Introducing: This Week in Hospitality — The Sonder Collapse, Hilton’s New Bet, and Airbnb’s Hotel Ambitions

Subscribe to "This Week in Hospitality" wherever you get you podcasts:

Spotify
Apple Podcasts
Youtube

In this episode of This Week in Hospitality, Zach Busekrus sits down with Scott Eddy, Ben Wolff, and Edwin Kramer to unpack three major stories dominating the travel and hospitality world. From Sonder’s dramatic collapse following Marriott’s termination, to Hilton’s launch of the Outset Collection, to Airbnb’s bold embrace of hotels — this was one of the most consequential weeks the industry has seen in years.

The team brings perspectives spanning global travel, hotel development, luxury operations, and hospitality tech. Fast-paced, unfiltered, and deeply informed — this is the weekly breakdown every hotelier, operator, developer, and investor should be listening to.

This Week in Hospitality is presented to you by Journey.

Journey is a loyalty platform built specifically for independent boutique hotels and high-touch hospitality brands. Our mission is to give operators the same powerful rewards engine, data intelligence, and guest insights that major chains rely on — without asking them to give up the individuality, soul, or story that makes their property extraordinary.

If you’re an owner or operator of an extraordinary, independently owned and operated hotel or residence — and you want to see whether your property is a fit for the Journey Alliance — you can learn more and apply at alliance.journey.com.

Key Topics & Timestamps

00:00 — Introductions & why this podcast exists
11:20 — Story #1: Sonder × Marriott partnership collapses
19:16 — Ben’s take: STR brand value & commodity product problem
25:53 — Marriott, scale, loyalty, and future brand strategy
27:55 — Story #2: Hilton launches The Outset Collection
35:58 — Owner perspective: data, flag strategies, ROI trade-offs
41:09 — Independents vs. major flags: the next 10 years
44:19 — Story #3: Airbnb officially welcomes hotels
47:50 — Airbnb’s evolution into a hospitality ecosystem
52:59 — Does Airbnb need a total rebrand?
56:08 — “Back to hospitality roots” debate
57:01 — Wrap-up & what’s coming next

Your Hosts

Zach Busekrus — Journey
LinkedIn
Instagram

Scott Eddy — Global Travel & Hospitality Expert @MrScottEddy
LinkedIn
Instagram

Ben Wolff — Founder of Onera & Oasi
LinkedIn
Instagram

Edwin Kramer — Luxury Hotelier Consultant & Former GM
LinkedIn
Instagram