This week’s broadcast of the Peter Greenberg Worldwide Radio Show comes from the Royalton Hotel in New York City. Originally built in 1898 as an exclusive hotel for long-term residents, Royalton has been reimagined as a boutique hotel, featuring a runway lounge and 55 in-room fireplaces, and aims to cultivate a unique social experience for its patrons.
Radio show guests will discuss how Royalton revolutionized boutique hotels in Manhattan and the challenges small hotels face with branding and differentiating the customer experience. In business news, you can listen to how hotel chain mergers might negatively affect customers, how the travel industry is improving sustainability, and what travelers can do to go green.
Click here to listen to the show, streaming live from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. EST on Saturday, January 9, 2016. Call in with your travel questions at 1-888-88-PETER (1- 888-887-3837) or email peter@petergreenberg.com (Write “Ask Peter” in the subject line).
Arnie Weissmann, Editor-In-Chief of Travel Weekly, gives his take on the recent merger of Marriott and Starwood Hotels and how this will affect hotel capacity and customer experience. He also discusses how online travel agents will continue to suffer due to hotel consolidation.
Danielle Kryillos, Writer for Who’s Hungry and Co-Founder of DailyCandy.com, discusses exciting new restaurant openings in Manhattan, the tricks of putting together a complete dining experience, and where to get some delicious food truck treats downtown.
Ted Whitehead, Wood Sommelier at the Royalton Hotel, discusses his path from lawyer to woodsman and how the hotel employs his five types of scented woods in its 55 in-room fireplaces.
Michael Becker, CEO of GeoSure Global, divulges some common misconceptions of the dangers of traveling and explains how his company analyzes travel risks in countries around the globe. He also discusses where not to travel, and the misinformation that hurts tourism in safe countries.
Costas Christ, Editor-at-Large for National Geographic and Director of Operations at Beyond Green Travel, explains the pillars of corporate sustainability, which hotels are working on initiatives to minimize their carbon footprints and empower local people, and what travelers can do to support sustainable tourism.
Becky Cooper, Author of Mapping Manhattan, describes how she managed to get strangers to tell their personal stories of life in New York through a blank map, and speculates on whether one of her participants may have confessed to a murder in Central Park!
Joshua Brandenburg, Lead Bartender of The Royalton Hotel, explains the importance of crafting a sensory experience and divulges the do’s and don’t’s of the bartender-customer relationship. He also reveals the hotel’s most popular drink: A hickory old fashioned, infused with actual hickory smoke.
Raymond Bickson, CEO of Bickson Hospitality Group, discusses some iconic Manhattan hotel brands and how the Royalton revolutionized boutique hotels in the city almost 30 years ago. He also discusses the importance of branding and creating a social experience for boutique hotels.
Diane Hope, a Location Sound Recordist and Artist, explains her new sound tourism project, which brings to life the beautiful soundscapes of Shanghai, including the bird and insect market and a Buddhist temple.
Seth Kugel, Frugal Traveler writer for The New York Times, explains how he received German citizenship without ever leaving the United States, why people should look outside of Manhattan for great hotel stays, and what visitors are missing out on in Flushing, Queens.
Tony Machado, Head of Architecture and Design for Morgans Hotel Group, explains the surprises and challenges of redesigning the Royalton due to its unusual dimensions—the hotel is only 50 feet wide but is also an entire block long.
Vanessa Miller, Executive Chef at the Royalton Hotel, discusses how her early experiences have inspired her to serve interactive small dishes and explains the difficulties of pairing food with the Royalton’s five fireplace aromas.
By Brian Plungis for PeterGreenberg.com
