Distinguished
Welcome to the Distinguished podcast with Dean Arun Upneja of Boston University School of Hospitality Administration.
We skip the small talk and get right into the top-of-mind topics in the world of hospitality, including and certainly not limited to inflation; recruiting and retaining talent; the need to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion; wellness and wellbeing of our team and our guests; climate action; and the impact of robotics and a.i. on the future of Hospitality. And that’s just to name a few.
On this show, you’ll hear from executives, general managers, founders, and investors who live and breathe Hospitality. The “distinguished” guests on this podcast represent all areas of our industry from hotels and restaurants to entertainment and sporting venues, travel and tourism, and of course, a favorite pastime for many of us —shopping — because, to put it simply, Hospitality is, at play in most parts of our lives and livelihood.
Distinguished
Revolutionizing the Hostel Experience with Oliver Winter, Founder & CEO of a&o Hostels
Think back to your youthful days of travel, hostels along the way were a hub for forging connections with fellow wanderers and were part of the adventure. If you traveled in pre-Internet days, some 20-30 years ago, you didn’t always know what you were getting. The hostel you found in a guidebook could be off the beaten path and might have been not so “hospitable.”
Today, the landscape of hostels has undergone a profound metamorphosis. What was once perceived as budget accommodations exclusively for backpackers has now emerged as a dynamic sector of the hospitality industry, attracting travelers seeking immersive experiences at affordable prices.
Oliver Winter, Founder & CEO of a&o Hostels, was inspired by his travels and the desire to provide people, especially students and young adventurers, with professionally managed, affordable, and centrally located accommodation. Oliver embarked on a mission to revolutionize the hostel experience. Hear how a&o Hostels grew into the largest independently owned hostel chain.
The “Distinguished” podcast is produced by Boston University School of Hospitality Administration.
Host: Arun Upneja, Dean
Producer: Mara Littman, Director of Corporate and Public Relations
Sound Engineer and Editor: Andrew Hallock
Graphic Design: Rachel Hamlin, Marketing Manager
Music: “Airport Lounge" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
