Episode #112: Jess Feldman, Associate Director of Special Projects, Travel + Leisure

Speaker A: Welcome to the Hospitality Forward podcast where we interview top journalists who share their insights and tips for being featured in their stories.

Speaker B: My name is Hanna Lee. I am president and founder of Hanna Lee Communications, an award winning public relations agency in New York City.

Speaker A: And I'm Michael Ann Stendzig, Editor in Chief of Hannah Lee Communications, a food and beverage writer and co author of the Japanese Art of the Cocktail. Helping the community has always been part of our agency's mission. We understand that a lot of hospitality and travel professionals might not have the resources to hire a PR agency.

Speaker B: We believe everyone has a story to share, so we created our podcast where where our audience can get to know these media luminaries and start building relationships. And today we have listeners in 160 countries.

Speaker A: As a journalist, myself and Hannah, as a PR professional, we understand the power of media coverage and its positive impact on someone's career and business. And now on with the show. In this episode, we're delighted to chat with Jess Feldman. Jess is Travel and Leisure's Associate Director of Special Projects. Jess leads strategy and development of Travel and Leisure's tentpole brand projects, including the World's Best Awards, the World's Best Summit, and the A List, Travel and M Leisure's list of the world's leading travel advisors. She also leads coverage of Wellness, Fashion Points and loyalty, as well as Australia, New Zealand and the US West Coast. Jessa's work has been published by the Washington Post, Baltimore sun and USA Today. Outside of work, she could be found searching for the next best travel deal, watching newly released films or talking about Boston sports.

Speaker B: Hi, Jess. Welcome to the show.

Speaker A: So nice to see you.

Speaker C: Hi. So good to see you both.

Speaker B: We are so excited to have you on our show. Actually, you are our third guest from Travel and Leisure in season one. We loved chatting with Editor in Chief Jackie Gifford and Season 7 News Director Paul Brady. So here we are. Great to have you on our show.

Speaker C: So excited. Thank you.

Speaker A: So, Jess, we understand that you've been in editorial since graduating college. So was travel writing always your dream? And can you tell our listeners how you got to where you are today?

Speaker C: Yeah, that's a great question. Yes, I studied journalism at the University of Maryland. They have a very cool, impressive journalism school, Philip Merrill College of Journalism, that I kind of stumbled into. Um, the one thing I knew I was good at going to college was writing, but I thought I wanted to do marketing, and I very quickly realized that econ and math were not in my future. So I ended up pivoting and finding journalism and realizing oh, yeah. All this time. I've been reading magazines my whole life. I love luxury travel. I love the print feel of a magazine. Opening a book and seeing all the pretty pictures and understanding exactly what's happening and just diving into something aspirational. Um, took me a long time to get to travel journalism, I would say. I started in. My first ever internship was at Nantucket Magazine, which is a luxury local magazine from. In a town that I'm basically from. I grew up going there every summer my whole life, and that was my first ever job. Um, and then after years of different roles, I started as an editorial assistant outside of Washington, D.C. at Northern Virginia Magazine. And then I pivoted into, um, financial journalism, which was not something I ever expected. Like I said, math and numbers were not my thing, but it ended up being very interesting. And I stayed in that realm for three and a half years. And that's what got me into the company I'm at now, which, of course is People Inc. However, it's had lots of lives. I started when it was dot dash, so I've been at this company for about six years now. Um, and with the financial role, I was started as a editorial assistant, made my way up to associate editor, got into special projects, which is kind of a unique role in, uh, media and in publishing. But it's really the position that works on larger editorial projects that touch revenue, and you kind of act as a liaison between the edit world and the sales world and what that really looks like. And so I did that in the finance space for a while, and then I made my way to travel. So travel journalism for me, I've always been on the road. My dad's from Moscow. I love traveling. I studied in Copenhagen for seven months. It's really important to me to see the world, and that's what's kind of inspired me. And the fact that I get to now be at, uh, the best travel magazine in the world is a huge honor, and I love working here.

Speaker B: Speaking of the best publication in the world, as you mentioned, can you remind our listeners about Travel and Leisure and what sets it apart from other travel publications?

Speaker C: Of course. I would say, uh, Travel and Leisure is a premier luxury print magazine. But more than that, it's a brand. We have so many different ways to talk to our audiences. We have our social media platform that has more than 6 million followers. Then we have our TikTok, which is also growing. Um, I was. Instagram specifically is the one with over 6 million. And that strategy has continued to grow and rise for Us, we have our print magazine, which is one of the few magazines out there that still has 11 issues a year. It's extremely successful. People are reading it, we're doing well. In a world where, I don't know, 10 years ago people said print magazines were dying, we're still alive, which is great to hear. Um, and then our digital space, of course, our website does well as well. We have a newsletter. There's so many different ways for us to reach our audience. And I think that us being out there, what makes T and L different, in my opinion, all of our editors are really on the road all the time. We're all at different conferences, we're at uh, pure, we're at iltm, we're all over across the world. And people know who we are. We are front facing, we are understanding how to be on the pulse of what's happening. And we, because we're already always on the road and in front of everyone, we really understand what trends are relevant and then we're able to bring that into the stories that we tell.

Speaker A: So you're associate director of special projects at Travel and Leisure. What actually does that involve and what's your typical day like?

Speaker C: So what my role is at uh, the company is leading editorial strategy from start to finish for our largest brand tent poles. So the biggest project that I work on and the reason I was initially hired is the World's Best awards, which is our largest brand tent poll. It's been going on for 31 years. We're in our 31st year and it's based on the results of a reader led survey where over 300,000 readers vote every year. About that number, I want to say this year we're closer to 250,000. And the readers vote on their favorite hotels, their favorite cities, their favorite islands, their favorite rental cars. It's expanded quite a bit since its inception. And all of those results are then compiled into a large package. Um, it's 40 pages. It's our biggest package of the year, the August issue which goes live very soon. Um, and then we also have the online package, a huge social media push alongside that as well. And, and then the World's Best Summit, which is an in person event that we started, uh, about this is our third year, so three years ago. Um, and that's all been based out of this massive tent pole that I help run. So I lead the strategy across all those platforms. Um, and then a day to day I also run our A list, which is our list of top travel advisors. I work on A lot of our fashion forward content on the website, when it pertains to luxury fashion, I work on a lot of our points and miles content. Um, but the day to day kind of differs. I mean right now it's all focused on the world's best awards. We're launching July 7 online so making sure the tool um, functions properly online. We're kind of changing our look and feel this year so ensuring it's ready to go. Working. I work with all teams. I work with design, product, edit everyone, sales, revenue to make sure that we're all on the same page come launch date.

Speaker B: On the editorial side, what topics do you cover and what, where do you go for story inspiration?

Speaker C: Yes. So on the print side of the house, I help work on our uh, longer form content that's related to Australia, New Zealand and the US west coast and wellness. So for example, I. We don't get to write all the time. We're usually doing the editing and sending our freelancers to different destinations. However, I just got back from Austria on Thursday. Um, I stayed at Meyerlife. Yes, it was lovely. Um, Meyerlife Resort is one of the top medical spas in the world. And I got to stay for four nights, five days and really see what this whole program is about. And I'm going to tell that story in an upcoming issue. Um, all about solo travel, which is a trend that we're seeing a lot right now. And kind of understanding why people want this full breakdown of their health right now and what that actually means, that's one thing. Um, on the editing side, when it comes to Australia, New Zealand, US west coast, how I find these stories, I think it's really talking to people who live in the destinations, whether that's freelance writers or PR or hoteliers, and just understanding what's new. Why is this destination relevant right now? What could be interesting is there a story that's never been told here? Um, for example, last year I had a. Actually it was probably about two years ago, I had a meeting with someone who represented, um, New Zealand tourism. And we were just chatting and he mentioned a very small tidbit bit about an indigenous chef and how he is focused on a menu that feels like New Zealand but has all these different cultures tied behind it. And I was like, oh, what do you mean by that? And he's like, well, we don't really have an identity here when it comes to our food. New Zealand's so new. We take influence from France, we take influence from Spain. We don't really have our own culture as it pertains to food, our own identity. And to me that was like, oh, maybe there's a story here. Um, and I started looking into it, I started thinking about who could be talking there. And there were so many chefs who are really leading the change here and giving New Zealand a food identity. And then I thought, who would be a good writer here? Jeff Chew is one of our top writers. He always talks about food, he's always on the road. And I went to him and was like, would you be interested in this? And then that unfolded into, um, a ten page feature in our September culinary issue last year, which was amazing and the photos are beautiful and it was a really cool story. But that all happen in a small conversation. Like that little idea gets boiled down into something much larger.

Speaker A: So why don't we circle back for a sec to the world's best summit that you mentioned. Uh, it's coming up very soon. What would you say is going to make this year's edition different from last?

Speaker C: Yeah, good question. So, uh, the summit is taking place July 14th and 15th this summer. We're so excited. Last year we sold out. Um, we have a 350 person auditorium. We are on track to do so now as well. We only have about 10 to 15 tickets left, I want to say. So we're almost there. What makes this event so special is while it was born out of the idea of the world's best awards, really it was like we have all these people coming, we have these hoteliers who won the award. They're coming to celebrate in a big way. We have a big party for all the winners of the project of the actual, um, tentpole. But then it was in this new era post Covid, which isn't really new anymore. But the past three to four years, getting in person and talking about our industry has been what everyone wants to do. People want to talk to each other, they want to be in person. They want to understand the best way to reach our high net worth luxury consumers. And we thought, you know what, we're one of the leaders in this space. Why don't we do a summit where we can actually bring experts in and have a conversation. And so from the first year it was very much, uh, myself and our editor in chief, Jackie kind of scrapping all this together and figuring out what people, what was resonating. And it did so well even with just us. Now we have a six person events team. We all work, our entire team works together to make this something. And I think this year we just have so many Great voices. We have Valentina DeSantis, the CEO of Grand Hotel Tremezzo. We have um, so many interesting people. Joe Bales from Singita, the CEO. He'll be there. And the topics that we're talking about, Sheila Johnson, she's the CEO of Salamander Hotels and Resorts. An amazing person. A lot of people who are hoteliers, GMs but also travel advisors, people within our network from the travel Advisory Board who are out there on the road and actually experiencing all of these things topic wise. We'll be talking about a lot of things that are top of mind for everyone right now. Um, private aviation for example is a panel that I'll be moderating. So what does this actually look like today and why is private aviation changing the game so much? What are consumers really leaning toward? They're moving away from these public airlines. While that seems very niche, it's actually quite relevant to I think the entire industry because you can learn from that sector. Um, we're also one panel that I think will be really interesting, moderated uh, by Paul Brady is Hotels Etc, which is going to talk about innovation beyond the four walls. So all of these big brands are kind of doing new things. For example the Ritz Carlton yacht for that's one one example. But yes, are all familiar with that. Um, people are going beyond the hotel. There's different safari treatments that some big brands are leaning into luxury yachts. What does that actually mean and how will it impact the service that's offered? We'll obviously be talking about America 250, the big anniversary. How has domestic travel changed and where is it going? I think that'll be something really interesting. Um, we'll be talking about personalization in the age of AI. I don't think we could not talk about AI at a travel summit these days. So we have a lot of really cool topics. Um, our keynote speakers I think are going to be amazing. We have actress Regina King who will be talking to Jackie in a one on one conversation. And then we also have Barry Diller who is the chairman of IAC which is now People Incorporated. He's going to do an amazing job. It'll just be a very cool time to be in a room with all these people and hear from experts about what's really going on right now.

Speaker B: Our team attended it last year and we are very much looking forward to attending again this year.

Speaker C: Amazing.

Speaker B: Super excited. So, uh, we heard the world's best summit is expanding to London this year. So why London?

Speaker C: Yeah, it's a great question. I would Say right now, Travel Leisure doesn't have a European segment. We don't have a magazine in Europe. We don't have that space where some of our competitors do. This is a really good way for us to dip our toes into that and see what happens. We have a huge market. We know we have readers in those spaces and we have clients in that area. And I think doing an intimate event where it's very intimate, like I said, New York is 350. This is a hundred people. So a hundred people in a room at the Dorchester Collection talking about travel. And more specifically in London, we'll be speaking about how to reach the US consumer.

Speaker A: So let's delve into some of your recent articles. We enjoyed reading your story on Readaway Vacations in Nantucket. And as a book author myself, I was very intrigued and it would truly be our dream vacation and we'd love to experience it. So how did this spot get on your radar?

Speaker C: It's a funny thing because I am tied deeply to Nantucket, as I kind of alluded to. My first ever magazine job was on the island. I am getting married on the island in October. Um, my parents have a home there. Um, so to me, it's a really special place. And this kind of came about just from getting an email in our inboxes of this thing is happening. The readaway is a popular trend. Who would want to experience it on Nantucket? And everyone sent it to me, so I got the chance to go, which is great. I'm. I was already there for Thanksgiving and so having a little staycation, um, with my fiance at this place was really lovely and quite different to what we typically do. I'm normally at luxury hotels, of course, and staying in a Airbnb type style apartment where I get to just lay on a couch and read a book was my ideal vacation as well, Michael. So it was great. Um, and the island itself is just a special place because it's so quaint and that time of year highly recommend. Go in the fall, don't go in the summer. Um, it's a destination that has so much character when you really get to unpack it. And having the chance to stay in town, which I've never done, um, out of all my years being there, uh, it was very special.

Speaker B: So what are the trends in the travel space are you excited about?

Speaker C: Yeah, um, there's a lot going on right now. I would say solo travel is something that we talked about. Last year we actually had a whole panel at the World's Best Summit about solo Travel, but I think it's evolved even more, um, in a year. Female travel is really a big thing right now. Uh, women are leading the charge when it comes to solo travel. They're going on these adventures. There's different, um, group excursions that you can sign up for. Uh, there's also this unique trend, I think, of people going through something like post grief travel, going on these excursions where you're really feeling something and you want to get away, but you don't have anyone to go with. So I think a lot of women are leaning into that and traveling on their own in a group, which is very cool to see. Um, coming from that trip that I just got back, uh, in Austria, it was really interesting. Everyone at Meyerlife has their own assigned table for every meal. And you sit by yourself and there's no music playing. And you're meant to not be on your phone, not be on a book, not read a book, not talk to anyone, and really focus on the act of eating. And in the beginning, I found it so challenging. I was like, really unable to just focus on what I was doing. But I looked around and there, uh, were so many other solo travelers. I want to say the room was probably 25 people and more than half were on their own. And everyone was just doing it. People were calm, collected. The person to my left had been there for probably about two weeks when I was there, and. And he was a master in the act of it. And it was really interesting to see. Yeah, he had learned the monotonous routine kind of caught on. But the idea is just learning to be comfortable with yourself and with the silence again. And I think that as a trend itself is big in travel too. Um, whether you're going on safari and you're just really being present in your moment, or you're laying on a beach. But I do think the laying on the beach thing has become a lot less in our world. Um, other trends. Something we'll be talking about in London is the idea of the coolcation and why it's here to stay. Um, a lot of travelers are going north. They are going further and further. They don't want to just lay on a beach, like I said, and have a calming resort vacation, partially because they want to try something new and get out of their comfort zone. Also, it's overcrowded in certain destinations. All that we know. I think traveling further north to places, whether that's Canada, the Dolomites, um, Norway, the islands, whatever floats your boat. I think people just want to do something they've never done before. And we all know experiential travel, one of a kind trips and excursions, that's what people are looking for now and that's not going to go away anytime soon. Those are the. A few too. Um, another one that I think is interesting is just Gen Z and how they're changing tourism as a whole. Um, we're going to be talking about drinking culture in particular in London, which will be very interesting. Um, a lot of people, I think it's 54% of Americans now say that they consume alcohol, according to a Gallup poll that was released last year. And a lot of the people leading that change is the Gen Z population. So how can wineries adapt to this? How can these destinations that are rooted in drinking culture and another thing like GLP1s, that's going to change how people eat and drink and experience a hotel. So what is that going to do?

Speaker A: So, uh, we also really loved your review of Origins Astro Lodge and that you were the first to stay at this retreat in the northern highlands of Costa Rica. And we loved how you were almost able to reach out and touch the wildlife and certainly hear them, especially the birds.

Speaker B: So in regards to coverage, how important are exclusives for you and how much lead time should hoteliers provide you before the opening?

Speaker C: Yeah, that's a great question. We have, um, a wonderful. My colleague Maya Katru Levine leads all of our hotels coverage here at T and L. And we all work together, right. So if we get a pitch where we are aware of a hotel that's opening very soon, we want to know right away. I think the sooner the better is always good for us. Um, when it comes to it list, which is one of our largest tent poles as well that I helped out with this year with Maya, Uh, that is a project where we highlight the 100 best new hotel openings in the world. And like I said, we all work together on that. We all do a ton of reporting. We go to so many hotels and knowing far in advance that a property is opening in say January 2027, that's really great for us. We want to know what's coming far down the pipe. Maybe that's because we want to put it in a print story, which we need significant lead time for or just so that we know that it's ahead and we want that first in with a lot of like the big brands with Origins, Astral. That was an interesting one. Um, because it's such a small property, um, and we got wind of it a little bit ago and we were like, this would be a very cool thing for us to see. And also we think regionally, so South America, Central America, Costa Rica, perhaps we didn't have a Costa Rica property already planned for it list. Origins ended up making it onto it list. So we think about the size of the hotel, we think about where it is regionally, um, who it's appealing to. I remember two years ago, another property that won on it list that might have surprised some people was the Brandt, which is a very intimate small hotel on Nantucket that I got to go stay at. And it's really family friendly. And there's not a lot of family friendly options on Nantucket versus Martha's Vineyard. So that checked a box for us and that made us say, oh, this is something that's opening a door or unlocking a market per se. And that would be something that we would pay attention to.

Speaker A: So closer to home, we also enjoyed your review of the Six Bells Countryside Inn in the Hudson Valley. You painted a really wonderful, vivid picture of the inn and its kind of quirky accommodations. So in your story, you touch on the concept of high low experiences. And where else in the hotel world do you see this charming contrast?

Speaker C: Yeah, I think the high low thing is very interesting because people want nostalgia now. I mean, like I said earlier, I do think people want one of a kind experiences never had before. But then again, on the opposite end of the spectrum, they want to feel familiar, they want comfort, they want warmth when they enter a hotel. I personally love to feel I like a boutique property. I like something that kind of like takes me in, is warm and comfortable, but really uniquely designed. And I felt like Six Bells. It's like kitschy, but creative. And everything is so high quality. I mean, Audrey Gelman, she's, she's also speaking at our World's Best Summit in New York this summer. Um, she has such a knack for seeing what people would want far ahead of time. And I think her design is so well curated. Um, but it is that high low. I remember one of the things she had said she like, found, found something at a thrift store that was not expensive by any means, but it's probably one of the more popular things within the hotel. Um, I think this can be seen in various hotels, various properties and destinations too. Um, I think when we're traveling and we're looking for a place, we're not always like, oh, what's the most high end destination? Where are the top hotels in the world? Um, like a Cabo, for example. Of course, there's beautiful five star luxury properties there. However, maybe the street food is like the best thing you'll ever eat there too. And people want that. That resonates. I think everyone wants a little bit of both. Um, it's not necessarily the price point, it's how it makes you feel.

Speaker B: We found it's so interesting that the Six Bells also has a shopping catalog of in room items that guests can purchase. I love the idea. So do you see other hotels and resorts doing the same?

Speaker C: Yeah, absolutely. I think this trend of, uh, shopping where you stay has been adopted in a variety of ways. Like I said, Six Bells, she does an amazing job at that and finding these products. And that hotel started as a store. So this idea of going from one thing to the other. Um, another good example is, um, Death and company, an amazing bar in New York also has now a hotel that they recently opened. So I think that idea too of restaurants becoming hotels, hotels becoming restaurants. A brand can live on in so many different ways. And that resonates with us at Travel and Leisure too. Like of course we started as a print magazine, but now we create in person events so you never know what can happen. I think as long as you're true to the idea that you're trying to bring forward into the world, um, it's a really interesting trend right now.

Speaker A: So why don't we get a little practical now? Can you share some helpful tips for our listeners who are looking to pitch their stories to you?

Speaker C: Yes, I would say with pitching, the more specific the better. I feel like we probably all say that, but if you're giving me a very vague idea in a paragraph, I'm going to have a hard time coming up with something, I think or really seeing the bigger picture, the more specific it can get. Then that way I can take that idea and think of where it could go. Um, kind of like I shared with that example of the food in New Zealand. He just mentioned something very small, but I was able to know. Oh, New Zealand, we haven't covered that in a long time. The country has so much to share. It's a really interesting destination. But food we haven't talked about in that way. So I think giving us the room to then come up with a larger idea is always great. We don't need a full page of information. Uh, if it's as really specific sentence, one thing, I'm going to start reading it and get a better idea of what we need from the T and L lens.

Speaker B: When it comes to social media, what do you think travel professionals should be doing more to get your attention.

Speaker C: Yeah, that's interesting. So I am not the expert on the social media space. Maddie Hyatt, our head of social, if you guys ever need someone else, she's a wonderful person. Um, she, she recently has taken actually to social media to get social media people. So she's gone on our LinkedIn and posted, hey, we're looking for new T and L contributors. Send us your idea. Are you out in the world? What do you have to share? And then going from there. And that's been really interesting. Um, she got a massive influx of pitches, of course. Um, but I think finding that person who can tell a story well, um, to their audiences and then bringing that back to the travel and leisure voice is something we've been doing a lot on social. We recently started a new series where we're interviewing different segments of people. I'm not sure if you guys have seen, but we recently had, um, airline hosts. So I think it was a bunch of stewardesses telling us about what they've seen out in the world. We're interviewing butlers at five star resorts and seeing what they see, getting that, um, I don't want to say like, spicy voice, but getting a different angle that you might not have thought of and really like that insight, insidery information. Um, that's what's resonating with our readers across the board. The insider expert tips, um, on our website, in our stories on social media. They want the trust and the authority because it's not that easy to find that everywhere else these days. So making sure we stay true to that has, um, been key to our strategy.

Speaker A: So our podcast is called Hospitality Forward, since we celebrate the future of hospitality and travel. So is there a single individual or organization you think is taking our industry to the next level?

Speaker C: Um, I think there's so many innovative people out there. One of the first person that came to my mind is David Pryor, um, who owns Pryor, of course. He's on our travel advisory board. He is a former editor, has a really good pulse for what's happening out there and kind of has done a lot of things well in advance of when you thought it would be popular. So curating these individual experiences when he first launched prior, I think now everyone is kind of trying to do what he's doing, um, and painting that cultural picture of a destination where you're really getting an inside look. You have someone touring you on the ground of Oaxaca, taking you to a festival that you never would have been able to go to before that Access. Unlocking the access. I think Prior is very innovative in that way, and that company is, uh, for me, I look at their Instagram a lot when I'm looking at different destinations that are popular. I'm also friends with David, so talking to him and getting a better understanding of what we should be looking at, I think finding people like that who are one step ahead is always, um, important.

Speaker B: So what is your favorite cocktail and why? And who would you like to share it with?

Speaker C: Wow. Okay. My favorite cocktail for sure is a dirty martini no matter what. But I'm a vodka drinker, not a ginger drinker, which is controversial. Uh, but I would say dirty martini with Tito's light on the vermouth. Um, that is my favorite cocktail. I would, of course, like to drink it with my fiance in real life. But then if I were to pick someone who I can't actually, but would love to. Seth Rogen is my favorite actor of all time. I think he is a fascinating person. He has a beautiful pottery brand. I have a lot of his pieces, and I would love to have a drink with Seth Rogen and just talk about his work.

Speaker A: And, um, given all your travels around the world, what destination is still on your bucket list to visit and why?

Speaker C: Yes, I am very interested in, uh, Slovenia. And I love wine. I love old, historic streets and just kind of slowing down. Uh, like I mentioned with hotels, I'm very. I'm not someone who wants to be doing a million things at once. I like to kind of take my time and feel the heart of a destination. This is where I'm going. One of the places I'm going for my honeymoon, uh, is Slovenia. So I'm very excited. Uh, it's been on my list for a long time. Uh, as well as Croatia, which is going to be tied into that as well. We're doing two whole weeks in that part of Europe. Um, and I've always loved Europe. I've done a lot of Europe, but never this part of the continent. So very much excited for that. Um, another thing on my radar. I've never been to Thailand, so I would love to go to Thailand. We have. This was, of course, our destination of the year two years ago, and I worked on that package, um, and kind of getting a feel for the wellness side of Koh Samui. As you've probably gathered from this conversation, I love anything wellness. So I'm very much interested in going there one of these days.

Speaker A: All right, now, uh, a really fun part of our podcast, our quickfire questions. So we're Looking for one word answers here. So, for flying, checked baggage, or carry on?

Speaker C: Only carry on every time.

Speaker A: For accommodations, urban hotels or countryside retreats?

Speaker C: Countryside retreats.

Speaker B: For travel activities. Hiking in the mountains or, uh, lounging on the beach?

Speaker C: Hiking in the mountains.

Speaker B: For drinks. Hotel lobby bar or rooftop bar?

Speaker C: Hotel lobby bar. I like to see all the people I know. That's not one answer. But people watching at a hotel lobby bar is key.

Speaker B: Same with me.

Speaker A: Agreed. And before we let you go, what's the best way for our listeners to reach you?

Speaker C: Yes, of course anyone can follow me on Instagram. My account is jfeldz with two z's at the end. Um, and of course, travelandleisure.com, my email, uh, that's readily accessible to everyone as well. It's Jay feldmanplay. Uh, I'm open to hearing any and all ideas at all times.

Speaker A: Well, we really appreciate you taking the time to chat with us, Jess.

Speaker B: Thanks again, Jess. Really appreciate you being on our show and sharing your insights.

Speaker C: Thank you both so much. It was great talking to you.

Speaker B: So we'll see you soon.

Speaker A: Bye. Bye.

Speaker C: Bye

Speaker A: now. Uh, that was truly a worldly chat with Jess. Now that you know what Jess is looking for, please feel free to reach out to her and introduce yourself. And don't forget to mention that you heard her on our Hospitality Forward podcast. And be sure to subscribe and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your favorite shows. Also, for all media guests to date, you can find their information and episodes at our agency's website, www.uhhannalecommunications.com.

Speaker B: stay tuned for our next episode. Until then, join us as we move Hospitality Forward together.