1012: How Luxury Hotels Remove Friction From the Guest Experience
No Vacancy Live and No Vacancy News
Release Date: 02/10/2026
Hotel Safety Tech: Reporting Suspicious Activity Without Friction
No Vacancy Live and No Vacancy News
Hotels train teams to spot human trafficking and other suspicious activity. Training alone doesn’t solve the handoff problem. #NoVacancyNews I talk with Georgine Muntz (CEO) and Patty Jefferson (Chief Revenue Officer) at Visual Matrix about building reporting into the workflow so staff can act fast without leaving their job to go hunt down a manager. 🧠 Georgine says customers asked for better tracking and reporting of suspicious activity on property, including human trafficking 🧾 She points out the gap: training ends with “report it to your manager,” but real life turns that into a...
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AI at Check-In: What Hotels Can Actually Do
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I’m recording this from a hotel room because that’s where I live now. I keep hearing “AI” in every hotel conversation, so I pulled in Kevin Duncan, Executive Vice President, Product at Cendyn to talk about what actually works—especially at the front desk. 🤖 Kevin explains how Cendyn connects guest data across CRM, CRS, and other systems so teams work from one guest profile instead of disconnected records 🧠 He talks about using AI to add predictability: what the guest will do next and how the hotel can respond 🛎️ He breaks down front-desk modules that sit on top of...
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1014: Wahlburgers CEO on What They Fixed to Grow
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Wahlburgers cleans up the messy parts of growth so quality stays non-negotiable. I’m in Las Vegas with Randy Sharpe, CEO, President, and board member of Wahlburgers. He breaks down what he changed, what he cut, and how he plans growth without letting the brand drift. 🍔 Randy talks about meeting Mark Wahlberg through a luncheon tied to a tequila investment—and how that turned into the CEO role 🧑🍳 He ties the brand back to Chef Paul Wahlberg, Alma Nove, and the burger-first obsession behind the concept (15-year anniversary later this year) ✅ He explains the reset: new ops...
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How CoralTree Affinity Teams Create Wins
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This week I attended ’s Leadership Forum at and spent time with , Chief Commercial Officer, about what this event should accomplish once people go back to their hotels on . Andre explains why CoralTree brings its leaders together, how the company onboarded more than 100 new leaders this year, and how Affinity Teams share real-world ideas across properties. We also talk about why CoralTree puts owners and operators in the same room and what that changes at the property level. We cover: 👥: Why CoralTree uses the forum to align a fast-growing leadership team 🧪: How Affinity Teams work...
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What CoralTree Expects Leaders to Do After the Forum
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At ’s Annual Leadership Forum, I talked with , President of CoralTree Hospitality, for about what the company expects leaders to do once everyone leaves and goes back to their properties. We get into why they bring people together in the first place, how they use Affinity Clubs to keep projects moving, and how they track progress without turning it into theater. We also talk about how they set direction early in the year and where AI, the , and talent development fit into day-to-day operations. We cover: 🗂️: What leaders are expected to take back to their teams 🔁: How projects...
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Friday Night Audit 201: Karma Bites Back
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Friday Night Audit: the minisode where karma finally collects… with teeth. #NoVacancyNews and Dr. Producer join me for happy hour storytelling starting with “four time zones in one day” and ends with me getting bitten by something, I never even saw. After 200+ episodes of me slinging insults, I consider this a performance review from the universe. 🕒 I tell the story of bouncing through four time zones in one day and losing track of reality ✈️ I recap the $100-ish Vegas room directly under the takeoff path (my ceiling tiles know aviation) 📶 I admit I tried...
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1013: How Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Rebuilt a 30-Year-Old Resort
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A $70M reinvestment only matters if guests feel it. I’m in Puerto Rico at the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar with Andro Nodarse-Leon, CEO of property owner Lion Grove, for #NoVacancyNews. Andro walks through how the team rethought this 30-year-old resort around how people actually spend time on property—what they do, where they go, and why they stay. Andro explains how the rainforest, beach, and golf course influence design and programming, and how the rebuild touches sustainability, wellness, and operations—not as buzzwords, but as decisions that change guest flow. We also talk F&B strategy:...
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1012: How Luxury Hotels Remove Friction From the Guest Experience
No Vacancy Live and No Vacancy News
Luxury doesn’t mean more steps. It means fewer problems before guests even notice them. Suzanne “Dr. Producer” Bagnera, PhD, and I spoke with Mourad Essafi, General Manager of Impression Isla Mujeres (a Hyatt all-inclusive), on #NoVacancyNews about what ultra-luxury actually looks like when you stop adding layers and start removing friction. Mourad talks about how his background in sales and operations shapes the way he runs the resort, why the arrival experience starts before guests ever reach the island, and how small operational decisions change how people actually feel about a stay....
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How Hotels Can Stop Leaving F&B Money on the Table
No Vacancy Live and No Vacancy News
Most hotels want F&B to drive more revenue. A lot of them still make it harder than it needs to be for guests to actually order. Narda Malakzad and Andrea Laderman, co-founders of Goldi, joined me on #NoVacancyNews to talk about something most hotels underestimate: how dietary needs, allergies, and food preferences quietly kill both guest experience and check size. We talk about what actually happens when guests don’t know what they can eat, why people avoid asking questions, and how that friction shows up in lower spend and fewer repeat visits. We also get into how a simple,...
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1011: The Decision That Led to a Hotel Management Merger
No Vacancy Live and No Vacancy News
This episode of #NoVacancyNews looks at how a hotel management merger came together — the conversations, timing, and decisions that led up to it. I spoke with Len Wolman, Chairman & CEO of Waterford Hotel Group, and Bob Habeeb, Founder & CEO of Maverick Hotels and Restaurants, about how their relationship developed, how long the process took, and what needed to line up before they moved forward. They explain what they focused on early, why they chose not to rush, and how owner needs and operational realities shaped their decision. They walk through the steps as they happened, without...
info_outlineLuxury doesn’t mean more steps. It means fewer problems before guests even notice them.
Suzanne “Dr. Producer” Bagnera, PhD, and I spoke with Mourad Essafi, General Manager of Impression Isla Mujeres (a Hyatt all-inclusive), on #NoVacancyNews about what ultra-luxury actually looks like when you stop adding layers and start removing friction.
Mourad talks about how his background in sales and operations shapes the way he runs the resort, why the arrival experience starts before guests ever reach the island, and how small operational decisions change how people actually feel about a stay. We also get into what “endless privileges” really means in practice, why convenience often beats opulence, and how guest feedback turns into real changes on property.
We cover:
🚤: Why check-in now starts before guests board the catamaran
☕: How one simple coffee change improved guest flow
🛎️: Why luxury often means saving time, not adding steps
🍽️: How experiential dining and hands-on moments build loyalty
🌱: How sustainability and local partnerships shape the guest experience
👥: Why GMs with sales backgrounds see operations differently
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