Top Floor

Susan Barry
  • 0.0 (0)
  • MARKETING
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Top Floor is a weekly podcast with tangible tips and excellent stories from the experts and characters who elevate hospitality. Host and elevator operator Susan Barry explores the idea that everything is marketing in the hotel business. Our interviews with creators, thought leaders and hospitality groundbreakers are designed to provide practical tactics that hoteliers, restaurateurs and travel mavens can use to promote their businesses. Along the way, we answer burning marketing questions submitted on the Emergency Call Button and share the funniest, craziest, just-plain-weirdest stories down at the Loading Dock. Need to press the Emergency Call Button? Or have a story to share at the Loading Dock? Reach us at 850.404.9630 to be featured in a future episode.

  1. Pig Coming Through

    2 DAYS AGO

    Pig Coming Through

    Tracy Stuckrath is the founder of thrive! meetings & events, where she helps planners, venues, and chefs stop accidentally poisoning their guests (a low bar, but here we are). After being diagnosed with a food allergy and realizing she couldn't safely eat at her own events, Tracy built a mission around safer, more inclusive hospitality, and later launched the "Eating at a Meeting" podcast during COVID. Susan and Tracy talk about safety, systems, and signage. • Simple tools that actually make event planning smoother • How Tracy's career pivots happened without a "master plan" • The moment she realized the industry wasn't feeding people safely • Why the people who "get it" fastest usually have restrictions themselves • How kitchens and front-of-house accidentally play telephone with allergens • Why labeling food lowers liability instead of raising it • The top nine allergens that cause most reactions • How food allergies and celiac can count as disabilities under the ADA • Why smaller, more intentional menus may beat endless buffet chaos • What the future of event menus could look like: fewer surprises, clearer trust • The one phrase Tracy wants the industry to stop saying immediately *** Our Top Three Takeaways 1. Inclusive food practices are a business decision, not just a courtesy. Treating food allergies and dietary restrictions seriously reduces risk, builds trust, and makes events more accessible and welcoming. When guests feel safe eating, they participate more fully and remember the experience for the right reasons, which directly impacts brand perception and loyalty.  2. Most food-allergy failures aren't about ingredients — they're about communication breakdowns. Problems usually happen when information gets lost between sales, planners, kitchens, and front-of-house teams. Clear systems, standardized language, and consistent labeling matter more than heroic last-minute fixes. Inclusion fails when teams don't talk to each other.  3. Smaller, more intentional menus outperform "abundance." The future of event food is fewer choices that are clearly labeled, thoughtfully designed, and easy to trust. Guests don't want endless options they can't safely eat. They want a handful of well-considered ones that reflect care, place, and purpose.    Tracy Stuckrath on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracystuckrath/ thrive! meetings & events https://thrivemeetings.com/ Other Episodes You May Like:  151: Rolls Royce Chauffeur with Ali Krupnik https://www.topfloorpodcast.com/episode/151 185: Squash Milk with Steve Fortunato https://www.topfloorpodcast.com/episode/185 13: Canned Good Centerpieces with Jana Robinson https://www.topfloorpodcast.com/episode/13

    35 min
  2. Lights Out, Newport

    27 JAN

    Lights Out, Newport

    Christine Malfair is a lifelong hotelier turned independent-hotel marketing fixer, with a career spanning cruise ships, GM roles, and 15 years building Malfair Marketing as an early "remote fractional CMO." She helps independent hotels cut through AI noise and get found by guests and machines without losing their minds. Susan and Christine talk about clarity, consistency, and competitive courage. • Employee use of ChatGPT and real risks to proprietary hotel data • Guardrails for AI use inside hotel teams without banning innovation • Remote hotel leadership before "remote" was normal • Building a marketing function when no department exists • "AI-ready" as an ecosystem, not a shiny new tool • Why vague hotel language disappears in AI discovery • Team buy-in as the difference between tech adoption and rebellion • AI as an intermediary, not a channel • Why independent hotels can win without the biggest budgets • Standing tall in what guests already love you for *** Our Top Three Takeaways AI rewards clarity, not complexity Being "AI ready" isn't about adopting new tools or chasing the latest platform. It's about tightening what already exists. Hotels that are specific, consistent, and clear across their websites, listings, reviews, and social content will be easier for AI to understand and recommend. Generic language and inconsistencies create friction and invisibility. 2. Simple systems outperform heroic effort Christine's experience, from cruise ships to strata hotels, reinforces the same truth. Well-designed systems reduce chaos and conflict, even in complex environments. The same applies to marketing and AI. Progress comes from manageable, repeatable steps, not massive overhauls or one-time pushes. 3. Differentiation matters more than budget AI acts like a digital intermediary, deciding what gets surfaced and why. In that environment, sameness is a liability. The independent hotels that win won't be the ones with the most spend or the most content. They'll be the ones that are clear about who they are, what guests love about them, and how they stand apart. Christine Malfair on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-malfair/ Malfair Marketing https://malfairmarketing.com/ Other Episodes You May Like:  69: Our First AI Guest with Josiah Mackenzie https://www.topfloorpodcast.com/episode/69 127: Job Interview Subterfuge with Michael Goldrich https://www.topfloorpodcast.com/episode/127 71: Public Restroom Couple with Susan Barry https://www.topfloorpodcast.com/episode/71

    38 min
  3. Next Up, Locusts

    20 JAN

    Next Up, Locusts

    Gary Brown is a former attorney and CPA who ditched billable hours for buildings, turning a brotherly townhouse-flipping side hustle into Furnished Quarters, one of the largest corporate housing providers in the U.S. He leads a service-first operation across major markets like New York, Boston/Cambridge, and the Bay Area, blending tech, design, and a very real "stuff breaks at 3am" mindset. Susan and Gary talk about service, standards, and survival stories. • Why corporate housing is hospitality first and real estate second • Service recovery that actually keeps clients calm when everything goes sideways • Move-in magic that prevents the "week one complaint festival" • Inspection systems that catch tiny problems before guests do • Communication rhythms that build trust when lights go out or floods happen • Setting expectations for big-city living without scaring people off • Relationship selling that lands major accounts and keeps the pipeline moving • Conference strategy that works pre-event, not just at the cocktail hour *** Our Top Three Takeaways 1. Corporate housing succeeds or fails on service, not real estate. While the apartment itself is the barrier to entry, Gary is clear that it represents only a small fraction of what defines a great stay. The real differentiator is hospitality-level service: constant communication, fast problem resolution, and setting expectations when things inevitably go wrong. Corporate housing, in his view, should be run like a 24/7 hospitality operation, not a passive real estate business. 2. The first day of a stay determines everything that follows. Move-in is the most critical moment in the guest experience. Furnished Quarters invests heavily in inspections, buffer days between stays, detailed arrival instructions, and proactive outreach after arrival. Many complaints can be avoided entirely by over-preparing for that first impression and by addressing small issues before they turn into frustration. 3. Strong relationships and preparedness outperform tactics in sales and growth. Whether discussing conferences, entertainment clients, or long-term partnerships, Gary emphasizes that success comes from relationship selling and advance work. Deals are rarely made by chance. They are built through consistent presence, pre-scheduled meetings, local involvement, and long-term commitment to the market. This same mindset applies operationally when things go wrong: recovery and trust-building matter more than perfection. Gary Brown on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-brown-b324512/ Furnished Quarters https://www.furnishedquarters.com Other Episodes You May Like:  76: Liquid Closing Dinner with Derrick Barker https://www.topfloorpodcast.com/episode/76 26: Responsible for the Weather with Robyn Joliat https://www.topfloorpodcast.com/episode/26 70: Beach House Ghost with Emmanuel Guisset https://www.topfloorpodcast.com/episode/70

    26 min
  4. Phony on the Phone

    13 JAN

    Phony on the Phone

    Stacy Garcia is a designer, entrepreneur, and trend forecaster known for bold patterns and a sharper-than-average crystal ball. She built a multimillion-dollar textile studio serving hospitality and residential design worldwide. Susan and Stacy talk about palette, pattern, and personalization. • The secret life of hotel lobby books • Why surface pattern design trains you to think bigger than walls • Analog printing's quiet comeback and why faster sometimes beats newer • How digital manufacturing unlocked murals, customization, and creative freedom • Why "home away from home" might be the wrong goal for hotels • How QVC teaches you to sell in 30 seconds or less • The real shift away from millennial gray toward warmth and richness • Why design fads age badly in hotels, and what to do instead • The future: opulent heritage, jewel tones, and warmth *** Our Top Three Takeaways 1. Hospitality design should create fantasy, not mimic home Hotels succeed when they offer guests something they cannot or would not do at home. From the early days of themed Las Vegas hotels to today's boutique and luxury properties, the goal is escapism, inspiration, and emotional impact rather than comfort-driven familiarity. The "home away from home" mindset limits creativity and dilutes value, especially when guests are paying premium rates for a distinct experience. 2. Design decisions should allow for evolution, not permanence Hospitality spaces live longer than most design trends. The strongest properties are designed with flexibility in mind, allowing certain elements to evolve over time without requiring a full renovation. By identifying areas that can be refreshed, remerchandised, or reinterpreted as guest expectations shift, hotels can stay current while protecting long-term investment and brand consistency.  3. Color is the most powerful, cost-effective design lever Color is the first thing people register in a space and has a deep psychological impact. Hospitality is moving away from the long era of gray and blue toward warmer neutrals, earth tones, jewel tones, and heritage-inspired palettes. While the industry moves more slowly than residential, thoughtful use of color can create an immediate emotional impact without requiring a major capital investment.   Stacy Garcia on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacygarcia/ Stacy Garcia Design Studio https://stacygarciainc.com/ LebaTex https://www.lebatex.com/ Other Episodes You May Like:  https://www.topfloorpodcast.com/episode/27

    45 min
  5. Chocolate-Covered Laundry

    6 JAN

    Chocolate-Covered Laundry

    Kipp Lassetter is a former ER physician turned health-tech founder, hotel owner, and gas-station-barbecue legend who now runs RBN, a luxury real estate referral and rewards platform. He's on the show to unpack how he thinks about building and selling businesses, turning "boring" transactions into unforgettable experiences, and why the right real estate agent matters more than any points haul. Susan and Kipp talk about loyalty and rewards.  •    What really connects ER medicine, healthcare IT, hotels, and a gas-station-turned-destination barbecue joint •    Why Kipp bought a "bad" gas station and the mindset he used to turn it into a must-visit moneymaker •    A simple framework for deciding when to hold a business for cash flow versus when to sell and move on •    How RBN quietly taps a standard real estate referral fee and turns it into "guilt-free" reward points for buyers and sellers •    What RBN is learning about keeping rewards meaningful in an era of overcrowded lounges and points inflation •    How AI will supercharge loyalty with hyper-personalized offers and smarter "gamification" of points for both brands and members   *** Our Top Three Takeaways 1. RBN turns real estate transactions into meaningful, high-value rewards. Kipp explains that RBN uses the agent referral fee to give buyers and sellers a massive amount of reward points—often enough for a safari, Japan trip, or other bucket-list travel. The model reframes home buying as a chance to earn "guilt-free" experiential rewards rather than just a stressful financial transaction.  2. A great real estate agent matters more than any number of points. A core philosophy of RBN is that no reward can overcome a bad real estate experience. The company puts significant emphasis on vetting and selecting top-performing agents first; the points are "icing on the cake," not the main event.  3. The future of loyalty is hyper-personalized, AI-driven experiences. Kipp predicts that AI will rapidly transform loyalty programs by tailoring offers to individual members—think curated experiences based on personal interests, bucket-list items, and dynamic point optimization. He also notes the challenge of welcoming new members without making elite status feel unattainable.  Kipp Lassetter on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kipp-lassetter-md-1aa499b/ RBN Rewards https://www.rbnrewards.com/ Other Episodes You May Like:  27: Fast Food Sushi with Lenny Moon https://www.topfloorpodcast.com/episode/27 61: Rainy Day Payoff with Peter Van Dorn https://www.topfloorpodcast.com/episode/61 16: Duke Cookie Face with Nick Shelton https://www.topfloorpodcast.com/episode/16

    31 min
  6. Bridge & Tunnel Walk

    30/12/2025

    Bridge & Tunnel Walk

    Steven Rubin is the CEO of Collared Martin Hospitality, the management company behind Faraway Hotels, with a career that's zigzagged from overnight manager at a 600-room Marriott in 1999 New York City to revenue strategy trailblazer and culture-first leader. He's helped open and grow iconic lifestyle hotels at Kimpton, led across operations, asset management, and hospitality tech, and now steers an independent, experience-obsessed brand expanding from Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard into Sag Harbor and Jackson Hole. Susan and Steve talk about muses, markets, and management—brand-building. What You'll Learn About: • How to think about the "best" path to GM in different segments, from luxury F&B to commercial • What overnight shifts in late-90s New York teach you about composure, guest recovery, and not losing your mind • Why Steven moved from front desk chaos to revenue zen, and how that one decision rewired his whole career • Why Collared Martin is betting on high-barrier leisure markets like Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, Sag Harbor, and Jackson Hole • The madness and method of onboarding 26 tech systems in a brand-new management company • How Faraway's fictional female muses shape design, rituals, and guest touchpoints in each destination • Where AI can actually enhance a stay (hello, smarter pre-arrival notes) and where lazy prompts will absolutely backfire • The one thing Steven would change about hotel management companies: caring more loudly, clearly, and courageously *** Our Top Three Takeaways 1. Leadership Begins With Self-Awareness and Empathy Steven's stories from overnight relocations in New York City to his Kimpton-era emotional intelligence training highlight one central theme: great hospitality leadership starts with understanding people. His guiding principle, "seek first to understand, then to be understood," shapes how he handles guests, conflict, and his executive team's two-word check-ins. This human-centered approach influences Collared Martin Hospitality's culture and his belief in caring deeply for employees and guests. 2. Place-Based Storytelling Creates Brand Magic The Faraway brand's muses, fictional women inspired by each destination, guide design, rituals, service cues, and even pre-arrival moments. This narrative framework ensures that each hotel feels rooted in its location rather than created from a template. Steven's examples, including Susan Bloomfield, the pirate captain in Nantucket, show how authentic local storytelling can inform guest experience without becoming cheesy or generic. 3. Seasonal Markets Require Creative Multi-Sensory Training and Talent Strategies Operating in high-barrier leisure destinations means rebuilding teams every year. Steven is developing a multi-sensory training model that blends visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and cognitive learning to rapidly onboard seasonal staff from around the world. His openness about still learning, experimenting, and adjusting systems, including onboarding 26 technology platforms in a single month, offers practical ideas for hotels that work with seasonal labor or rapid openings. Steven Rubin on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenmrubin/ Collared Martin https://www.collaredmartin.com/ Other Episodes You May Like:  193: Room for Trouble with Scott Roby https://www.topfloorpodcast.com/episode/193 183: Bathtub Disaster with Sloan Dean https://www.topfloorpodcast.com/episode/183 150: Wedding Wing Man with Jen Barnwell https://www.topfloorpodcast.com/episode/150

    38 min
  7. Tasting Catastrophe

    23/12/2025

    Tasting Catastrophe

    Franck Desplechin is a French-born chef turned luxury hotel food and beverage executive, with roots in Michelin-starred kitchens and brands like St. Regis and Auberge Resorts. After running iconic properties (including a wild Sedona chapter with his wife as co-leaders), he launched a nationwide task force and consulting practice and distilled his "chef mindset" leadership style into a book. Susan and Franck talk about building healthy, high-performing teams in high-pressure environments. What You'll Learn About: • Lessons from a 15-year-old apprentice about reliability, humility, and showing up that still matter in the C-suite • Navigating partnership when you and your spouse run the hotel together without killing each other (or the vibe) • How COVID, quarantine, and a pregnant partner forced a workaholic to completely rearrange his priorities • What the "chef mindset" really is and how to use adversity, rejection, and pressure as a leadership training ground • Spotting when your culture is out of balance between guest experience and employee experience • Rethinking "we have jobs because we have guests" and flipping it to a culture-first, people-first philosophy • What task force really looks like behind the scenes and how elite consultants show up differently than the average fill-in • Serving what the property needs vs pushing what you think they should fix as an external expert • Meetings that should absolutely die and how to spot the recurring time-wasters with zero impact • Simple daily rituals that build loyalty, like the 15-minute "hello tour" that makes your team feel seen • Where luxury F&B is headed next and why fewer, better outlets may beat "infinite options" for modern travelers *** Our Top Three Takeaways 1. Leadership in luxury F&B is shaped early, and built on discipline, humility, and constant learning. Franck traces his approach to leadership back to the foundations laid in Michelin-starred kitchens: showing up on time, staying coachable, being reliable, and remaining a lifelong student of hospitality. These habits, formed at age 15, still anchor his leadership today.  2. Task force success hinges on humility, flexibility, and meeting properties where they are. High-performing task force leaders don't walk in trying to fix everything. They focus on what the hotel truly needs, adapt to existing team culture, assess emotional dynamics, and provide continuity during leadership gaps. Ego and personal agenda have no place in effective interim leadership.  3. Luxury F&B's future is fewer outlets, sharper concepts, and deeper employee focus. Franck predicts a shift away from sprawling multi-outlet hotels toward tighter, more exceptional concepts, because guests increasingly value quality over variety and seek local experiences. He also argues that employee satisfaction should be measured and prioritized with the same rigor as guest satisfaction, because the guest experience depends on it.  Franck Desplechin on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/franck-desplechin/ Franck's Website https://www.cheffranck.com/ Other Episodes You May Like:  08: King Sheet Parachute with Justin Genzlinger https://www.topfloorpodcast.com/episode/08 174: Apron on a Fence with Mitch Prensky https://www.topfloorpodcast.com/episode/174 185: Squash Milk with Steve Fortunato https://www.topfloorpodcast.com/episode/185

    45 min
  8. Baa Baa Bourdain

    16/12/2025

    Baa Baa Bourdain

    Christin Marvin is a hospitality lifer who's opened 13 restaurants, run high-performing teams from the Broadmoor to booming Denver concepts, and survived both burnout and a failed ownership venture. Today she's an author and host of the Restaurant Leadership Podcast, helping operators master openings, ownership, and operator optimization. Christin and Susan talk about leadership, systems, and sustainable growth. What You'll Learn About: Why "tour guide" servers beat order-takers every time and how that shapes guest loyalty What 13 restaurant openings will teach you about systems, creativity, and controlled chaos How a failed French concept exposed dangerous blind spots around ego, pricing, and ignoring guest feedback The difference between promoting loyal people and intentionally building the leadership team your business actually needs What Christin's "Independent Restaurant Framework" is and how it helps owner-operators scale without burning out A simple, scrappy way to build a training program even if you feel like you have zero time and zero HR department The tiny 15-minute weekly habit that improves retention, surfaces problems early, and makes your team feel genuinely seen What owners get wrong about "not being able to find good people" and how to actually develop the ones you already have Why in-person dining experiences are about to matter more than ever in a tech-obsessed, convenience-driven world *** Our Top Three Takeaways 1. Sustainable restaurant growth requires systems—not loyalty alone. Christin stresses that independent operators often scale based on emotion and loyalty, but true success comes from intentionality: hiring for the right roles, building systems, developing people, and removing ego from decision-making. Loyalty without structure is expensive and risky; systems create stability and scalability. 2. Owners who succeed are the ones willing to ask for help and confront what's not working. She sees a clear divide in the industry: burned-out long-timers vs. newer operators who admit gaps, seek guidance, and make data-driven decisions. Progress begins when owners get honest about their shortcomings and stop trying to be experts in everything. 3. Training and people development are non-negotiable for retention and guest experience. Post-pandemic staffing requires intentional training—even simple, imperfect programs created by lead staff. Christin recommends weekly 15-minute one-on-ones as a powerful retention tool and argues that leaders must slow down, listen, and invest in people if they want to keep talent and deliver great hospitality. Christin Marvin on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/christin-marvin/ Solutions by Christin https://christinmarvin.com/ Other Episodes You May Like: 221: Unsubtle Resignation with Brady Lowe https://www.topfloorpodcast.com/episode/221 129: Boo-Boo Sugar with Jason Brooks https://www.topfloorpodcast.com/episode/129 85: Fake Wedding Officiant with Michael Cecchi-Azzolina https://www.topfloorpodcast.com/episode/85

    35 min
See All (100)

About

Top Floor is a weekly podcast with tangible tips and excellent stories from the experts and characters who elevate hospitality. Host and elevator operator Susan Barry explores the idea that everything is marketing in the hotel business. Our interviews with creators, thought leaders and hospitality groundbreakers are designed to provide practical tactics that hoteliers, restaurateurs and travel mavens can use to promote their businesses. Along the way, we answer burning marketing questions submitted on the Emergency Call Button and share the funniest, craziest, just-plain-weirdest stories down at the Loading Dock. Need to press the Emergency Call Button? Or have a story to share at the Loading Dock? Reach us at 850.404.9630 to be featured in a future episode.

Information

  • Creator
    Susan Barry
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    Copyright © Top Floor Podcast
  • Show Website
    Top Floor