Advertise on podcast: No Show

If the word "creator" were a person, that person would be Tony Lorenz. He is known universally for his work in the global meetings and events sector and his impossibly deep understanding of the event management industry. He lays out the importance of Destination Management Companies (DMCs), entities that focus on on-the-ground logistics and specialized local experiences for travel and major events. We talk through how they work, what would happen in a world without them, and their future. Also, how events have evolved since 2020, why they are sneakily underrated, and how to measure attendee ROI in a meaningful way.

From the Jersey Shore to the Sunset Strip, the Garden of the Gods to Boston Common, the Eden Roc to the El Capitan, Curator Hotel and Resort Collection has been on an absolute tear, bringing some of the most unique and independent properties in the country together in a groundbreaking collective. Jennifer Barnwell talks with us about Curator's ROI-first model and value proposition, the "brand or boutique dilemma" for hotel owners, keeping the indie vibe intact, and the human touch versus automation. Plus: robot massages, Parisian adventures, and the special sauce that goes into evaluating properties to join Curator.

We're here, it's happening, 2026 is officially a thing. As we restart our brains for the new year, we ponder: Is Hushpitality a thing?The good news about global growthFatigue as a good thing in travelThe shift away from marquee names and placesThe shift toward shoulder seasons and cost concernsHow travel will be shaped less by whims and more by economic realismEastern Europe's rise as a travel alternativeHow refinancing pressure is going to reshape hotel ownership structureThe literary and movie travel trend

When you walk into the Mayflower Hotel, it feels like a film set, the ideal visual representation of what a hotel should be. It is one of the most important venues in the shaping of America, hotel or otherwise. The conversations, the deals, the A-list encounters, the scandals that shook politics. It was a place that knew how to keep a secret. Until it didn't. It survived depressions, wars, setbacks, inaugurations, ownership changes, and J. Edgar Hoover. This year marks its centennial, and we talk with one of its former employees to see inside "Washington's Second Best Address."

​​Nobody knows the ebbs and flows, ins and outs, weather patterns and trail ratings of Canadian tourism like Travel Alberta's CEO David Goldstein. In a candid and free-flowing conversation, we talk about how and why tourism traffic and spend is (way) up in Alberta, as well as the province's approach to Indigenous tourism partnerships, balancing big-ticket destinations like Banff with worthwhile places off the beaten path, deciding which global markets to focus marketing on, Alberta's evolving image in traveler's minds, and how Canada's tourism initiatives are a best-in-class model. Plus the best ski slopes in Alberta, and the lifelong travails of being an Ottawa Senators fan.

Tariffs, shutdowns, "integrity" fees, H2-B visa caps, FAA staffing and hardware issues, airport restrictions ... it all begs the question: Does the U.S. government hate its own travel industry? International travel is predicted to drop by 6.3% from 72.4 million in 2024 to 67.9 million in 2025, according to U.S. Travel Association. This year we are poised to be the only country in the WORLD where inbound tourism decreased. Travel and tourism accounts for approximately 2.5-3% of the U.S. GDP, supports 15 million American jobs, and via taxes accounts for almost 7% of all government income. So, we should take global competition for travel dollars a bit more seriously, no?

AI was, predictably, everywhere, all at once, in every session at this year's conference, but there was a distinctly humanist air to it all as well. Trust, connection, authenticity, reality, face-to-face communication were thematic touchstones throughout. We still want recommendations from real live honest-to-goodness human beings, and AI can help facilitate that. (Right?)

No Show is at the 2025 Phocuswright Conference this week talking to a variety of exhibitors, innovators, and speakers and taking their temperature on the present and future of travel technology. We found out that: Levee founder Al Lagunas is done with the 3 pm check-inRon Glickman from Innovation Launch People’s Choice Award Winner Acai Travel is ready for boundaries to be pushedTaylor Palmer from SiriusXM Connect is putting safety at your fingertipsEtraveli Group's Peny Rizou has a prophecy about the future of fraud preventionThe inimitable Mickey Beyer-Clausen from Timeshifter is thinking about the rhythms of lifeTourism Tasmania CMO Lindene Cleary loves changing perceptionsAnd Mirko Lalli from Data Appeal believes in the dual power of democratization and simplification

Mitra Sorrells, Senior Vice President, Content for Phocuswright, joins us on the eve of the conference to talk about the big themes, keeping hype in check, new trends around data and customer journeys, getting good answers from panelists, the shift of power between traditional travel brands and tech startups, and the risks of playing a drinking game based on how many times AI will be uttered on stage (please pace yourself accordingly).

A short episode this week on the quite unique, very sad U.S. government approach to tourism and park spaces. How much money are the parks losing, how much are the towns around the parks losing? And what's going on with international visitors, Brand USA, and U.S. passports. We are fired up!

What specific AI-related things are good hotel commercial leaders actually doing today? Great question! It's already everywhere, so we got deep and practical for this episode. We talk about: How Al agents are starting to handle everything from customer service queries to qualifying sales leads, reshaping the whole workforceHow AI is elevating guest experience through customer data, CRM, and audience managementWhere AI is getting all its hotel dataThe coming drop in search engine volumeTools you can use to optimize your website and format your content for AI readability

AI's true impact on travel remains deeply speculative, with companies scrambling to stake claims while few concrete applications deliver true transformation. But everyday uses like dynamic pricing, translation tools, chatbots, and trip planning assistants like ChatGPT show AI is already here. We talk about the staggering potential of agentic AI to automatically rebook flights, arrange rides, or sign up for the best rewards programs. AI will directly challenge Online Travel Agents, whose dominance rests on aggregating inventory and managing transactions at scale. Yet AI’s iterative, user-driven planning capabilities expose the weaknesses of OTAs in handling complex, personalized itineraries. How will the online travel booking sites survive? What will happen to marketing and SEO over the next 2 years? What's a neural travel marketplace? Should we ignore Public Enemy's sage advice and believe the AI hype?

How has Tiffany Cooper been so successful for so long? By bringing mind, soul, and spirit to the hotel industry. She's Head of Development, Americas for Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, which for 5 decades has been owner and operator of some of the world's most luxurious hotels, resorts and residences. We talk about MO's ambitious global expansion plans, how the brand sets itself apart in the ultra-luxury category, the increasing importance of branded residences, wellness and spas as amenities and revenue drivers, and the iconic "I'm a Fan" campaign.

As founder and creative director of the boutique interior design firm AIDT Designs, Tonya is changing the way we think about boutique hotel, resort, and lifestyle design. Whether design property in the Keys or reimagining a resort brand from the ground up, her work is layered, luxe, and never, ever forgettable. We talk about her early career working under Las Vegas visionaries Steve Wynn & Roger Thomas, what most designers get wrong about hotel rooms, collaborating on Margaritaville, sourcing one-of-a-kind local finds, and elevating design on a tight budget. For more on Tonya and AIDT visit https://www.aidtdesignsinc.com/

Lyon Porter is one of the most talked-about hoteliers of our time. Alongside co-founder and partner Jersey Banks, he transformed a five-room Brooklyn townhouse into the first Urban Cowboy.  The industry, and the media, pay close attention to the brand, which now spokes into hotel properties in the Catskills, Nashville, and the newest location, a Gilded Age Denver mansion, which opened within the last year. We talk about the origins of Urban Cowboy, catching cities and regions at the right time, the unique method of sourcing items for each property, how big hospitality chases (and fails to catch) boutique authenticity, and what's next for the brand.