Hotel Soprana: A Year in Hotel Life · 2026-03-31 · 13 min
Key moments - from our scoring
Substance score
28 / 100
Five dimensions, 20 points each
Scandinavian hotels are navigating uncertain geopolitical headwinds with regional variation - some Norwegian properties report no impact due to low volumes from affected countries, while others see increased European travel as visitors redirect leisure spending domestically. However, the broader concern for hotel operators is operational resilience: revenue can drop rapidly if situations worsen, triggering bulk cancellations that force cost-cutting and staffing decisions. Diana and Carles emphasize that hotels, as high-touch service businesses, depend entirely on having the right people in the right place. The candidate-driven market has created new hiring friction - workers sign contracts, accept accommodation packages or travel stipends, then ghost when better offers materialize, leaving properties understaffed mid-season. Video introductions are emerging as a recruitment trend, though they introduce their own biases (not all excellent cooks film well). The pair stress thorough multi-round interviews, background checks, and realistic expectations-setting: remote Norwegian locations require employees psychologically prepared for isolation, limited nightlife, and harsh winters. Properties that invest in deep hiring processes and community-building - like networking events for locals - create more resilient revenue streams and reduce turnover risk.
Impact varies by region and tourist origin: some Norwegian hotels report minimal effect because affected countries send low volumes, while others benefit from increased European travel as visitors redirect leisure spending domestically. Overall, data suggests global recovery takes about two months.
The candidate-driven market allows workers to sign contracts with travel or accommodation covered, then accept better salary offers from competing companies and disappear without informing the original employer - leaving properties severely understaffed when the season starts.
Thorough multi-round interviews, background checks, and explicit discussions about living conditions - isolation, cold weather, limited nightlife, and distance to shops - are critical, as many candidates underestimate the psychological demands and leave after a few weeks.
Video introductions are trending but have downsides: skilled workers (like chefs) may not film well, and they introduce bias. Pairing them with 3-4 in-person interviews and CV screening remains more reliable for vetting fit.
Invest in local community engagement and events - like networking gatherings or knitting socials - to create a stable, year-round client base of locals, reducing dependency on external tourists and seasonal volatility.
Our reviewer’s read on each dimension, with quotes from the episode.
The episode discusses hiring challenges and remote location dynamics in Scandinavian hospitality, but most observations are surface-level and self-evident (e.g., 'you need the right people in the right place,' 'remote locations are isolated'). Few concrete, non-obvious claims emerge; much of the content is throat-clearing and repetitive anecdotes rather than actionable intelligence.
you need to have the right people in the right place and uh, also to set up good processes
the basis for return guests into certain hotels in certain areas is the unique experience, what they experienced while they were there
The conversation relies entirely on common hospitality industry platitudes - 'hire the right fit,' 'remote work is isolating,' 'service quality matters.' No contrarian perspectives, first-principles thinking, or surprising frameworks are offered. The discussion of video introductions and candidate ghosting is treated as novel but are widely known industry problems.
you need the right people in a place
Either uh, it's all together, it's all combined. It's a service from the moment you park your car up at the front of the hotel
While Carles appears to have experience in the Norwegian hospitality market, neither speaker presents themselves as a senior operator or practitioner with documented scale or results. The conversation lacks evidence of meaningful strategic leadership, large-team management, or quantifiable business outcomes. Both speakers function more as generalists offering loose observations.
I work myself with a, with a Norwegian market
I've been there, I've done that
The episode is almost entirely devoid of specifics: no named hotels beyond vague references ('one hotel in Norway, our client'), no hiring metrics, no revenue data, no timelines, and no concrete examples with numbers. The mention of 'two months' for market recovery is not substantiated. Anecdotes about candidate behavior are told but not supported by data.
uh, statistics by statistics. I think we will put it in the video where it says that it will take about uh, two months
one hotel in uh, Norway, uh our uh, client. And uh, what I see is that uh, they are just for local people. They have, they have networking events with knitting
The host-guest dynamic is friendly but lacks intellectual rigor. Questions are open-ended and rarely challenge claims; there is no push-back on unsubstantiated assertions. The conversation meanders through related topics without drilling into specifics or testing the depth of either speaker's expertise. Follow-ups are minimal and often just affirm the previous speaker.
All right. So that's where we gonna go
Well, I believe so. Numbers and statistics says otherwise
Computed from the transcript - who did the talking, and the words that came up most.
In this episode, we explore how geopolitical changes are shaping the Scandinavian (Norwegian) hospitality market in 2026. We cover: - Tourism shifts and political impact - Challenges in remote hotel locations - Recruitment trends and staff shortages - Why the right people and processes matter more than ever Get real industry insights and learn how hotels can adapt to uncertainty and stay competitive in a changing market. ______________ Would like to reach out to us? Send us an email podcast@soprana.no.
Transcribed and scored by The B2B Podcast Index.
Speaker A: Hello dear listeners and welcome back to the Hotel Soprana. Today we are here to discuss the tendencies, trends and insights including political situation affecting Scandinavian market for 2026. And we are back here in studio together with Carles. Hi Carles.
Speaker B: Hi Diana. Uh, happy to see you back. I heard you came back from Norway not that long ago.
Speaker A: Oh yes, uh, that was quite a trip. I have been visiting very different regions in Norway and uh, besides uh, talking to our clients about recruit and getting ready for a summer season, uh, and including getting ready for winter season already actually. Because smart entrepreneurs, they are already planning way ahead, not the last minute, you know. So we actually had uh, very good and interesting conversations with the clients about the uh, political situation because in some areas they have more tourists, uh, from international setting. And uh, I have asked how is it going? Do you feel it uh, is it like ripple effect already or not yet. But they were saying that actually some were already ready and they had uh, protected uh, from any kind of. Not particular this situation but any kind of this within their money guarantee, uh, policy. And uh, some were saying that it has not affected because the amount coming from those uh, affected countries, it's uh, not that significant. Uh third we're seeing that they have actually increase of tourists, uh, uh, that are planning to come from within Europe because Europeans are thinking maybe I will just travel now in Norway, you know. And uh, yeah, only. And some were saying that we are not affected by this a lot in Norway. So overall.
Speaker B: Well, I believe so. Numbers and statistics says otherwise.
Speaker A: Yeah, we have seen uh, the statistics by statistics. I think we will put it in the video where it says that it will take about uh, two months. The effect uh, for recovering right from the market. So it is globally.
Speaker B: It depends. I would say it depends how long uh, this all drags on globally. And if the situation worsens, uh, the business, if we're talking about individual uh, hotels, the revenue can drop and cancellations can come in, in a bulk sum. And then you need to plan what are you going to do to bring it back up. And if you can't bring it back up, you need to do some cutting and some preparations and to keep your uh, employees happy. And if you are in a remote location, that could be pretty tricky situation to be in. Uh, I work myself with a, with a Norwegian market. Uh, and yes it's um, it's an interesting situation and it's uh, real time happenings. That's where I see businesses as hotels, not so much as restaurants, but the hotels, the running machines, the money Making machines. They need the right people in the right place for everything to take over. If you got a wrong people in the wrong place, it's just not going to work out in these kind of uh, times and going forward as well. Um, but I think we're going to go more into the detail through the podcast.
Speaker A: I think uh, it is uh, actually very interesting topic that you touched about remote locations. Because remote uh, locations, they need to be by themselves, very agile. And we have seen pandemics. It was um, uh, refugees from uh, Ukraine. There were a lot of uh, situations that um, they were adjusting and getting uh, ready for not only in remote locations but also remote locations. And remote locations are now understanding the importance of also building local communities. Uh, there is one hotel in uh, Norway, uh our uh, client. And uh, what I see is that uh, they are just for local people. They have, they have networking events with knitting, you know, knitting, yes. It's like very trending, it's very popular and they are getting used to that. They have various events for this. And I think it is very relevant that it's not only for external tourists who are coming, but also for local people because then it's also permanent source of clients for them as well in certain areas. Because you know Norway is very interesting because of the variety of the hotels needs and what clientele they are serving, which who are the guests for them,
Speaker B: the hotels itself in a remote locations. And um, not only in a remote locations across the whole Norway because it's such a scattered piece of land and where the businesses are and access in some areas are limited for tourists to get there. You, you, you and your business needs to be super attractive for these guys to get up, uh, get on a flight, fly to Norway, rent a car or get on a tour bus to actually go to your location for 2, 3, 5, up to 8 hours or even a few days for some point. Uh, there's this uh, golden circle of Norway where you travel across the heritage sites and all that kind of stuff. Uh, I've been there, I've done that. And uh, it's super big contrast of what each hotel has to offer. So each hotel needs to have a right people in the place for it to operate as it should. And every single business can always do better.
Speaker A: Yeah, what I noticed that quite, uh, some uh, hotel managers are stressed out because on one hand they are trying to reduce costs but with the same they are doing the job themselves. Hiring and it takes some hours, uh, sometimes it costs mistakes. Those mistakes are very costly for them. But with the same instead of focusing on building the experience. Because hotel business experience, it's how you create memorable experiences for your visitors. In some locations it will be about one thing, the other thing, but they are still coming back to the hotel. It's what's the basis for them.
Speaker B: The basis for return guests into certain hotels in certain areas is the unique experience, what they experienced while they were there. Either uh, it's all together, it's all combined. It's a service from the moment you park your car up at the front of the hotel and if you can charge it there and if you have a friendly reception which directs you and gives you all the information you need and you want and you look for it uh, through the, all the visits through the hotel, through the rooms, through the cleanness from like literally every single little bit matters in a business. So you need to have the right people in a place.
Speaker A: Yes, we need to have the right people in the uh, right place and uh, also to set up good processes. Uh, because sometimes it happens that also candidate driven market we have, it's uh, the candidates who are making choices. They are signing contracts with few of the companies. They agree that they will get the tickets covered or that some company is buying the ticket for them. They sign the contract, they agree about the salary and then what comes another company offers a better salary, they just go wang for that, you know. And um, then when the work start is supposed to happen, what happens? There is no one to work. And that's a huge problem in the market because people are selecting where they want to go and where they don't want to go. But sometimes they forget to inform the companies that they sign contracts with and they just ghost. That happens, that happens.
Speaker B: Uh, I have experienced that myself and not uh, only in a Norwegian market and across the hospitality at all.
Speaker A: Hey, by the way, do you know what's trending in recruiting equipment lately? Video introductions.
Speaker B: All right.
Speaker A: Yeah.
Speaker B: So that's where we gonna go.
Speaker A: Yeah, but that has some downsides to that because first of all not everyone who is good at making food is the same good at making videos. Hello. You know.
Speaker B: Well, I believe so. Um, the video introduction self video. Yeah. Is a good thing. But uh, as you just mentioned, you need to know the person before they arrive to your premises. That is the right fit and the question for the managers, for the HR and hiring managers to really have a time for three, four interviews or you want to receive a few CVs which is cherry picked and you pick the final candidates for you. It could be a Whole team. It could be, uh, just the one or two employees. And that brings a cost and your time and a stress and everything else down to the bare minimum.
Speaker A: Of course, background check. Because there are not only bad habits, sometimes cultural differences, but also personal traits that are affecting the quality of work. And if not carefully chosen, that can be costing quite a lot. Everybody can be also good, good liars, fake cv, you know, and sometimes those workplaces, they don't even exist at all.
Speaker B: You can have a best CV in a world and then you arrive at the location which you not psychologically ready for.
Speaker A: Yes.
Speaker B: You gotta live in a small room which you weren't informed about, or you got a surroundings where you can't go and have a social drink after work.
Speaker A: And you need to be ready for that. We have some candidates who are saying, you know, I don't want to go and work for a remote location, even though it offers extra benefits like accommodation and so on. I want to go to Oslo. I want to go out to have nightlife. I want to go out somewhere. Somewhere. Somewhere.
Speaker B: You know, that doesn't sound to me like, um, perfect candidates for a, uh, hospitality job. Who wants to go and enjoy themselves after work? Straight into the Oslo Town Central nightclub. So, yeah, you need to have a right people in a place.
Speaker A: But sometimes they are saying, I want to go and it's okay, I will live in the mountains. It's okay for me.
Speaker B: And then is the crucial question, have you ever lived in the mountains? Have you ever been there? It looks cool in the pictures in a Google, but actually when you get there, it's cold. It's cold, it's quiet, it's only nature.
Speaker A: Yes.
Speaker B: And at the beginning, most likely you won't have any friends with who to spend time with. And a lot of people think, oh, yes, oh my God, I can do that. And, uh, when you actually arrive to that, uh, camping site or a hotel or luxury beauty hotel. Oh, wow, this is not what I expected.
Speaker A: Or I can do it for one month. And then some people are saying, you know, I'm going out because I cannot handle this. It's too lonely, it's not so many people, There is no action. I need to drive far to get to the shop, and so on. So it's not for everybody. But the more interviews, um, sometimes the better. Not sometimes, but most often the more interviews means that less of mistakes in hiring can be made. Yes. And thank you for staying in today's episode with us. And if you have some questions, feel free to write to us. Podcastoprana no. Uh, we would love to hear your feedback, insights, suggestions and questions.
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