999: How a 16-Unit Idea Became One of America’s Largest Resort Experiences
No Vacancy Live and No Vacancy News
Release Date: 12/11/2025
1007: Why Sonesta Flattened Its Organization—and What Happens Next
No Vacancy Live and No Vacancy News
Building franchise relationships isn’t about brand standards — it’s about listening, flexibility, and time in the field. That idea sits at the center of this episode of #NoVacancyNews. I’m in Massachusetts at the global headquarters of Sonesta International Hotels, talking with Phil Hugh, Chief Development Officer. Phil walks through how stepping into the CDO role pushed him out of the office and onto the road for roughly 60 days, visiting properties, meeting with owners, and seeing firsthand what it actually takes to operate hotels across the economy, midscale, and upscale segments....
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1006: How Authentic Hospitality Gets Delivered Every Day
No Vacancy Live and No Vacancy News
Luxury shows up in the small moments, not the marble — and that idea sits at the core of this episode of #NoVacancyNews. I spent time with Christophe Baraton, General Manager of Shutters on the Beach, to talk about what hospitality looks like when you lead from the property level instead of a spreadsheet. Christophe runs a 30-year-old beachfront hotel with deep roots in its local community, long-tenured team members, and guests who return because they feel known. We talk about leadership during crisis, how Shutters became a refuge for locals during the Los Angeles fires, and why...
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FNA 198: The One Where We Try to Coury Favor
No Vacancy Live and No Vacancy News
Hotelier and comedian Alex Coury returns to join Glenn, Craig and Doctor Producer Suzanne to kick off the weekend with a hilarious (they wish) happy hour.
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1005: Why Hotel F&B Has to Lead With Story, Not Square Footage
No Vacancy Live and No Vacancy News
Hotel food & beverage doesn’t fail because of trends — it fails when concept, design, and execution never fully line up. On #NoVacancyNews, I’m joined by Ami Alexander, Managing Partner at Barrel Aged Management, to talk about how #hotel #restaurants actually get built, refreshed, and kept relevant over time. Ami’s background spans luxury hotels, global restaurant groups, and lifestyle brands, including time with Hakkasan, Sydell Group, Montage, and Pendry. That perspective shapes how she thinks about storytelling, training, and why hotels can’t afford to treat F&B as an...
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1004: Food, Culture, and Leadership Inside a High-Performing Hotel F&B Team
No Vacancy Live and No Vacancy News
Hotel food & beverage only works when culture, consistency, and leadership line up — and that’s exactly what this #NoVacancyNews conversation explores. I’m joined by Greg McGowan, Regional Director of Food & Beverage for Kolter Hospitality and Executive Chef at Hyatt Centric Las Olas Fort Lauderdale, recorded on site in South Florida. Greg’s path through country clubs, hotels, and leadership roles gives him a grounded view of what actually keeps F&B teams strong over time — especially in high-volume, full-service environments where turnover, burnout, and guest...
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1003: How Resorts World Las Vegas Uses Technology Without Losing the Human Touch
No Vacancy Live and No Vacancy News
I did this one from the 66th floor Alle Lounge at Resorts World Las Vegas, with Shannon McCallum, VP of Hotel Operations, about how the property continues evolving four-plus years after opening. Resorts World operates more than 3,500 rooms across three brands -- Hilton, Conrad, and Crockfords -- all under one roof. That scale forces real decisions about technology, guest choice, and efficiency — especially when different guests expect very different experiences. Shannon walks through how the team thinks about: 📱: Digital check-in and Apple Wallet keys without forcing app adoption ...
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1002: Why Beverage Trends Matter More Than Ever for Hotel Profitability
No Vacancy Live and No Vacancy News
Beverage has moved from a supporting role to a real revenue driver in hotel F&B, and that shift isn’t accidental. #NoVacancyNews I’m joined by Adrian Biggs, Director of Advocacy at Bacardi, to talk through what their latest global trends report reveals about how — and when — guests are actually drinking. This isn’t guesswork. Bacardi builds this report using global ambassador insight, consumer research across multiple countries, and real operator behavior. The result is a clearer picture of where beverage demand is heading and how hotel bars can respond. What stood out most to me...
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Friday Night Audit Flashback: Where This Whole Mess Started
No Vacancy Live and No Vacancy News
Because it’s STILL the holidays, I’m rerunning something that still makes me smile — episode one of Friday Night Audit. This show started in 2021, smack dab in the middle of COVID, when a lot of us in the hotel business felt disconnected, stuck at home, and spending way too much time on video calls. We also missed the best part of conferences: hanging out at the bar afterward, talking shop, telling stories, and laughing at how completely cuckoo this business can be. So we built Friday Night Audit to feel like that moment. The idea was simple: hotel people as real people, having a...
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Flashback to Just Before Everything Changed: A Live Conversation from Early COVID
No Vacancy Live and No Vacancy News
This week, as I look back on podcasts that mattered to me over the last 10 years of No Vacancy and Rouse Media, I’m sharing some episodes that reflect where the industry — and all of us — actually were at the time. This one is difficult, but important. It’s one of the first live shows we ever did, recorded just before COVID shut everything down. At that point, we were still learning what this virus was, how it spread, and what it might mean for travel and hotels. I went live on LinkedIn with Anthony Melchiorri and Dr. Primas, a New York–based physician with deep experience in travel...
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What FIFA 2026 Really Means for Hotel Development
No Vacancy Live and No Vacancy News
Everyone talks about FIFA 2026 like it’s a guaranteed win for hotels. The reality is more complicated. I connected with Bruce Ford of Lodging Econometrics to look at the actual hotel development, renovation, and conversion activity tied to FIFA host cities across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico — and to answer a question hoteliers ask every time a mega-event comes to town: Should you really build for this? On #NoVacancyNews, Bruce breaks down where hotels are being added, where renovations matter more than new builds, and why most smart owners don’t bet long-term strategy on short-term...
info_outlineSome resorts talk about experiences — Westgate builds them at theme-park scale.
I visited Westgate Vacation Villas with Jared Saft, Chief Business and Strategy Officer, to explore how this company evolved from 16 original units into a massive, guest-focused resort with 3,000 rooms, a full waterpark, a Chuck E. Cheese–powered arcade, an in-lobby movie theater, and a $120 million reinvestment underway.
On #NoVacancyNews, Jared walks through how Westgate designs spaces for toddlers, teens, parents, and grandparents at the same time, how they turned nostalgia into a modern attraction, and how they’re expanding into more than 40 new destinations in just seven months.
A big thanks to Actabl — Actabl gives you the power to profit. Visit Actabl.com.
What you’ll see on this tour:
🏨: How Westgate grew from 16 units to 14,000+ across the portfolio
🎬: Why they built a full movie theater right in the check-in lobby
🧒: How kid-first design keeps families engaged (and sane) on peak weekends
👾: Chuck E. Cheese partnerships, retro arcades, and Mystery Funhouse nostalgia
🍭: A candy shop with a waterslide literally running through it
🌊: Shipwreck Island — a full waterpark wrapping around the building
🌮: The strategy behind Los Amigos, Sid’s American Kitchen, and Megabytes
🚀: How Westgate thinks about thoughtful, entrepreneurial expansion
Question for you:
What’s the most impressive family-focused feature you’ve seen at a resort?