This Week in Hospitality: Which Hotel Would You Steal for $1? Marina Bay Sands, Ted Turner's Ranch, and the Case for Hotel Emma

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Fifty episodes in, we're skipping the news and handing out the hospitality awards nobody asked for.

Zach, Ben, Edwin and a returning Scott Eddy each nominate, defend and vote across five categories. For "The Hotel I'd Steal," Scott and Edwin both take Marina Bay Sands - Edwin to bankroll a portfolio of tiny rural hotels with its profits - while Ben makes a play for Vermejo, Ted Turner's half-million-acre New Mexico reserve, and Zach stays closer to home with San Antonio's Hotel Emma and the Pearl District it anchors.

For "The Biggest Bet," Edwin backs Soho House's post-buyout second act as a wellness-driven lifestyle community, Ben doubles down on farm hospitality, Scott picks Ennismore's ecosystem approach, and Zach makes the case for Sloan Dean's AI Hospitality Group and its plan to rebuild the hotel management company from scratch.

The "Most Overrated" round goes after membership clubs, loyalty programs that measure points instead of genuine loyalty, brand proliferation nobody can explain, and the industry's obsession with capturing demand instead of creating it.

"Sleeping Giants" covers hotel staff as personal brands, the 45-to-65 first-time independent hotel buyer, the industry's missing attribution layer, and the day-guest economics of ResortPass.

And on "Hills We'll Die On": hospitality brands built on belonging rather than hotels, every hotel company thinking like a media company, ripping out the front desk, and why tech talent should be pouring into IRL experiences. Plus Edwin's Airbnb ad read that is absolutely not an Airbnb ad read.

Your Hosts:

Zach Busekrus — Journey LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachbusekrus/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behindthestays/

Scott Eddy — Global Travel & Hospitality Expert @MrScottEddy LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrscotteddy/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrscotteddy/

Ben Wolff — Founder of Onera & Oasi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-wolff/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iambenwolff/

Edwin Kramer — Luxury Hotelier Consultant & Former GM LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwinckramer/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edwinkramer/