The Hospitality Mentor

Join me, Steve Turk, on the Hospitality Mentor podcast as we dive into the personal stories of some of the world's best Hospitality Professionals. We follow the journey of their ups, downs and wild turns and find out what it truly takes to make it in the amazing world of hospitality.

The Hospitality Mentor is a business podcast hosted by Steve Turk, with 182 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Steve Turk hosts The Hospitality Mentor, a business show with 182 episodes published.

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  Episode #183

  Josef Forstmayr on Building Round Hill Hotel and Villas in Jamaica into a Timeless Luxury Resort

  Aug 6, 202643 min

  Host Steve Turk introduces Josef Forstmayr, managing director of Round Hill Hotel and Villas in Jamaica. Forstmayr shares growing up working in his parents’ Austrian farm restaurant, attending hotel school in Salzburg, and arriving in Jamaica in 1979 as a German tutor before quickly becoming an assistant manager and advancing to GM roles, including rebuilding Trident after Hurricane Allen. Hired in 1989 to convert Round Hill from a winter-only operation to a year-round resort, he describes evolving the property into a family- and group-friendly luxury destination guided by “timeless elegance, understated luxury, warm Jamaican heart,” with design input from shareholder Ralph Lauren and tech perspective from Bob Pittman. He emphasizes Jamaica’s authentic luxury, staff legacy across generations, strong community investment and charity work, rapid recovery after Hurricane Melissa, and advises young hoteliers to learn multiple languages to build international careers. 00:00 Welcome to the Podcast 00:31 Sponsor Lodgify Message 01:34 Meet Josef in Jamaica 01:57 First Job and Jamaica Move 04:13 Hurricanes and Career Growth 06:11 Transforming Round Hill Year Round 09:02 Growing Up in Family Restaurant 11:23 Why He Stayed in Jamaica 14:27 Round Hill Owners and Design 19:08 Evolving with Core Values 23:53 Real Jamaica Beyond Cruises 29:52 Community Hikes and Belonging 31:27 Running Long Term with Locals 33:32 Giving Back and Hurricane Recovery 36:33 Future of Authentic Luxury Jamaica 39:27 Advice Learn More Languages 42:04 Wrap Up and Where to Visit

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  Episode #182

  Miami Beach Hotels, Brightline Train to Orlando, Disney Travel Tips + Baya Miami & The Hospitality Power Breakfast

  Jul 30, 202615 min

  In this “random show” episode of The Hospitality Mentor Podcast, Steve Turk shares a multi-generational Miami Beach staycation at the Marriott Stanton South Beach , highlighting the South of Fifth location, Michelin star-winning The Den inside Azabu, and strong beach service and guest acknowledgment as a key hospitality lesson. He also recommends the Loews Miami Beach Hotel’ s Sushi Bar inside Bar Collins, praising Chef Khaleel Ali and the value of standout culinary “hidden gems” in big hotels. The family then takes the Brightline train from Miami to Orlando for a Disney trip, emphasizing assigned seating, onboard amenities, and the productivity and low-stress benefits versus driving. In Orlando, he reviews the Signia by Hilton (connected to Waldorf Astoria) as a strong value with great rooms, pool, restaurants, and fireworks views, noting slower bus transport to the parks, and shares a Disney day tip: book an air-conditioned sit-down meal like the Brown Derby. He announces the launch of staybaya.com for Baya , his upscale resort on a tropical fruit farm in Miami’s Redland area targeting a mid-year opening next summer with a $50 VIP program offering 40% discounts, and he confirms plans for a Hospitality Power Breakfast series, with the first eight-person event hosted at The Moor in the Design District. Thank you to this episode's sponsor, Lodgif y. Make sure to use promo code THM60 for 60% off. 00:00 Welcome and Topics 00:39 Sponsor Lodgify 01:25 Miami Beach Staycation 02:37 South Beach Service Lesson 03:54 Loews Sushi Find 05:28 Brightline to Orlando 07:31 Signia Hotel Review 09:41 Disney Dining Tip 11:05 Train Back and Florida Travel 12:08 Baya Resort Announcement 13:31 Hospitality Power Breakfast 14:14 Wrap Up and Subscribe

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  Episode #181

  The Random Show: Soggy Dollar Bar Lessons, Florida Stays, and the Hospitality Power Breakfast

  Jul 23, 202617 min

  In a solo “random show” episode, Steve shares recent travel experiences and hospitality takeaways. He recaps six weeks of travel from HITEC in San Antonio to San Francisco with the Baya team, a visit to One Thread Farm, scouting land in Desert Hot Springs, and a last-minute trip to St. John in the US Virgin Islands, noting “island time” and the national-park beaches. A highlight is chartering to Jost Van Dyke to swim ashore to the Soggy Dollar Bar, home of the original Painkiller, and lessons on memorable arrival, history, and premium branding. He previews upcoming stays at Marriott Stanton Miami Beach and a family trip to Disney via Brightline, discussing hotel and Disney upsells and reducing purchase friction. He announces a new Hospitality Power Breakfast launching next month at The Moore in Miami, and gives a Baya Miami update, including site work, a 2027 opening plan, and an upcoming website launch. This episode is brought to you by Lodgify with code THM60 for 60% off yearly products 00:00 Solo Random Show 00:25 Sponsor Lodgify 01:36 Travel Whirlwind Recap 02:34 Island Time St John 03:24 Soggy Dollar Adventure 04:33 Painkiller And Vibes 07:06 Lessons And Branding 08:07 Miami Beach Birthday Stay 09:01 Brightline To Disney 10:14 Upsells And Disney Planning 12:05 Hospitality Power Breakfast 13:32 Launching At The Moore 14:47 Topics And Third Places 15:44 Baya Miami Update 16:17 Wrap Up And Farewell

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  Episode #180

  Mario Del Duca on Growing Nuba in the Americas, Luxury Travel, and Why Relationships Matter More Than AI

  Jul 9, 202648 min

  Host Steve Turk interviews Mario Del Duca, Managing Director of Nuba , a 30+ year-old luxury travel company focused on high end outbound leisure that expanded into the Americas via acquisitions in Mexico and Miami. Mario oversees the Americas and says the business has nearly tripled under his leadership. Mario shares his nontraditional path from banking in London/New York to an MBA at IE in Madrid, entrepreneurship in Mexico, and a year and a half of world travel that led to social media driven hotel partnerships and eventually becoming an independent travel consultant before Nuba acquired his agency. They discuss serving high and ultra-high net worth clients, the importance of client profiling and problem solving, using technology and AI to enhance (not replace) advisors, growth plans across Latin America, and travel trends like Japan and slower, secondary destination travel. The Hospitality Mentor Podcast is sponsored by Lodgify (60% off yearly/bi-yearly plans with code THM60) 00:00 Podcast Welcome 00:31 Sponsor Lodgify 01:34 Meet Mario Del Duca 01:53 What Is Nuba 03:31 From Banking To Travel 07:22 Quitting Banking For MBA 10:54 Entrepreneur Roots 12:02 Moving To Mexico 13:03 Remote Work World Travel 17:44 From Influencer To Advisor 20:50 Luxury Advisor Reality Check 22:31 Owning Client Problems 23:51 Perks and Lifestyle 24:48 Remote Discipline 26:25 Nuba Client Profile 29:51 Designing Bespoke Trips 32:38 AI Versus Human Touch 37:18 Growth and Hiring Advisors 40:48 Hot Destinations Trends 44:37 Career Advice Closing

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  Episode #179

  Nikheel Advani on Building Grace Bay Resorts: Mentorship, Luxury Service, and Branded Residences in Turks and Caicos

  Jun 24, 202642 min

  Host Steve Turk interviews Nikheel Advani , co-founder and COO of Grace Bay Resorts , who shares how he entered hospitality at 16 after his father pushed him to work, leading to dishwashing, banqueting, and founding a small events company in Singapore. He trained at UMass Amherst, worked in restaurants and hotels, joined a Pizza Uno turnaround team, then spent years with Ritz-Carlton opening multiple properties and emphasizing mentorship. He became hotel manager at Singapore’s Raffles, helped elevate its global ranking, then moved to Turks and Caicos to build a hotel into Grace Bay Resorts, focusing on training, local talent, service excellence, food and beverage, airlift, and a luxury branded-residence model that funds development and gives owners hotel access and rental income. It's an amazing episode with fantastic stories and pieces of advice that you should listen to today. A big thank you to our sponsor, Lodgify . Make sure to use promo code THM60 when you sign up at Lodgify 00:00 Sponsor Lodgify 01:07 Meet Nikheel Advani 01:48 First Hospitality Job 02:08 Dad’s Tough Lesson 03:21 Starting a Company at 16 04:42 Choosing Hotel School 07:18 UMass and Working Through School 08:42 Pizza Turnaround Years 10:09 Breaking Into Ritz Carlton 11:48 Mentors That Changed Everything 14:42 Leaving for Raffles Singapore 16:24 Running an Iconic Hotel 17:28 Profit Meets Guest Experience 18:35 Leap to Turks and Caicos 20:57 Caribbean Service Reset 21:55 Risk and Ownership Leap 22:55 Partners and Fast Decisions 23:56 Awards and Signature Wins 25:43 Building Local Talent 28:29 Selling a New Destination 31:46 Airlift and Island Strategy 34:08 Next Projects Pipeline 36:06 Branded Residences Model 38:59 Advice and Farewell

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