What does it mean to be "not done"? For the 21 extraordinary leaders who joined us this season, it means refusing to accept the status quo, continuously pushing boundaries, and believing that the best chapters are still ahead.

From the CEOs of the world's largest hotel brands to founders building the next generation of hospitality technology, Season 1 of Not Done delivered unfiltered conversations about leadership, innovation, failure, and what's next for our industry.

Tony Capuano — CEO, Marriott International (31 years at Marriott)

Chris Silcock — President of Global Brands & Commercial Services, Hilton

Raul Leal — CEO, SH Hotels (One Hotels, Baccarat)

Arash Azarbarzin — CEO, Viceroy Hotels & Principal, Highgate

Mit Shah — Founder & CEO, Noble Investment Group

Greg Friedman — Founder & CEO, Peachtree Group ($8.5B AUM)

Ben Rafter — CEO, Hotel Equities & Springboard Hospitality

Daniel Del Olmo — Co-CEO, Sage Hospitality (135+ hotels)

Chris Green — CEO, Humanitarian Hotels (100% profits to charity)

Scott Roby — President, Pacifica Hotels

Adam Harris — Co-Founder & CEO, Cloudbeds

Jonathan Vopinek — Founder, White Label

Lou Zameryka — Ventures Hospitality (Employee #2 at Booking.com Americas)

Geoffrey Toffetti — CEO, Frontline Performance Group

KJ — Highgate Ventures (former Chief Revenue Officer)

Amanda Hite — President, STR (CoStar)

Joshua Wohle — Founder, Mindstone (AI Education)

Klaus Kohlmayr — Chief Evangelist, IDeaS Revenue Solutions

Richard Garcia — VP of Food & Beverage, Crescent Hotels (Marine & Coast Guard veteran)

Dr. Michael Cheng — Dean, FIU Chaplin School of Hospitality

The most successful leaders in hospitality share one thing: an unwavering commitment to their people. Bill Marriott's mantra echoed through multiple episodes: "Take care of the associate, the associate will take care of the guest, and the rest takes care of itself." From Mit Shah spending his balance sheet to protect employees during the financial crisis to Humanitarian Hotels giving 100% of profits to charity, the human element isn't just nice to have—it's the competitive advantage.

Nearly every guest shared a version of the same story: "I didn't choose hospitality—hospitality chose me." Chris Silcock was studying computer science and music before becoming a banquet waiter. Arash Azarbarzin was training to be a chef. Ben Rafter was a tech entrepreneur until a trek to Everest Base Camp changed his trajectory. Richard Garcia was a high school dropout who found purpose in the Marines before discovering his calling in kitchens. The industry has a way of pulling in talent from everywhere and never letting go. As KJ put it: "Hotel California—you can check in anytime you like, but you can never leave."

The consensus surprised us. Ben Rafter said AI was "over-hyped until 18 months ago, under-hyped now." Chris Silcock described "swarms of agents" that will transform marketing from a 3-5 week process to minutes. Joshua Wohle went further: coding will become obsolete, and his four-year-old may never need a traditional job. Klaus Kohlmayr reminded us that AI has been in revenue management for 35 years—what's changing is how we interact with it. Geoffrey Toffetti is betting his company on the intersection of AI, analytics, and human performance. The message? The industry needs to move faster.

Hotel owners are hurting. RevPAR is flat or negative, expenses keep climbing, and debt is expensive. But Greg Friedman and Ben Rafter see opportunity in the chaos. With $2.7 trillion in commercial real estate debt maturing and construction at historic lows, the conditions are setting up for those with capital and conviction. "We're at the very beginning," Friedman said of Peachtree's 18-year journey. "Not the end."

Daniel Del Olmo delivered the line of the season: "Consistency without humanity is pure mediocrity." The commoditization of hospitality is the industry's blind spot. Guests—especially younger ones—want discovery, not predictability. Sage Hospitality has built a $300M restaurant business on this insight. One Hotels leads with sustainability-driven design. Richard Garcia is proving that F&B doesn't have to be boring. The winners of the next decade will be those who make guests feel something, not just check boxes.

From Klaus Kohlmayr's prediction that revenue managers will oversee 50-100 hotels with AI assistance, to Geoffrey Toffetti's push for TRevPAR thinking, to KJ's journey from revenue king to venture capitalist—Season 1 made clear that the commercial function is transforming. The human-in-the-loop concept emerged as critical: teams working with AI outperform either alone. As Amanda Hite noted, RevPAR still matters on Wall Street, but margin erosion is the real pain point owners feel.

The name of the podcast proved prophetic. Every guest, without exception, is still pushing for more. Tony Capuano invoked Bill Marriott: "Success is never final." Chris Silcock sees a "generational opportunity." Jonathan Vopinek is not done building impact through Savannah's Reach. Mit Shah believes his "next chapter has a chance to be the best." Dr. Cheng won't stop until FIU is the #1 hospitality school. The leaders at the top didn't get there by being satisfied.

"Focus on the game, not the scoreboard. So many people spend too much time worrying about the next job. Just do a great job and good things come."

— Chris Silcock, Hilton

"People will forget what you do and what you say, but they will always remember how you make them feel."

— Daniel Del Olmo, quoting Maya Angelou

"Why do I deserve to exist? A brand should ask that question more often."

— Arash Azarbarzin, Viceroy Hotels

"The quickest way to get somebody to trust you is to trust them."

— Jonathan Vopinek, White Label

"If you're cutting labor, you didn't do a good job of hiring and planning. It takes weak thinkers to cut labor."

— Chris Green, Humanitarian Hotels

"AI acts much more like people than like normal technology. Think of it as talking to a synthetic human."

— Joshua Wohle, Mindstone

"Leadership is not a position. Leadership is a choice."

— Richard Garcia, Crescent Hotels

"The number one reason startups fail? They run out of money."

— KJ, Highgate Ventures

"It doesn't have to be that complicated. If we're hiring amazing associates, training them, and inspiring them to provide extraordinary care—that solves 90% of the complexity."

— Bill Marriott, via Tony Capuano

Season 1 was just the beginning. We explored the minds of operators, owners, technologists, and brand builders. We uncovered what keeps the industry's best leaders up at night—and what gets them excited to come to work.

Season 2 brings even more heavyweight conversations:

Jason Reader — Industry leader & Former Remington COO

David Kong — Former Best Western CEO and hospitality legend

Rogers Healy — Real estate powerhouse & Venture Capital Founder

Anthony Melchiorri — Hotel Impossible TV star and turnaround expert

Rafat Ali — Founder & CEO, Skift

Collab with Teague Talks — Special crossover episode in February

Craig Smith — CEO, Aimbridge Hospitality

Gilda Perez-Alvarado — Chief Strategy Officer for Accor & Former CEO of JLL

...and many more big headliners.

Because in this industry, success is never final.

Thank you & Happy New Year,

Sloan

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