Welcome to Behind the Stays — a podcast that shares the stories behind your favorite boutique hotels, short-term rentals, and hospitality brands and the hosts, operators, and entrepreneurs who’ve brought them to life. Every Tuesday and Friday you’ll meet the military veterans, retired flight attendants, tech entrepreneurs, school teachers, single moms, hoteliers, and real estate investors who are all, in their unique ways, shaping the future of travel and hospitality. Discover how these visionaries — from all over the world — have built stunning landscape hotels in the mountains, designed bohemian bungalows on the beach, erected eclectic off-grid and nature-immersed escapes, and so much more.Behind the Stays is brought to you by Journey — a first-of-its-kind loyalty program that brings together an alliance of the world’s top independently owned and operated stays and allows travelers to earn points and perks on boutique hotels, vacation rentals, treehouses, ski chalets, glamping e
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Contact path
Verified email
Booking probability
38%
Guest openness
Selective
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Signup to Generate a PitchWelcome to Behind the Stays, a podcast that shares the stories behind your favorite boutique hotels, short-term rentals, and hospitality brands and the hosts, operators, and entrepreneurs who’ve brought them to life.
Behind the Stays is hosted by Zach Busekrus. The show has published 397 episodes to date.
Recent episodes include "This Week in Hospitality: Which Hotel Would You Steal for $1? Marina Bay Sands, Ted Turner's Ranch, and the Case for Hotel Emma" (23 October 2026, 68 minutes), "From Backcountry to Frontcountry: How Janice Stitzer Built a 7-Cabin Micro-Resort" (20 October 2026, 64 minutes), and "This Week in Hospitality: Can AI Fix Hotel Margins? Alex Cabañas on AI's Margin Opportunity, Expedia's Lawsuit, and the Longevity Hotel Debate" (16 October 2026, 71 minutes).
Behind the Stays publishes roughly a few times a week, with episodes averaging 58 minutes across 397 episodes.
Booking probability for Behind the Stays is 38%, and the host is rated Selective on guests. Behind the Stays requires a Pod Score of 80 or higher. Behind the Stays's contact route on record: verified email.
The strongest fits for Behind the Stays are Hotels & Lodging. Behind the Stays has a business audience.
Zach Busekrus hosts Behind the Stays, a business show with 397 episodes published.
Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.
Episode #398
Modbeans Coffee Code for 15% off: BTS15 https://modbeans.co/bts Fifty episodes in, we're skipping the news and handing out the hospitality awards nobody asked for. Zach, Ben, Edwin and a returning Scott Eddy each...
Episode #397
PriceLabs https://hello.pricelabs.co/dynamic-pricing/?utm_source=amb-youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=oct26_amb_bts_podcast_ep1 Code: BTS15 30-day free trial plus 15 percent off Dynamic Pricing for the first 3...
Episode #396
This Week's Guest: Alex Cabañas Executive Chairman, Pyramid Global Hospitality Founder and CEO of Astound Ventures https://astound-ventures.com/ What happens when the hotel front desk disappears, but hospitality gets...
Episode #393
Sponsored by: Modbeans Coffee Code for 15% off: BTS https:// modbeans.co/bts Sponsored by: https://Lake.com Michael Wolf thought his career would be in government. He spent every summer in Washington, DC, and wanted the...
Episode #392
This Week’s Guest: Dina Belon-Sayre - President, Staypineapple Hotels LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dinabelon/ Explore Staypineapple Hotels: https://www.staypineapple.com/ Your Host: Zach Busekrus - Journey...
Episode #391
Scott is in Sicily, so Zach, Ben Wolff and Edwin Kramer take the docket. Edwin checks in from a new boutique hotel on Spain's Costa Blanca, and Ben is fresh from the glamping show. The first story: Hilton's CIO says AI...
Episode #390
https://roompricegenie.com/ Checkout code for 25% off: WISH26 This Week’s Guest: Jennifer Barnwell - President, Curator Hotel & Resort Collection LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-barnwell-a8689ba/ Explore...
Episode #389
Heidi Zimmer closed on her construction financing the day before the country shut down in March of 2020. Then lumber tripled. She had to cut an entire building from the plan. And the business she'd underwritten, roughly...
Episode #388
The full squad is back. Royal Caribbean is taking a 50% stake in Sandals Resorts for roughly $3 billion, and the crew breaks down why a cruise line wants an all-inclusive hotel brand. Edwin runs the numbers on who is...
Episode #386
Fresh off Independent Hotel Show Miami, Zach and Ben break down two days of conversations with eight owners, operators, and investors from across independent hospitality. Before the full interviews roll out on This Week...
Episode #385
Check out Lake.com claim your exclusive discount: https://www.lake.com/partners/behind-the-stays — Every few weeks, someone emails me a vision for a stay they want to build. Edoardo is one of the rare ones who actually...
Episode #384
Blake Danner has spent his career inside the rooms where lifestyle hospitality was invented. Eleven years alongside Ian Schrager opening the Clift, Sanderson, and Shore Club. Seven years as founding COO of the Sydell...
Episode #383
Check out Lodgify claim your exclusive discount: https://www.lodgify.com/behind-the-stays/ — In just a moment you'll meet Austin Allison — co-founder and CEO of Pacaso, the co-ownership platform that's reimagining how...
Episode #382
TikTok Go was supposed to turn creators into a hotel distribution channel. Instead, a Skift investigation found dozens of AI-generated fake videos attached to real properties — fabricated suites, nonexistent amenities...
Episode #381
Check out Lodgify claim your exclusive discount: https://www.lodgify.com/behind-the-stays/ — In just a moment you'll meet Lauren Blanford from Lost Woods — a glamping retreat and event property built on 160 acres of...
Episode #380
Hotel sales in the US are up 28% in the first half of 2026 — and a meaningful chunk of that activity is chasing bad Yelp reviews, not trophy assets. JMI Realty executive Drew Bridges joins the show to break down how his...
Episode #379
Check out Lodgify claim your exclusive discount: https://www.lodgify.com/behind-the-stays/ — Explore FerebeeLane: https://www.ferebeelane.com/ Connect with Matt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-ferebee-2287566/ Connect...
Episode #378
Subscribe to This Week in Hospitality wherever you get you podcasts: Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5oPExA0txHMjEI5Ye13IUy Apple Podcasts...
Episode #377
Explore Inhaven: https://inhaven.com/ Connect with Ashley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-ching-inhaven-b56a843/ Connect with Zach: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacharybusekrus/ Check out Lodgify and get an exclusive...
Episode #376
Airbnb just partnered with TripAdvisor to bring 425,000 experiences onto its platform — a move that signals Brian Chesky isn't just dabbling in experiences anymore, he's building a second business inside the first. The...
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