Travel Trends with Dan Christian
#1 B2B Travel Podcast. If you are looking to stay ahead in the travel industry, this new podcast hits all the highlights! The Travel Trends Podcast is where industry leaders converge to share & shape the future. Whether you're an emerging entrepreneur, a seasoned industry executive, or a dedicated travel professional, you’ll be able to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving landscape.
Uncover valuable insights, innovative strategies, and meaningful connections that will elevate your travel business or career to new heights.
Travel Trends with Dan Christian
Special Hospitality Series: A Five-Star Journey - From Room Attendant to Hotel Manager with Sarah McIntosh from Maybourne Beverly Hills
In this episode of our Special Hospitality Series in collaboration with Forbes Travel Guide, we highlight one of the Leaders Behind the Stars—Sarah McIntosh, the inspiring Hotel Manager at the Five-Star Maybourne Beverly Hills. Sarah takes us behind the scenes of her impressive career trajectory, her leadership approach, and the trends defining the next chapter of Five-Star hospitality.
Sarah shares key insights into trends shaping the future of luxury hospitality, providing a glimpse into how properties like The Maybourne Beverly Hills remain leaders in the industry.
Through her leadership, Sarah balances the elegant traditions of London with the vibrancy of Southern California to offer a guest experience that feels both dynamic and timeless. Her innovative strategies ensure that The Maybourne Beverly Hills continues to define what true luxury looks and feels like.
Tune in to hear the full conversation that explores leadership, innovation, and the secrets behind the stars of luxury hospitality.
Season 5 Launched Jan 15th. New Episodes Every Weds! Check out our first 4 Seasons.
https://www.traveltrendspodcast.com/
over. Maybe five, ten years ago it seemed like the medical spa was was the biggest new trend in wellness and it's it's so exciting to actually see that move in a direction of really understanding how to extend lifespan. Really speaking to the biohacking component, some activities that we've been hearing a lot about called brain training, Hello everyone and welcome to our special hospitality series in partnership with our friends at Forbes Travel Guide.
Speaker 2:This is your host, dan Christian, and I'm thrilled to bring you episode two of season two of our Leaders Behind the Stars series. All of these conversations were recorded live in Monaco at the summit, which was a truly extraordinary event, really the epicenter of global luxury hospitality. They've already announced the event is going to be there next year, and through this series of conversations, I want to be able to bring the event to life for all of our listeners, for those of you who are interested in getting into the hospitality industry, for those of you who are already in the industry, are looking to advance. These conversations should highlight some incredible journeys from really fascinating individuals, and today I have the privilege to sit down and speak to a new five-star hotel.
Speaker 2:This is the Mayborn Beverly Hills, and the hotel manager, sarah McIntosh, who just happens to be a fellow Canadian, as I find out, and also someone who loves White Lotus, like many of our listeners, and so I want to welcome Sarah, but also encourage you to check out the social channels for both Forbes Travel Guide and Travel Trends Podcast, because we're posting clips and highlights from all of these interviews on our social channels, which you can find on LinkedIn and YouTube and Instagram as well.
Speaker 2:So be sure to check out at Forbes Travel Guide and at Travel Trends Podcast for more clips and highlights, and we're releasing these episodes every Thursday for the next 10 weeks. So here in episode two, we speak to Sarah McIntosh from the Mayborn hotel, and then next week we're going to be speaking to the managing director for the brand new Corinthia hotel in New York, pradeep Raman. This series is going to continue to provide amazing highlights and great takeaways, and I'm sure it'll be a benefit to all of our listeners. So we look forward to your feedback and engagement and make sure that you are subscribed on the streaming platform of your choice to be alerted when new episodes go live every Thursday. Now, without further ado, let me welcome Sarah McIntosh to Travel Trends and the Special Hospitality Series. Welcome, sarah, great to have you here.
Speaker 1:So good to be here. Thanks so much for having me.
Speaker 2:For sure, and I'm really keen to get a bit more of your background and then, specifically, to learn more about the Mayborn in Beverly Hills. I mean, what an incredible place to be based and to work, for that matter. But tell everyone a little bit of your backstory, because I think this is really important to understand, because I'm such a huge fan of the Fairmont. So tell us a little bit about how you got into hospitality and how you ended up in Beverly Hills.
Speaker 1:Fantastic. So, as we were just discussing, my hospitality journey actually started at the Fairmont Banff Springs on a summer program when I was in school and was offered a role as a room attendant. So it was a four-month program cleaning rooms, really learning the industry from the absolute base.
Speaker 2:That's the best place to start in this business. Those people that I know that have risen up in their careers, like yourself that is one of the VIPs being interviewed here that you actually started by cleaning rooms, so you fully understand the whole ecosystem of running a hotel operation.
Speaker 1:Yes, and you know, in my career that's to this day probably one of the things I'm most proud of right that starting out just in a really challenging and such an integral role in what we do From there. I was so fortunate to spend about just shy of 10 years with Fairmont Hotels and Resorts and had incredible opportunities and that was actually how I came to the US was transfer with them down to the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess you mentioned Shannon earlier. That's where she and I had crossed paths and was then fortunate to spend time with them in California before I moved out of Fairmont and joined Dorchester Collection, which was what brought me up to Beverly Hills originally.
Speaker 2:Yes, the Dorchester I know very well. I worked with the Red Carnation Hotels for many years yes, and of course the Dorchester was always the one that we were looking at to understand some of the developments and new properties and I guess would say was the closest in parallel. So the Dorchester Collection Actually just mention that for some of our listeners that may not be familiar the Dorchester Collection is some absolutely remarkable luxury hotels around the world. So maybe just give everyone a little bit of overview, since you mentioned that and I paused on it. So tell everyone a little bit about the Dorchester Collection.
Speaker 1:Well, so that one I was with Hotel Bel Air, which really a beautiful, iconic property, and when I came from Fairmont, my managing director at the time, I remember, had said to me that joining his team was going to be hotel finishing school for me. And he was right. Moving into that Beverly Hills five-star market was really fantastic and a really wonderful place to learn that side of the business. Very cool. Now let's jump to the.
Speaker 2:Mayborn now, because, I mean, it's great to get your backstory and I think that's so important for our listeners because obviously it certainly builds credibility and trust, Because one of the things I'm going to ask you about, as you know, sarah, is some of the big trends that you're seeing in 2025, and travel and having that background and experience is so valuable, not only in the role that you have today, but in terms of how the industry is going to continue to evolve. But, yeah, tell us about the Mayborn Hotel. I've not had the privilege to stay there. I'm familiar with it, but tell us about this property.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's just absolutely amazing.
Speaker 1:So we were the first international property for Mayborn Hotels, best known at that time for Claridge's, the Connacht and the Barclay, which are three really of the most iconic hotels in London. So when we had the opportunity to bring that brand to North America such an incredible opportunity and I think what makes Mayborn Beverly Hills so special is we have that connection to the incredible heritage of these iconic London hotels. But we really marry that with what it is to be a luxury operator in Southern California and really lean into doing things our way and in the way that our customer is looking for. So one of the examples of that we're going to be launching shortly, actually this weekend, with Oscars weekend and awards season Pret-a-Porter, which goes back to our London roots the Barclay Hotel used to do a beautiful afternoon tea service with a play on the fashion industry. Really off the red carpet is how our interpretation of this is going to go. So really leaning into those beautiful roots that we have with these iconic London properties, but doing it differently and doing it our way.
Speaker 2:That's amazing. There's a couple of things you mentioned there I just wanted to call out. So, claridge's, I'm assuming you're a fan of the White Lotus.
Speaker 1:Oh my goodness and I heard that shout out on the first episode this season. I was so excited me too, I like it really made me laugh.
Speaker 2:So it's like they're at, uh, the four seasons and kosamui, of course, for anyone who's uh not watching this season yet. But uh, and in the first episode, uh, the mom makes a reference to the fact like why don't we just have clarages in london?
Speaker 1:exactly. Well, no better place to be really.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, it sounds like the Mayburn is probably the place to be now, but clearly tell us a bit about your role there. The other thing you mentioned too is that, you know, with the connection to the Oscars in LA, I mean this is where certainly some of the trends that we've seen in our industry are shaped in the area that you're based. So I mean you really are in many ways at the epicenter of hospitality. I mean I had Rick Fidel on the show last year from the Rosewood in Miramar Beach and the number of people I spoke to afterward that referenced Miramar Beach as an influence on some of the working with families and some of having these packages that would allow young families to be able to have their kids stay there, like this turnkey crib solution that they had implemented and the fact that they allow celebrities to stay there that don't get bothered by anybody.
Speaker 1:Tell us a little bit about your role at Mayborn and what currently you're focused on and some of the priorities there pillars of luxury operations and I think that I'm really fortunate in my role in that I get to spend so much time on the service component and really perfecting that guest experience, so that component is a huge part of my role. We're also looking at a lot of different activations right now within our property as well as some renovations bringing to market some new experiences over the next couple of years in the hotel.
Speaker 2:Very cool. Now, of course, the theme for this series is leaders behind the stars, and you are certainly one of those leaders, sarah, and I guess I would like to ask you along those lines what the role of Forbes Travel Guide has been, either for you personally, but also specifically for the Mayburn Hotel, and I'm keen to get your advice for those people that are on the journey. I mean last year, when I spoke to about 20 different guests at my very first summit, I was amazed to get such an understanding about the impact it's had on their business once they get their five stars, and not only in terms of the business that it gives them that certification, but also how they improve the guest experience in that entire journey to get to a point where not only is it a great certification, it also improves their entire operational processes because they go hand in hand right. So tell us a little bit about your journey with Forbes Travel Guide and their rating system.
Speaker 1:I mean, it really would have been years ago when I was doing a hotel opening and we had a very ambitious goal of getting our five-star award in the first six months of opening the hotel, which is a really difficult thing to do. Usually, second year of operations is when you might enter that journey. Yeah, and what I learned through that process is just what an incredible partner the team at Forbes Travel Guide are. The training is absolutely world class and the approach is one that has been so valuable in that it feels like a partnership and it feels like we are working together towards a goal. Um, you know, I I was joking with jennifer lodge when, when I spoke with her the other day, that it, um, it felt like she was part of our team on some of these openings because we were just working so closely on, really that real-time feedback of what the guest experience feels like and then what our goals are and how we align our team in order to accomplish those.
Speaker 2:Well, what's interesting to having this conversation with you is that the Mayborn is a new five-star hotel. You've just achieved that status, which is amazing. Congratulations, thank you. So tell us, given that you've got a background and understanding about Forbes Travel Guide, having opened up other hotels, what will it mean now for the Mayborn that you've now become a five-star Forbes Travel Guide property?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, I think that this is such an incredible accolade that is in recognition of the hard work that we know our team has been doing.
Speaker 2:We have just such an incredible team of talented individuals at this hotel and I think that this really helps to solidify the journey that we've been on to ensure that we continue to innovate and we continue to drive our service delivery and guest experience to best in class, and you now get to hang out with other five-star hotels and properties here in Monaco.
Speaker 1:We're in very good company. Yes, definitely.
Speaker 2:Rub shoulders with the other stars.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:We're in very good company. Yes, definitely Rub shoulders with the other stars, yes, and so, on that note, I'd love to hear some of your thoughts about being here in Monaco. And, of course, we're catching up on the first day of this event, and we had a spectacular opening session this morning, with royalty included, and so you and I were just talking to Amanda Fraser from Forbes Travel Guide just before this, who walked him down the aisle into the event.
Speaker 1:Yes, which is?
Speaker 2:a pretty spectacular opening. But yeah, tell us what brings you here this year and some of the things you're hoping to get out of being here at the Forbes Travel Guide in Monaco.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, first and foremost, it's felt like such a celebration for our property. We've worked really hard at reaching this milestone, so being here feels a bit like a culmination of the last year. And at the same time, in hospitality, you know, we are first and foremost in the people business, and so to have the opportunity to come together and connect with some people who have been mentors to me in this industry and others who have been new friends and that's really one of the special things about this is we don't have a lot of opportunities to come together like this in luxury hospitality, and the network and the company that we are in here is just so impressive and I just feel so grateful to be included.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there's no question, it's a who's who of luxury hospitality globally.
Speaker 2:That was sort of my takeaway from Vegas last year, but it's that much clearer here in Monaco because this is much more of a global destination, and I was speaking to a number of new colleagues that had traveled here from Australia and various parts of the world.
Speaker 2:That I definitely didn't see in Vegas last year, but you mentioned something really interesting there, which is the fact you get to mentor and learn from other people in this space, and so, now that you are actually in the privileged position to be one of the shining stars, I would love for you to be able to share some advice to those people listening to this, which, you know, this is now the world's most popular B2B travel podcast, and I'm thrilled to say that, because I think there's still so much opportunity for us to grow, especially in the hospitality space, and so, for those listeners that are trying to work their way up in their careers, I would love for you to be able to share some valuable pieces of advice for them to eventually be at a Forbes travel guide event like this and to be able to have to be sit down and interviewed like this. So what are some of the recommendations you'd have for those people who are on their journey.
Speaker 1:Oh, my goodness. Well, I mean it goes back to us being in the hospitality business and I think the most key thing to be successful in leadership roles in this business is you have to truly love what you do. And what you do is create experiences that make people feel really great, and that should be your guest experiences. That also needs to be your colleague experiences. That's the team at the end of the day who gets us here, and I think a genuine care and concern for all of those stakeholders is the most important thing. And then it's really hard work and the reality of our business is we are often at the hotel on Christmas Eve, on Christmas Day, on weekends, on holidays. It's a 365-day operation and for each person, how you balance that and your life is different. But it's absolutely possible and I think that really comes down to you've just got to really love this business and love being there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's a really good point and one of the things when you mentioned Shannon, the thing that stood out to me and the fact that you guys know each other how to work together is the line that had someone had referenced with me recently is yeah, your network is your net worth I'm sure you've heard that expression before, and every once in a while I think I was a little later to that expression and so it really resonated with me when I heard it recently because when you come to an event like this and you start to network, you realize just how valuable those relationships are as you move from different properties, and there's a value to your personal brand to have had these different experiences to then either open up new hotels or to help new hotels existing hotels grow again after they've been renovated, and so there's just so many unique aspects to this industry. So I appreciate you sharing your advice. The other thing I want to get to, sarah, of course, is the trends that you're seeing.
Speaker 2:So it's cool you're Canadian living in the States, because I think that right there, that gives you a unique lens, because us, as Canadians who love doing business in America and traveling to America I'm saying that very consciously, given some of the dynamics that are going on globally at the moment that we are our closest friends and neighbors and there's so much that brings us together, and I loved traveling to the US and I loved living in the US, and so I've got many wonderful friends there. So I'm staying away from the politics at all and focused on the day-to-day reality, and I guess that's where, as a Canadian, though, you have had the privilege of being outside the U? S, so you can see it from a different perspective. But now that you're in it and you've been in now for over a decade you're also in one of the areas, that is, you know, that shapes trends for fashion. So, for all of those reasons, I'm so keen to get your take on what you see as sort of the the big trends that are shaping luxury hospitality in 2025.
Speaker 1:Yes and yes to your point. I mean, growing up in Vancouver, I certainly didn't see myself in Beverly Hills of all places. But you know, the really key one that I think is really exciting and that I'm so excited for us to move into a little bit more, is the whole longevity piece. So excited for us to move into a little bit more is the whole longevity piece. You know, over maybe five, 10 years ago it seemed like the medical spa was the biggest new trend in wellness and it's so exciting to actually see that move in a direction of really understanding how to extend lifespan. That's something that Mayborn has just launched with our new spa concept, seren in Belgravia, and we'll be looking to bring that concept to Beverly Hills at some point next year. So, really speaking to the biohacking component, some activities that we've been hearing a lot about called brain training- Tell me more about this, which is?
Speaker 1:yeah, really teaching your body how to handle stress responses. So it's just a fascinating industry right now. But with our customers aging and really looking to how do they extend their quality of life, this industry is just booming and we're really excited to bring that out to Beverly Hills in 2026.
Speaker 2:Very cool. So that's a big trend right there. So the concept of lifespan and healthspan and I had a chance to speak to Chip Conley last year and clearly he is one of the modern elder academy in this idea that people are living longer and they're living better and healthier, and so we need to adapt to the fact that you now have retirees that want to be more active. We just did the safari series and that was actually one of the main trends that they had highlighted is that people want to get out of just being in the back of a vehicle for three or four hours in the morning and the evening and they want to do hikes, and they want to get out of just being in the back of a vehicle for three or four hours in the morning and the evening and they want to do hikes and they want to be more active and they've put in like, um, not just plunge pools, but they actually have lap pools and like, and so, um, there's all these interesting shifts that are going on. So obviously, wellness is a big trend, so that clearly makes sense.
Speaker 2:Being in beverly hills, you guys should be at the forefront of that. What are some of the other trends like when it comes to what you're seeing with your guests, the requests that you're seeing because I'm assuming that that will drive some of the decision-making is that other properties and some of the activities of the customer interests will lead you to open up new restaurants or to expand the spa. Yeah, what are some of the other things that stand out to you?
Speaker 1:I mean absolutely From the culinary standpoint. More and more of these really unique whether that be activations or dinners, are trending really nicely. Very limited residency with Alinea Restaurant Group out of Chicago who are going to be with us for the month of August as part of their 20th anniversary tour. So that's an experience that so many in Southern California have a challenging time, quite frankly, accessing in Chicago. So bringing that out to Beverly Hills and giving that experience here will be fantastic.
Speaker 1:And we've done a lot. Actually, our company has an incredible reputation with our bars, so the Connett Bar was one of the 50s best number one bar and that bar culture we've been really looking to bring out to Beverly Hills. We have a fantastic bar with our Mayborn Bar off the lobby and then Dante Beverly Hills on the rooftop another 50 best winner, nice. So we'll have some more really unique bar programming coming for late this year, early next year as well. And you know another really interesting one that we did in 2024, we called our Kindred Spirits Programming, where we look to bring different bartenders from different areas of LA I mean anyone who spent some time in LA from downtown LA, from East LA, and had them come and do one night residencies at our bar in Beverly Hills to bring that incredible experience cocktail programming from downtown up to Beverly Hills, knowing that most aren't going to travel the 45 minutes.
Speaker 2:I made the mistake of telling people I live in LA and I quickly got corrected from anyone I lived in Orange County. I didn't live in LA. Yes, very different Very different and I used to travel back and forth between Cyprus and Encino and Encino obviously is in the valley and it's a whole other area.
Speaker 2:That, and the people that I used to interview candidates and they wanted to work in their neighborhood because obviously traffic was always a big factor but literally came up in the first five questions why you're interested in this opportunity, it's like, well, actually it's close to where I live and so, yeah, it is a unique phenomenon about Los Angeles that it is very neighborhood driven, but there's so many amazing neighborhoods in LA and so when people are looking up the Mayborn, I would love for you to be able to share where they can get more information or how, because many of our listeners, of course, are B2B, so we may have, certainly, listeners that are now going to book your hotel or look to experience the Mayborn in Beverly Hills, but we also have a lot of travel partners that would likely be keen to get in touch with you to be able to sell Mayborn to their guests and their clients. So I would love, sarah, if you were to be able to share how they can connect with the property.
Speaker 2:But then, also connect with yourself, too, for other partnership opportunities.
Speaker 1:Yes, absolutely so. Our property maybornbeverlyhillscom easiest way to reach us, as well as on Instagram at MaybornBH. I can easily be contacted at the property. I'm there most days as well, so I would love to hear from any of our travel partners on coming and visiting us or allowing us to assist with clients.
Speaker 2:That's awesome. Thank you, sarah. Now tell everyone just in closing, you are going to stay on for a couple of days. This is your first time in Monaco. Yes, it's a pretty spectacular venue and place right.
Speaker 1:It's incredible.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and we were reminded this morning by Peter Greenberg, who I have a great respect for. Peter, he was on the show last year and I got a chance to catch with him last night. He was certainly a legendary figure in this industry and he presented this morning and highlighted a few details about Monaco that I hadn't registered. That it's actually smaller than central park. You know it's actually one square mile and so I realized when I walked around yesterday I guess I saw all of it.
Speaker 1:I think it's like it was beautiful.
Speaker 2:I kept turning corners and thinking like it's bigger than I expected, but actually it's incredibly safe and it also is very luxurious the cars, the yachts, it is just like. So tell everyone, if you wouldn't mind, sarah, what your plans are while you're here for the first time and what you're going to do after the Forbes Travel Guide before you head back to Beverly Hills.
Speaker 1:Yes, I mean, this is such an incredible place, and I think, especially coming from LA, one of the things that's been so wonderful is just that you can walk everywhere here, and I think I covered the entire all of Monaco in heels yesterday, so you can't say that about many different places, but you know, the dining has been exceptional.
Speaker 1:The hotels have been absolutely beautiful. I'm staying over at Hotel de Paris, which has just been absolutely fantastic. The team has been so accommodating. So hopefully a little bit more walking around the city, a few more of the fabulous restaurants. It's really been quite an exceptional place.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's terrific. Well, I'm glad to hear you're enjoying it so much, and it's a real honor and a pleasure to meet you here at the summit. I appreciate you making the time for this conversation and I look forward to keeping in touch with you. So I want to say I wish you all the success in this year and continue in your career, and thanks for joining us on Travel Trends. Thank you so much for having me. This has been great.
Speaker 2:As you heard, all of these conversations have been recorded live at the summit in Monaco this year, with our special theme of the leaders behind the stars, and I think you got a great idea why that was the case to have Sarah McIntosh from the Mayborn Hotel join us, since they have just achieved their Forbes five star ranking. I was certainly inspired by her story and her journey, not only because she is a fellow Canadian who is having great success in the world, but also because she's a huge fan of White Lotus as well. So thank you, sarah, for joining us. I really enjoyed our conversation and certainly wish you and the team every success in the year ahead. Now coming up next week, we're going to have someone joining us that is on the journey to achieve what Sarah and the team at the Mayborn Beverly Hills have done over the past year.
Speaker 2:We're going to be speaking to Pradeep Raman, who is the managing director for the very first Carinthia Hotel in the US, and he's based in New York, and he tells me this fascinating story about how they've connected with locals in their community in the Upper East Side by offering dog treats to the neighbors.
Speaker 2:And for me, I was captivated because I'm a huge dog lover, and this is a really fascinating story. And it's also really interesting to see how that leads to business and just how important it is for new hotels and leaders in hospitality to connect to local community. And so I learned a lot from this conversation with Pradeep, and I'm sure you will as well. So don't forget to make sure that you are subscribed on the streaming platform of your choice to be notified when new episodes go live every Thursday from the special hospitality series. And don't forget we post clips and highlights on all of our social channels, both at Forbes Travel Guide and at Travel Trends Podcast, on Instagram and YouTube and LinkedIn, so make sure you look for us there and check out those highlights. And until next week, safe travels.
