Hospitality Meets... with Phil Street

This week, I sat down with the brilliant Guy Freedman, Hotel Director at The Pig & The Pig in the Wall, and honestly, this one felt like a giant exhale.
A conversation about leadership, yes.
Culture, absolutely.
But also… naked guests, rogue deer, flood rescues in a Land Rover, student days in a fudge kitchen, and why maybe fun has been unfairly underestimated as a serious business strategy.
Guy’s journey, from a self-confessed chatty teenager being redirected out of the kitchen and into front of house, to Hotel Director at The Pig - is packed with warmth, mischief, humility and some beautifully simple thinking about what makes hospitality…well... hospitality.
In this episode, Guy and I get into…
How a careers adviser effectively turned “I like eating and drinking” into a career path 😅
Why his kitchen career lasted roughly three weeks
Student jobs in fudge kitchens, pot washing and night cleaning, and why every odd job teaches you something
Falling for The Pig over a hungover lunch… then resigning before he even had the job
Why great hospitality businesses recruit personality first, train skill second
Growing through the ranks at The Pig and opening a hotel just in time for COVID (timing 👀)
Why fun at work isn’t fluff, it’s culture
Turning staffing shortages into team challenges, not team stress
The now-legendary flood day
Why adversity often creates the best guest experiences
Working nights in London and the surprisingly frequent issue of naked guests locking themselves out of rooms
Rogue animals, escaped deer, wandering bullocks… and the operational realities no hotel school prepares you for

Some cracking quote-ables from Guy
“We’ve always recruited personality.”
“I got to play at those hotels”
“If we can make it fun, people want to come to work”
“Don’t take a step back”
“There’s always adversity in this industry… so you may as well have fun with it”
“It’s only work” (which somehow sounded profound in context)
🎧 Why this episode is worth your ears
This one is a brilliant reminder that hospitality doesn’t have to choose between performance and joy.
You can be serious about standards…
and still be playful.
You can lead through pressure…
and still laugh.
And maybe, just maybe, the teams that have the most fun are often the teams that perform the best.
There’s loads in here about leadership, culture and community… but also some glorious stories that remind you why so many of us fell in love with this industry in the first place.
And honestly?
Any episode featuring fudge, floods and naked guests was always going to be worth a listen.
Show Partners
A big shout out to the first of today’s show partner, RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.
RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.
It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.
Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

This week, I sat down with the brilliant Basel Jabri, and this one’s got everything.
Global upbringing, accidental career pivots, iconic hotel brands, and a journey that goes from literally steering boats in Dubai… to leading people & culture across a luxury London hotel group.
And the best bit?
It all started with a dream that didn’t happen.
In this episode, Basel and I get into…
Growing up internationally thanks to his father’s career in aviation
Why he originally wanted to be a pilot, and how 9/11 changed that path overnight
Falling into hospitality… and grabbing the opportunity without overthinking it
Moving to Dubai at 21 and stepping into one of the most iconic hospitality boom periods
Starting out in guest relations (and unexpectedly managing boat transfers 😅)
The power of saying yes to opportunities, even when they’re not what you expected
Moving into training and HR… and discovering a passion for people development
Leading teams at just 25, and the reality of responsibility hitting fast
Working across some of the world’s most recognisable luxury brands: Jumeirah, Shangri-La, Raffles, Rotana, Hyatt, Meliá, Hilton
Experiencing hospitality across cultures - and why Dubai feels like the “United Nations” of the industry

Some cracking quote-ables from Basel
“I didn’t choose hospitality… it chose me”
“I grabbed the opportunity, I didn’t wait for the perfect plan”
“At 25, your signature suddenly means something”
“Dubai showed me the world before I ever travelled it”
“You need to say yes first… and figure it out after”
Why this episode is worth your ears
If you’ve ever felt like your career didn’t go to plan…
Good.
Because Basel’s story is a brilliant reminder that sometimes the best paths are the ones you didn’t intend to take.
There’s also a huge amount in here around:
Leadership at a young age
Learning through experience (not titles)
Building confidence in completely new environments
And why people & culture should sit at the heart of hospitality

Plus… more than a few stories you don’t hear every day
Show Partners
A big shout out to the first of today’s show partner, RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.
RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.
It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.
Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

This week, I sat down with the brilliant Newton Fernandes - and this is one of those conversations that reminds you just how non-linear careers in hospitality can be.
From starting out as a journalist, to working in airline reservations, to quite literally being invited across the road into a hotel career… Newton’s journey spans continents, cultures, and some seriously big roles.
We’re talking global brand, marketing, and communications at a scale that’s hard to get your head around, but always grounded in one thing: understanding people.
In this episode, Newton and I get into…
Growing up across the Middle East, India, and Europe, and how that shaped his worldview
Starting out in journalism and developing a love for storytelling
Moving into American Airlines… and then being recruited into hospitality by a hotel GM across the street
Why travel, tourism, and hospitality are one industry (and should act like it)
The reality of working in different cultures, and why curiosity beats assumption every time
Moving to London and adapting to a completely different way of working
Starting at the “bottom” in PR & marketing, and why that foundation matters
Managing brand and marketing across 450 hotels, 12 brands, and 33 countries
Why structure, training, and community are essential at scale
Moving to Marriott and navigating the world of franchise vs managed hotels
Helping independent hotels plug into global brands without losing their identity

Some cracking quote-ables from Newton
“I didn’t move into hospitality… I was invited into it”
“Travel and hospitality are not separate industries, they’re one”
“You can’t understand a hotel brand unless you’ve seen it on the ground”
“Curiosity is more important than assumption”
“The way you work in one country won’t work in another, you have to adapt”
Why this episode is worth your ears
If you’ve ever thought your career path is a bit all over the place… good.
Newton’s story is proof that the most interesting careers are built through curiosity, opportunity, and saying yes to things you didn’t plan.
There’s also a ton in here around leadership at scale, how you manage people, brand, and culture across different countries, different expectations, and different ways of working.
And a reminder that in a global industry like ours…
Understanding people is everything
Show Partners
A big shout out to the first of today’s show partner, RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.
RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.
It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.
Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

This week, I sat down with the brilliant Dawn Lister - and honestly, I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to get someone from the world of sales on the show.
And what an introduction to it this was.
From wanting to be an air stewardess at 10 years old, to building a 20+ year career in hotel sales, Dawn’s journey is packed with graft, growth, resilience… and a lot of persistence (some might call it “relentless follow-up” 😅).
Now Sales Director for B&B Hotels UK, Dawn brings a no-nonsense, people-first approach to an area of hospitality that often gets misunderstood, and massively underestimated.
In this episode, Dawn and I get into…
How a childhood dream of travel turned into a lifelong career in hospitality
Starting in conference & banqueting… and quickly being moved out of it 😅
Falling in love with sales (mainly by talking too much at coffee breaks)
Why she didn’t go to university - and built her career through doing instead
The importance of early mentors (and learning under “formidable” leadership)
Being told to stop calling people so much… and why persistence still wins
The reality of sales: rejection, resilience, and finding the right fit
Leading with a “people first” mindset - both with customers and teams
Why hospitality sales isn’t about the product… it’s about the experience

Some cracking quote-ables from Dawn
“Revenue isn’t revenue until it’s banked”
“Hope is not a strategy” (Dammit)
“If you’re not the right fit, that’s fine, but let’s have the conversation first”
“We’re all selling similar products… the difference is how you make people feel”
“Some people told me to stop calling… those are the ones I enjoyed winning the most”
Why this episode is worth your ears
If you’ve ever worked in sales, or been on the receiving end of it, this one’s for you.
Dawn strips it right back to what great sales actually is:
curiosity, conversation, and care.
There’s no fluff here. Just real insight into what it takes to build relationships, handle rejection, and lead teams in a world where everyone’s selling something similar.
And if nothing else… you’ll never look at a follow-up call the same way again
Show Partners
A big shout out to the first of today’s show partner, RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.
RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.
It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.
Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

This week, I sat down with the brilliant Paul Hunter, and after nearly a year of trying to make it happen, we finally got the conversation in the can.
And it was worth the wait.
From early days in hospitality (and admittedly being a “bit of a mischievous lad”) to launching hotels across London, navigating redundancy during COVID with twin new borns, and now stepping into a brand new luxury estate role back in Yorkshire… Paul’s journey is packed with honesty, resilience, and a proper appreciation for the twists life throws your way.
We talk about growth, mistakes, leadership, and why sometimes the plan you had isn’t the one you end up living, and that’s exactly where the magic happens.
In this episode, Paul and I get into…
His early entry into hospitality through weekend jobs and how it quietly became a career
The “cheeky chappy” phase… and the moment his brother told him to go to London and grow up
Learning the craft of hotels with Premier Inn, and why fundamentals matter more than flash
Launching multiple hotels across London and what that teaches you about scale and standards
Winning an Acorn Award and how that opened his eyes to a bigger world beyond his role
Managing three different hotel brands in Leicester Square (and juggling three ways of working at once)
The brutal reality of COVID redundancy with a young family, and navigating uncertainty
Relocating back to Yorkshire and rebuilding from the ground up
Launching GuestHouse Hotels’ No.1 York and building something from scratch
The power of giving people second chances, including working with prison rehabilitation programmes
Why mistakes aren’t failures, they’re proof you’re actually pushing yourself

Some cracking quoteables from Paul
“You can have a plan… and then something comes along and completely changes it”
“I think that’s where I learned hotels”
“Mistakes aren’t bad things, they just mean you tried something different”
“If you’re not making mistakes, you’re probably playing it too safe”
“Life’s about making mistakes… as long as you learn from them”
“You don’t get that level of success without being great at what you do”
Why this episode is worth your ears
If you’ve ever felt like your career hasn’t gone in a straight line… good. That’s exactly the point.
Paul’s story is a brilliant reminder that growth often comes from the unexpected, whether that’s a tough boss, a redundancy, a relocation, or just saying yes to a conversation you didn’t see coming.
There’s loads in here about leadership, resilience, and the importance of early opportunities in shaping careers, especially in hospitality.
Whether you’re just starting out or leading teams of your own, this one will give you a fresh perspective on what progress actually looks like.
Show Partners
A big shout out to the first of today’s show partner, RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.
RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.
It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.
Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy