Housekeeping Didn't Come

Rob Powell
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  • BUSINESS

Lessons from the road, the classroom, and the minibar. Welcome to Housekeeping Didn’t Come — where hospitality, adventure, and a little chaos all check in for the night. Hosted by Rob W. Powell, former casino exec, improv comic, mountaineer, and hospitality professor (aka the Indiana Jones of hospitality education), this podcast dives into the wild, weird, and wonderfully human side of the hospitality world. From luxury lodges to national park cabins, cruise ships to classroom chaos, we explore what it really takes to deliver unforgettable guest experiences—and what happens when things go hilariously off script. Whether you're a student, a hospitality pro, a curious traveler, or just here for the stories, you'll find something to love. Expect candid interviews, bite-sized insights, unforgettable blunders, and the kind of wisdom that only comes from years in the trenches (and a few nights without housekeeping). So grab a coffee (or a cocktail), and join Rob as he unpacks the business of making people feel welcome, even when the bed isn’t made.

  1. 4D AGO

    Forecasts Look Fine Until People Showed Up

    Got podcast love, a plot twist, or a lost-and-found tale? Send fan mail here. Bonus points for wit. A clean forecast feels comforting—right up until guests arrive early, hungry, and convinced your operation runs on their schedule. We open the door to the real world of hospitality, where tidy plans meet messy peaks, and show how great operators trade prediction for readiness without sacrificing standards or sanity. Rob Powell, hospitality lecturer at the University of Arkansas, walks through a familiar scene: optimistic projections, tight but workable labor, inventory en route—and then the surge. Instead of blaming the spreadsheet, we break down why forecasts should function as living tools that prepare teams for variance. You’ll learn how to spot the moments when models fail guests, and how to design systems that bend without breaking when queues stack up like a holiday security line. We get practical with three elastic plays: cross-trained staff to remove single-point failures, decision rights pushed to the front desk so answers beat escalations, and clear recovery options that replace “let me check with my manager” with “here’s what I can do right now.” Along the way, we share language that calms frustrated guests, guardrails that protect the brand, and quick debrief habits that turn rush-hour pain into next-shift improvements. The result is a service culture that handles Saturday night with less panic and more poise. If you lead a hotel, restaurant, or venue—or you’re training the next wave of managers—this conversation gives you concrete tools to navigate demand spikes, reduce bottlenecks, and keep experiences consistent when it matters most. Subscribe, share with a teammate who runs the front line, and leave a review telling us your smartest recovery move; we may feature it next time. Support the show

    4 min

  2. JAN 28

    If Mardi Gras Were A Hotel It Would Be Over Budget

    Got podcast love, a plot twist, or a lost-and-found tale? Send fan mail here. Bonus points for wit. We stress-test a favorite thought experiment: if Mardi Gras were a single hotel, revenue would soar while margins tighten, and the only way through is smart judgment under pressure. We share a real event-weekend cascade that proves why budgets are tools and people are the priority. • Mardi Gras framed as a single hospitality asset • Peak demand raising revenue while compressing margins • Real-world failures across staffing, vendors and tech • Service recovery choices and comp strategy under strain • Why leaders protect experience and teams over spreadsheets • Budgets as tools, not commandments • The right post-mortem question: what did we protect Respect the math, respect your people, and always, always tip housekeeping Support the show

    5 min

  3. JAN 26

    Tipping Doesn’t Reward Great Service (And the Research Proves It) S1E29

    Got podcast love, a plot twist, or a lost-and-found tale? Send fan mail here. Bonus points for wit. Feel that pinch of judgment when a tip screen spins your way before you even take a sip? We dig into why that awkward pause exists, what 50 years of research actually says about tipping, and how digital prompts have turned generosity into an exhausting decision loop. Along the way, we unpack the gap between what we believe tips do—reward great service—and what the evidence shows: social norms, habit, and high anchors often drive the number more than performance. We walk through a sweeping review of 319 peer-reviewed studies spanning economics, psychology, and hospitality. The findings are both uncomfortable and clarifying. When guests effectively control a chunk of worker pay, power shifts. Rules bend, emotional labor becomes survival, and tolerance for bad behavior can rise—not because anyone wants it, but because pay depends on it. Yet there’s a real paradox: many servers still prefer tipping for the perceived upside and autonomy. That tension matters for policy, culture, and team wellbeing. Technology adds a fresh layer. Pre-service prompts lower return intent. Tip fatigue and tipflation—more prompts, higher suggested percentages—are driven by tablet defaults, not by changing guest character. People aren’t angry at generosity; they’re tired of how it’s requested. We lay out practical design moves: fair base pay with transparent upside, post-service prompts with respectful anchors, visible protection against harassment, and evidence-led coaching that rewards skill and consistency. The goal is simple and hard: build systems that create trust for guests and dignity for teams. If you value hospitality that runs on intention instead of guilt, this conversation offers a roadmap. Listen, share it with a colleague, and tell us what you’d change first. Subscribe for more research-backed insights, and leave a review to help others find the show. Support the show

    8 min

  4. JAN 20

    Why Hospitality Demands More Than A Smile

    Got podcast love, a plot twist, or a lost-and-found tale? Send fan mail here. Bonus points for wit. Think hospitality begins and ends with a smile? We open the door on what the work truly demands: operations, logistics, finance, labor management, risk, and leadership under pressure. The goal isn’t to look friendly while chaos swirls. The goal is to build systems so guests feel ease while teams shoulder the load with calm precision. Rob Powell, lecturer at the University of Arkansas Hospitality Management Program, shares the day-one talk that jolts students and steadies careers. We unpack the real trade of weekends and holidays, not as a warning but as a calling to create the milestones others remember. From the front desk to the pass, we explore how consistency, recovery, and emotional intelligence outperform the myth of perfection. You’ll hear a vivid Saturday night snapshot where a packed dining room glides while the back of house paces, a server stretches, and a manager dissolves conflict without a ripple—success measured by what the guest never sees. This conversation gets specific about the habits that make service resilient: prep discipline, par levels, station design, training for failure modes, and leadership that lowers the temperature when pressure spikes. We talk about building a career that respects craft, values invisible excellence, and turns tough hours into meaningful growth. If you’re deciding whether hospitality is your path, or you’re a veteran seeking language for what you already know, you’ll find clarity and fuel here. Subscribe for more unvarnished insights, share this with a teammate who needs a lift, and leave a review to help others find the show. If you’re learning, welcome to the profession. If you’re operating, thank you for the invisible work. And if you’re teaching, keep telling the truth early. Support the show

    11 min

  5. JAN 11

    Mardi Gras 101: The Business of Beads, Balls, and Organized Chaos.

    Got podcast love, a plot twist, or a lost-and-found tale? Send fan mail here. Bonus points for wit. We unpack how Mardi Gras actually runs: krewes as volunteer-driven engines, throws as branded inventory, and citywide logistics that keep guests delighted while operators manage risk and cost. The result is a playbook for festivals, hotels at peak demand, and large events under pressure. • Krewes as nonprofit producers with bylaws, committees, insurance, and budgets • Scale of floats, fleet management, storage, maintenance, and safety • Throws as inventory, branding, and guest memory design • Parade formats as market segmentation and audience strategy • Royal courts and celebrity monarchs as media amplification • Economic impact vs thin margins during peak demand • Workforce access, parking, barricades, and shift design • Industrial overnight cleanup and city reset operations • Balls as dome-scale productions with major headliners • Rider costs, discretionary spend, and participatory value • Volunteer leadership structures and transferable skills • Key lessons for hospitality under pressure Until next time, take care of your people, respect the data, and always tip housekeeping Support the show

    11 min

  6. JAN 11

    New Year’s Eve Chaos

    Got podcast love, a plot twist, or a lost-and-found tale? Send fan mail here. Bonus points for wit. New Year’s Eve looks like glitter from the front and a pressure cooker from the back. We open the doors on the most volatile night in hospitality and map the patterns that repeat every year: surging crowds, elastic time, drinks that multiply problems, and expectations that leap past capacity. I walk through “Operational Disaster Bingo” not as a joke, but as a practical field guide to recurring failure points—lost phones and shoes, ice machines quitting, bathroom lines turning diplomatic, DJs blaming gear, and the occasional fire alarm pulled like it’s party décor. Rather than promise control, I lean into readiness. We break down how great managers set the tone with a calm voice, clear directions, and ruthless triage. You’ll hear how I assign roles for guest flow, bar throughput, and back-of-house comms, and why short radio language beats frantic over-talking when midnight compresses minutes into seconds. We talk pre-staged fixes—backup ice, queue management, quick-clean kits at choke points, and a fast-response pair to neutralize “moment killers” before they ripple. Then we sit with the paradox of midnight itself. For ninety seconds the room hums with connection, and then reality snaps back—the mess, the spill, the guest who wants to rewind time. The work is to protect safety and dignity without losing the joy. That’s where hospitality shines: pulling off something truly memorable under maximum strain, and making meaning from the madness. If you’ve survived a New Year’s in ops, you know the pride that lingers long after the confetti. If you’re heading into one, this playbook will help you brace, not break. If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a teammate who’s on the NYE roster, and leave a quick review—what’s the one bingo square you always prepare for? Support the show

    3 min

  7. 12/23/2025

    How Hospitality Leaders Survive Holiday Scheduling Without Losing Their Minds S1EP25

    Got podcast love, a plot twist, or a lost-and-found tale? Send fan mail here. Bonus points for wit. The calendar says holiday, the operation says stress test. We open the doors on December and talk honestly about what it takes to build a Christmas schedule that doesn’t break your team—or your spirit. Rob Powell, hospitality lecturer and industry lifer, unpacks the art of negotiating time-off requests, the difference between empathy and enablement, and the cultural power of rewarding the people who raise their hands to cover when it matters most. You’ll hear a taxonomy of holiday asks—from the reasonable to the wildly creative to the spiritually ambitious—and practical ways to set boundaries without losing trust. We honor the shift-covering “unicorns” who keep December running, and lay out real recognition moves that boost retention: first choice of future shifts, public praise, small perks, and protection from burnout. Then we step onto the floor for a vivid tour of Christmas morning service: pajama-clad guests, sugar-charged kids, parents on fumes, burnt waffles, pool questions, and an endless search for batteries. Through it all runs the thread that defines hospitality at its best: showing up, staying calm, and creating warmth for strangers who will remember your kindness long after checkout. If you manage schedules, lead frontline teams, or just need a dose of camaraderie from someone who’s been there, this story-driven episode blends humor with hard-won tactics. Expect insights on staffing models, fair incentives, cross-training for coverage, and post-peak debriefs that actually improve the next rush. More than anything, you’ll walk away with renewed purpose: we don’t just keep doors open; we keep the world turning while others pause. Subscribe, share with your crew, and leave a review with your best holiday scheduling tip—we’d love to learn what saved your December. Support the show

    5 min

  8. 12/16/2025

    Silent Night, Fully Booked

    Got podcast love, a plot twist, or a lost-and-found tale? Send fan mail here. Bonus points for wit. We take apart the holiday myth of “silent night” and show how sold-out rooms, strained kitchens, and flickering lights reveal the real work and real heart of hospitality. Through absurd guest requests and staffing puzzles, we find the meaning that keeps teams going. • the gap between holiday calm and operational chaos • department-by-department December pressure points • handling high and unusual guest expectations with grace • staffing as a seasonal miracle and culture test • small acts of care that define true hospitality • why memories and meaning outlast the decorations Subscribe, share, and remember, housekeeping may not have come, but Santa always does Support the show

    5 min
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About

Lessons from the road, the classroom, and the minibar. Welcome to Housekeeping Didn’t Come — where hospitality, adventure, and a little chaos all check in for the night. Hosted by Rob W. Powell, former casino exec, improv comic, mountaineer, and hospitality professor (aka the Indiana Jones of hospitality education), this podcast dives into the wild, weird, and wonderfully human side of the hospitality world. From luxury lodges to national park cabins, cruise ships to classroom chaos, we explore what it really takes to deliver unforgettable guest experiences—and what happens when things go hilariously off script. Whether you're a student, a hospitality pro, a curious traveler, or just here for the stories, you'll find something to love. Expect candid interviews, bite-sized insights, unforgettable blunders, and the kind of wisdom that only comes from years in the trenches (and a few nights without housekeeping). So grab a coffee (or a cocktail), and join Rob as he unpacks the business of making people feel welcome, even when the bed isn’t made.

Information

  • Creator
    Rob Powell
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    35
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Housekeeping Didn't Come
  • Show Website
    Housekeeping Didn't Come