Top Floor
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.
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Mike Schugt is a hospitality industry leader who started his career at 15 as a dishwasher and rose through the ranks to become Vice President at Hilton. Now the President of Teneo Hospitality Group, Mike connects independent hotels with vital group business opportunities. Susan and Mike talk about self-leadership, the
Florence Li is Vide President of International Sales and Marketing for Songtsam, a family-owned collection of luxury boutique hotels nestled in China’s Tibetan and Yunnan regions. Growing up surrounded by hospitality, Florence honed her craft at Swiss Hotel Management School and later, by managing luxury properties wit
Laura Lee Blake is the president and CEO of AAHOA, the largest association for hotel owners in the U.S., representing nearly 20,000 members. With a background in law and extensive experience in industry advocacy, she returned to AAHOA in 2022 to champion issues like the LIONs Act. Susan and Laura Lee talk about advocac
Aurora Dawn Benton is a sustainability consultant and author of Exponential Impact: Harnessing Human Potential to Drive Sustainability in Organizations. With a diverse career spanning tech, finance, education, and hospitality, Aurora is known for food waste reduction, data-driven sustainability, and workforce engagemen
Michelle Pascoe is a Sydney-based expert in hospitality and customer service with over 30 years of experience. As the founder of her own consultancy and host of the Michelle Pascoe Hospitality Podcast, she helps businesses improve customer engagement and operational efficiency. Susan and Michelle talk about navigating
Jared Lerner, co-founder and CEO of Nappr, transformed his personal challenges with sleep and travel into a platform offering short-term hotel stays designed for rest. With a background in software engineering and startup culture, he pivoted Nappr from brick-and-mortar spaces to a tech-driven marketplace. Susan and Jar