Christopher Hartley & Simon Naudi - GHA & Corinthia | Loyalty, Luxury & Grand Boutique Hotels
Two industry titans in one iconic room?!
SMACK Season 7 is officially starting, and we couldn’t think of a better way to kick it off.
Christopher Hartley, CEO of Global Hotel Alliance, and Simon Naudi, Group CEO of Corinthia Hotels, joined Fritz at the stunning Corinthia Grand Hotel Astoria Brussels during the GHA’s annual CEO meeting.
The result? A masterclass in loyalty, luxury, and GRAND Boutique.
In this Season 7 opener:
• Why GHA’s #loyalty model is winning over independent brands
• How #Corinthia blends grand hotels with boutique soul
• What tomorrow’s #luxurytraveler actually wants, and expects
• Why local authenticity still rules in a global game
This bomb of an opening episode is live now on all platforms!
Hit play, take notes, and welcome to a brand new season of SMACK.
Enjoy the show!
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Ian Di Tullio - Minor Hotels l Spreadsheets, Sky Miles & Suite Dreams
First it was finance spreadsheets, now it’s suite dreams: Ian Di Tullio’s journey to the top of Minor Hotels is anything but ordinary.
Let’s just say: it started with data and ended with loyalty (lots of it).
We mic’d up with the Global Chief Commercial Officer, Ian Di Tullio, who went from flying high with Air Canada & Accor to shaking up hospitality from Bangkok with brains, heart, and some serious backend magic.
In this one, we get into:
- What the airline industry taught him about innovation and squeezing margin magic
- How data & AI = power (when you actually use it right)
- And why respect > synergy when it comes to brand acquisitions
Enjoy the show!
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Samuel Njoroge - Millenium Hotels l From Phone Operator to Planet Protector
Say hello to Samuel Njoroge, Director of Quality Assurance & Sustainability at Millennium Hotels and Resorts MEA, joining our latest Breaktime episode with the fabulous Mari. Talking trash (literally), tech, and turning purpose into planet-saving action.
From phone operator in 2009 to full-blown eco-legend today, Samuel’s journey is pure SMACK: hustle, heart, and a whole lot of green ambition.
What’s on the Breaktime menu?
- Climbing the ranks and building a regional sustainability strategy that actually works
- AI-powered bins, data-driven food waste reduction, and how Winnow helped save 21,000+ meals
- Why educating kids to plant trees and clean beaches is both adorable and revolutionary (warning: might trigger proud-parent tears)
His vibe? Calm, clear, and climate-conscious:
“Sustainability isn’t just CSR. It’s everyone’s responsibility – and it starts at home.”
Enjoy the show!
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María Zarraluqui - Melia Hotels l From Legal Life to Luxury Hotels with a Spanish Twist
From courtroom to boardroom, now serving global hospitality with that Spanish spice.
Meet María Zarraluqui, VP of Global Development at Meliá Hotels International, lawyer-turned-development-queen and Mallorca-based hospitality firecracker. We caught up with her at IHIF2025 in Berlin, where our host Florian had the mic, and María brought the magic.
In this episode:
How a life twist landed her at Meliá... where 25 years later, she’s still rocking the show.
Why Spanish hospitality isn’t just service: it’s soul, sunshine, and secret sauce.
How “Mujeres en Hospitality” started as a Friday video call and turned into a full-on movement of mentoring and powerful community.
Her vibe? Big energy, bigger wisdom: “Believe in yourself, raise your voice, make your knowledge and your capabilities visible.”
Enjoy the show!
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Richard Hyde - SLH | Swiping Right on Luxury & Small Hotels
Swiping Right on Luxury & Small Hotels.
The wait is finally over… As you might know, Richard Hyde, COO of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, took the hot seat SMACK Live at Young Hoteliers Summit at #EHL in Lausanne and here comes his podcast episode.
From his slide into hospitality to building what he calls the “Tinder of Hotels” – matching dream stays with the perfect guests – Richard spilled the tea about working with SLH with style, wit, and a whole lotta love for the world of small luxury.
This exclusive SMACK Live episode dives into:
- What a day in the life of a COO really looks like (spoiler: it involves strategy, sales, numbers, and his amazing team).
- The secret life of SLH’s mystery inspectors (yes, they’re real – and no, they’re not paid).
- The new Unplugged Collection: massive phone detox, luxury edition.
- His dream hotel: small, warm, Italian, and family-style hospitality that sticks with you forever.
Also, if you’re someone who tries to dodge long emails and Zoom marathons to have real conversations instead: Richard might just be your new role model.
So tell us… If hotels were on Tinder, who would you swipe right on?
Enjoy the show!
Welcome to SMACK!
Just like our name, everything we do here is a little different and yet you’ll probably have more fun here than elsewhere. SMACK Hospitality Media is your one-of-a-kind source for hospitality and tourism-related edutainment. It is our mission to provide fun and engaging content for industry professionals in modern media formats.
With our podcast we aim to give everybody around the world the chance to meet key decision-makers and trailblazers of the hospitality industry. Chasing that ambitious goal, our hospitality podcast airs twice a month between September and July.
So, join the conversation, tune in and never ever lose your curiosity.
Enjoy the show!
Portugal