SMACK Hospitality

350 hotels. 58 countries. And they reject 95% of hotel applications. Ouch.

Fritz caught up with Stijn Oyen, Managing Director of Design Hotels, at upnxt26 - organised by Elevatr Hospitality - to talk about how you build a global brand without selling your soul…

Fun fact: Stijn's career started in a two-star Michelin kitchen. He still runs hospitality like a chef: teamwork, zero compromises, and every detail has to be perfect or it doesn't leave the pass.

Now, here's what Stijn shared:

• Curation is the Superpower

Design Hotels gets 400+ applications a year. Only 5% make it in. They're not just collecting properties, but rather building a community of visionaries. (And 60% of their owners are first-timers. Bold moves only.)

• The Marriott Trade-Off

Design Hotels brought Marriott 90 new destinations. In return? Access to Marriott Bonvoy's global reach and serious commercial firepower, while staying fiercely independent.

• Travelers Want to Be Changed

Nobody books a trip to feel exactly the same afterward. People want to learn something, connect with locals, and come home as a slightly better version of themselves. The bar has officially been raised.

So… Ready to hear how Design Hotels stays fiercely independent while playing in the big leagues? Hit play.

This month of SMACK is sponsored by RoomPriceGenie.

What if the best hotels stopped trying to worship you?

Flo just sat down with Lily Wecker, CEO of Aethos, who's building hotels that treat you like an actual human being. No pedestals, no scripts: just real conversation, human to human. Revolutionary? Maybe. Refreshing? Absolutely.

This episode was recorded at the amazing IHIF EMEA, and is brought to you by our sponsor RoomPriceGenie. Check them out in the comments!

Now, here's the tea Lily spilled:

• Gen Z Is Lonely (And Aethos' Got the Fix)

Gen Z: socializing less, dating less, drinking less. Living their best lives? Not quite. Aethos stepped in with programming, emotional density (yes, that's a thing), and spaces literally designed for you to bump into interesting humans.

• They're the Impressionists of Hospitality Lily compared their current bold brand campaigns to 19th-century rule breakers. The impressionists were controversial, rejected, mocked and then became icons. The take-away: Aethos isn't afraid to experiment, break a few rules, and be avant-garde.

• Owner's Mindset = Superpower

Lily's leadership philosophy? Own your mistakes, give your team psychological safety to experiment, and stay relentlessly optimistic. That's how you build something that lasts.

Ready to rethink everything you thought you knew about luxury? Hit play.

Enjoy the show!

“There are a lot of logos in this industry. Very few brands.”

When Barbara Muckermann, CEO of Kempinski Hotels, drops a line like that at the Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin, you sit up straight.

What's the difference between a real luxury brand and just a fancy logo, you may ask? In the latest SMACK episode, Fritz gets the unfiltered answer from Barbara. They're talking heritage, gravitas, and turning the 'good life' into a serious business model.

On the table:

• Logos vs. Brands

Why most “luxury” brands are just logos with attributes, and how a 170+ year-old brand gives Kempinski an unfair advantage.

• The Good Life

Kempinski as the curator of joy: open-to-the-city lobbies, locals in the bar, and giving guests “permission to enjoy.”

• Asset-Heavy, On Purpose

Why Kempinski is moving towards more asset control in a world obsessed with asset-light models.

Tune in now on all platforms and hear how one of hospitality’s sharpest brand minds is steering a luxury icon into its next chapter.

Enjoy the show!