Breaking Free from Holiday Inn: Why I Stopped Playing It Safe to Redefine Hospitality – Eric Jafari, AENDRE Group

In this episode, Eric Jafari, founder of AENDRE Group, shares his journey from a stable career in real estate investment to redefining hospitality through innovative concepts. 

You’ll learn:

• Why predictability stifles innovation in the hospitality industry.
• How culture shapes risk-taking and the importance of embracing trial and error.
• The disconnect between traditional hotel investments and consumer preferences.
• Insights into the creation and success of the Locke hotel concept.
• The evolving definition of wellness in the context of modern hospitality.

In this conversation, Eric and I also talk about Claus Sendlinger at Design Hotels, Future Labs, the Independent Lodging Congress, SoulCycle, and Barry’s Bootcamp.

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Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands