform the best.There’s loads in here about leadership, culture and community… but also some glorious stories that remind you why so many of us fell in love with this industry in the first place.And honestly?Any episode featuring fudge, floods and naked guests was always going to be worth a listen.Show PartnersA big shout out to the first of today’s show partner, 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/philThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

April 22, 20261 hr 11 min

#252 - Hospitality Meets Basel Jabri - Saying Yes, Then Figuring it Out

This week, I sat down with the brilliant Basel Jabri, and this one’s got everything.Global upbringing, accidental career pivots, iconic hotel brands, and a journey that goes from literally steering boats in Dubai… to leading people & culture across a luxury London hotel group.And the best bit?It all started with a dream that didn’t happen.In this episode, Basel and I get into…Growing up internationally thanks to his father’s career in aviationWhy he originally wanted to be a pilot, and how 9/11 changed that path overnightFalling into hospitality… and grabbing the opportunity without overthinking itMoving to Dubai at 21 and stepping into one of the most iconic hospitality boom periodsStarting out in guest relations (and unexpectedly managing boat transfers 😅)The power of saying yes to opportunities, even when they’re not what you expectedMoving into training and HR… and discovering a passion for people developmentLeading teams at just 25, and the reality of responsibility hitting fastWorking across some of the world’s most recognisable luxury brands: Jumeirah, Shangri-La, Raffles, Rotana, Hyatt, Meliá, HiltonExperiencing hospitality across cultures - and why Dubai feels like the “United Nations” of the industrySome cracking quote-ables from Basel“I didn’t choose hospitality… it chose me”“I grabbed the opportunity, I didn’t wait for the perfect plan”“At 25, your signature suddenly means something”“Dubai showed me the world before I ever travelled it”“You need to say yes first… and figure it out after”Why this episode is worth your earsIf you’ve ever felt like your career didn’t go to plan…Good.Because Basel’s story is a brilliant reminder that sometimes the best paths are the ones you didn’t intend to take.There’s also a huge amount in here around:Leadership at a young ageLearning through experience (not titles)Building confidence in completely new environmentsAnd why people & culture should sit at the heart of hospitalityPlus… more than a few stories you don’t hear every dayShow PartnersA big shout out to the first of today’s show partner, 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/philThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

April 15, 202655 min

#251 - Hospitality Meets Newton Fernandes - Built Across Borders

This week, I sat down with the brilliant Newton Fernandes - and this is one of those conversations that reminds you just how non-linear careers in hospitality can be.From starting out as a journalist, to working in airline reservations, to quite literally being invited across the road into a hotel career… Newton’s journey spans continents, cultures, and some seriously big roles.We’re talking global brand, marketing, and communications at a scale that’s hard to get your head around, but always grounded in one thing: understanding people.In this episode, Newton and I get into…Growing up across the Middle East, India, and Europe, and how that shaped his worldviewStarting out in journalism and developing a love for storytellingMoving into American Airlines… and then being recruited into hospitality by a hotel GM across the streetWhy travel, tourism, and hospitality are one industry (and should act like it)The reality of working in different cultures, and why curiosity beats assumption every timeMoving to London and adapting to a completely different way of workingStarting at the “bottom” in PR & marketing, and why that foundation mattersManaging brand and marketing across 450 hotels, 12 brands, and 33 countriesWhy structure, training, and community are essential at scaleMoving to Marriott and navigating the world of franchise vs managed hotelsHelping independent hotels plug into global brands without losing their identitySome cracking quote-ables from Newton“I didn’t move into hospitality… I was invited into it”“Travel and hospitality are not separate industries, they’re one”“You can’t understand a hotel brand unless you’ve seen it on the ground”“Curiosity is more important than assumption”“The way you work in one country won’t work in another, you have to adapt”Why this episode is worth your earsIf you’ve ever thought your career path is a bit all over the place… good.Newton’s story is proof that the most interesting careers are built through curiosity, opportunity, and saying yes to things you didn’t plan.There’s also a ton in here around leadership at scale, how you manage people, brand, and culture across different countries, different expectations, and different ways of working.And a reminder that in a global industry like ours…Understanding people is everythingShow PartnersA big shout out to the first of today’s show partner, 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/philThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

April 8, 202652 min

#250 - Hospitality Meets Dawn Lister - Sales, Service & Stubornness

This week, I sat down with the brilliant Dawn Lister - and honestly, I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to get someone from the world of sales on the show.And what an introduction to it this was.From wanting to be an air stewardess at 10 years old, to building a 20+ year career in hotel sales, Dawn’s journey is packed with graft, growth, resilience… and a lot of persistence (some might call it “relentless follow-up” 😅).Now Sales Director for B&B Hotels UK, Dawn brings a no-nonsense, people-first approach to an area of hospitality that often gets misunderstood, and massively underestimated.In this episode, Dawn and I get into…How a childhood dream of travel turned into a lifelong career in hospitalityStarting in conference & banqueting… and quickly being moved out of it 😅Falling in love with sales (mainly by talking too much at coffee breaks)Why she didn’t go to university - and built her career through doing insteadThe importance of early mentors (and learning under “formidable” leadership)Being told to stop calling people so much… and why persistence still winsThe reality of sales: rejection, resilience, and finding the right fitLeading with a “people first” mindset - both with customers and teamsWhy hospitality sales isn’t about the product… it’s about the experienceSome cracking quote-ables from Dawn“Revenue isn’t revenue until it’s banked”“Hope is not a strategy” (Dammit)“If you’re not the right fit, that’s fine, but let’s have the conversation first”“We’re all selling similar products… the difference is how you make people feel”“Some people told me to stop calling… those are the ones I enjoyed winning the most”Why this episode is worth your earsIf you’ve ever worked in sales, or been on the receiving end of it, this one’s for you.Dawn strips it right back to what great sales actually is:curiosity, conversation, and care.There’s no fluff here. Just real insight into what it takes to build relationships, handle rejection, and lead teams in a world where everyone’s selling something similar.And if nothing else… you’ll never look at a follow-up call the same way againShow PartnersA big shout out to the first of today’s show partner, 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/philThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy