The Stanza

Part I: The Business of Six Figure Travel
How does one quantify the thesis that affluent consumers are prioritizing experiences over possessions? Luxury travel advisory SmartFlyer reports a 75% year over year increase in trips exceeding $500,000, alongside a 41% rise in bookings between $100,000 and $499,000.
In this mini segment, SmartFlyer COO Erina Pindar shares what is fueling this growth, from multi-generational safaris in Botswana to Antarctica by private jet and yacht-hopping across the Mediterranean. She explains why modern luxury is defined by privacy, access, and highly personalized execution.
At this level, it’s not just about the hotel. It’s about designing a journey that feels entirely your own.
This episode is made possible by SmartFlyer. Follow @smartflyer on Instagram or visit smartflyer.com to learn more.

Part II: Dreams Don’t Have a Price”: The Philosophy Behind Lake Como’s Most Iconic Hotels
Valentina De Santis is a third-generation hotelier and the owner of two of Lake Como’s most celebrated properties: the iconic Grand Hotel Tremezzo and the intimate 24-room villa hotel, Passalacqua — which debuted at #1 on The World’s 50 Best Hotels list in 2022.
Her family has shaped Lake Como hospitality for over half a century. In the 1970s, her grandfather acquired the historic Grand Hotel Tremezzo — originally built in 1910 to serve Europe’s aristocracy — and restored it to its former grandeur. What began as a bold entrepreneurial leap became a generational legacy rooted in independence, long-term stewardship, and an uncompromising belief in beauty.
Born and raised on the shores of Lake Como — quite literally in the back corridors of the Grand Hotel Tremezzo — Valentina grew up immersed in the rhythms of hospitality. Today, she serves as both custodian and visionary for her family’s portfolio, expanding it thoughtfully while preserving its soul. Alongside her parents, she led the acquisition and transformation of Passalacqua, an 18th-century villa that had been a private home for over 200 years before reopening as one of the most celebrated boutique hotels in the world.
In an era dominated by global hotel groups and private equity, Valentina remains fiercely committed to family ownership, financial independence, and building for continuity — not exit. Her philosophy blends instinct with discipline, emotional intelligence with operational rigor, and above all, a deeply Italian belief in villeggiatura: the art of slow, meaningful travel.

This interview was filmed at Casabianca in Lake Como, the De Santis family's art gallery showcasing their personal collection of modern and contemporary art.

Interview Highlights
Growing up inside the Grand Hotel Tremezzo and witnessing Lake Como’s evolution

The four-week auction battle that led to acquiring Passalacqua

Restoring an eighteenth-century villa under Italy’s preservation laws

Winning number one in the world and choosing to change nothing

The philosophy of villeggiatura and creating hotels that slow guests down

The subtle operational details that quietly define true luxury

Designing for conviction instead of guest expectations

Why financial independence is non-negotiable

Defining success through continuity rather than exit

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Connect with Valentina on Instagram
Follow Passalacqua and Grand Hotel Tremezzo

Today’s guest is Ian Schrager, the legendary hotelier, entrepreneur, and cultural pioneer who reshaped nightlife and hospitality as we know it.
Ian first made his mark in the 1970s as the co-founder of Studio 54, the iconic New York nightclub that became a symbol of glamour, freedom, and cultural revolution. Alongside his partner Steve Rubell, Ian created an experience that transcended nightlife, merging design, celebrity, and theatricality into something entirely new.
After Studio 54, Ian continued to reinvent hospitality. In the 1980s, he launched the Morgans Hotel Group, introducing the world’s first “boutique hotel” : a concept that blended art, design, and service in a way that changed the industry forever. At a time when hotels were seen purely as places to sleep, Ian reimagined them as vibrant social hubs, activating lobbies, bars, and restaurants as dynamic public spaces that reflected and contributed to the cultural life of a city. With properties like Morgans, the Royalton, and the Delano, he transformed the hotel from a travel necessity into a cornerstone of the modern urban landscape: a place where design, community, and experience converged.
In more recent years, Ian has continued to redefine hospitality with two visionary brands. EDITION Hotels, created in partnership with Marriott International, brings his boutique sensibility to a global stage. With around 22 properties worldwide, from New York and Miami Beach to London, Barcelona, Tokyo, and Dubai, each EDITION is designed as a one-of-a-kind reflection of its city, combining understated luxury, cutting-edge design, and activated social spaces that feel both intimate and electric.
By contrast, PUBLIC represents Ian’s evolution of the idea: “luxury for all.” Its flagship on New York’s Lower East Side, designed by Herzog & de Meuron, reimagines the hotel experience through high style, technology, and inclusivity, featuring self check-in, vibrant communal areas, and nightlife-driven energy at a democratic price point. With plans to expand to West Hollywood and beyond, PUBLIC distills Schrager’s decades of innovation into an accessible, modern model for the next generation of travelers.
Across every chapter of his career, Ian Schrager has consistently challenged convention, blurring the lines between hospitality, art, and lifestyle, and influencing generations of hoteliers, designers, and creatives along the way.
In this episode, Ian reflects on his incredible journey, from Studio 54 to the present, and shares the insights, risks, and instincts that have defined his enduring legacy.
A heartfelt thank you to Peoplevine for sponsoring The Stanza podcast this year (and for supporting The Stanza since the beginning). If you run a members club or a hotel that needs a CRM for top performance, Peoplevine is trusted by the best brands in the members club business. Book a free demo to see why at ⁠peoplevine.com.⁠

Interview Highlights:
How Ian Schrager brought the lessons of Studio 54 into hospitality

Turning hotel lobbies into social and cultural spaces

The $60,000 deal that led to his first hotel, Morgans

What “boutique hotel” really meant in its original form

Ian’s perspective on copycats

How creativity and independence can survive inside big hotel brands

Redefining luxury as an experience, not a price point

Ian’s advice for young hoteliers

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Dr. Jonathan Leary is the founder of Remedy Place, the social wellness club reimagining how we gather, recover, and connect. Trained in medicine and drawn to a more human, preventative approach, Jonathan spent years building a concierge sports-medicine practice while refining a 150-page business plan for a new kind of health club - one that could make self-care social and compelling. He opened the first Remedy Place in Los Angeles and has since expanded to New York and Boston, with a growing movement around contrast therapy, IV lounges, and community-driven rituals that help people feel better together.

In this conversation, Jonathan shares his founder story: from the pivot that gave him five years of real-world data, to why he personally guaranteed his first lease. We unpack the idea of “social self-care” and why drink dates blunt connection, the business model behind Remedy Place, and what he’s learned scaling from two to four clubs in just months.Thank you to Peoplevine for sponsoring the 2025 season of The Stanza. Peoplevine is the trusted CRM software for the best brands in hospitality. Book a free demo to see why at peoplevine.com.

Interview Highlights:
Being early to a global trend

How rejection led to building a data-backed business

Defining “social wellness”

Health as a tool for success in other aspects of your life

Why Remedy Place didn’t include a gym

Jonathan’s views on copycats

The role of brand design, accessibility, and perceived exclusivity

Convincing skeptical investors

Personally guaranteeing his first lease and Jonathan’s attitude towards risk

What stabilization looks like for new wellness clubs

Being comfortable being misunderstood

Jonathan’s advice for wellness entrepreneurs

Follow Jonathan on⁠ Instagram⁠
Follow Remedy Place on Instagram and learn more here
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Today's guest is Eugene Remm, who co-founded Catch Hospitality Group in 2011. Eugene has opened Catch locations in 7 different markets throughout the U.S. and most recently, The Corner Store in New York, which has been a big success. Eugene started his hospitality career in the New York nightlife business in the 2000's, launching hit concepts such as Tenjune and SL, before pivoting to large format restaurants post 2008. Following this defining moment in his career, Eugene doubled down on the Catch concept and took a bold step forward by launching the LA location. In 2017, upon the success of Catch LA, Tilman Fertitta became a partner in Catch Hospitality Group. In this interview, we chatted about Eugene's background as a Russian immigrant and his attitude towards entrepreneurship, and building longevity in hospitality through the humility to learn from mistakes and relentlessly evolving the guest experience.

Thank you Peoplevine for making this podcast possible. Peoplevine is trusted by the best brands in the members club business. Book a free demo to see why at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠peoplevine.com.⁠ ⁠⁠

Interview Highlights:
The American Dream and entrepreneurship
Opening hit nightclubs in NYC in the 2000's
Pivoting to large format restaurants post 2008
How Eugene convinced Tilman Fertitta to join Catch as a partner
Longevity in hospitality
Economics of a small format NYC restaurant

Follow Eugene on Instagram
Learn more about Catch Hospitality Group
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Jeff Klein started his hospitality career in 1993 as a bellman at The Franklin Hotel, where he learned the ropes of running a hotel in various operational roles. His first hotel project was the successful repositioning of a midtown office building into The City Club hotel. After The City Club, Jeff raised capital to acquire the dilapidated Argyle Hotel on Sunset Boulevard, and repositioned it to The Sunset Tower Hotel, an iconic LA destination.  The Tower Bar at that hotel was his first restaurant, and remains an elegant destination for celebrities, Hollywood elite, and cultural tastemakers.

In 2013, Jeff acquired the San Vicente Inn, which was a run-down seedy motel in the heart of West Hollywood, and transformed it into the San Vicente Bungalows, an exclusive private members club known for attracting high profile industry executives. Most recently, due to the demand for the privacy and discretion that the club distinctly offers, Jeff has expanded San Vicente Bungalows to Santa Monica on Ocean Boulevard and at the Jane Hotel in New York's West Village.

Jeff is one of the rare hospitality entrepreneurs that has an intuitive understanding of how to buy good real estate and how to curate a timeless experience that fosters longevity and loyalty. In this interview, Jeff shares the stories behind the deals that made his career, and the valuable lessons learned along the way. Thank you Peoplevine for making this podcast possible. Peoplevine is trusted by the best brands in the members club business. Book a free demo to see why at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠peoplevine.com.⁠ ⁠
Interview Highlights:
How Jeff got his start in hospitality
Creating the Sunset Tower Hotel
Jeff's various investors in Sunset Tower
What makes a great capital partner?
Opening the Monkey Bar with Graydon Carter
The subconscious elements have big impact
The acquisition story behind San Vicente Bungalows
Fundraising challenges with SVB
Building properties loved by Hollywood
Hospitality is the business of emotions
Lessons about human nature
Advice for emerging hoteliers
Learn more about JK Hotel Group here.
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