How do you build a luxury resort on an island most travelers have never visited? Michael Tibbetts shares the story behind Salterra in South Caicos and the decisions that made it possible.

Michael is the founder and CEO of Salterra, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa. Before committing fully to hospitality, he was an ophthalmologist balancing patient care with responsibility for his family's resorts in the Cayman Islands.

In this episode of The Hospitality Mentor Podcast, he joins Steve Turk to discuss what medicine taught him about trust, how he made the decision to change careers and what it took to turn an existing property into a luxury resort with a clear sense of place.

We get into:

• What caring for patients taught Michael about caring for guests and leading teams
• Why outside experience can make you a stronger leader in a family business
• How South Caicos' salt history shaped Salterra's design and guest experience
• The shipping, staffing and access challenges behind a small-island resort
• Why he chose Marriott's Luxury Collection for Salterra
• Why a major hotel affiliation still requires personal sales and relationship work
• The human skills Michael believes future hospitality leaders should develop

Explore Salterra:

https://www.salterra.com/

Presented by Lodgify. Use promo code THM60 for the show's Lodgify offer. See Lodgify for current terms and eligible plans:

https://www.lodgify.com/

Subscribe to The Hospitality Mentor for conversations with the people building, operating and leading hospitality businesses.

00:00 Welcome and Lodgify

00:44 Meet Michael Tibbetts

02:33 A first job on the landscaping crew

03:16 His family's Cayman Islands resort legacy

04:51 Choosing a career in medicine

07:10 What patient care taught him about hospitality

10:22 How to handle difficult conversations

13:02 Choosing between medicine and the family business

17:01 Finding the South Caicos opportunity

21:28 Rethinking the project during COVID

23:19 The story behind Salterra's design

27:35 Partners, construction and island logistics

29:00 Making South Caicos easier to reach

31:28 Staff housing and a global team

33:12 Why join Marriott's Luxury Collection?

34:50 Why the owner still has to build relationships

37:34 Gelato, family and the moments guests remember

39:04 Michael's vision for Salterra's next chapter

41:07 Advice for future hospitality leaders

Host Steve Turk interviews Melissa Blettner, CEO of Boyd Hollow Resorts and Ancient Lore Village in Knoxville, Tennessee. Melissa explains founder Tom Boyd’s book inspired mission to create a fantasy village where only good exists and guests leave happier, kinder, and friendlier.

She shares her hospitality start from an XL Inn front desk job to studying hospitality management, advancing through roles in front office, sales, and leadership, and spending 20 years at Great Wolf Lodge building brand culture, openings, and a large call center with strong standards.

After Great Wolf’s culture shifted following Blackstone’s acquisition and a corporate move to Chicago, she consulted before joining Boyd Hollow. Ancient Lore Village offers 14 themed dwellings on 67 acres, day passes, dining, axe throwing, archery, events, retreats, and weddings, and is expanding with Boki’s Trek Experience and an Ancient Lore Wellbeing Retreat.

00:00 Show Kickoff

00:31 Sponsor Lodgify

01:34 Meet Melissa

02:23 Ancient Lore Origin

04:03 First Hospitality Job

06:08 Breaking Into Hotels

07:51 Career Steps Forward

10:18 Great Wolf Breakthrough

12:44 Growing at Great Wolf

16:13 Call Center Culture

17:41 Brand Building Playbook

21:19 Leaving After 20 Years

22:12 From Mars To Buyout

22:49 Dream Big Consulting Reality

24:24 Finding Boyne Hollow

26:19 What Ancient Lore Offers

28:23 Managing Crowds And Groups

30:39 Small Resort Big Opening

32:20 Guests Define The Magic

34:41 Future Attractions And Wellness

36:02 Luxury Not Kitschy Design

40:13 Team Growth And Mentorship

42:10 Advice And Farewell

Host Steve Turk introduces Josef Forstmayr, managing director of Round Hill Hotel and Villas in Jamaica. Forstmayr shares growing up working in his parents’ Austrian farm restaurant, attending hotel school in Salzburg, and arriving in Jamaica in 1979 as a German tutor before quickly becoming an assistant manager and advancing to GM roles, including rebuilding Trident after Hurricane Allen.

Hired in 1989 to convert Round Hill from a winter-only operation to a year-round resort, he describes evolving the property into a family- and group-friendly luxury destination guided by “timeless elegance, understated luxury, warm Jamaican heart,” with design input from shareholder Ralph Lauren and tech perspective from Bob Pittman.

He emphasizes Jamaica’s authentic luxury, staff legacy across generations, strong community investment and charity work, rapid recovery after Hurricane Melissa, and advises young hoteliers to learn multiple languages to build international careers.

00:00 Welcome to the Podcast

00:31 Sponsor Lodgify Message

01:34 Meet Josef in Jamaica

01:57 First Job and Jamaica Move

04:13 Hurricanes and Career Growth

06:11 Transforming Round Hill Year Round

09:02 Growing Up in Family Restaurant

11:23 Why He Stayed in Jamaica

14:27 Round Hill Owners and Design

19:08 Evolving with Core Values

23:53 Real Jamaica Beyond Cruises

29:52 Community Hikes and Belonging

31:27 Running Long Term with Locals

33:32 Giving Back and Hurricane Recovery

36:33 Future of Authentic Luxury Jamaica

39:27 Advice Learn More Languages

42:04 Wrap Up and Where to Visit