The Columns

I’ve been stewing on this for a while, this infuriating tendency in our industry to build walls where we should be building bridges. Don’t fence me in. It’s a classic…

I’ve never been a foodie. I don’t worship chefs, and I feel zero awe when someone presents a dish like it’s some sacred relic. I eat like a kid, and…

The word “Experiences” has been cheapened. It’s plastered on every brochure, website, and PowerPoint slide, a lazy substitute for actually delivering something memorable. I see it and I’m left wondering,…

Bordeaux. Forty-two degrees in the shade. I stumble upon a café proudly calling itself “Earth-friendly” because it doesn’t use air conditioning. As if forcing people to sweat through their shirts…

I want to talk about “time”. The ultimate commodity, the one thing we can’t buy more of, and a concept we seem to have utterly lost control of in our…

This hotel hasn’t even opened yet. And yet—here we are. Google is already showing guest reviews. Verified ones, with shiny little stars. The funny thing? Nobody has ever stayed there.…

Messrs Soler and Loeb ask me to contribute each week with a bit of a rant and rave on a topic. Sometimes these are serious topics. Sometimes tongue in cheek.…

Not long ago, I clashed with a client. They wanted to rename their boutique hotel with a “catchy” name suggested by an agency still stuck in the era of glossy…

It’s truly remarkable, the collective pat on the back our industry often gives itself for “mastering” distribution. This quiet satisfaction that we’ve somehow reached the holy grail of digital capability,…

Have you ever watched a hotel receptionist scanning your passport and wondered: “Right, but where exactly does this stuff end up?” I have. Always. Then I usually get distracted by…