Best Podcasts for Hospitality Professionals
Career Advice / October 6, 2016You may not have time to take a class or hear an expert speak in person, but you can still learn from industry leaders by listening to podcasts. There are many hospitality podcasts out there, so whatever your role, chances are there’s a podcast targeted to you.
#1 Hospitality Academy
Hospitality Academy is hosted by Susan Pannozzo, who discusses hotel management with a focus on problem-solving. During her shows, managers and hotel leaders describe challenges their hotels have faced and go into detail about how they overcame them. Several episodes outline how to improve customer experience and how to effectively train employees.
#2 Lodging Leaders
Lodging Leaders is a podcast on hotel management that focuses on best business practices that yield measurable results. Host Jon Albano interviews a variety of hospitality professionals to learn the strategies they’ve used in their careers. Some episodes cover practical goals like networking, tax savings, and digital marketing, while others feature abstract ideas like thinking big and taking responsibility.
#3 Fuel Hotel Marketing
Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast is produced by the “Fueligans,” marketing experts who discuss case studies in hotel marketing with a lot of humorous banter thrown in. The podcast covers topics such as email marketing, A/B testing, and newsjacking and gives examples of the right and wrong ways to implement each strategy. In the case of newsjacking, the podcast talks about promotions tied to Pokemon Go as a positive example and marketing efforts featuring Hurricane Sandy as a cautionary tale. Fuel Hotel Marketing also covers some industry conferences.
#4 Stella Culinary School
Stella Culinary School Podcast serves as a continuing education course for culinary professionals who want to improve their skills. Chef Jacob Burton guides listeners through basic techniques in the first episodes and more advanced techniques in recent episodes, so beginning learners can start with the earlier lessons while experienced chefs can jump ahead to the more current topics. Most episodes center on an ingredient or building block of a dish, such as veal stock or sauce tomat, or a technique, such as blanching. Stella Culinary School also places special emphasis on food science.
#5 Restaurant Unstoppable
Restaurant Unstoppable is hosted by Eric Cacciatore, who started the podcast as a hospitality student because he wanted to learn more about the business of owning and operating a restaurant. Cacciatore interviews a different restaurant professional in each episode; past guests have included restaurant owners, managers, and chefs. Most episodes have an overarching theme like fostering teamwork, inspiring others, or developing a mission, which can apply to hospitality professionals in a number of businesses, not just restaurants.
#6 I’ll Drink to That!
I’ll Drink to That! is hosted by Levi Dalton, a former sommelier, and includes content by Erin Scala, who currently runs two restaurant wine programs. Each episode features a wine professional and may focus on winemaking, sales, retailing, importing, or auctions. This podcast emphasizes sourcing wine for professionals and gives less attention to explaining the aromas of particular wines the way many wine podcasts for the general public do.
*Listening Tip: Once you find a podcast that’s relevant to your job, explore its archives to find new ideas while you’re waiting for the next episode to be published.