The Stanza

Hosted by The Stanza

Business EntrepreneurshipInterviews guests

Website RSS feed

Episodes

Latest episode

Oct 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

An investor's perspective on hospitality & culture. Subscribe to the weekly journal at www.thestanzamedia.com

Listen to episodes

16 recent

October 30, 202622 min

Inside 1 Beverly Hills: Luxury Retail & The Art of Placemaking with Brent Habeck

Inside 1 Beverly Hills , a new series from The Stanza, takes you behind the most ambitious luxury hospitality and residential development in the Western US. 1 Beverly Hills is a multi-billion dollar, 17.5-acre urban resort being developed by Cain, an institutional real estate firm that has been investing in luxury and lifestyle hospitality since well before the pandemic made the thesis obvious. Anchored by Aman, the project will bring a hotel, members’ club and residences designed by KHA, renowned for its longstanding relationship with Aman. At its heart sit ten acres of botanical gardens, framed by the Beverly Hilton, the Waldorf Astoria, and a curated world of dining, wellness and luxury retail. This series is personal for me. Before The Stanza, I spent part of my career at Cain, working on 1 Beverly Hills itself — and how I read hospitality today, as an operating business and a real estate asset class, the brands I reference, the instinct for what makes a place matter, was shaped by that time in my career. Earlier this year, my conversation with Jonathan Goldstein, Cain’s co-founder and CEO, drew a response far beyond anything I expected — and it made clear that people don’t just want to see what’s being built here, they want to understand how, and why. Inside 1 Beverly Hills is my way of answering that, in conversation with the people bringing it to life. For this episode, I sat down with Brent Habeck, who leads retail for Cain Development at 1 Beverly Hills. Brent has spent his career on a question at the heart of great development: how thoughtful placemaking creates real, lasting value. We got into what it takes to curate retail at this level, why so much of the business of luxury comes down to relationships and the feeling of being truly seen, and how a project earns its way into the fabric of a city rather than just landing on it. Interview highlights How thoughtful placemaking creates value that goes far beyond what shows up on a rent roll What “anchoring” a project really means — and why the right partner shapes everything that follows The one thing Brent believes you simply can’t replicate digitally How luxury retail is evolving, and what today’s client is really looking for when they walk through the door What it takes to build not just a destination, but a place people come back to This interview was filmed at Aman Venice. To learn more about 1 Beverly Hills, click here . Stay updated with 1 Beverly Hills on Instagram Enquire about the Aman residences at 1 Beverly Hills

September 24, 202659 min

The Thesis Behind Slow Luxury: Why Belmond Treats Time As The Product with Dan Ruff

Dan Ruff has spent nearly two decades moving through hospitality, from investment banking and real estate into the CEO seat at Belmond, the luxury hotel, train, and river cruise group known for iconic properties including the Hotel Cipriani, Copacabana Palace, Hotel Splendido, and the Venice Simplon Orient Express. Dan joined Belmond just before LVMH completed its acquisition of the hospitality company in 2019, and since then has led the transition into Belmond’s next chapter. In this conversation, Dan lays out the thesis behind Belmond's slow luxury positioning: that in an industry racing to add more experiences, more technology, and more touchpoints, the scarcest resource for a global traveler is time, and Belmond's entire operating model is built to protect it rather than fill it. Dan walks through how that thesis shows up across very different parts of the business. On Belmond's train division, he walks through how Belmond acquires, restores, and operates historic carriages. On the hotel side, he talks about what it means to pursue a legacy vision for centuries-old properties while backed by LVMH, the largest luxury conglomerate in the world, and what that ownership structure allows Belmond to take on that it otherwise could not. He also gets into how Belmond thinks about building out what he calls journeys in markets like Peru and Italy, where multiple properties work together to create a longer guest experience rather than standing alone. Interview Highlights Dan Ruff on why Belmond’s owner-operator model empowers GMs to think and act like owners Why operating luxury trains is as much a logistics business as a hospitality one, and the secret strategic advantage Belmond has been building for nearly half a century Dan shares how collaborations with Wes Anderson, JR, Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin came about A revelation about why Belmond guests should never feel bad ordering off the menu Dan’s “if it’s not profitable, it’s not exceptional” philosophy On the decision to sell their final US hotel and waiting for a US asset worthy of the Belmond brand How LVMH challenged Belmond to compete with the best small operators, but at scale “Slow Luxury” and the niche Belmond has carved out within LVMH and beyond Learn more about Belmond here . Follow Belmond on Instagram here . Connect with Dan on LinkedIn here . Follow The Stanza on Instagram here . Subscribe to The Stanza on Substack here .

August 17, 20261 hr 18 min

Building the Pellicano World: Scaling Without Sacrificing Soul and Authenticity with Marie-Louise Sciò

Part I: Mass Distribution is the Antithesis of Desirability Marc Lotenberg, Founder of Dorsia, argues that the operators who will define the next decade of hospitality are the ones who have understood that reach and relevance are not the same thing, and that the pursuit of one is often the fastest way to destroy the other. In Part I of this episode, Marc explains why the new generation of wealthy consumers has stopped equating luxury with status and what most operators are getting wrong as a result, what happens to the guest experience when a restaurant can't hide behind alcohol sales, and why opening reservations to anyone and everyone is the fastest way to lose what made a venue worth booking in the first place. Thank you Dorsia for making this episode possible. To learn more about Dorsia’s hospitality tech, get in touch: knox@dorsia.com Download Dorsia to get access to impossible tables and events here (code: THESTANZA) Follow Dorsia on Instagram here Part II: Building the Pellicano World: Scaling Without Sacrificing Soul and Authenticity with Marie-Louise Sciò Marie-Louise's interview starts at 18:22 Marie-Louise Sciò is the CEO and Creative Director of Pellicano Hotels, the group her father Roberto Sciò founded after acquiring Il Pellicano in 1979 from the couple who built it. Trained in architecture at the Rhode Island School of Design, Marie-Louise took over creative direction of the property in 2004, starting with a single bathroom renovation and expanding into every touchpoint of the guest experience, from uniforms to tableware to the archive-driven design language the group is now known for. The portfolio has grown from Il Pellicano alone to include Mezzatorre on Ischia and La Posta Vecchia outside Rome, with two more properties in the pipeline: La Badia in Umbria and La Suvera in Tuscany. That expansion followed a €200M partnership with Aermont Capital, structured to take the group from three properties to a target of ten to twelve while keeping design, brand, and guest experience decisions in-house. Few operators have built a hospitality brand with this much mythology attached to it, and fewer still have done it while actively resisting the key-maximizing logic that typically comes with institutional capital. Marie-Louise’s thesis is that scale and soul are not opposing forces, as long as room count stays intentionally small and every property is allowed its own distinct identity rather than a repeatable format. In this episode, Nadine sits down with Marie-Louise for a rare look inside how Pellicano built its mythology, and what it takes to scale that world without flattening it. INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS The sink-or-swim test her father gave her: one bathroom renovation, no formal hospitality training, and a mandate to prove she could deliver a return Marie-Louise’s unfiltered take on copycats How the €200M Aermont Capital partnership came together, and what made it different from the other funds that approached the family first Navigating the tension between a private equity return horizon and a family hotel business built over sixty years The case against key-maximizing, and why Pellicano has refused to scale room count even when the underwriting would support it The case study of Mezzatorre: opening a hotel in an emerging resort market Marie-Louise’s view on the shift in what defines luxury Learn more about Pellicano Hotels here Connect with Marie-Louise on Instagram Follow The Stanza on Instagram Subscribe to The Stanza on Substack

July 9, 20261 hr 22 min

Heritage at Scale: Building the Orient Express Universe Across Trains, Yachts, and Hotels with Gilda Perez-Alvarado, CEO Orient Express

Part I: The Operating System for Culture with Marc Lotenberg, founder of Dorsia Dorsia is building the operating system for private members' clubs: a first-party, end-to-end technology platform designed to replace the legacy software and disconnected third-party integrations that most clubs still run on today. Marc Lotenberg, founder of Dorsia, argues that the gap between what the most discerning members expect and what the average club can actually deliver comes down to a failure of infrastructure, not hospitality intent. In Part I of this episode, Marc makes the case for why genuine personalization at the club level has to be built on first-party data sovereignty, what it actually costs to build compliant, frictionless hospitality technology at scale, and why he believes that pretending every prospective member is your customer is the fastest way to end up with none. Thank you Dorsia for making this episode possible. To learn more about Dorsia’s hospitality tech, get in touch: knox@dorsia.com Download Dorsia to get access to impossible tables and events here (code: THESTANZA) Follow Dorsia on Instagram Part II: Heritage at Scale: Building the Orient Express Universe Across Trains, Yachts, and Hotels with Gilda Perez-Alvarado, CEO Orient Express Starts at 13:26 Gilda Perez-Alvarado is CEO of Orient Express and Chief Strategy Officer at Accor, where she oversees the brand's expansion across hotels, luxury trains, and yachts. Orient Express is a strategic joint venture between Accor and LVMH, combining Accor's global hospitality infrastructure with LVMH's expertise in luxury consumer goods and brand stewardship. Gilda joined Accor in late 2023 after two decades at JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group, where she rose to Global CEO of the practice. Today, Orient Express spans two hotels in Rome and Venice, the La Dolce Vita luxury train on Italy's historic tourist rail network, a second train, L'Orient Express, set for 2027, and the Corinthian yacht that launched in May 2026, with the Olympian to follow in 2027. Every asset is designed to be privatizable and capped in room count to protect scarcity. The Italian portfolio is developed in partnership with Arsenale , who first approached Accor ahead of the pandemic with a proposal to flag La Dolce Vita as Orient Express. Orient Express is ultimately building what Gilda describes as a multi-modal travel business, sequencing hotels, trains, and yachts into a single continuous guest journey rather than a collection of standalone bookings. In this episode, Nadine sits down with Gilda to explore what it really takes to relaunch one of the world's most recognized travel brands across real estate, rail, and maritime operations, while satisfying two publicly-oriented parent companies and a brand mandate that has to hold for at least another century. INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS How the Accor-LVMH joint venture divides responsibility, and what each parent brings beyond equity The site selection framework for new hotel assets, including the role of an in-house historian Why Orient Express capped room counts and built every asset to be privatizable, and how that shapes owner conversations and pricing Gilda's view on how distribution and guest acquisition has evolved beyond traditional means The open question on the Corinthian's revenue model: transient product or private charter business How Orient Express approaches guest curation on trains and yachts, and why Gilda frames it as one of the most consequential and least controllable variables in the business The tension between short-term shareholder reporting and a mandate framed around a 143-year horizon What Gilda learned from LVMH's approach to scarcity and brand stewardship Learn more about Orient Express here Follow Orient Express on Instagram

June 16, 20261 hr 20 min

The Developer's Playbook: Building a €3B European Lifestyle & Luxury Hotel Portfolio with David Zisser

Part I: The Architecture of the Guest Experience La Bottega Collective designs and produces the physical and sensory touchpoints of the luxury hotel stay, from bathroom formulations and textiles to amenities, gifting, and retail, working with 15,000 properties across 117 countries, from the world's most recognized hotel groups such as Aman and Four Seasons, to the finest independent properties such as Passalacqua and Il San Pietro di Positano. Tommaso Pacini, CEO of La Bottega Collective, argues that the guest experience is not a collection of amenities but a coherent sensory language, and that the hotels who understand this are the ones building something guests cannot find, replicate, or buy anywhere else. In Part I of this episode, Tommaso walks through how La Bottega Collective reads a property before designing a single touchpoint, why the choice between licensed and fully custom product programs is ultimately a question of time and conviction rather than budget, and how the most effective guest experience artifacts extend the emotional memory of a stay well beyond checkout. Thank you La Bottega Collective for making this episode possible. Learn more and get in touch with La Bottega Collective ⁠here⁠ . Follow La Bottega Collective on Instagram ⁠here⁠ . Part II: The Developer's Playbook: Building a €3B European Lifestyle & Luxury Hotel Portfolio with David Zisser Episode starts at (17:22) David Zisser is the founder of Omnam, a €3 billion European hotel development and investment platform with a portfolio concentrated in lifestyle and luxury assets across Italy and key European markets. His recent projects include the Edition Lake Como, W Rome, which he credits with catalyzing what W Hotels internally called its 2.0 positioning, and the Hotel Bauer Venice, acquired out of a bankruptcy process in partnership with Mohari Hospitality and flagged with Rosewood. He is currently developing a proprietary hotel brand, with a Paris property featuring Pharrell Williams as creative director serving as its first expression. Omnam operates across the full development stack, from site identification and capital structuring through to brand selection, design intent, and operational oversight. Omnam’s LPs include institutional investor Bain Capital, and Mohari Hospitality, with whom David has built a partnership centered on a shared conviction about where luxury hospitality is heading. Omnam has worked with several major third party operators, and that breadth of exposure now informs both its underwriting discipline and its decision to build its own brand from a position of genuine industry knowledge rather than ego. In this episode, Nadine sits down with David to explore what it really takes to build a multi-billion euro development platform in luxury hospitality, from navigating fundraising from institutional capital and large family offices to acquiring one of Venice's most storied hotels out of bankruptcy. INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS David's deal framework, and why any project where success is contingent on factors outside Omnam's control is a pass How the Hotel Bauer acquisition came together out of a bankruptcy process, with competing global bidders, layered political dynamics, and a timeline that tested everyone involved Ultra-luxury brand dilution and which operators are most exposed as generational wealth transfer accelerates David's view on ADR stabilization, total in-hotel spend capture, and why the P&L conversation that matters most is not the one most investors are having Why David believes hotel operators should exit F&B operations, and what a properly aligned fee structure looks like from an owner's perspective The tension at the center of building a scalable brand from a singular, heritage-driven flagship asset What David learned from managing institutional capital Learn more about Omnam’s portfolio ⁠here⁠ . Follow Omnam on Instagram ⁠here⁠ . #luxuryhospitality #luxuryhotels #hotelbusiness #realestatedevelopment

May 6, 202654 min

The Art of Emotional Storytelling: How Airelles Builds Ultra-Luxury Around History & Generosity with Anne-Laure Ollagnon

Part I: The Travel Advisor as Curator (00:00:27) Erina Pindar, COO of SmartFlyer, argues that the travel advisor’s core product is less about access but more so curation and personalization: the construction of high-emotional-impact moments that exist outside the algorithm and cannot be replicated through self-booking. In Part I of this episode, Erina walks through how SmartFlyer conceptualizes experiences designed to generate genuine surprise for HNW clients, why safari travel has seen a measurable resurgence in demand post-pandemic, and what the rise of multi-generational, long-stay itineraries signals about how the most valuable travel clients are beginning to define the category for themselves. This episode was made possible in partnership with SmartFlyer. SmartFlyer works with hotel owners and management companies looking to access a HNW traveler base that sits outside standard distribution channels. Reach out to learn more. hello@smartflyer.com Learn more about SmartFlyer here Follow SmartFlyer on Instagram Part II: The Art of Emotional Storytelling: How Airelles Builds Ultra-Luxury Around History & Generosity (00:09:54) Anne-Laure Ollagnon is the CEO of Airelles, the French ultra-luxury hotel group owned by entrepreneur Stéphane Courbit, whose portfolio of historic properties spans France and, as of this month, Italy. She joined the group in 2007 when Courbit acquired the original property in Courchevel, bringing a background in M&A law that shaped her approach to transforming heritage buildings into destination assets. Airelles follows a full ownership model across almost all of its portfolio: Airelles Courchevel , Airelles Val d’Isère , Château de la Messardière and Pan Deï Palais both in Saint-Tropez, La Bastide de Gordes in Provence, and Palladio Venice on the island of Giudecca. The one exception is Le Grand Contrôle , the only hotel inside the grounds of the Palace of Versailles, which Airelles operates under a concession with the French government. It is arguably the most precise expression of what the brand stands for: identifying sites of irreplaceable historic significance and restoring them into experiences that could not exist anywhere else. Across all of it, Airelles has grown without third-party management contracts, maintaining direct operational control and brand integrity at every property. In this episode, Nadine sits down with Anne-Laure Ollagnon to explore what it really takes to build and run an ultra-luxury hotel group rooted in historic properties, emotional storytelling, and a culture of generosity that institutional capital structures are rarely designed to sustain. Interview Highlights: The difference between family office capital and institutional capital in ultra-luxury, and how that impacts the guest experience How Airelles won the Palace of Versailles tender against more than fifteen competing hotel groups The six-year acquisition and authorization process for Airelles Palladio Venice, and what patience as a development discipline actually costs Airelles’ philosophy behind owning and operating distinct hotels What Anne-Laure looks for when evaluating a new asset, and why emotion is the first filter before any underwriting begins How a high-end hotel under 50 keys justifies its ADR and operates profitably without relying on volume Anne-Laure’s view on where ultra-luxury is heading Learn more about Airelles here Follow Airelles on Instagram here Follow the latest opening in Venice on Instagram: the Airelles Palladio Follow ⁠ ⁠The Stanza on Instagram #luxuryhospitality #luxuryhotels #hospitality

April 7, 20261 hr 21 min

Early Conviction: Investing in Aman and the Future of Luxury Hospitality with Jonathan Goldstein

Part I: AI and the Future of Hospitality Every hospitality operator is asking the same question right now: what does AI actually mean for my business? Marc Lotenberg, founder of Dorsia, has a clear thesis: the operators who will define the next era of hospitality are not the ones who chase the technology, but the ones who double down on the art, the craft, and the magic that no algorithm can replicate. In Part 1 of this episode, Marc shares why AI will finally deliver the hyper-personalized, frictionless experience that modern luxury has always promised, how it will change everything from the kitchen to the moment a guest walks out the door, and why the pace of that disruption is arriving far faster than most people in the industry expect. This episode is made possible in partnership with Dorsia . To get access to Dorsia’s curation of impossible tables and cultural events, download the app and use code THESTANZA. This interview was filmed at Cafe Carmellini in New York. Part II: Early Conviction: Investing in Aman and the Future of Luxury Hospitality Jonathan Goldstein is the founder and CEO of Cain, a real estate investment and operating company managing over $14 billion in assets across luxury residential, hospitality, sports, and entertainment. Cain was formed in partnership with Todd Boehly and Eldridge Industries, built on a shared conviction that gateway cities and branded experiential real estate represented a generational investment opportunity. Cain's real estate portfolio spans some of the most scrutinized assets in luxury hospitality. At the center of it is One Beverly Hills, a $5 billion, 17.5-acre mixed-use development flagged by Aman in the heart of Beverly Hills. Jonathan also co-led the $900 million investment into Aman Group alongside Saudi PIF, subsequently partnering with Mubadala Capital to finance the brand's expansion. Other assets in the portfolio include Six Senses Courchevel, Raffles Boston, the Delano Miami, and a stake in the Delano brand in partnership with Ennismore & Accor. Cain was investing in luxury and experiential real estate long before the pandemic made the thesis obvious to the broader market. I worked on One Beverly Hills for Jonathan at Cain, which gives this conversation a level of access and specificity that is rarely present in interviews at this level of the industry. Interview Highlights: Approach to risk and creating an asymmetrical outcome in business The story behind the Aman investment opportunity What sets Aman apart from the rest What it takes to earn the trust of sovereign wealth funds How Cain assembled the One Beverly Hills site The buyer profile of Aman Residences in Beverly Hills Developing other luxury projects: Six Senses Courchevel & Raffles Boston Repositioning the Delano brand & Miami hotel Jonathan’s approach to choosing a hotel management partner The personalization problem luxury hospitality has yet to solve If you enjoyed this episode, you’ll also enjoy reading The Stanza’s Friday weekly newsletter. Subscribe at ⁠www.thestanzamedia.com⁠ Learn more about Cain’s portfolio here . Follow ⁠The Stanza on Instagram

March 11, 20261 hr 21 min

“Dreams Don’t Have a Price”: The Philosophy Behind Lake Como’s Most Iconic Hotels with Valentina De Santis

Part I: The Business of Six Figure Travel How does one quantify the thesis that affluent consumers are prioritizing experiences over possessions? Luxury travel advisory SmartFlyer reports a 75% year over year increase in trips exceeding $500,000, alongside a 41% rise in bookings between $100,000 and $499,000. In this mini segment, SmartFlyer COO Erina Pindar shares what is fueling this growth, from multi-generational safaris in Botswana to Antarctica by private jet and yacht-hopping across the Mediterranean. She explains why modern luxury is defined by privacy, access, and highly personalized execution. At this level, it’s not just about the hotel. It’s about designing a journey that feels entirely your own. This episode is made possible by SmartFlyer . Follow @smartflyer on Instagram or visit smartflyer.com to learn more. Part II: Dreams Don’t Have a Price”: The Philosophy Behind Lake Como’s Most Iconic Hotels Valentina De Santis is a third-generation hotelier and the owner of two of Lake Como’s most celebrated properties: the iconic Grand Hotel Tremezzo and the intimate 24-room villa hotel, Passalacqua — which debuted at #1 on The World’s 50 Best Hotels list in 2022. Her family has shaped Lake Como hospitality for over half a century. In the 1970s, her grandfather acquired the historic Grand Hotel Tremezzo — originally built in 1910 to serve Europe’s aristocracy — and restored it to its former grandeur. What began as a bold entrepreneurial leap became a generational legacy rooted in independence, long-term stewardship, and an uncompromising belief in beauty. Born and raised on the shores of Lake Como — quite literally in the back corridors of the Grand Hotel Tremezzo — Valentina grew up immersed in the rhythms of hospitality. Today, she serves as both custodian and visionary for her family’s portfolio, expanding it thoughtfully while preserving its soul. Alongside her parents, she led the acquisition and transformation of Passalacqua, an 18th-century villa that had been a private home for over 200 years before reopening as one of the most celebrated boutique hotels in the world. In an era dominated by global hotel groups and private equity, Valentina remains fiercely committed to family ownership, financial independence, and building for continuity — not exit. Her philosophy blends instinct with discipline, emotional intelligence with operational rigor, and above all, a deeply Italian belief in villeggiatura : the art of slow, meaningful travel. This interview was filmed at Casabianca in Lake Como, the De Santis family's art gallery showcasing their personal collection of modern and contemporary art. Interview Highlights Growing up inside the Grand Hotel Tremezzo and witnessing Lake Como’s evolution The four-week auction battle that led to acquiring Passalacqua Restoring an eighteenth-century villa under Italy’s preservation laws Winning number one in the world and choosing to change nothing The philosophy of villeggiatura and creating hotels that slow guests down The subtle operational details that quietly define true luxury Designing for conviction instead of guest expectations Why financial independence is non-negotiable Defining success through continuity rather than exit If you enjoyed this episode, you’ll also enjoy reading The Stanza’s Friday weekly newsletter. Subscribe at www.thestanzamedia.com Connect with Valentina on Instagram Follow Passalacqua and Grand Hotel Tremezzo

October 22, 202549 min

Ian Schrager

Today’s guest is Ian Schrager, the legendary hotelier, entrepreneur, and cultural pioneer who reshaped nightlife and hospitality as we know it. Ian first made his mark in the 1970s as the co-founder of Studio 54, the iconic New York nightclub that became a symbol of glamour, freedom, and cultural revolution. Alongside his partner Steve Rubell, Ian created an experience that transcended nightlife, merging design, celebrity, and theatricality into something entirely new. After Studio 54, Ian continued to reinvent hospitality. In the 1980s, he launched the Morgans Hotel Group, introducing the world’s first “boutique hotel” : a concept that blended art, design, and service in a way that changed the industry forever. At a time when hotels were seen purely as places to sleep, Ian reimagined them as vibrant social hubs, activating lobbies, bars, and restaurants as dynamic public spaces that reflected and contributed to the cultural life of a city. With properties like Morgans, the Royalton, and the Delano, he transformed the hotel from a travel necessity into a cornerstone of the modern urban landscape: a place where design, community, and experience converged. In more recent years, Ian has continued to redefine hospitality with two visionary brands. EDITION Hotels , created in partnership with Marriott International, brings his boutique sensibility to a global stage. With around 22 properties worldwide, from New York and Miami Beach to London, Barcelona, Tokyo, and Dubai, each EDITION is designed as a one-of-a-kind reflection of its city, combining understated luxury, cutting-edge design, and activated social spaces that feel both intimate and electric. By contrast, PUBLIC represents Ian’s evolution of the idea: “luxury for all.” Its flagship on New York’s Lower East Side, designed by Herzog & de Meuron, reimagines the hotel experience through high style, technology, and inclusivity, featuring self check-in, vibrant communal areas, and nightlife-driven energy at a democratic price point. With plans to expand to West Hollywood and beyond, PUBLIC distills Schrager’s decades of innovation into an accessible, modern model for the next generation of travelers. Across every chapter of his career, Ian Schrager has consistently challenged convention, blurring the lines between hospitality, art, and lifestyle, and influencing generations of hoteliers, designers, and creatives along the way. In this episode, Ian reflects on his incredible journey, from Studio 54 to the present, and shares the insights, risks, and instincts that have defined his enduring legacy. A heartfelt thank you to Peoplevine for sponsoring The Stanza podcast this year (and for supporting The Stanza since the beginning). If you run a members club or a hotel that needs a CRM for top performance, Peoplevine is trusted by the best brands in the members club business. Book a free demo to see why at ⁠peoplevine.com.⁠ Interview Highlights: How Ian Schrager brought the lessons of Studio 54 into hospitality Turning hotel lobbies into social and cultural spaces The $60,000 deal that led to his first hotel, Morgans What “boutique hotel” really meant in its original form Ian’s perspective on copycats How creativity and independence can survive inside big hotel brands Redefining luxury as an experience, not a price point Ian’s advice for young hoteliers Follow Ian on ⁠ Instagram⁠ Follow Public Hotels and Edition Hotels Follow The Stanza on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠

September 17, 202547 min

Dr. Jonathan Leary

Dr. Jonathan Leary is the founder of Remedy Place, the social wellness club reimagining how we gather, recover, and connect. Trained in medicine and drawn to a more human, preventative approach, Jonathan spent years building a concierge sports-medicine practice while refining a 150-page business plan for a new kind of health club - one that could make self-care social and compelling. He opened the first Remedy Place in Los Angeles and has since expanded to New York and Boston, with a growing movement around contrast therapy, IV lounges, and community-driven rituals that help people feel better together. In this conversation, Jonathan shares his founder story: from the pivot that gave him five years of real-world data, to why he personally guaranteed his first lease. We unpack the idea of “social self-care” and why drink dates blunt connection, the business model behind Remedy Place, and what he’s learned scaling from two to four clubs in just months.Thank you to Peoplevine for sponsoring the 2025 season of The Stanza. Peoplevine is the trusted CRM software for the best brands in hospitality. Book a free demo to see why at peoplevine.com . Interview Highlights: Being early to a global trend How rejection led to building a data-backed business Defining “social wellness” Health as a tool for success in other aspects of your life Why Remedy Place didn’t include a gym Jonathan’s views on copycats The role of brand design, accessibility, and perceived exclusivity Convincing skeptical investors Personally guaranteeing his first lease and Jonathan’s attitude towards risk What stabilization looks like for new wellness clubs Being comfortable being misunderstood Jonathan’s advice for wellness entrepreneurs Follow Jonathan on ⁠ Instagram⁠ Follow Remedy Place on Instagram and learn more here Follow The Stanza on ⁠Instagram⁠ Subscribe to The Stanza on ⁠Substack