Subscribe to This Week in Hospitality wherever you get you podcasts:

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5oPExA0txHMjEI5Ye13IUy Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-week-in-hospitality/id1849637233 Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWeekinHospitality

In this week’s episode, the guys jump from Sub-Saharan Africa to budget roadside America to biohacking on a Caribbean beach—and somehow tie it all together. The throughline? Hotel groups are searching for growth in a market that feels mature at home and increasingly demanding everywhere else.

They start with Choice’s plan to open 100 hotels in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2035. Edwin argues that the real opportunity isn’t safari escapism, but dense capital-city demand driven by business travel, NGOs, and intra-African growth. With new-build pipelines lagging, conversions and franchising become the strategic edge. Ben adds that in markets without decades of “economy brand” stigma, Choice may find a cleaner runway than it has in the U.S.

Next, they unpack Wyndham’s contrarian stance on the struggling economy segment. While revenue has slid for more than a year, Wyndham’s CEO insists the downturn is cyclical—not structural—and teases a push into “budget lifestyle.” The guys debate whether affordability can actually feel aspirational, and whether travelers want to identify with “budget,” even when it’s cleverly rebranded.

Finally, they explore the shift from wellness to longevity—better framed as healthspan—as luxury hotels move beyond spa aesthetics into diagnostics, personalization, and clinic-level programming. In Spice of the Week, they take aim at hotels adopting performative anti-AI creative policies, arguing that resisting innovation in the name of authenticity may be the fastest way to fall behind.

This Week in Hospitality is presented to you by Journey.

Journey is a loyalty platform built specifically for independent boutique hotels and high-touch hospitality brands. Our mission is to give operators the same powerful rewards engine, data intelligence, and guest insights that major chains rely on — without asking them to give up the individuality, soul, or story that makes their property extraordinary.

If you’re an owner or operator of an extraordinary, independently owned and operated hotel or residence — and you want to see whether your property is a fit for the Journey Alliance — you can learn more and apply at https://www.journey.com/alliance

Key Topics & Timestamps

00:00 — Intro

08:22 — Story #1: Choice Hotels targets 100 hotels in Africa by 2035

20:28 — Story #2: Wyndham doubles down on economy as budget hotels struggle

36:30 — Story #3: Wellness is out, “longevity” becomes luxury hospitality’s new hook

47:37 — Spice of the Week

Your Hosts:

Zach Busekrus — Journey

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachbusekrus/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindthestays/

Scott Eddy — Global Travel & Hospitality Expert @MrScottEddy

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrscotteddy/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrscotteddy/

Ben Wolff — Founder of Onera & Oasi

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-wolff/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iambenwolff/

Edwin Kramer — Luxury Hotelier Consultant & Former GM

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwinckramer/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edwinkramer/

This week on Behind The Stays, Zach shares a more personal story—and then connects it to three major shifts reshaping hospitality.

After uncovering the story of his grandfather, an early travel entrepreneur who helped open tourism from North America to Tahiti, Zach reflects on why meaningful travel experiences matter more than ever—and what that legacy means for the future of stays.

From there, he breaks down three trends every hospitality leader should be thinking about:

• Why hotels may be becoming the new “third place” in a hybrid-work world
• How AI is transforming hotel discovery—and why independent brands have a real opportunity right now
• The overlooked data advantage hotels have (and how it could shape the next era of personalization)

If you’re building, investing in, or operating unique stays, this episode is a call to think more intentionally about the spaces you create—and the signals you’re sending.

Because in an increasingly automated world, thoughtfully designed places may matter more than ever.

Behind the Stays is brought to you by Journey — a first-of-its-kind loyalty program that brings together an alliance of the world’s top independently owned and operated stays and allows travelers to earn points and perks on boutique hotels, vacation rentals, treehouses, ski chalets, glamping experiences and so much more.

Your host is Zach Busekrus, Head of the Journey Alliance. If you are a hospitality entrepreneur who has a stay, or a collection of stays with soul, we’d love for you to apply to join our Alliance at journey.com/alliance.

Subscribe to This Week in Hospitality wherever you get you podcasts:

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5oPExA0txHMjEI5Ye13IUy Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-week-in-hospitality/id1849637233 Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWeekinHospitality

This week, the guys zero in on where real leadership in hospitality is showing up — and where it isn’t. Accor’s ChatGPT partnership leads the conversation, not as a booking play, but as a signal that intent is shifting away from websites and toward questions. The takeaway is clear: brands willing to test behavior, learn how guests search, and show up early in the decision journey are already ahead. Scott brings ground truth from Thailand and Jamaica, exposing a widening mindset gap. In Asia, hospitality is still treated as craft — GMs obsess over service, personalization, and staying relevant in hyper-competitive markets. In much of the Caribbean, demand is more destination-driven, and innovation often feels defensive. Edwin adds

Europe’s perspective, framing it as split between tradition, efficiency, and emotion — with each region defining “success” differently. The episode closes with Ian Schrager partnering with Highgate to scale Public Hotels — a smart handoff of execution without sacrificing creative control — and Disney’s CEO succession as a reminder that physical experiences still beat disposable content. Spice of the Week lands the point: attention is expensive, but emotion is what actually builds loyalty.

This Week in Hospitality is presented to you by Journey.

Journey is a loyalty platform built specifically for independent boutique hotels and high-touch hospitality brands. Our mission is to give operators the same powerful rewards engine, data intelligence, and guest insights that major chains rely on — without asking them to give up the individuality, soul, or story that makes their property extraordinary. If you’re an owner or operator of an extraordinary, independently owned and operated hotel or residence — and you want to see whether your property is a fit for the Journey Alliance — you can learn more and apply at alliance.journey.com.

Your Hosts:

Zach Busekrus — Journey

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachbusekrus/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindthestays/

Scott Eddy — Global Travel & Hospitality Expert @MrScottEddy

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrscotteddy/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrscotteddy/

Ben Wolff — Founder of Onera & Oasi

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-wolff/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uniquestaysguy/

Edwin Kramer — Luxury Hotelier Consultant & Former GM

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwinckramer/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edwinkramer/