Can AI replace taste in hospitality?
+Why lenders are warming up to hotel F&B, a case study for turning a high-end retail district into a luxury neighborhood, oil prices and the K-shaped economy
Good evening and happy Friday everyone,
I’ve just spent a few days in Paris, where the hospitality scene seems to be thriving and lively as ever, although I could have just felt that way as I caught the tail end of fashion week. Unfortunately, I couldn’t make it to the new and stylish wellness club, Sant Roch, which was opened by a former boutique fitness entrepreneur Jules Bouscatel. It offers contrast therapy, along with breathwork and meditation guidance. I like how the offering is very specific and clear, which is something that I think more wellness businesses could fine tune in order to sell their value proposition cleanly.
Thank you for all your kind words on the new format of the podcast this year. The season debuts with Valentina De Santis, owner of the iconic Grand Hotel Tremezzo and creator of one of my favorite hotels in Europe, Passalacqua. Several of you shared that you found her perspective on building a legacy vs building for an exit particularly insightful, and that’s exactly the reason why I chose to debut the season with Valentina.
While there will be several guests on the show that are either backed by institutional capital or are the institutional capital, I thought that starting the season with Valentina’s long term “family business” mindset was especially pertinent in the current era of “hospitality mania” we’re in. In the interview, Valentina shares some of the big operational decisions she’s made in order to prioritize the guest experience and longevity of the business, such as the decision to avoid doing weddings on Lake Como (which is one of the most popular wedding destinations for wealthy Americans) and the decision to be generous with the small details, such as bathroom amenities.
My goal in highlighting these operational differences is to share the perspective that scale is not the only marker of success in hospitality.
I can’t wait for the rest of the season to unfold!
Links to the episode can be found here.
If you’re new here, or want to catch up on the best of The Stanza, I’d recommend that you start here.
In today’s newsletter:
Why are lenders now comfortable underwriting hotels where half the revenue comes from restaurants and bars?
Why are European hospitality brands racing to build branded residences in Miami right now?
Can AI replicate taste, or is taste the last competitive advantage humans still control?
Are we entering a world where luxury hotels compete less on rooms and more on culture, taste, and community?
If oil prices spike again, will it hurt luxury travel, or actually make elite destinations even more exclusive?
Read previous issues of The Stanza here.
No new listings this week.
Other opportunities currently live:
For sale: Very chic & elegant 90-key boutique hotel in Nice
Investment opportunity: Ultra-luxury hotel & branded residential development in downtown NYC
For sale: Fully-entitled hospitality site in West Hollywood (~45,000 SF)
For all live listings & inquiries (hotels for sale, investment opportunities, open job roles), click here.
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