They Turned a 12th-Century Monastery Into a Luxury Hotel

Most people don't look at a 12th-century monastery in rural Umbria and think, "We should turn this into a hotel." Cathi Lutjens and Fred Kubierschki did. They left the corporate hospitality world, took a chance on an unlikely opportunity and created Vocabolo Moscatelli around a simple idea: build the kind of place people would travel specifically to experience. They shaped it around the monastery, the region, the food, the local culture and the kind of hospitality they wanted to create themselves. What I love about this story is the courage behind it. They didn't just open a #Hotel. They created something deeply personal and trusted that the right guests would find them. See how Cathi and Fred turned an old monastery in an under-the-radar part of Italy into the kind of #LuxuryHospitality experience people remember long after they leave. Thanks so much to Actabl for supporting this podcast. Actabl gives you the power to profit. Visit Actabl.com. Want the weekly roundup of news, videos, and what you might've missed from #NoVacancyNews? Text HOTEL to 66866.

The next wave of hotel growth won't look like the last one. Bruce Ford with Lodging Econometrics joins me on No Vacancy to look at how the global #HotelDevelopment pipeline is shifting — and where the industry's next big opportunities are starting to emerge. Conversions increasingly drive growth in mature markets, while new construction tells a very different story across Asia, the Middle East and other parts of the world. Bruce also makes a strong case for why India could become one of the most important #Hospitality growth stories in the years ahead. The numbers get even more interesting when you compare what's under construction today with what's actually likely to open over the next few years. See where hotel companies are chasing #HotelGrowth now — and why the map looks very different depending on how you measure it. Thanks so much to Actabl for supporting this podcast. Actabl gives you the power to profit. Visit Actabl.com. Want the weekly roundup of news, videos, and what you might've missed from #NoVacancyNews? Text HOTEL to 66866.

True luxury means not having to think about the details. Almando Rigby, general manager of Windjammer Landing in Saint Lucia, joins me on No Vacancy to explain why today's #LuxuryTravel guest expects a hotel to understand what they want before they ever have to ask. That creates an interesting challenge. Hotels now have more technology, data and AI at their disposal, but Almando argues that the most memorable #GuestExperience still depends on something much more human. His perspective on what technology should do — and where people still make the difference — says a lot about where #LuxuryHospitality is heading. Hear how Almando thinks about creating the kind of trip where the guest simply gets to enjoy it. Thanks so much to Actabl for supporting this podcast. Actabl gives you the power to profit. Visit Actabl.com. Want the weekly roundup of news, videos, and what you might've missed from #NoVacancyNews? Text HOTEL to 66866.

Hotels spend years collecting guest data, then lose sight of what people want the moment they're actually staying in the room. Kevin Rohani, founder and CEO of Camo Hospitality, joins me on No Vacancy to talk about that blind spot. Guests order food, transportation, entertainment and other services during their stay, but much of that activity happens outside the hotel's ecosystem. So the property sacrifices more than revenue. It also misses valuable insight into what guests actually want while they're on site and how to create a better experience the next time they return. Kevin makes the case that the guest room shouldn't be where the relationship goes dark. It should be where hotels learn the most. See why one of the biggest opportunities in #HotelOperations may be understanding what guests do after check-in — and what that reveals about improving #GuestExperience and revenue at the same time. Want the weekly roundup of news, videos, and what you might've missed from #NoVacancyNews? Text HOTEL to 66866.

Live experiences drive operating success because they create reasons to travel, reasons to spend, and reasons to come back. That's why Marriott Vacations Worldwide is building Inner Circle around them. During ARDA, I talked with Mike Flaskey, President and COO of Marriott Vacations Worldwide, about what changes when the offer expands beyond the villa and into the full trip. 🎟️ Inner Circle launches June 22 and centers music, culinary, sports, and TV experiences 🎸 Launch example: a Lee Brice show in Orlando for about 300 owners 📊 Only about 6% of eligible North American households own vacation ownership today 🏨 The hashtag#timeshare portfolio spans brands like The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C., St. Regis Hotels & Resorts, Westin Hotels & Resorts, Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, Marriott International, and Hyatt Vacation Ownership, with about 700,000 owner families 💳 Points give flexibility: choose unit size, choose trip length, bank the difference, and use points for flights, cruises, or Marriott Bonvoy 📍 The development lens shifts toward markets with big distribution potential, with Nashville high on the radar Thanks to Actabl for supporting this episode. Actabl gives you the power to profit. Visit Actabl.com. Want the weekly roundup of news, videos, and what you might've missed from hashtag#NoVacancyNews? Text HOTEL to 66866.

To ease us into the holiday weekend, here's a rerun of a fun video I recorded in a Puerto Rican rainforest! Wyndham Rewards pushes beyond hotel nights into experiences, and Michael Shiwdin, Global VP of Loyalty at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, explains why: engagement drives direct bookings, and direct bookings drive owner value. I talked with Michael at Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Rainforest Beach & Golf Resort about how Wyndham Rewards Experiences works and what it means for hotels in the portfolio. 🌿 Members earn points on experiences through Viator, including activities like kayaking 🎟️ Wyndham partners with Ticketmaster and Madison Square Garden for concert opportunities and VIP experiences 📈 Michael says Wyndham saw almost a 5X increase in member engagement after launching Wyndham Rewards Experiences, plus double-digit lifts tied to members booking direct 💰 He frames the owner angle: members book direct at a lower cost channel, then return to the Wyndham portfolio for the next stay Thanks to Actabl for supporting this episode. Actabl gives you the power to profit. Visit Actabl.com. Want the weekly roundup of news, videos, and what you might've missed from hashtag#NoVacancyNews? Text HOTEL to 66866.

To ease us into the holiday weekend, here's one of my favorite chats from the year: Starwood Hotels operates 1 Hotels, Treehouse Hotels and Baccarat Hotels & Resorts around one idea: products need emotion and soul, not templates. While hosting Starwood's annual conference, I talked with Raul Leal, CEO of Starwood Hotels, about differentiation through nature-led design, human experience, and AI-driven personalization that stays human. 🌿 Raul says nature-led "hardware" sets the tone the second guests walk in   🤖 He uses AI to understand preferences and deliver better moments on-property without creeping people out 🍽️ He treats F&B as brand identity, not a side business 💰 He focuses on total revenue per customer instead of RevPAR-only thinking 🎁 He frames the mission program as affiliation plus perks, not points for points' sake 👥 He uses guest and employee focus groups to keep the brands honest Thanks to Actabl for supporting this episode. Actabl gives you the power to profit. Visit Actabl.com. Want the weekly roundup of news, videos, and what you might've missed? Text HOTEL to 66866 for hashtag#NoVacancyNews.

Collective excellence starts when hotel teams stop operating in separate lanes and start moving in the same direction. Glenn Haussman talks with Ben Campbell, President and CEO of Hospitality America, from **PEACHCON, the company's annual conference**, where team members come together to connect, learn and align around what comes next. Ben's focus is simple: get better today than yesterday and better tomorrow than today. That means stronger talent, stronger relationships and more value for team members, owners and guests. See what changes when a hotel company stops thinking one property at a time and starts building one organization. Want the weekly roundup of news, videos, and what you might've missed from #NoVacancyNews? Text HOTEL to 66866.

A busy airport hotel never really slows down. Guests come and go at all hours, plans change quickly and the team needs to stay ready for whatever walks through the door next. Alicia Augustine, GM of the Hyatt Place Pensacola Airport, joins me on No Vacancy and explains how she keeps her team prepared. Every morning at 9:00, they meet to cover priorities, talk through what needs to happen and spend a few minutes laughing together before getting to work. That #HotelLeadership approach carries straight into the guest experience. Alicia treats her team with dignity and kindness because she expects them to give guests that same care. Her best advice for GMs might be even simpler: listen. Really listen. Hear how Alicia mixes preparation, personality and a little silliness to create a #Hotel culture that guests actually feel. Thanks so much to Actabl for supporting this podcast. Actabl gives you the power to profit. Visit Actabl.com. Want the weekly roundup of news, videos, and what you might've missed from #NoVacancyNews? Text HOTEL to 66866.

Hotel operating costs keep climbing, but revenue isn't keeping pace. That's forcing operators to rethink where the money comes from. Rhiannon Reynolds, VP of Operations with Innisfree Hotels, joins me on No Vacancy from Pensacola, Florida, where we talk about how essential it is to shift from an ADR mindset to thinking about the total value of every guest. Once someone arrives, the opportunity extends well beyond the room rate. Food, drinks and other on-property experiences add revenue while giving guests more reasons to enjoy the hotel itself. That's the real opportunity: generate more #Hotel profitability while increasing guest happiness at the same time. Better experiences create more value for the guest and more value for the hotel. Hear how Innisfree approaches that win-win strategy and why the #GuestExperience plays such a big role in total revenue. Actabl gives you the power to profit. Visit Actabl.com. Want the weekly roundup of news, videos, and what you might've missed from #NoVacancyNews? Text HOTEL to 66866.