Design Matters More Than Ever
Every Saturday morning, usually coffee in hand, I open my friend Hans’ Differentiated Design newsletter. Hans Lorei never misses. But this week, after the California fires, his words hit differently.…
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Posts by author
Isaac French
24 posts
The Remarkable Story of the Dunlap Hollow A-frame & Cave
Amy’s a stay-at-home mom—they have 3 kids. Bryant’s an engineer by trade, but his 9-to-5 was unfulfilling. In 2018, they started searching for a slice of Hocking Hills, and just…
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A Denim Adventure (and lessons from experiential retail)
But what struck me most was the warmth and care of each staff member. They weren’t just selling clothes—they were both passionate about their craft and genuinely welcoming. This was…
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My Favorite Hotel In The World
Its 42 guest rooms are nestled within over 1,000 breathtaking acres. Inside one of the forty-two accommodations Let’s do some napkin math here: From my research, the ADR is $2,000/night(+/-),…
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This Brand Has Taste (and is going places)
Everything feels deeply personal. For every guest, hinter plants 10 trees through a non-profit partnership ($1/tree). Genius marketing, for just $10/stay. They’ve started writing and curating the hinter planet, a…
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Thanksgiving Is Here…
This intensity and drive has a double edge. Passion for details on the one side—impatience and frustration on the other. Like all of us, I battle this tension every day.…
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The Future of Hospitality: Commodity vs Experiential
This week, I found myself talking with an Airbnb arbitrage operator—let’s call him Gary. Great guy, but his approach to hospitality is a world apart from mine. We debated the…
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Experiential Hospitality at Its Finest: The Lost Kitchen
Absolutely brilliant!! (how many other hospitality businesses could do some version of this?!) This simple, old-fashioned system did more than solve logistics—it became part of the experience, adding a layer…
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Living Out Hospitality: Lessons from a $250M Entrepreneur
“Build it, [I’ll add: share it], and they’ll come!” After a fun (but exhausting) 24 hours in Deary, I flew down to Boise, and Nathan invited me over. I arrived…
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How To Build a World-Class Brand with Just 2 Cabins
Note: from what guests share with them, there’s clearly a huge opportunity for more nature-immersive retreats that are accessible. Hardly any exist, anywhere, meaning they typically have to find traditional…
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