The Turndown: The Podcast for Hoteliers

A 15-year veteran of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Charlie Lopez-Quintana is now rewriting the rules of luxury hospitality at ETC Hotels, home to Shutters on the Beach and Hotel Casa del Mar.

In this episode of The Turndown, Charlie shares why the future of luxury isn’t about scripts, stiff formality, or hiding behind a front desk. It’s about laid-back luxury — a more human, intuitive approach where leaders roll up their sleeves, teams are empowered to create unscripted moments, and technology supports hospitality without replacing its soul.

 

Resources:

A guide to improving the hotel guest experience
Guest profiles: The foundation of personalized experiences

Enough one-night stands: A guest marketing playbook for driving repeat revenue

 

----more----

About Cloudbeds

Cloudbeds is the hospitality management system built for ambitious hoteliers who demand more. The Cloudbeds platform unifies operations, distribution, guest experience, and revenue marketing, giving operators a breadth of tools to capture demand, grow direct bookings, optimize pricing, maximize upsell revenue, and act on real-time intelligence within a single system.

Designed to scale with independent hotels, large hotel groups, and multi-property portfolios, Cloudbeds is trusted by tens of thousands of properties in more than 150 countries. Founded in 2012, Cloudbeds is recognized as a top Hotel Management System, PMS, and Channel Manager — and Best Place to Work — by Hotel Tech Report for eight consecutive years.

In this episode, Vipul Dayal shares how he stepped into hospitality after his father-in-law’s passing, inherited a powerful family legacy, and made the bold decision to take a historic Days Inn in San Francisco independent just as COVID shut the world down.

The conversation explores what it really takes to leave a franchise, build a brand from scratch, lead with purpose, and prepare teams for ownership. Vipul also opens up about his A.L.L. philosophy, advocacy, leadership, and legacy, plus his views on AI, TrevPAR, front-desk-free hotels, and why the future belongs to hoteliers willing to rethink the old playbook.

----more----

Resources:

Cloudbeds' 2026 guide to hotel deflagging
What is Total Revenue per Available Room (TRevPAR)?

10 best hotel software systems for independent properties

 

----more----

About Cloudbeds

Cloudbeds is the hospitality management system built for ambitious hoteliers who demand more. The Cloudbeds platform unifies operations, distribution, guest experience, and revenue marketing, giving operators a breadth of tools to capture demand, grow direct bookings, optimize pricing, maximize upsell revenue, and act on real-time intelligence within a single system.
Designed to scale with independent hotels, large hotel groups, and multi-property portfolios, Cloudbeds is trusted by tens of thousands of properties in more than 150 countries. Founded in 2012, Cloudbeds is recognized as a top Hotel Management System, PMS, and Channel Manager — and Best Place to Work — by Hotel Tech Report for eight consecutive years.

What does it really take to lead when the pressure never lets up, and the conversations most leaders avoid become impossible to ignore? In this episode of The Turndown, Suzanne Speak, Managing Director UK & Ireland at Radisson Hotel Group, shares an unfiltered look at leadership through constant change, personal strain, and menopause, a topic the industry has long kept in the shadows.

Suzanne breaks down what it means to lead while navigating invisible challenges, why silence around menopause is costing businesses more than they realize, and how leaders can build cultures where people don’t have to hide. From high-stakes decision-making to redefining resilience at the executive level, this conversation pushes beyond surface-level leadership advice and into what’s actually happening behind the scenes.

 

In this episode, Suzanne shares:

Why menopause is a leadership issue, not a personal one

What’s really happening across UK & Ireland hospitality right now

How guest expectations are evolving and what operators are getting wrong

Where AI fits and where it doesn’t in a human-first industry

Lessons from running complex operations like stadium hotels

The leadership mindset shifts that actually move careers forward

Why stepping away might be the most underrated performance strategy

What does it take to keep hospitality from becoming just another commodity? In this episode of The Turndown, Bashar Wali, Founder and CEO of This Assembly and Practice Hospitality, shares why the future of hotels lies not in points or perks, but in the power of human connection. 

 

Drawing on his experience as hotel developer, operator, and tireless traveler, Bashar challenges the industry to rethink loyalty, guest experience, and the role of technology. Discover why emotional intelligence is hospitality’s greatest asset – and how small, thoughtful moments can transform forgettable stays into lifelong loyalty.

What does it take to create a hospitality experience so unique that guests become your greatest advocates? In this episode of The Turndown, Brad Steward shares the philosophy behind Caravan Outpost, a place where intentional design and experiential travel collide.

Drawing on his background as a snowboarder, designer, and brand innovator, Brad brings a unique perspective to hospitality. Discover how his philosophy of “rugged luxury” combines innovation, storytelling, and hands-on craftsmanship to deliver experiences that speak directly to his guests’ desires—making them his brand’s biggest advocates and fans.