How do you define hospitality? Dan Ryan has been working in the hospitality industry for nearly 30 years, and he‘s just as fascinated by it as he was on day one. Join him in this weekly podcast as he invites industry thought leaders to discuss what hospitality means to them - in the built environment, in business, and in our daily lives.
“It’s those people that have a fear of the future that get held back. Sometimes you just have to jump off the bridge and leap into those entrepreneurial waters.”
"Hospitality is the almost sacred act of seeing another human being and saying, without words, that you authentically belong here."
Day One at NYU IHIF 2026, where America’s largest service export met the lowest consumer sentiment in 75 years.
"Networking always had this underlying idea of sales, we flipped it. For us, it's really relationship building."
"People come to your joint once for the design, but they come back for the service and how you made them feel."
“We're not here to make money right now. We're here to plant our flags and build brand awareness."
"Hospitality is a promise. It's a promise that's made and kept a thousand times in small moments."
"Sometimes you need more structure to be more creative. And I think some of the most beautiful and inspiring solutions come out of restriction."
Two conferences, two very different rooms, one conversation. Everyone is talking about AI. The best ones aren't scared of it.
Harvard, Tishman Speyer, and a hotel called Atlas walk into a seven-acre plot in Allston. What they're building would make Kevin Costner and James Earl Jones quite happy
"Today's suppliers need to understand that they're no longer just selling a product. They're selling a product with a story."
Host Hotel and Resort's strategy and how the numbers are proving them right, and how everyone else can learn from them
Two years ago, the story at Host was about the balance sheet. This year in Austin, it was about the people behind it.
An NEWH New York panel in NYC last night reminded me that hospitality is a show, and the guest and the project is always the audience.
"It's not how fast can we increase the value of this hotel and flip it. It's how can this hotel contribute to the community."
"Design is a relationship between different things. Why do certain combinations of things provide us with more satisfaction? Certain combinations in certain settings are… highly successful."
What happened in Q1, what resonated, and where this is all headed.
The NEWH Leadership Conference's Myth Busting panel asked the right questions. But the biggest schedule play in hospitality was never mentioned.
"It's exciting for me and for the team here, for them to come into our space… We're not screaming this is Korean to them, but they're loving the design of this restaurant and the hotel."
The NEWH Leadership Conference in DC wasn't about shiny new things. It was about something harder, and more important: INTENTIONALITY.
"I truly believe that there are moments I can really tap into unconscious feelings within somebody. And if I can do that… you're gonna walk away from that experience and say that was a great night."
7episodes from 243 that I keep coming back to
“I don't care how talented you are or how much money you have in your pocket, you cannot be good at everything. Step into what you're good at, find that strength, and live that strength.”
“You want 'em to start with you and stay with you until they no longer travel.”
“Being able to ascertain… is that going to compromise the essence of the brand? You have to get to that point and you may have to say no to some really powerful ownership groups.”
“Put yourself out there to say yes, to try new things… the biggest thing is to keep educating yourself.”
“I find architecture and design to be one big puzzle. That’s what I love most about it.”
“A storyteller is all about weaving with the imagination. If you can convert that to commerce, then the shareholders are all the happier.”
A few touchpoints from the week that shaped how I’m thinking about hospitality.
This was one of those panels that quietly preached what I love most: front-load intelligence and shorten the journey of a project.
“There isn’t a formula on how to teach this… if it becomes formulaic, it can’t produce the same aha effect.”
Why Food & Beverage (F&B) Can Be Accretive to Hospitality Projects (and why the Gatekeepers Keep Missing It) - actually I’m not sure why they keep missing it, they need to pay attention!!
Some notes from ALIS 2026
“To lead by influence is listening, staying curious and asking good questions.”
“Part of the perspective of exploration is also seeing something that you've seen often through a new set of eyes."
“Do you want to sit in the status quo and hope that you just survive and thrive? Or do you want to lean into what's next in this next phase of guest experience?"
“If you don’t take advice and get the right people next to you, you can lose your money as easily as you make it.”
“Hospitality is that simple. It's about putting yourself second and putting others first.”
“ Not to say we won't move heaven and earth and create legendary, world-class, luxurious, five-star experiences for our guests, but we openly declare that the employee comes first.”
What I’m seeing, what stood out, and what might be coming next
“Hospitality is really an expression of honor. It's how you honor yourself, your team, your guests, and your ancestors.”
“I am going to be stubborn about my vision, but I'm going to be flexible about the way I'm going to get to it.”
“Hospitality isn’t just something we do. Ultimately, it’s who we are. I think it rewards empathy, resilience, and creativity."
"Learning more from other clients helps us solve problems for our existing clients in ways we hadn’t thought about before. It’s about a diversity of knowledge in a niche market."
“There’s nothing more intimate and human than someone coming into your home, creating a meal, and then sharing that meal.”
Thoughts on missing Aliya’s Platinum Circle Award
“Genuine hospitality is the saving grace in the midst of things going wrong.”
“Sometimes things don't work out exactly the way you want and it can turn into something beautiful"
“Hospitality is the kind of unwavering and selfless pursuit of an extraordinary experience for a guest”
From The Odyssey by Homer (trans. Richmond Lattimore)
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