Defining Hospitality

Welcome to Defining Hospitality, the podcast focused on highlighting the most influential figures in the hospitality industry. In each episode we provide 1 on 1, in depth interviews with experts in the industry to learn what hospitality means to them. We feature expert advice on working in the industry, behind the scenes looks at some of your favorite brands, and in depth explorations of unique hospitality projects. Defining Hospitality is hosted by Founder and CEO of Agency 967, Dan Ryan. With over 30 years of experience in hospitality, Dan brings his expertise and passion to each episode as he delves into the latest trends and challenges facing the industry.Episodes are released every week on Wednesday mornings. To listen to episodes, visit https://www.defininghospitality.live/ or subscribe to Defining Hospitality wherever you get your podcasts.

Defining Hospitality is a arts podcast hosted by Dan Ryan, with 268 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Dan Ryan hosts Defining Hospitality, a arts show with 268 episodes published.

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  Episode #269

  Hospitality Is a Mindset - Matthew Boone - Defining Hospitality

  Sep 30, 202656 min

  Matthew Boone joins Dan Ryan to break down what it actually takes to turn a hospitality project from blueprint to guest ready. They dig into the tension between design vision and hard budget numbers, why cost estimating works so differently around the world, and the on the job lessons that shaped how he leads projects today. Matthew Boone is head of hospitality at Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB), bringing 20+ years of architecture, construction and project management experience to some of the industry's most complex hotel developments. Trained as an architect, his work includes San Francisco's Huntington Hotel, a project that landed in Architectural Digest. He now leads RLB's hospitality growth across North America, pairing design instinct with financial discipline. Chapters: 00:00 Architectural Digest Moment 00:56 Meet Matthew Boone 02:31 Architecture Roots 04:17 Defining Hospitality 07:12 Front vs Back of House 07:57 ROI and Budget Tradeoffs 10:07 QS vs US Project Model 16:13 Transparency and True Costs 23:50 CapEx and Aging Systems 31:07 Shower Controls Code 32:10 Sponsor Sustainability Update 32:35 RLB Roots In Hawaii 35:10 Hilton Hawaiian Village Lessons 37:59 Clift Hotel Crunch Renovation 41:59 Erin And RLB Culture 43:38 Mainland Growth Markets 47:51 LA Olympics Hotel Conundrum 54:19 Wrap Up And How To Connect Quote of the Show: "Hospitality is thinking about what people need, what people want, before they even know they need it." - Matthew Boone Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on. Links: Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1 Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/ Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mboonebayarea/ Guests Website: https://www.rlb.com/americas/ Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/ ✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/ Ways to Tune In: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386 Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419 Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/

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  Episode #268

  Hospitality the Sacred Duty - Colleen Rafferty - Defining Hospitality

  Sep 16, 202653 min

  Hospitality has ancient roots, and this week's guest traces her own path in the industry back to something surprising: a master's degree in philosophy. What started as bartending to pay for grad school became a full blown philosophy of service, one built on presence, reciprocity, and treating every guest interaction as its own small act of care. From building a team that turned an old motel into a two Michelin Key destination to launching a groundbreaking childcare pilot for hospitality workers, this conversation covers what it really takes to scale a business without losing the soul that made it special in the first place. Colleen Rafferty is the President of Tourists, an award winning hotel in North Adams, Massachusetts that has earned two Michelin Keys and national recognition from outlets like Vanity Fair. She rose through the ranks from guest experience manager to the top leadership seat, helping build a culture so strong that her own team members have collectively logged 40 years of tenure at a hotel that has only been open eight. Beyond the hotel, Colleen is leading a new pilot childcare program funded by the state of Massachusetts in partnership with the Governor's Office, built specifically for hospitality workers whose schedules don't run Monday through Friday, 9 to 5. Chapters: 00:00 Housekeeping Meltdown 00:36 Podcast Mission Intro 01:09 Meet Colleen Rafferty 01:50 Berkshires Festival Vibes 03:32 Defining Hospitality Xenia 06:35 Philosophy to Hospitality 13:57 Tourists Growth Michelin Keys 19:28 Scaling Culture and Structure 26:58 Childcare Pilot for Workers 33:02 Funding and Coalition 33:47 Red Tape Worries 35:23 Pilot Program Unknowns 36:10 Universal Pre-K Lessons 37:14 Michelin Inspector Details 38:10 Sing for Your Slumber 41:01 Tourists Expansion Plans 44:11 Scaling Without Losing Magic 48:28 Mentors and Gratitude Quote of the Show: "This isn't really about you. This is about this moment and what the space can provide and what the guest is looking for." - Colleen Rafferty Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on. Links: Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1 Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/ Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colleen-rafferty-88603072/ Guests Website: https://www.touristswelcome.com/ Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/ ✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/ Ways to Tune In: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386 Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419 Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/

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  Episode #267

  Slow Down to Connect - David Rich - Defining Hospitality

  Sep 9, 20261 hour

  What if the best conversations aren't about being interesting, but about being present? In this episode, Dan sits down with his close friend and mentor to explore why so many of us struggle to truly connect, even with people we've known for years. The conversation covers vulnerability, the difference between listening to respond and listening to understand, and why removing performance from a room changes everything. David Rich is the founder of Palabra, a story driven event format he has hosted hundreds of times across nearly every continent, from intimate dinners to gatherings of over 100 people. What started as a personal search for deeper friendships after moving back from Spain has grown into a platform used by corporations, families, and entrepreneurs to build genuine relationships. His approach to storytelling and presence has made him one of the most sought after voices on modern connection. Chapters: 00:00 Stories Over Opinions 00:53 Meet David Rich 02:00 What Hospitality Means 03:42 Palabra Born in Spain 07:27 Designing the Container 09:53 Conversation First Format 13:03 Vulnerability and Story Prep 15:58 Listening With Heart 23:32 Opinion Free Safe Space 31:16 Sales Through Trust 32:34 Sponsor Sustainability Note 32:59 Forum Style Story Learning 34:34 Introverts Love Structure 35:57 Long Tail Impact Stories 38:13 Scaling Palabra Formats 39:58 Everest Circle Experiment 43:36 Analog Connection In AI Age 48:42 Guardrails And Closing Reflections Quote of the Show: "A good event isn't that someone cried, so it was a good event. It's that people become a little bit more of themselves." - David RIch Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on. Links: Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1 Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/ Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjrich/ Guests Website: https://www.palabra.co/ Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/ ✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/ Ways to Tune In: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386 Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419 Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/

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  Episode #266

  Slow Partnerships, Fast Loyalty - Diarmaid O'Sullivan - Defining Hospitality

  Sep 2, 20261h 1m

  What does luxury actually mean once you strip away the thread counts and marble bathrooms? Dan sits down with Diarmaid O'Sullivan, Director of Marketing at the Hamilton Princess & Beach Club, a Fairmont Hotel in Bermuda, for a conversation about connection, patience, and the moments that turn a guest into a regular. Diarmaid brings more than 30 years of international experience in hospitality marketing, tourism strategy, and luxury brand building, and has spent over a decade shaping some of the industry's most talked about lifestyle partnerships, including collaborations with Steamline Luggage and a custom fragrance created with Bermuda's oldest perfumery. The two dig into what luxury means as a moving target, how far patience can take a brand partnership, and why the first five minutes of a stay might matter more than the room itself. Chapters: 00:00 Show Mission Intro 00:35 Meet Diarmaid 02:01 Hospitality Means People 05:25 Bermuda Move Story 07:30 Partnership Playbook 11:09 Fairmont Brand Legacy 15:32 Redefining Luxury 20:10 Curated Art Experiences 23:57 Tech Versus Human Touch 32:53 Mentoring With Honesty 34:12 Helping Staff Move On 35:11 I Want Your Job 36:13 Six Months To Prove It 38:01 Boss As Your Guide 40:38 Networking On A Small Island 43:56 Bermuda Awareness Challenge 47:52 New Opportunities And Partnerships 50:21 Measuring Wins And Wrapping Up Quote of the Show: "You can teach someone the skills to operate a system, how to make a bed, how to make a dish. But you cannot teach someone to have empathy, to connect with people, or just be happy." - Diarmaid OSullivan Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on. Links: Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1 Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/ Luggage Collab: https://steamlineluggage.com/collections/the-hamilton-princess-hotel Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diarmaidosullivan/ Guests Website: https://www.thehamiltonprincess.com/ Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/ ✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/ Ways to Tune In: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386 Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419 Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/

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  Episode #264

  Small Hotels, Big Margins - Ryan Diggins - Defining Hospitality

  Aug 19, 20261h 2m

  In this episode, Dan Ryan sits down with Ryan Diggins, founder and operator of The Ramble Hotel and co-founder of Gravitas Development, to unpack how his company, Midnight Auteur, builds boutique hotels that lead with food and beverage instead of treating it as an afterthought. Ryan walks through the thinking behind properties like The Ramble in Denver and Municipal Grand in Savannah, why smaller hotels can outperform bigger ones when you optimize for revenue per square foot instead of RevPAR alone, and how staying involved in the smallest design details, right down to how brass patinas on a toilet handle, keeps a project from losing its soul as it scales. The conversation also dives into how Ryan finds overlooked real estate opportunities, how he builds teams around a fully formed vision instead of the other way around, and what the future of hotel discovery looks like as AI reshapes how travelers find where to stay. Ryan Diggins is a real estate development veteran with over 15 years of experience building in Denver and beyond, and he's spent that time proving that boutique hotels can compete with, and outperform, some of the biggest names in the business. As founder and operator of The Ramble Hotel and co-founder of Gravitas Development, he leads hotel concepting, development, and operations through his company Midnight Auteur, marrying serious development chops with a hospitality first sensibility. His latest project, Municipal Grand in Savannah, was recently named one of the top 19 places to travel in 2026 by Architectural Digest, cementing his reputation as one of the industry's sharpest voices on design-driven, food and beverage anchored hospitality. Chapters: 00:00 Real Estate vs Purpose 00:22 Show Mission Intro 00:55 Guest Spotlight Ryan 02:26 Defining Hospitality 04:00 Placemaking Through Hotels 06:43 Artfulness Over Formula 10:42 Why Secret Sauce Gets Lost 16:25 F&B Led Hotel Economics 26:04 Staying Curious While Scaling 31:34 Process Without Strangling 33:23 Design For The Picky Guest 35:22 Thoughtfulness As True North 37:23 Values Shape The Team 40:58 Winning Over Investors 44:29 Choosing Design Partners 48:22 Future Markets And Pipeline 50:53 Marketing In The AI Era 55:04 Death And Co Origin Story Quote of the Show: "If we can't answer what is this here for or why are we doing this, well now you're just a Pinterest board." - Ryan Diggins Building a hotel, brand, or guest experience? Reach out to Dan on LinkedIn or hit reply on the Substack to share what you’re working on. Links: Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@defininghospitality?sub_confirmation=1 Substack: https://www.defininghospitality.live/ Guest’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-diggins-8a1297a/ Guests Website: https://www.theramblehotel.com/ Dan Ryan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedailydanryan/ ✨ Defining Hospitality is Sponsored by Berman Falk https://www.bermanfalk.com/ - Check out their impact page! https://www.bermanfalk.com/impact/ Ways to Tune In: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386 Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419 Transistor: https://www.defininghospitality.live/

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