5 Star Conversations
by 5 Star Conversations by Brendon Granger & Technology4Hotels
Latest episode
5 Star Conversations with Fiona Demark | Beyond Hotel Compliance…
5 Star Conversations with Fiona Demark | Beyond Hotel Compliance…
About this podcast
Welcome to 5 Star Conversations, where we uncover the career journeys and insights of the hotel industry’s most influential leaders. I’m your host, Brendon Granger. As an entrepreneur, hospitality technology ambassador, champion for charitable causes, mentor and speaker, I’m passionate about the industry and its people. Together, we’ll uncover the stories behind their careers, the pivotal moments that shaped them, and the valuable lessons they’ve learned along the way. Whether you’re looking for inspiration or practical advice to elevate your hospitality career, you’ve come to the right place.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 39 episodes
- 5 Star Conversations with Fiona Demark | Beyond Hotel Compliance: The True Accessible Luxury Experiences · 37 minIn this special episode of 5 Star Conversations, we sit down with Fiona Demark, accessibility expert and creator of Luxury Without Limits, to rethink how the hospitality industry…
- 5 Star Conversations with Les Morgan | Navigating Hotel Tech and Executive Leadership · 43 minIn this episode of 5 Star Conversations, our guest, Les Morgan from Hind Management, dives deep into the reality of modern executive leadership and the profound shifts reshaping…
- 5 Star Conversations with Emma Hynes | Balancing AI & The Human Touch · 38 minIn this episode of 5 Star Conversations, we sit down with Emma Hynes, Director of Operations for Australia and the Pacific for IHG Hotels & Resorts. Emma shares her remarkable…
- 5 Star Conversations with Craig Bond | Embracing AI & Authentic Service · 40 minIn this episode of 5 Star Conversations, we are joined by Craig Bond, the Chief Operating Officer of Pan Pacific Hotels Group, for an insightful masterclass in global hospitality…
- 5 Star Conversations with Tamer Habib | Rethinking the Future of Hospitality · 29 minIn this episode of 5 Star Conversations, we sit down with Tamer Habib, Chief Operating Officer at Amora Hotels and Resorts, to explore his remarkable 25-year journey from the…
- 5 Star Conversations with Raymond Faulkner | Future-Proofing Hotels Through Global Tech & Culture · 56 minIn this episode of 5 Star Conversations, we sit down with Raymond Faulkner, Vice President of Operations and Development for Swiss-Belhotel International. With over 35 years of…
- 5 Star Conversations with Olivier Berrivin | Hotel Technology & Human Hospitality · 30 minIn this episode of 5 Star Conversations, Olivier Berrivin, Vice President – Asia-Pacific at BWH Hotels, shares insights from his 35-year journey as a fourth-generation hotelier…
- 5 Star Conversations with Julian Clark | Leading Lancemore Through Crisis, Growth & the Future · 51 minIn this episode of 5 Star Conversations, Julian Clark, CEO of Lancemore Group, reflects on an unexpected journey into hospitality leadership. Although he began his career in…
- 5 Star Conversation with Dominic Egger on Leadership, AI & Sustainability · 54 minDominic Egger’s episode of 5 Star Conversations is a wide-ranging look at what modern resort leadership really takes — from goal-setting and disciplined operations to guest…
- 5 Star Conversations: Another 2025 Best Of - Advice That Shaped Today's Leaders · 22 minFor this Best Of 2025 edition of 5 Star Conversations, we asked a deceptively simple question: What’s the best advice you’ve ever received throughout your career? What emerged…
- 5 Star Conversations: 2025 Best Of - What Today’s Leaders Tell the Next Generation · 21 minThis compilation brings together one of the most consistent and heartfelt themes from 5 Star Conversations in 2025: advice for those entering, or considering, a career in…
- 5 Star Conversations with Marcus Hanna - From Banquet Waiter to Chief Operating Officer · 39 minMarcus Hanna, Chief Operating Officer at La Vie Hotels & Resorts, shares a 25-year journey from banquet waiter at Sydney’s Regent (now Four Seasons) to leading luxury assets…
- 5 Star Conversations with Zoran Pejović - From Seafarer Roots to Luxury Resorts · 51 minZoran Pejović, Chief Growth & Strategy Officer at Lošinj Hotels & Villas, joins us from Croatia to unpack two decades across luxury development and operations (Aman, Silversea…
- 5 Star Conversations with Wayne Taranto - Leading Ovolo’s Growth with Passion and Innovation · 35 minIn this episode of 5 Star Conversations, I sat down with Wayne Taranto, the Chief Operating Officer of Ovolo Group. We talk about how Wayne's journey into hospitality started…
- 5 Star Conversations with Mario Mendis - Future of Hotels: AI, Culture & Human Connection · 44 minIn this episode of 5 Star Conversations, we sit down with international hotelier Mario Mendis, whose 26-year journey in hospitality began humbly as a kitchen hand in Brisbane…
- 5 Star Conversations with Wayne Williams - Scaling Minor Hotel Group Globally & Leading with Purpose · 34 minIn this episode of Five Star Conversations, I sit down with Wayne Williams, CFO of the Minor Hotel Group. Over two decades, Wayne has played a key role in the group’s…
- 5 Star Conversations with Jason Nuell - From Food Runner to Marriott Regional VP - Jason Nuell on Leadership & the Future of Hospitality · 27 minIn this episode of 5 Star Conversations, Jason reflects on a career built on resilience, curiosity, and the willingness to take the harder path. Having spent two decades abroad…
- 5 Star Conversations with Rene Balmer - From Executive Chef to Group GM · 28 minIn this special international edition of 5 Star Conversations, filmed on location in Bangkok, we sit down with Rene Balmer, Group General Manager of Chatrium Hospitality. With…
- 5 Star Conversations with Anthony Metcalfe - Leading with Heart · 46 minIn this episode of Five Star Conversations, Anthony Metcalfe, Hotel Manager at Capella Sydney, shares his journey through the luxury hospitality industry. With roots in a…
- The Future of Hospitality: James Goodwin on Innovation, Workforce Challenges & Hotel Industry Trends · 36 minJames Goodwin, CEO of Accommodation Australia, joined Brendon on 5 Star Conversations to discuss his transition into the accommodation sector, having previously worked in…
