This week I sat down with Adam Hamadache, founder of Formula and host of the Hotel Growth Podcast, a man who has spent the last 15 years helping hotels figure out how to grow in an industry that never seems to sit still for more than five minutes.

What followed was part hospitality strategy masterclass, part therapy session for modern business owners, and part beautifully chaotic conversation about AI, audience-less keynote speeches, and why hiring experts only to tell them exactly what to do might be “the definition of madness.”

From working in a shoe shop during school work experience while dreaming of hotels, to shouting orders on the grill in a Sydney restaurant kitchen overlooking the Opera House, Adam’s journey is full of sharp pivots, curiosity, and a relentless obsession with solving problems properly.

Along the way we get into the terrifying speed of AI, why hospitality still massively underuses its own data, what business owners can learn from bad football defending, and the deeply humbling experience of delivering a keynote presentation to an audience of… one.

And honestly?

The audience of one story alone is worth the price of admission (Which is free by the way)

In this episode, Adam and I get into…

• Why careers often evolve through curiosity rather than rigid planning

• How a failed hotel promotion model accidentally launched an entire hospitality marketing career

• The ongoing battle between hotels and OTAs, and why direct bookings still matter so much

• What operators misunderstand about marketing partnerships

• Why Formula made the bold decision to hire only highly experienced people

• The power of friction, challenge and healthy disagreement in great businesses

• Why “slow down to speed up” might be the most important business lesson of all

• The terrifying speed of AI and how search behaviour is fundamentally changing

• Why hospitality still isn’t using data and technology anywhere near its full potential

• How fear of being left behind can push businesses into bad tech decisions

• Why independent hoteliers often feel isolated when facing huge commercial challenges

• The thinking behind Adam’s new hospitality advisory board concept

And so much more.

Some cracking quote-ables from Adam…

“You don’t buy a dog and bark yourself”

“Search has changed more in the last 18 months than in the previous 18 years”

“You’ve got to slow down to speed up”

“The bold, harder decisions are often much less expensive than the easy decisions you choose to tolerate”

“Doing the same thing and expecting a different result is madness… but so is hiring experts and then telling them exactly how to do their job”

Why this episode is worth your ears

This is one of those conversations that goes way beyond marketing.

Yes, there’s loads in here about AI, growth strategy, technology, customer behaviour and the future of hospitality… but underneath all of that is a really thoughtful conversation about leadership, humility, evolution and the importance of staying curious when the world feels like it’s changing at breakneck speed.

Adam’s honesty around business ownership, difficult decisions, and learning to pause before reacting makes this one feel incredibly grounded and real.

It’s also reassuringly human.

Because sometimes even successful keynote speakers end up presenting to one confused bloke in a conference room.

And somehow…

that might actually be the perfect metaphor for modern business.

Show Partner

A big shout out to today’s show partner, RotaCloud, the people management platform built specifically for shift based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes, all from one simple, web-based app.

It also makes life easier for teams, allowing staff to check rotas, request holiday, and pick up extra shifts directly from their phones.

To find out more, head to RotaCloud

This week, I sat down with Gareth Rees, and this is one of those conversations that feels properly important.

Not just for hospitality… but for how we think about people, performance, and what “doing a good job” actually means

Gareth now runs ADHospitalityD, with a mission to educate the industry on neurodiversity, breaking down misconceptions, supporting individuals, and helping businesses create environments where people can genuinely thrive.

But his story starts where many of ours do…

On the floor

In this episode, Gareth and I get into…

• Growing up in hospitality with both parents in the industry
• Falling in love with the buzz (and chaos) of a busy service at a young age
• Originally planning a career in sports… before hospitality pulled him back in
• Working his way through the industry via the Exclusive Collection grad scheme
• Why understanding the full guest journey matters in leadership
• Stepping into a Head of Department role, and suddenly hitting a wall
• The shift from doing the job to enabling others to do it
• Struggling with admin, pressure, and expectations, despite loving the industry
• Discovering ADHD later in life and what that explained
• The concept of interest-based vs importance-based nervous systems (game-changer 👀)
• Why traditional productivity advice doesn’t work for everyone
• Adjusting ways of working to suit how your brain actually functions
• And ultimately… turning that experience into a mission to support others

Some cracking quote-ables from Gareth

“We need to value the strengths, but appreciate the struggles”

“I wasn’t failing… I just hadn’t been set up in a way that worked for me”

“At Head of Department level, your output changes, and that’s where it hit me”

“I could do the job… but I couldn’t do it the way everyone else expected”

“You don’t ‘fix’ this, you learn how to work with it”

Why this episode is worth your ears

If you lead people… this one matters

Because it challenges a lot of assumptions we make about:

• Productivity
• Performance
• Communication
• And what “good” looks like at work

Gareth’s story is a powerful reminder that not everyone operates the same way, and that’s not a weakness.

In fact, when you understand it properly?

It can be a huge strength

And for an industry built on people…

That’s something we can’t afford to ignore.

Contact Gareth through his website at https://adhospitalityd.com/ or Instagram

Show Partners

A big shout out to the first of today’s show partner, RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

This week on Hospitality Meets, Phil sits down with another Phil, that being Phil Andreopoulos, CEO of YOTEL, for a conversation that starts with washing pots in restaurants… and somehow ends with power naps, gorilla trekking, hotel disruption and leadership philosophy.

Inspired by a first class airline cabin and created by the founder of YO! Sushi, YOTEL has always challenged the “that’s just how hotels work” mentality, and this episode dives into exactly why.

Along the way, the two Phils discuss:

• Why understanding your own energy patterns might be one of the most underrated leadership skills around
• The importance of healthy friction in teams
• Building cultures that aren’t just clones of the leader
• Why communication matters most when uncertainty is highest
• The reality of navigating major business change
• Why hospitality still offers one of the greatest careers in the world
• And why getting promoted from pots and pans to plates and glasses once felt like a massive career breakthrough 😂

There’s also loads of brilliant insight around leadership, culture, growth and vision, without ever disappearing too far up its own backside.

Phil Andreopoulos speaks openly about:

• Growing through the hospitality industry
• His journey from kitchen porter to CEO
• Building franchise growth across global hotel brands
• The recent Hilton partnership with YOTEL
• Why “fun at work” matters more than people think
• And the importance of creating environments where people actually want to be

Some standout quotes from the episode:

“Knowing yourself is a hugely underrated leadership skill”

“If you leave gaps in communication, people will fill them”

“We spend a huge amount of our lives at work. It should be successful… but it should also be fun”

“You don’t build great teams by hiring people exactly like you”

“Hospitality is one of the greatest industries in the world… and I still don’t think we tell that story well enough”

There’s wisdom in this one.

There’s humour in this one.

There’s also a genuinely fascinating story about how a first-class airline seat accidentally became a hotel concept.

Classic hospitality really. Somebody looked at a plane seat and thought:

“…yeah, but what if we put a shower next to it?” 😂

Enjoy.

Show Partners

A big shout out to the first of today’s show partner, RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com

This week, I sat down with the brilliant Guy Freedman, Hotel Director at The Pig & The Pig in the Wall, and honestly, this one felt like a giant exhale.

A conversation about leadership, yes.

Culture, absolutely.

But also… naked guests, rogue deer, flood rescues in a Land Rover, student days in a fudge kitchen, and why maybe fun has been unfairly underestimated as a serious business strategy.

Guy’s journey, from a self-confessed chatty teenager being redirected out of the kitchen and into front of house, to Hotel Director at The Pig - is packed with warmth, mischief, humility and some beautifully simple thinking about what makes hospitality…well... hospitality.

In this episode, Guy and I get into…

• How a careers adviser effectively turned “I like eating and drinking” into a career path 😅
• Why his kitchen career lasted roughly three weeks
• Student jobs in fudge kitchens, pot washing and night cleaning, and why every odd job teaches you something
• Falling for The Pig over a hungover lunch… then resigning before he even had the job
• Why great hospitality businesses recruit personality first, train skill second
• Growing through the ranks at The Pig and opening a hotel just in time for COVID (timing 👀)
• Why fun at work isn’t fluff, it’s culture
• Turning staffing shortages into team challenges, not team stress
• The now-legendary flood day
• Why adversity often creates the best guest experiences
• Working nights in London and the surprisingly frequent issue of naked guests locking themselves out of rooms
• Rogue animals, escaped deer, wandering bullocks… and the operational realities no hotel school prepares you for

Some cracking quote-ables from Guy

“We’ve always recruited personality.”

“I got to play at those hotels”

“If we can make it fun, people want to come to work”

“Don’t take a step back”

“There’s always adversity in this industry… so you may as well have fun with it”

“It’s only work” (which somehow sounded profound in context)

🎧 Why this episode is worth your ears

This one is a brilliant reminder that hospitality doesn’t have to choose between performance and joy.

You can be serious about standards…

and still be playful.

You can lead through pressure…

and still laugh.

And maybe, just maybe, the teams that have the most fun are often the teams that perform the best.

There’s loads in here about leadership, culture and community… but also some glorious stories that remind you why so many of us fell in love with this industry in the first place.

And honestly?

Any episode featuring fudge, floods and naked guests was always going to be worth a listen.

Show Partners

A big shout out to the first of today’s show partner, RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

This week, I sat down with the brilliant Basel Jabri, and this one’s got everything.

Global upbringing, accidental career pivots, iconic hotel brands, and a journey that goes from literally steering boats in Dubai… to leading people & culture across a luxury London hotel group.

And the best bit?

It all started with a dream that didn’t happen.

In this episode, Basel and I get into…

• Growing up internationally thanks to his father’s career in aviation
• Why he originally wanted to be a pilot, and how 9/11 changed that path overnight
• Falling into hospitality… and grabbing the opportunity without overthinking it
• Moving to Dubai at 21 and stepping into one of the most iconic hospitality boom periods
• Starting out in guest relations (and unexpectedly managing boat transfers 😅)
• The power of saying yes to opportunities, even when they’re not what you expected
• Moving into training and HR… and discovering a passion for people development
• Leading teams at just 25, and the reality of responsibility hitting fast
• Working across some of the world’s most recognisable luxury brands: Jumeirah, Shangri-La, Raffles, Rotana, Hyatt, Meliá, Hilton
• Experiencing hospitality across cultures - and why Dubai feels like the “United Nations” of the industry

Some cracking quote-ables from Basel

“I didn’t choose hospitality… it chose me”

“I grabbed the opportunity, I didn’t wait for the perfect plan”

“At 25, your signature suddenly means something”

“Dubai showed me the world before I ever travelled it”

“You need to say yes first… and figure it out after”

Why this episode is worth your ears

If you’ve ever felt like your career didn’t go to plan…

Good.

Because Basel’s story is a brilliant reminder that sometimes the best paths are the ones you didn’t intend to take.

There’s also a huge amount in here around:

• Leadership at a young age
• Learning through experience (not titles)
• Building confidence in completely new environments
• And why people & culture should sit at the heart of hospitality

Plus… more than a few stories you don’t hear every day

Show Partners

A big shout out to the first of today’s show partner, RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

This week, I sat down with the brilliant Newton Fernandes - and this is one of those conversations that reminds you just how non-linear careers in hospitality can be.

From starting out as a journalist, to working in airline reservations, to quite literally being invited across the road into a hotel career… Newton’s journey spans continents, cultures, and some seriously big roles.

We’re talking global brand, marketing, and communications at a scale that’s hard to get your head around, but always grounded in one thing: understanding people.

In this episode, Newton and I get into…

• Growing up across the Middle East, India, and Europe, and how that shaped his worldview
• Starting out in journalism and developing a love for storytelling
• Moving into American Airlines… and then being recruited into hospitality by a hotel GM across the street
• Why travel, tourism, and hospitality are one industry (and should act like it)
• The reality of working in different cultures, and why curiosity beats assumption every time
• Moving to London and adapting to a completely different way of working
• Starting at the “bottom” in PR & marketing, and why that foundation matters
• Managing brand and marketing across 450 hotels, 12 brands, and 33 countries
• Why structure, training, and community are essential at scale
• Moving to Marriott and navigating the world of franchise vs managed hotels
• Helping independent hotels plug into global brands without losing their identity

Some cracking quote-ables from Newton

“I didn’t move into hospitality… I was invited into it”

“Travel and hospitality are not separate industries, they’re one”

“You can’t understand a hotel brand unless you’ve seen it on the ground”

“Curiosity is more important than assumption”

“The way you work in one country won’t work in another, you have to adapt”

Why this episode is worth your ears

If you’ve ever thought your career path is a bit all over the place… good.

Newton’s story is proof that the most interesting careers are built through curiosity, opportunity, and saying yes to things you didn’t plan.

There’s also a ton in here around leadership at scale, how you manage people, brand, and culture across different countries, different expectations, and different ways of working.

And a reminder that in a global industry like ours…

Understanding people is everything

Show Partners

A big shout out to the first of today’s show partner, RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

This week, I sat down with the brilliant Dawn Lister - and honestly, I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to get someone from the world of sales on the show.

And what an introduction to it this was.

From wanting to be an air stewardess at 10 years old, to building a 20+ year career in hotel sales, Dawn’s journey is packed with graft, growth, resilience… and a lot of persistence (some might call it “relentless follow-up” 😅).

Now Sales Director for B&B Hotels UK, Dawn brings a no-nonsense, people-first approach to an area of hospitality that often gets misunderstood, and massively underestimated.

In this episode, Dawn and I get into…

• How a childhood dream of travel turned into a lifelong career in hospitality
• Starting in conference & banqueting… and quickly being moved out of it 😅
• Falling in love with sales (mainly by talking too much at coffee breaks)
• Why she didn’t go to university - and built her career through doing instead
• The importance of early mentors (and learning under “formidable” leadership)
• Being told to stop calling people so much… and why persistence still wins
• The reality of sales: rejection, resilience, and finding the right fit
• Leading with a “people first” mindset - both with customers and teams
• Why hospitality sales isn’t about the product… it’s about the experience

Some cracking quote-ables from Dawn

“Revenue isn’t revenue until it’s banked”

“Hope is not a strategy” (Dammit)

“If you’re not the right fit, that’s fine, but let’s have the conversation first”

“We’re all selling similar products… the difference is how you make people feel”

“Some people told me to stop calling… those are the ones I enjoyed winning the most”

Why this episode is worth your ears

If you’ve ever worked in sales, or been on the receiving end of it, this one’s for you.

Dawn strips it right back to what great sales actually is:

curiosity, conversation, and care.

There’s no fluff here. Just real insight into what it takes to build relationships, handle rejection, and lead teams in a world where everyone’s selling something similar.

And if nothing else… you’ll never look at a follow-up call the same way again

Show Partners

A big shout out to the first of today’s show partner, RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

This week, I sat down with the brilliant Paul Hunter, and after nearly a year of trying to make it happen, we finally got the conversation in the can.

And it was worth the wait.

From early days in hospitality (and admittedly being a “bit of a mischievous lad”) to launching hotels across London, navigating redundancy during COVID with twin new borns, and now stepping into a brand new luxury estate role back in Yorkshire… Paul’s journey is packed with honesty, resilience, and a proper appreciation for the twists life throws your way.

We talk about growth, mistakes, leadership, and why sometimes the plan you had isn’t the one you end up living, and that’s exactly where the magic happens.

In this episode, Paul and I get into…

• His early entry into hospitality through weekend jobs and how it quietly became a career
• The “cheeky chappy” phase… and the moment his brother told him to go to London and grow up
• Learning the craft of hotels with Premier Inn, and why fundamentals matter more than flash
• Launching multiple hotels across London and what that teaches you about scale and standards
• Winning an Acorn Award and how that opened his eyes to a bigger world beyond his role
• Managing three different hotel brands in Leicester Square (and juggling three ways of working at once)
• The brutal reality of COVID redundancy with a young family, and navigating uncertainty
• Relocating back to Yorkshire and rebuilding from the ground up
• Launching GuestHouse Hotels’ No.1 York and building something from scratch
• The power of giving people second chances, including working with prison rehabilitation programmes
• Why mistakes aren’t failures, they’re proof you’re actually pushing yourself

Some cracking quoteables from Paul

“You can have a plan… and then something comes along and completely changes it”

“I think that’s where I learned hotels”

“Mistakes aren’t bad things, they just mean you tried something different”

“If you’re not making mistakes, you’re probably playing it too safe”

“Life’s about making mistakes… as long as you learn from them”

“You don’t get that level of success without being great at what you do”

Why this episode is worth your ears

If you’ve ever felt like your career hasn’t gone in a straight line… good. That’s exactly the point.

Paul’s story is a brilliant reminder that growth often comes from the unexpected, whether that’s a tough boss, a redundancy, a relocation, or just saying yes to a conversation you didn’t see coming.

There’s loads in here about leadership, resilience, and the importance of early opportunities in shaping careers, especially in hospitality.

Whether you’re just starting out or leading teams of your own, this one will give you a fresh perspective on what progress actually looks like.

Show Partners

A big shout out to the first of today’s show partner, RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil