What a NYC Luxury Hotel Operator Sees Coming Next - Sofia Vandaele, IHG

About this episode

Sofia Vandaele discusses the future of luxury hotel operations and key trends in the hospitality industry.

In this episode, Sofia Vandaele, General Manager of the InterContinental New York Barclay and Regional Director for IHG Lifestyle and Luxury, shares an operator's read on running a flagship hotel in 2026. You'll hear how she manages cost discipline when expenses have outpaced ADR recovery, why she frames union work as a framework to build on, where AI is showing up in her operation, and how the Barclay is using its 100th anniversary to deepen guest connection. Sofia closes on what she sees as...

People in this episode

Host: Josiah Mackenzie

Guest: Sofia Vandaele

Topics covered

• luxury hotels
• hospitality management
• AI in operations
• cost discipline
• guest connection
• union work

Keywords

• luxury hotel
• hospitality
• AI
• cost management
• guest experience
• union relations

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: IHG

Places: New York, InterContinental New York Barclay

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