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What makes a space feel like home before you’ve even set down your bag? We sit with Dylan Murray to chart a rare career that connects five-star rigour, high-growth innovation, and the human heartbeat of hospitality—from running dishes at The Landmark to shaping openings at One Aldwych and Carlisle Bay, from the rocket fuel years at Soho House to reimagining flexible workspace with The Office Group, and now building Mason & Fifth’s thoughtful approach to flexible living.

Dylan pulls back the curtain on the details that guests rarely notice but always feel. He explains how invisible design turns a journey into flow, why the right coffee partner can anchor a building’s culture, and how small rituals—recognising a midweek commuter, a favourite fruit bowl, a familiar studio category—create loyalty without points. We explore the hard-won lessons of entrepreneurship through a neighbourhood restaurant and pubs, facing the 2008 crash, and learning to protect quality when scale and spreadsheets tempt shortcuts.

We then dive into Mason & Fifth’s one-minute city: studios that flex from a single night to a year, wellness spaces that invite daily use, a considered restaurant partnership, and work lounges that earn their keep as social commons. Dylan shares the guardrails for growth—keep a small-core mentality, hire for character, and ask everyone to bring the best version of themselves. The result is a home-away-from-home that cares as much about lighting and acoustics as it does about names and needs.

If you’re curious about how hospitality evolves—co-living, amenity-rich buildings, community without a membership fee—this conversation offers a playbook grounded in craft and culture. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves great spaces, and leave a review with the one detail that makes you feel instantly at home.

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Robbie Barr, founder of Gorgeous Group, shares his journey from humble beginnings in Manchester to becoming a leading hospitality consultant who transforms hotel dining and drinking experiences worldwide. His philosophy of creating "emotion per square foot" has shaped iconic venues from Dishoom to Waldorf Astoria.

• Growing up watching classic Hollywood musicals with his deaf grandmother inspired Robbie's view of hospitality as theatre
• First restaurant experience at age 16 sparked his fascination with the transformative power of hospitality
• Creating "perfectly imperfect" spaces helps guests feel comfortable enough to lower their guards and have authentic experiences
• Getting clients "comfortable with being uncomfortable" is key to pushing beyond conventional hospitality formulas
• Notable projects include Kimpton Clock Tower in Manchester, Waldorf Astoria in Osaka, and The Wigmore at The Langham London
• True hospitality means guests leave happier than when they arrived
• Great hospitality combines exceptional product with storytelling, design, music, and a team that loves showing up

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Tony is the gold standard and Royal Warrant equivalent of both kosher catering and now kosher restaurants.

This is one of my shortest episodes ever but definitely not short on quality

Hear Tony’s story and journey mastering both skill sets always moving the game on.