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.
Episodes
Mike Medsker is the founder of Siv, a hospitality technology company focused on helping hotels respond to group sales inquiries faster without sacrificing the human touch. After building and selling his first company, Focal, Mike returned to entrepreneurship to solve one of the biggest revenue leaks in hotel sales: slow or missing responses to meeting planners. Susan and Mike talk about response speed, sales strategy, and smarter s...
Josh Ellis is the co-founder of Abra, a hospitality technology platform that helps hotels create more personalized guest experiences by connecting fragmented guest data across operational systems. After an unconventional journey through philosophy, meditation, consulting, and hyper-growth tech, Josh teamed up with his wife and hotelier, Dana, to solve one of hospitality's biggest operational challenges. Susan and Josh talk about da...
Nick Falcone is an entrepreneur, developer, and hospitality innovator who has built businesses across restaurants, real estate, technology, and branded hospitality. As co-founder of Rentyl Resorts, he is helping redefine vacation lodging by creating purpose-built branded residential resorts that combine the space of a vacation home with the service and consistency of a luxury hotel. Susan and Nick talk about branding and building.
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Just like last week, this special episode of Top Floor comes to you from the Loading Dock at HITEC in San Antonio. A huge thank you to HFTP for hosting us at the hospitality industry's premier technology conference and for creating the opportunity to capture these unforgettable moments.
Aimee George, Aimee Inc. — The guest room mix-up that turned into every hotel manager's nightmare.
Ryan Brough, Hapi — The ce...
This special episode of Top Floor comes to you from the Loading Dock at HITEC in San Antonio. A huge thank you to HFTP for hosting us at the hospitality industry's premier technology conference and for creating the opportunity to capture these unforgettable moments. Instead of our usual in-depth interview, this milestone 250th episode is a collection of Loading Dock stories—funny, surprising, and unforgettable tales shared by...
Orlie Benjamin is the founder and CEO of Lasoh, a hospitality technology platform helping vacation rental and boutique lodging operators strengthen guest relationships through marketing automation, guest experience tools, and AI-powered workflows. After building her career with brands like American Airlines, NetJets, Disney, and Victoria's Secret, she traded corporate life for entrepreneurship, launching both a vacation rental busi...
Brian Quinn is Chief Development Officer for Rivett Group and My Place Hotels, bringing decades of experience spanning hotel operations, development, franchising, acquisitions, and brand growth. From starting as a bellman to leading nearly 800 hotel development deals, Brian has built a career around scaling businesses and developing people. Susan and Brian talk about playbooks, partnerships, and property performance.
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What...
Guest Bio
Michelle Davis is the General Manager of the SpringHill Suites Orange Beach at The Wharf and a recognized leader known for building high-performing teams and delivering standout guest experiences. Jason Kern is the General Manager of Embassy Suites St. Augustine Beach Oceanfront Resort, where he combines servant leadership with a deep passion for hospitality and team development. Together, these award-winning leaders shar...
Susan Barry is a marketer, podcaster, consultant, speaker, bird influencer, and serial starter of delightfully unconventional side projects, all connected by a deep belief in the power of creativity. In this solo episode, she explores why hospitality may be optimizing itself out of its most human advantage and what that means for education, recruitment, and guest experience.
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What You'll Learn:
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• Why hospitality is still...
Anna Blue is the founder and CEO of Blue Moss Group, where she helps organizations connect growth with purpose. With leadership experience spanning hospitality, nonprofits, advocacy, and media, Anna brings a unique perspective to hospitality through her work at the intersection of business strategy, social impact, and influence. Susan and Anna talk about creator culture, corporate authenticity, and hospitality's people problem.
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...Zack Gharib is the President of Red Roof, bringing decades of leadership experience across Marriott, Wyndham, Vacasa, and beyond. From a chance encounter with a hotel GM in Athens to leading one of hospitality's biggest tech transformations, Zack shares what it really takes to succeed in today's lodging landscape. Susan and Zack talk about AI automation, franchisee profitability, and vacation-rental versatility.
What You'll Learn:
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Lucy Lieberman is a longtime digital innovator who has spent her career jumping into emerging technology before the rest of the market catches up — from early websites and streaming to loyalty platforms and AI-powered travel. She's led digital transformation for brands like IHG, Amex, and FAO Schwartz, and she most recently served as CEO of Michelin Guide Hotels during one of the toughest moments in travel history. In this ep...
Emily Goldfischer is a hospitality PR veteran turned media entrepreneur and co-founder of hertelier, a platform amplifying women's voices in the hotel industry. After a decade shaping brand narratives at Loews Hotels and a pivot into journalism in London, she uncovered a glaring gap in female representation at the top. Susan and Emily talk about advocacy, research, and storytelling.
What You'll Learn:
• Why personalized pitches out...
Jelani Millard is the founder of the Wapechi Collection, a travel-focused investment platform blending hospitality, real estate, and emerging tech ventures. With roots in finance, he's carved a unique lane exploring how travel really works—from boutique hotels in Ghana to "Pay Me in Plane Tickets." Susan and Jelani talk about unpacking travel's hidden truths through stories, systems, and sacrifices.
What You'll Learn:
How a G...
Tim Leffel is a veteran travel writer and editor who left the music industry to explore the world, building a location-independent career along the way. He's reviewed over 1,500 hotels across dozens of countries and now publishes insights on remote work and global living. Susan and Tim talk about fear, freedom, and finding value in travel.
Why travel fears are overblown (and what's actually risky)
What it really takes to become...
Scott Webb is a longtime leader at Kolter Hospitality who turned a condo crisis into a thriving hotel portfolio spanning major brands. With over three decades of experience, he blends real estate discipline with hands-on hotel operations to drive smart growth. Susan and Scott talk about leadership lessons and share insights on people, performance, and property strategy.
What You'll Learn
• Why investing in team training beats c...
Chris Russell is a hospitality executive and CEO of Spire Hospitality, known for building and scaling hotel management companies from the ground up. A Culinary Institute of America graduate who pivoted from the kitchen to operations, he's spent decades shaping teams, launching platforms, and leading growth across the industry. Susan and Chris talk about career choices, company building, and culture shifts.
What You'll Learn
• H...
This is probably the weirdest episode yet. For seven minutes, Susan talks about not being a team player and why personal development is suspect. Then, she joins Calvin Tilokee for a joke-off of Spring-themed pick-up lines for hoteliers. Are you scratching your head in confusion? Good!
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Susan Barry on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/susandbarry/
Top Floor on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/company/top-floor-po...
Mark Wayman is a longtime executive recruiter and former tech-to-gaming industry insider known for building one of the most powerful networks in Las Vegas. He unpacks how careers evolve across industries and why relationships, not resumes, drive success. Susan and Mark talk about networking nuance, hiring honesty, and hospitality hustle.
• Why relationships beat talent in hiring decisions
• Why hosting beats attending networkin...
Jascha Kaykas-Wolff is the CEO of Visiting Media and a longtime tech leader who has helped shape digital marketing at companies like Yahoo, Microsoft, BitTorrent, and Mozilla. Raised in a socialist collective outside Eugene, Oregon, by a pioneering rock concert promoter, he grew up thinking deeply about systems, autonomy, and how teams work together. Susan and Jascha talk about AI acceleration, authentic leadership, and agile innov...
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