Entrepreneurship

 Mohamed Benzakou

Hi, I’m Mohamed Benzakour, a former professional athlete who transitioned from the soccer field to the world of hospitality with the same passion, resilience, and drive. My journey has been about pushing boundaries, embracing challenges, and creating experiences that leave a lasting impact. Today, I’m the co-founder and CEO of Stay Here Group.

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ATUL CHOPRA

Atul Chopra Founder & CEO – FreshOn Table Minimum emissions, maximum nutrition – harvest on demand  Have you ever wondered what grows in the desert?   We have. So we sent Phil to talk to someone who knows – Atul Chopra, Founder and CEO of FreshOn Table, who supplies restaurants and hotels in UAE with fresh

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Jillian MacLean - Preview Podcast guest

JILLIAN MACLEAN

Jillian MacLean CEO & FOUNDER – Drake & Morgan FROM MARMALADE MISE EN PLACE TO A FEMALE-INFLUENCED BAR & RESTAURANT EMPIRE ​   From the toast and marmalade mise en place at her parent’s hotel on the Scottish coast to creating a female-influenced, bar- & restaurant empire with multiple locations in London is a very

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Bill Heinecke - Preview Podcast guest

BILL HEINECKE

BILL HEINECKE Founder & Chairman – MINOR HOTEL GROUP Minor Hotels: An overnight success that took 55 years   William Heinecke, aka Bill, Founder & Chairman of Minor Hotels and Fritz broke down the evolving world of hospitality at last year’s FHS in Abu Dhabi. They talked about newly rising travel destinations like Saudi Arabia,

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Josiah Mackenzie - Preview Podcast guest

JOSIAH MACKENZIE

Josiah Mackenzie Host – HOSPITALITY DAILY TWO HOSTS, COUNTLESS TALES, AND A DAILY DOSE OF HOSPITALITY Josiah Mackenzie, Host of Hospitality Daily, and Florian held a Double Trouble Super Trooper podcast episode, co-hosting and exchanging their passion and inspiration for hospitality. They are telling stories about the early beginnings of SMACK and the Hospitality Daily podcast.  Inspired

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Portrait of Robin Hagedoorn from Bunk Hotels posing for HoH

ROBIN HAGEDOORN

Hi, I am Robin Hagedoorn, the founder and owner of Bunk.

Currently, I’m working on a new project in Rotterdam, where we are in the process of converting a new church into a Bunk hotel. I am also involved in two projects in Curacao and some other consultancy “schemes,” helping other real estate developers. I love giving new purpose to old, monumental buildings. It runs in the family.

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Tao Tao from GetYourGuide podcast guest at smack season 5

TAO TAO

TAO TAO Co-Founder & COO GetYourGuide We’re back with Season 5 and here wo go! Welcome Tao Tao, co-founder and COO of GetYourGuide, the revolutionary of travel experiences and one of the best people to hang out with if you need top travel advice in any city on this planet. For the opening of SMACK’s fifth

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portrait of christoph hoffmann, podcast guest at smack hospitality

CHRISTOPH HOFFMANN

CHRISTOPH HOFFMANN Co-Founder 25hours Hotels Christoph Hoffmann, Founder of the 25hours Hotels, came to visit us on the show and talked to us about his path into hospitality and founding 25hours Hotels, their success, his way of thinking in concept & design to create a certain atmosphere with food & beverages, staying local and his

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portrait of josef vollmayr, podcast guest at smack hospitality

DR. JOSEF VOLLMAYR

DR. JOSEF VOLLMAYR Co-Founder & Managing Director Limehome In this episode, we had the chance to speak to the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Limehome, Dr. Josef Vollmayr. We were introduced to the rise of alternative accommodations and the success of sharing economies. Florian and Josef spoke about the companies USP of having no manual

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