What We’ve Learned Running Community Programs – Ed Skapinok, Appellation

Ed Skapinok, Chief Commercial Officer at Appellation, has joined us before to talk about culinary-forward luxury hospitality – and I’ve shared how their “Crafted” program felt as a guest. In this episode, we explore this program redefining hospitality in Northern California.

Listeners will learn about:

• The Philosophy of Place: Discover how Appellation’s brand ethos, “place defines us,” is brought to life through its Crafted program, emphasizing the importance of local culture and environment in hospitality.
• Immersive Learning: Gain insights into how Appellation employs an immersive learning expert to create unique experiences that connect hotel guests with local artisans and makers.
• Community Engagement: Understand the strategies behind engaging not only hotel guests but also the local community through informal classes and ticketed events.
• The Crafted Program: Learn about the Crafted program’s role in hotel pre-launch activities, its impact on brand presence, and how it serves as a feedback mechanism for resonating with local audiences.
• Business Acumen: Ed shares the business side of these experiences, discussing yield management and how to create an active, energetic public space that benefits both the hotel and its guests.
• Creating Connections: Find out how Appellation’s approach to crafting local experiences fosters meaningful interactions between visitors and locals, enhancing the overall destination experience.

This episode is brought to you with support from Sojern. I teamed up with Sojern to study how hoteliers use data to drive revenue and build stronger guest relationships. You can see what we found in this research report: How Hotel Brands Are Using First-Party Data to Drive Revenue & Build Stronger Relationships.

Music by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands