018: Linda Hayes, Renowned Innkeeping Consultant, Discusses Creative Investor/Innkeeper Start-Ups, Opening New Boutique/Upscale Properties, and Hiring GMs
Frictionless Innkeeper Podcast
Release Date: 09/18/2019
065: Designing Your Property to Maximize the Guest Experience with James Kuester of Küster Design
Frictionless Innkeeper Podcast
Often overlooked, having a professionally designed interior can make your property truly stand out, reflect your brand and maximize the guest experience. Starting out as a designer of home furnishings, James Kuester of Küster Design, transitioned his business to focus on interior design for the independent lodging sector. His firm’s focus is on interior branding in a way that enhances how guests interact with all aspects of a property. We are very thankful to James Kuester for sharing their insights with us. You can learn more about Küster Design at
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064: Elevate the Coffee Experience for Your Guests with Small Batch Roasting
Frictionless Innkeeper Podcast
When it comes to elevating the guest experience, serving high-quality coffee can really make a difference. When Ann Brownell and Jeff Raybourn purchased the Cozy Cup Coffee Company in 2023, they had a vision of expanding their small batch roasted coffee beyond the walls of their coffee shop and into the innkeeping arena. They now have a that allows any property to provide the highest quality coffee. We are very thankful to Ann and Jeff for sharing their insights with us. You can learn more about the Cozy Cup Coffee Company at . Our podcast is presented by the Frictionless Guest App,...
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063: Money and Water-Saving Shower Heads from an Aerospace Engineer Turned Solopreneur
Frictionless Innkeeper Podcast
A number of years ago, aerospace engineer Craig Steele’s frustration over a malfunctioning hotel shower head led him on a journey to design a better version of a device typically taken for granted. This quest led Craig to bootstrap Samson Shower Systems, which offers high pressure, water-saving shower heads that are made from quality, aerospace-grade materials and expected to outlast most products on the market. His offering can provide great value to lodging properties and his story should resonate with independent lodging professionals who will likely relate to his high level of...
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062: 2024 ALP Conference & Marketplace Preview
Frictionless Innkeeper Podcast
From hosting expanded educational events, enhancing partnerships, advancing regional efforts to increasing membership and launching a new website, it’s been a busy first year for Sarah Gazi in her role as the CEO of the Association of Lodging Professionals (ALP). The must-attend is also around the corner on March 2nd to 6th in Orlando, Florida. In addition to the main conference, this year’s event will offer educational opportunities for new property owners, as well as culinary training in an on-site professional kitchen. We are very thankful to Sarah and Erik for sharing their insights...
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061: Increasing Room Revenue Through Artificial Intelligence with Patty Sung and Chris McPherson of TakeUp
Frictionless Innkeeper Podcast
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has officially made its way into the hospitality industry with TakeUp, a recent start-up that offers a dynamic pricing platform which leverages the power of AI and machine learning to optimize room rates and increase revenue. Patty Sung, Founder and CEO at TakeUp; and Chris McPherson, Founder & CTO at TakeUp, tell us about their offering, explain how they leverage AI to help lodging professionals, and make an excellent case for why their approach is the way of the future. We are very thankful to Patty and Chris for sharing their insights with us. You can learn...
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060: Maximizing Bookings Through Google Business Profile
Frictionless Innkeeper Podcast
Google Business Profile helps lodging professionals manage their business information across Google products like Search and Maps. In addition to ensuring that potential guests can find information about their property and eventually book, lodging owners can use their account to review traffic metrics, gather customer insights, as well as view and respond to Google Reviews. Annie Buck, Education and Local Marketing Manager at Acorn Marketing, breaks down everything lodging businesses need to know about leveraging Google Business Profile to maximize their bookings. We are very...
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059: Increasing Revenue Through Wedding Offerings
Frictionless Innkeeper Podcast
Independent lodging properties are ideal destinations for weddings and those that offer wedding services, regardless of size and complexity, can attest that they are an excellent source of revenue. There is a range of options for a property to consider when deciding to offer on-site wedding services. Lela Pohlmann is a Wedding Coordinator for Hermann Hill Weddings, which offers a full range of wedding services at Hermann Hill, a luxury boutique hotel in Hermann, Missouri. Hermann Hill hosted more than 130 weddings in 2022, and Lela’s experience provides great insights on how...
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058: State/Regional Association Spotlight: Michigan Bed and Breakfast Association (MBBA)
Frictionless Innkeeper Podcast
State and regional independent lodging associations play a vital role in promoting properties in their areas, as well as ensuring quality lodging standards and providing educational opportunities for members. As former innkeepers who had successes in owning two properties, Donna and Byron Cain became Co-Executive Directors at the Michigan Bed and Breakfast Association (MBBA) about two years ago. They discuss the role of the MBBA, the importance of communicating with members, and the being held in Grand Rapids at the end of this month, from October 30-31. We are very thankful to Donna...
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057: Creating Unique On-Property Experiences
Frictionless Innkeeper Podcast
During the COVID-19 pandemic, lodging professionals often needed to find creative ways to incent guests to stay at their properties. Some owners and managers did so by developing new on-property experiences for their guests which they had never offered in the past. Doug Bagnasco and Jim DeBlasi, the co-owners of the Devonfield Inn, were among that group of astute lodging professionals who focused their energies on developing a wide-range of on-site guest experiences, by leveraging the strengths of what their property has to offer and partnering with local businesses to bring unique...
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056: How We Doubled Bookings and Our Property’s Value in Five Years
Frictionless Innkeeper Podcast
Marty and Carmel Etzel bought the Flag House Inn in Annapolis, Maryland, in 2017, with no prior experience or even informal knowledge of running a lodging business. In less than five years, they were able to more than double their bookings and sell the property for twice the amount they paid for it. Marty discusses their journey, how they were able to accomplish this feat, and how he now parlays his experiences to help other lodging professionals as a consultant for Acorn Marketing. We are very thankful to Marty for sharing his insights. You can learn more about Acorn Marketing at . ...
info_outlineWhen people think of innkeepers, an image often comes to mind of a couple leaving the grind of the big city to own, operate and live at their property. While this is often the case, there has recently been a rise of investors/innkeepers that are purchasing and renovating unique properties, some of whom don’t live on-site or manage the day-to-day work.
For individuals taking this path, many don’t come from hospitality backgrounds, and need the right guidance for helping them make sound decisions to develop unique boutique/upscale properties that generate a solid return on their investment.
Linda Hayes lends her highly-experienced advice to these complex start-up ventures to enable investors/innkeepers to develop successful properties. She also provides consultation services to aspiring innkeepers searching for existing properties and existing innkeepers looking to improve operational systems, marketing, and the selection/development of support staff.
In this podcast, Linda discusses the various consulting services she provides, the rise of investors/innkeepers, and how the lodging arena needs to move beyond being “merchants of sleep” to focus on providing quality guest experiences.
Our podcast is presented by the Frictionless Guest App, the digital concierge that helps your guests live like locals. To learn more, visit frictionlessguest.com.