Top Floor

Hosted by Susan Barry

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100

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Aug 2026

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About the show

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 submitted on the Emergency Call Button and share the funniest, craziest, just-plain-weirdest stories down at the Loading Dock. Need to press the Emergency Call Button? Or have a story to share at the Loading Dock? Reach us at 850.404.9630 to be featured in a future episode.

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September 8, 2026Episode 26036 min

260 | Kimchi Bathtub Party

Annie Holcombe has spent her career refusing to pick a side in the hotel versus vacation rental debate, working her way through property management, Expedia during the HomeAway and Vrbo years, channel management, and business development for Marriott Homes and Villas. She is now founder of Annie & Co, coaching independent vacation rental operators on distribution and growth, while also serving as a brand ambassador and US market consultant for Booking.com, sitting on the VRMA board, and co-hosting the podcast Alex and Annie: The Real Women of Vacation Rentals. Susan and Annie talk about convergence, consistency, and commissions. What You'll Learn - Why the early job Annie's most grateful for wasn't the one you'd guess - What it took to finally convince Annie to bet on her own business instead of someone else's - What happened to the company Annie and her husband ran together before this one - How Annie decides what gets her time between consulting, board seats, a podcast, and her own company - Why hotels and vacation rentals used to feel like separate worlds, and what's pulling them together now - What a converted roadside motel reveals about where hospitality is headed - How the OTA relationship changes depending on which side of the lodging industry you're standing on - Why rate parity gets complicated the moment you're not a thousand-room hotel chain - Why the vacation rental industry can't seem to agree on standards, and whether that could ever change - What conventional wisdom Annie wants new rental operators to ignore, and what she'd tell them instead - Where Annie predicts the hotel versus vacation rental rivalry actually lands Key takeaway: The hotel and vacation rental worlds are converging, whether the industry likes it or not, and the winners will be the ones who stop fighting over turf and start listening to what guests actually want. Our sponsor, Lodgify [https://www.lodgify.com/], has a special Labor Day promo from August 25th to September 8th. Using code TOPFLOOR60, our audience will get 60% off their Professional and Ultimate plans (one- or two-year plans). This is a huge deal, so jump on it quickly! Annie Holcombe on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/annie-holcombe-vrgal/ Annie & Co. https://anniecosolutions.com/ Join the Top Floor Mail Club https://www.topfloorpodcast.com/mail-club

September 1, 2026Episode 25940 min

259 | The Longevity Economy

This special episode of Top Floor comes from a webinar hosted by the Hospitality Creator Summit. Scott Frisch, COO and EVP at AARP, was scheduled to join the Summit in person, but travel issues had other plans. Instead, HCS co-founders Anna Blue and Anthony Melchiorri brought the conversation online, with Susan emceeing a fireside chat about one of hospitality's biggest opportunities: the longevity economy. Scott has spent two decades at AARP with a front-row seat to the economic muscle of Americans 50 and older. With AARP's latest research putting their annual travel and leisure spending at a staggering $1.4 trillion, Anna, Anthony, and the HCS community dig into the billions, blind spots, and hot buttons that make a difference to this group of travelers. What You'll Learn - What $1.4 trillion in annual travel spending actually buys - When America crosses a demographic line it has never crossed before - Why hospitality keeps designing for 25-year-olds while the real money skews gray - How steamers and irons became a generational battleground - How a $12.5 trillion economy still cannot find the light switch - How loyalty programs quietly stopped mattering as much as everyone assumes - Why anticipation beats algorithms when it comes to actually knowing your guest Key Takeaway: The longevity economy already rivals the world's biggest economies, and hospitality brands willing to rethink design, service, and marketing for it stand to win over the fastest-growing group of travelers in America. Our sponsor, Lodgify , has a special Labor Day promo from August 25th to September 8th. Using code TOPFLOOR60, our audience will get 60% off their Professional and Ultimate plans (one- or two-year plans). This is a huge deal, so jump on it quickly! Scott Frisch on LinkedIn Anthony Melchiorri on LinkedIn Anna Blue on LinkedIn AARP's Longevity Economy Outlook Report Hospitality Creator Summit Join the Top Floor Mail Club

August 25, 2026Episode 25840 min

258 | Ticker Tape Tickets

Dan Jacobs is a chef and restaurant owner in Milwaukee, where he co-owns Dan Dan and EsterEv, and a familiar face on shows like Top Chef and Beat Bobby Flay. He's spent decades in professional kitchens, from short-order cook to hotel sous chef to independent restaurant owner, and is an outspoken advocate for independent restaurants and for awareness of Kennedy's disease, the neuromuscular condition he lives with. Susan and Dan talk about concepts, costs, and Kennedy's disease. What You'll Learn - What hotel kitchens taught him about trading freedom for structure - Why he pushes every 25-year-old on staff to start a 401(k) now - What Kennedy's disease does to the body, and how it's reshaped his kitchen life - Why Dan Dan and EsterEv worked when so many concepts flop - How restaurant margins slid from 20-30% in the '90s to barely double digits today - How rent, labor, and food costs outpaced the price of a burger - How a busted HVAC system and a pandemic doomed one restaurant and saved another - What to grill your landlord about before signing a lease - How Dan spots a cook with real potential in about five seconds Key takeaway: Independent restaurants survive on gut instinct, thin margins, and giving people what they really want, and Dan Jacobs keeps building his that way even as Kennedy's disease changes how he works. Thank you to Lodgify for sponsoring Top Floor! Access 20% off with code TOPFLOOR20 here. [https://www.lodgify.com/] Dan Jacobs https://www.chefdanjacobs.com/ Join the Top Floor Mail Club https://www.topfloorpodcast.com/mail-club

August 18, 2026Episode 25738 min

257 | Pilot Pile-Up

Natalie Kelley spent years as a stay-at-home mom before trading carpool duty for a cockpit, earning her private pilot's license in her 40s and eventually flying corporate jets for a front-row education in high-end service. After a divorce sent her back out into the world with her kids in college, she launched Fly Girl to help solo travelers and empty nesters, especially women in their 50s and beyond, chase their travel bucket lists without draining their savings. Susan and Natalie talk about cockpits, credit cards, and confidence. What You'll Learn: - What a 1999 bucket list pulled out of a scrapbook had to do with her pilot's license - Why the climb from co-pilot to captain never actually stops - What made her turn down a full-time corporate pilot job she'd already been offered - What hotels and travel brands get dead wrong about solo, bucket-list travelers - Why she'd rather hire a private tour guide than "make friends" on vacation - Why chasing sign-up bonuses beats swiping for everyday points - How letting the points pick the destination landed her a trip to Germany and Switzerland - What "analysis paralysis" is costing travelers who think every trip needs ten days - How timing one big expense can unlock a six-figure points haul Key takeaway: You don't need to be young, rich, or fearless to chase your bucket list, just willing to start and be smart about your points. Thank you to Lodgify for sponsoring Top Floor! Access 20% off with code TOPFLOOR20 here. [https://www.lodgify.com/] Natalie Kelley on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/flygirlkelley/ Fly Girl https://flygirlllc.com Join the Top Floor Mail Club https://www.topfloorpodcast.com/mail-club

August 11, 2026Episode 25636 min

256 | Saturday Night Fever

Sam-Erik Ruttmann has spent decades in hospitality, working his way from a 24-hour shift hotel receptionist in a small Finnish town to regional leadership roles with Hyatt, Dusit International, and Langham Hospitality Group. These days, he channels that global perspective into hotel design, working with a Helsinki-based architecture studio built around a nature-first philosophy, and hosts "The Social Hotelier," a podcast that has reached listeners in over 100 countries. Susan and Sam talk about crossing continents, conscious design, and what's next for global hospitality. What You'll Learn: - How a 24-hour shift in small-town Finland became the ultimate crash course - What thirteen years in Thailand taught about guest loyalty and staff pride - How an elephant welfare crisis turned into an award-winning foundation - Why one blog post relaunched a stalled career back home in Finland - What "nature-first" design actually means when you refuse to clear the trees - Why most sustainability claims don't hold up to a closer look - How more women in leadership became hospitality's biggest bright spot - Why lighting is the detail most hotel rooms get wrong - What Sam predicts for the next big hotspot in global travel - How climate shifts are quietly redrawing the vacation map Key takeaway: The best hospitality isn't about bigger resorts or flashier design, it's about building a genuine connection to place. Sam-Erik Ruttmann on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-erik/ The Social Hotelier https://www.youtube.com/@thesocialhotelier Studio Puisto Architects http://www.studiopuisto.fi Join the Top Floor Mail Club https://www.topfloorpodcast.com/mail-club

August 4, 2026Episode 25539 min

255 | Napkin Full of Jello

Nina Kleaveland spent years in marketing, loyalty, and strategy roles at major hospitality and travel companies like Starwood, American Express, and Wyndham before striking out on her own. She's now the founder of Lanyard, a company solving one of the industry's quietest headaches: where seasonal and essential workers actually sleep. She's also the founder of Female Founders in Hospitality, building community for women doing exactly what she's done. Susan and Nina talk about pivots, partnerships, and picking the right problem to solve. What You'll Learn: - What turned a hostel concept for budget travelers into a lifeline for HR departments - How biology and French degrees led to a corporate housing empire - Why "do one thing well for one paying customer" became Nina's mantra - What three co-founders with three different skill sets taught Nina about who to bring into a business - How AI runs the back office at Lanyard without touching the human relationships that matter - Where corporate housing is headed next, from unfurnished houses to almost a boat Key takeaway: The hardest part of entrepreneurship is having the discipline to fix the right thing instead of chasing every shiny new idea. Nina Kleaveland on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/nina-kleaveland-19514214/ Lanyard https://lanyardstays.com/ Female Founders in Hospitality https://femalefoundersinhospitality.com/ Join the Top Floor Mail Club https://www.topfloorpodcast.com/mail-club

July 28, 2026Episode 25433 min

254 | Cat in the Frat

Mike Medsker is the founder of Siv, a hospitality technology company focused on helping hotels respond to group sales inquiries faster without sacrificing the human touch. After building and selling his first company, Focal, Mike returned to entrepreneurship to solve one of the biggest revenue leaks in hotel sales: slow or missing responses to meeting planners. Susan and Mike talk about response speed, sales strategy, and smarter systems. *** What You'll Learn • Why outbound prospecting still matters, even with a full pipeline • How to protect institutional knowledge when top performers leave • Why "build it and they will come" rarely works • What really happens after a planner submits an RFP • Why hotel leaders should secretly shop their own properties • Why planner hours aren't the same as seller hours • How Mike's own wedding venue search inspired Siv • How small outreach tweaks that can double or triple appointments • Why text messaging deserves a place in hotel sales • How technology makes today's cluster model different from yesterday's *** The Takeaway: Nearly a third of hotel group inquiries never receive a response, and fixing that may be the biggest revenue opportunity in hospitality. Mike Medsker on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/medskermike/ Siv https://www.sivconverts.com/ Join the Top Floor Mail Club https://www.topfloorpodcast.com/mail-club

July 21, 2026Episode 25337 min

253 | Twisting the Night Away

Josh Ellis is the co-founder of Abra, a hospitality technology platform that helps hotels create more personalized guest experiences by connecting fragmented guest data across operational systems. After an unconventional journey through philosophy, meditation, consulting, and hyper-growth tech, Josh teamed up with his wife and hotelier, Dana, to solve one of hospitality's biggest operational challenges. Susan and Josh talk about data, differentiation, and delight—and why the future of hospitality depends on getting all three right. *** • How to turn fragmented guest data into unforgettable guest experiences • Why personalization is really a data problem • How to build hotel software integrations without insider connections • Why hotels need to create institutional memory that survives staff turnover • How to connect existing hotel systems instead of ripping and replacing them • When new technology solves problems—and when it creates them • How to motivating frontline teams through gamification, not mandates • What are the lessons from scaling one of the fastest-growing tech companies during COVID • How to overcome the hospitality industry's lingering technology trauma • Why hoteliers should view operational technology as a revenue driver instead of a cost center *** The Takeaway: Personalization becomes possible when every team member has the right guest information at exactly the right moment. Josh Ellis on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-ellis1126/ Abra Hospitality https://abrahospitality.com/ Join the Top Floor Mail Club https://www.topfloorpodcast.com/mail-club

July 14, 2026Episode 25241 min

252 | Parking Lot Brawl

Nick Falcone is an entrepreneur, developer, and hospitality innovator who has built businesses across restaurants, real estate, technology, and branded hospitality. As co-founder of Rentyl Resorts, he is helping redefine vacation lodging by creating purpose-built branded residential resorts that combine the space of a vacation home with the service and consistency of a luxury hotel. Susan and Nick talk about branding and building. *** * How one unforgettable vacation rental disaster sparked an entirely new business * What branded residential resorts actually are—and why they're booming * Why travelers increasingly want togetherness without sacrificing hotel service * How hospitality brands create value beyond just distribution * What developers look for before investing in a new market * Why today's economics are accelerating the growth of residential resorts * How to diversify your business without chasing every shiny opportunity * Why operational clustering beats rapid geographic expansion * What AI will change, and why genuine human service will become even more valuable * Where hospitality development is still painfully inefficient *** The Takeaway: Creativity in hospitality comes from seeing gaps others accept as normal and turning them into unforgettable guest experiences. Nick Falcone on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-falcone-7b4713107/ Rentyl Resorts https://rentylresorts.com/ Join the Top Floor Mail Club https://www.topfloorpodcast.com/mail-club

July 7, 2026Episode 25140 min

251 | HITEC San Antonio Part 2

Just like last week, this special episode of Top Floor comes to you from the Loading Dock at HITEC in San Antonio. A huge thank you to HFTP for hosting us at the hospitality industry's premier technology conference and for creating the opportunity to capture these unforgettable moments. Aimee George, Aimee Inc. — The guest room mix-up that turned into every hotel manager's nightmare. Ryan Brough, Hapi — The celebrity rider that sent a hotelier sprinting to Macy's. Tracee Nalewak, URVenue — Why enforcing a Vegas day club dress code is nobody's favorite job. Sara Murray, Mermaid International — The hotel snake story everyone thought was an urban legend... until it wasn't. Dylan Mingard, HM Alpha — The eight-foot python that became an unforgettable houseguest. Tanya Pratt, Oracle Hospitality — The data migration that accidentally double-booked 50 hotels at 2 a.m. Martin Chevalley, Enspire — The flooded hotel that kept guests informed—and the surprise VIP spotted behind the scenes. *** Next year's HITEC [link to https://www.hitec.org/about-hitec/future-locations] will be held in Orlando June 28 - July 1. Hope to see you there!!! Connect with our storytellers: Aimee George, Aimee Inc. https://www.linkedin.com/in/aimeegeorge/ Ryan Brough, Hapi https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanmbrough/ Tracee Nalewak, UrVenue https://www.linkedin.com/in/traceenalewak/ Sara Murray, Murmaid International https://www.linkedin.com/in/saramurraysales/ Dylan Mingard, HM Alpha https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylan-mingard-9217492a/ Tanya Pratt, Oracle Hospitality https://www.linkedin.com/in/pratttanya/ Martin Chevalley, Innspire https://www.linkedin.com/company/innspire-ai/ Join the Top Floor Mail Club https://www.topfloorpodcast.com/mail-club