TRAVEL redefined: Recent Episodes
Sarah Dandashy
Without question, how and why we travel has changed. Travelers are craving authentic experiences, excited about innovative technologies, and have a deeper awareness of environmental impacts – this really is a new era of travel and hospitality. Host Sarah Dandashy explores the businesses that are changing the way we travel, from hotels, airlines, technologies, and more. This is TRAVEL redefined.
It's no secret that the hospitality industry is going through a major staffing crisis.
In today's episode I'm joined by Josh Rubinstein, Founder and Managing Director of JPR Human Capital, a recruiting firm working to fill open hospitality jobs with the right people. James began his hospitality career in boutique hotel and stand-alone restaurant operations and managed various Michelin-starred and James Beard award-winning restaurants, giving him a unique perspective on executive search. He pivoted his career and became a recruiter, working at Korn Ferry as a Managing Consultant, Executive Search for Travel, Hospitality & Leisure. In 2021 Josh joined the Passionality Group and in 2022, was appointed Partner, Head of Strategic Growth Partnerships. Simultaneously, Josh founded JPR Human Capital, an innately different search firm focusing on the relationship first.
During this episode, Josh and I have an incredible conversation about how he is working to recruit and retain top talent for the travel and hospitality industry. He shares how important relationship building has been throughout his career and building his company, what he looks at when placing a candidate, how important finding the right talent is in hospitality, how travel is being redefined, and more.
Connect with Sarah: Follow Sarah Dandashy on Instagram Check out Sarah's #1 Amazon Best Selling book - Hospitality From Within Connect on LinkedIn Website
Connect with Josh LinkedIn Website
What are your holiday travel plans? In this solo episode, I am talking about what to expect when traveling during this holiday season. Whether you are flying or driving to your destination, it is important to understand the current trends and data around travel so you have an idea of what to expect. Plus, in honor of this episode being released the week of Thanksgiving, I want to say a big thank you to each and every one of you that tunes in every week!
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How can hotels use content creation as a way to build their brand and improve their guest experience?
To answer this question, I'm joined by Calvin Tilokee, CEO and Creative Director of Revpar Media. Revpar Media focuses on helping hospitality businesses take a strategic approach to their social media, create authentic engagement, and build an audience that will convert to guests. Calvin's expertise comes from his personal success building large followings across memes, travel and self-development brands.
During this episode, Calvin and I talk all things content creation for the hospitality industry. He shares what led him to create Revpar Media, how he works with hotel properties, the biggest mistakes hotels make when it comes to content creation, creating a content strategy, determining ROI for social media, how social media has impacted the hotel industry, how travel is being redefined, and so much more.
Connect with Sarah: Follow Sarah Dandashy on Instagram Check out Sarah's #1 Amazon Best Selling book - Hospitality From Within Connect on LinkedIn Website
Connect with Calvin LinkedIn Meme Account Instagram Revpar Media Website
How do you stay energized while traveling?
Whether it's multiple coffee stops throughout the day or a quick stop at the convenient store for an energy drink, there are so many drinkable energy-boosting options. Until now... meet your new travel partner Punch'd! Punch'd Energy is the first caffeine gummy on the market. The CEO and Founder of Punch'd, John Pinelli, joins me today to talk all about how consuming clean, chewable energy can elevate your travels.
During this episode, John and I talk about how energy impacts the travel experience. He shares what Punch'd products are, why it is healthier and cleaner than other caffeine products in the market, how Punch'd can help maintain energy no matter how busy you are while traveling, why clean caffeine options are important to have for travelers in airports and hotels, and more.
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Connect with John LinkedIn Punch'd Website - Use Code SARAH15 for 15% off!
What should independent hotels be focusing on? The Independent Lodging Congress was an incredible experience that left me with a new perspective on how to be successful today as an independent hotel.
In this solo episode, I am recapping the big takeaways I learned while at the Independent Lodging Congress. I talk about the importance of immersive experiences, strategic design, how to be a social hub as a hotel, the value of having a sense of purpose for hospitality employees, what I learned from Bill Walsh's talk, and more.
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Check Out The Independent Lodging Congress Website
As a traveler, do you seek out boutique hotels when planning your lodging?
The rise in popularity of boutique hotels is one that continues to grow, not only in the number of travelers who prefer them but also the number of incredible properties travelers can choose from. Today, I am joined by Silvia da Blas of Único Hotels. Único Hotels is a luxury lifestyle hotel collection with 5 properties in Spain, each offering their own unique experience for travelers.
During this episode, Silvia and I have an amazing conversation about Único Hotels and the ways that boutique hotels can stand out. She talks about the Único Hotels property portfolio, what makes each property unique, what travelers can expect when they stay at one of the properties, how they are dedicated to creating unique experiences for guests, why boutique hotels are so popular, ways that the properties have pivoted to appeal to travel trends, and so much more.
Connect with Sarah: Follow Sarah Dandashy on Instagram Check out Sarah's #1 Amazon Best Selling book - Hospitality From Within Connect on LinkedIn Website
Connect with Silvia LinkedIn
What are the generational differences when it comes to travel?
The travel industry has evolved drastically each decade and the travelers experience has changed along with it. Each generation has a wildly different set of expectations and habits when it comes to traveling. To give you a taste of the generational contrast with travel, my mother, a Baby Boomer, joins me, a Millennial, on this episode of Travel Redefined.
During this episode, my mother and I chat about changes in travel that she has seen throughout her life, her travel habits and routines today, what five star service means to her, how luxury service has changed over the years, and more.
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Connect with Kay LinkedIn
What trends in traveling are you predicting for the fall? During this solo episode, I am talking about the fall trends in travel and hospitality. You will hear my recap of the 2022 Lodging Conference, changes I hope to see in the industry, and a story from my career that I hope inspires employers to be supportive of their employees goals. Connect with Sarah: Follow Sarah Dandashy on Instagram Check out Sarah's #1 Amazon Best Selling book - Hospitality From Within Connect on LinkedIn Website
Are you invested in real estate?
The platform Here is a revolutionary online marketplace that lets anyone anywhere invest in vacation rentals online and begin earning passive income. The Founder and CEO of Here, Corey Ashton Walters, is a seasoned entrepreneur, brand builder, and college dropout who has founded multiple successful companies over the last 15 years. Through Here, users are able to begin investing in the highest-yielding asset class in real estate with just $100!
During this episode, Corey talks about how he came up with the concept for Here, what he looks for when adding a property to Here, who the ideal user is for Here, what he envisions as the future for travel, how travel is being redefined, what five star service means to him, and more.
Connect with Sarah: Follow Sarah Dandashy on Instagram Check out Sarah's #1 Amazon Best Selling book - Hospitality From Within Connect on LinkedIn Website
Connect with Corey Website LinkedIn Instagram Facebook Twitter
Do you work in hospitality?
Meet the one stop shop for all of your business needs: RDB Hospitality. They help companies within the industry recruit and train their employees, provide strategic advisement, asset management, and help out with travel management and concierge. Rob DelliBovi, the Owner & CEO of RDB Hospitality, joins me in this episode to talk all about RDB's insights into the industry.
During this episode, Rob talks about his company RDB Hospitality, the current state of recruiting in hospitality, what solutions can help companies attract and retain employees, hotel trends from recent years, how the traveler mindset has shifted, what 5 star service means to him, what’s next for RDB, and more!
Connect with Sarah: Follow Sarah Dandashy on Instagram Check out Sarah's #1 Amazon Best Selling book - Hospitality From Within Connect on LinkedIn Website
Connect with Rob DelliBovi LinkedIn
What do you envision for the future of travel?
Aspects of the hospitality and travel industry are beginning to incorporate the Metaverse, NFTs, crypto, Web3, and have already seen big changes come to fruition. Meet Brian Esposito, the man behind the fastest growing organic NFT Project known as BAPES / BAPESCLAN, which took the NFT market and industry by storm in creating the first METAFUND. His perspective as a traveler and a trailblazer in the NFT space provides a unique look at what's on the horizon for the hospitality and travel industry.
Throughout this conversation, Brian talks with me about how crypto, NFTs, and the Metaverse fit into hospitality, how he sees the space evolving as we move forward, current projects he is working on, how travel is being redefined, and more!
Connect with Sarah: Follow Sarah Dandashy on Instagram Check out Sarah's #1 Amazon Best Selling book - Hospitality From Within Connect on LinkedIn Website
Connect with Brian Esposito LinkedIn Instagram Twitter
Have you always wondered what it means to be a travel influencer?
When you Google "travel influencer", Francesca Murray's photo is the first one that you will see. Since launching her platform One Girl One World back in 2014, Francesca has become a pioneer of the Black travel movement and built a massively engaged following. Her content across all social media platforms includes stunning photos and videos from around the world along with her detailed blog posts to help women with the resources fulfill their travel dreams.
In this episode, Francesca shares how she came up with the concept for One Girl One World, how she works with brands, how influencers have changed travel, what shifts she has seen in hospitality marketing, her passion for diversity in travel, how unique experiences are redefining travel, and more.
Connect with Sarah: Follow Sarah Dandashy on Instagram Check out Sarah's #1 Amazon Best Selling book - Hospitality From Within Connect on LinkedIn Website
Connect with Francesca Murray LinkedIn Instagram Website
Do you feel drawn towards hospitality?
Many of us that have found ourselves in the hospitality, travel, and tourism industries did not anticipate this would be our career, but there was something deep inside of us that pulled us to it. Scott Eddy's story is no different. After 10 years in investment banking, Scott Eddy moved overseas and lived in Europe and Asia for 17 years where he started the first digital agency in Southeast Asia. Since selling the agency, Scott has built his personal brand and now travels full-time while consulting and building brand strategies for those in the world of tourism and hospitality.
In this episode, Scott talks about how he works with travel and hotel brands, shifts he has seen in hospitality marketing, changes he has seen in the industry as a traveler, how he sees travel being redefined, advice for travelers, and so much more.
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Connect with Scott Eddy LinkedIn
How can hospitality brands improve their social impact?
With hospitality based on treating people well, ALL people - no matter where they come from or what they look like - need to be treated better to continue evolving the inclusivity of the industry. The brands that are focusing on social impact will be the ones who retain the hard-working and exceptionally kind employees that make this industry so incredible.
In this episode, Sarah is joined by Jennifer Collins, Executive Vice President at EOS Hospitality. Jennifer talks about how she found her way into hospitality, why she left the industry and re-entered, why she is so passionate about social impact, improving the employee experience in hospitality, hospitality trends that EOS hospitality is focusing on, and so much more
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Connect with Jennifer Collins LinkedIn
How often do you find yourself wanting to give someone a tip, but don't have any cash on hand?
Meet the new fintech company shaking up the hospitality industry, eTip.io. Through eTip, cashless tipping, rating, and reviewing workers in the hospitality and service industries has never been easier. Not only does eTip providing a seamless, secure and instant digital payment solution for customers to show their generosity, but they also understand the correlation between financially empowered employees and employee retention.
In this episode, Sarah is joined by Robert Petteruti, the co-founder of eTip. Robert talks all about the market pain points eTip provides solutions for, the power of ratings and reviews, what he see from a birds eye view look into the hospitality industry, how travel is being redefined, and so much more.
Connect with Sarah: Follow Sarah Dandashy on Instagram Check out Sarah's #1 Amazon Best Selling book - Hospitality From Within Connect on LinkedIn Website
Connect with Robert Petteruti LinkedIn
Rajesh Radke believes he was born to be in hospitality, and when you hear his stories you will understand why. As Managing Director of the Daxton Hotel in Birmingham, Michigan, him and his team's focus on providing guests the best experience is apparent even in the smallest details. Throughout this episode, Rajesh shares stories of how he gives great service to everyone, why he treats everyone like a VIP, what the Daxton Hotel property is like, how to engage in the personality of the property location, what high tech and high touch in hospitality is, how travel has been redefined, and so much more.
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Connect with Rajesh Radke LinkedIn
Are you looking for a travel experience around the Mediterranean Sea that's not the typical European hot spots? Look no further then Malta, a small island with rich culture, fascinating history, and incredible food. Not only that, but Malta is easily accessible for travelers with English as one of their two official languages and locals who love to share the wonders of their culture with newcomers.
Meet Michelle Buttigieg, who was born and raised in Malta and now serves as the North American Representative for the Malta Tourism Authority. In this episode, Michelle talks with Sarah about how she got the opportunity to serve as a representative for her home country of Malta, what’s so special about the small but mighty island in the Mediterranean, what some of the immersive experiences on the island are, travel trends that Malta is focusing on, her advice for travelers, and so much more.
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Connect with Michelle Buttigieg Visit Malta Website Visit Malta Instagram Visit Malta Facebook Visit Malta Twitter
Delaware isn't commonly thought of as a vacation destination to those living outside of the East Coast but it truly is a hidden gem for travelers. Not only are the beaches beautiful but there are some incredible hotels along the coast, three of which are managed by Benjamin Gray - The Bellmoor Inn and Spa, Bethany Beach Ocean Suites & Hotel Bethany Beach. In this episode, Sarah talks with Benjamin about how he went from a law school student to a Hotel General Manager within 8 months, what it is like managing three unique properties, how he is helping guests travel during this time of high gas prices, his view on why it is hard to recruit hospitality talent right now, what’s next for his properties, and so much more.
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Connect with Benjamin Gray Connect on LinkedIn
Are you looking to book a trip to Mexico in the near future? Look no further than Mundo Imperial, an exquisite hotel that has hosted the Mexican Tennis Open, designed a unique guest experience, and even completed the Queer Destinations certification to further it's mission promoting travel inclusivity. In this episode, Sarah sits down with Seyed Rezvani, the Managing Director of Mundo Imperial Entertainment & Hospitality to talk all about their impressive portfolio, recent hospitality trends that the company is adopting, what it is like hosting the Mexican Tennis Open, what 5 star service means to him, and so much more.
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Connect with Seyed Rezvani Mundo Imperial Entertainment & Hospitality
Do you value a unique hotel experience when you travel? From creative interior designs to incredible locations, more and more travelers are seeking out independent hotels when booking their next stay. Curator Hotels & Resorts Collection is on a mission to help independent hotel continue to scale without losing their independence by providing their hand-selected portfolio of hotels with the tools to run their operations smoothly and continue to focus on their unique guest experience. In this episode of Travel Redefined, Sarah is joined by Jennifer Barnwell, the President of Curator Hotels & Resorts. Jennifer talks to Sarah about how she got into the hospitality industry, what she looks for when deciding to add a hotel to the portfolio, how Curator helps independent hotels compete, what she predicts for the future of independent hotels, and so much more.
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Connect with Jennifer Barnwell: Connect on LinkedIn Curator Hotel & Resorts Website
Welcome to Travel Redefined, hosted by travel and hospitality expert, Sarah Dandashy! Sarah is the #1 Amazon Best Selling Author of Hospitality From Within, TV personality, public speaker, and social media's go-to travel guide with 225k+ followers. In this first episode, Sarah is joined by Wil Slickers, CEO and founder of Hospitality.FM. You will hear their thoughts on how the travel landscape is changing, why this summer is the season of delayed and canceled flights, and what you can expect from future episodes.
Connect with Sarah: Follow Sarah Dandashy on Instagram Check out Sarah's #1 Amazon Best Selling book - Hospitality From Within Connect on LinkedIn Website
Connect with Wil: Connect on LinkedIn Hospitality.FM Website Slick Talk Podcast