Scott Eddy on Storytelling, Authenticity and Trust

"the Future of Hospitality (00:00) All right, three, two, one. Welcome to our podcast, The Future of Hospitality. I'm your host, Arjan Ekelebo. Today we talk with Scott Eddy and his story is anything but traditional. He grew up around police stations, trained to become an officer, switched careers into high finance and then walked away from it all to start over in Asia where he built the region's first big digital marketing agency and became a pioneer in social media for travel. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (00:00) Thank Thank the Future of Hospitality (00:29) Today, Scott is a hospitality influencer, a brand strategist and a globetrotting speaker. On today's show, he will reveal what he thinks about ghosting in the hospitality industry. Ghosting. Also, why the US no longer feels like home to him anymore and why he believes the real future of hospitality lies overseas. All right, Scott, welcome to our show. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (00:41) Thank Thanks so much for having me. the Future of Hospitality (00:57) You're very very welcome. Glad to have you. We're going to talk about ghosting later on first straight from the hip What's the single biggest mistake that hospitality brands make on social media? Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (01:10) I mean, these days, they treat social media like a billboard instead of a conversation. Too many hotels, resorts, cruise lines, they still post polished stock style photos with generic captions, thinking that's marketing. And that approach completely misses the psychology of why people engage online. Social media isn't showing a room or showing a pool. It's about making somebody feel something. Make them feel like they're already there. You're building trust and that emotional connection before they even book. If you're not telling authentic stories, showing real people, not perfect people, responding to comments, which is the biggest issue in the industry, and creating content designed to spark conversation, you're invisible in the algorithm and irrelevant to the guest journey. the Future of Hospitality (02:06) Wow, okay. So, no, I totally get you. It's about authenticity. Tell the real story. That's what you say. You don't try to polish it up because people see right through that. And also an interesting thing you say is when people comment, respond. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (02:08) Yeah. I mean, that just goes back to brands don't invest in full-time social media people. And if they do have them, they have 15 other jobs that are quote unquote more important than the social media. So they don't have time to reply. You know, got to give yourself a chance. They don't understand that attention is the new currency. Currency is not what it used to be 10 years ago or 20 years ago. It's all about attention. the Future of Hospitality (02:40) So if we cannot focus on it... Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (02:53) And you got to treat every post like it's a piece of storytelling that earns the right to eventually ask for a booking. the Future of Hospitality (03:02) Right, interesting. Let's dive into that a little deeper later on. First, what is the first hotel you ever fell in love with? I wanna know. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (03:13) I'm Ampuri in Phuket, Thailand. So it's when Aman was just coming out, that was their first property. And I still use them as a case study in when I speak. I think they are the definition of perfect branding, perfect marketing. I think their verbiage is flawless. think that the color grading, the angles, the design, the minimalist style, I think that they just do things correctly. ⁓ They were a client of mine many, many years ago when I first started my digital agency, when I had, I opened up in Bangkok and I visited the property many, many times. And Southeast Asia as a whole, Asia as a whole, but Southeast Asia as a whole has unbelievable properties. mean, and because hospitality is inside their DNA when they are growing up, you don't need to train them. So, you know, kindness is inside of them. the Future of Hospitality (04:17) I see what you mean. And it's not because of, it's not because they get higher tips, it's just in their DNA. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (04:26) Yeah, a lot of them will reject the tips. ⁓ They just do it because that's how they were raised. the Future of Hospitality (04:29) Notice what I mean, yeah. Interesting. Boutique hotel or luxury resort? Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (04:41) So it depends. Boutique for intimacy, resort for scale. It depends on what's the mood. know, do I want to go to the resort and not leave and have 15 restaurant options, bars everywhere, four pools? You know, I just came from a resort in Mexico and they had six resorts on 2,500 acres. And I mean, you didn't have to leave the property because it's a city within a city. the Future of Hospitality (05:13) Just like a cruise boat, one of those large cruise boats. Hmm, okay, so depends. Yeah, totally depends. Twitter, Instagram, or TikTok. I mean, you're all over the place. Twitter, Instagram, or TikTok. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (05:16) Correct. I mean, Twitter is irrelevant these days. It breaks my heart. Well, X, but it breaks my heart because that's where I built my brand. I still have my biggest audience there. It's just heartbreaking what it is today. I'm still holding on hope that one day it's going to come back. But ⁓ the brands hire me for Instagram, sometimes TikTok, but mostly Instagram just because that's where they are. There's still a lot of brands that are non-TikTok. ⁓ the Future of Hospitality (05:30) it's X, sorry. Yeah. Yeah. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (05:56) They just don't believe in it. ⁓ To be fair, they're idiots. And they just, they don't realize the power of these platforms. the Future of Hospitality (05:59) Okay. You started off on X, so Twitter at the time, that is where you started. And you're also big on LinkedIn. That's where we connected. And you said people are, I want to dive a little deep. wasn't planning on this, but why are they fools if they're not on TikTok? Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (06:10) I did. I did. Yep, it is. So I just think it creates a different type of storytelling. So the reason that brands aren't on TikTok is because when TikTok first started, no different than any other platform, but it started very young, just like Facebook, just like Instagram, just like any other platform. But they were known for people doing their dances, know, 12-year-old kids dancing on the screen. And that's how, that's what the platform was known for. the Future of Hospitality (06:51) I'll remember that. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (06:55) What brands don't realize is the authentic storytelling and the short form videos that you can do on TikTok really scale inside the algorithm like no other platform. And shocking to everybody who's watching this video, the most active demographic and the most fastest growing demographic on TikTok right now is 38 to 55. the Future of Hospitality (07:21) Seriously? I was honest. I didn't know they were on there. No. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (07:22) Seriously. ⁓ See, and most people don't know that because they don't try to know. You have to constantly be learning. Listen, I have been on social media since day one. I was first 2,000 users on Twitter. I grew very fast. I was the first American expat in every Asian country to have a million followers on Twitter. I can promise you I still spend two, three hours a day on YouTube. watching social media experts, know, whatever they want to call themselves. People that are bigger than me, people that are smaller than me, social media conferences, digital people, like whatever it is, like I just want to learn. I want to hear every day, seven days a week, seven days a week. the Future of Hospitality (08:05) You still, you still want to learn? mean, I mean, yes. Okay. So is that because this, this is a particular ⁓ media style that is constantly evolving and maybe even faster than we can comprehend? Is that it? Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (08:23) It's faster than both of us can comprehend together. It changes all the time. So if you're not, if you don't have your finger on the pulse, if you don't constantly monitor, like what is the cap? What is the character limit on a LinkedIn caption? Do you know? Most brands don't know that it's 3000 characters. So when you're crafting that story and do you know that longer captions do better than shorter captions? the Future of Hospitality (08:41) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (08:52) which is the reason. Correct. And the reason, the reason every one of my captions is almost 3000 characters. And they all do very well. You constantly have to be learning, but these things change all the time. the Future of Hospitality (08:52) That's why I see the longer captions nowadays. ⁓ I've learned something. Thank you so much for this insight. learned something. ⁓ What is the best airport in the world? Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (09:13) Yeah. I would have to say two, either a Savarnapum in Bangkok or Changi in Singapore. It's a hundred percent in Asia. Like it's not even close. It's not even close. American airports, they're utilitarian. They're not, because they're not built for hospitality. They're built to catch your flight. Yeah, they have restaurants. Yeah, they have bars. Yeah, they have, you know, like just, it's just different. the Future of Hospitality (09:24) What makes the... ⁓ I lost... Yeah. Okay. Tell me why, tell me why, tell us why. business. Yeah, Most overrated travel destination. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (10:01) any place that's chasing trends without authenticity. I don't have a specific one that I can come up with, but that would be my answer. the Future of Hospitality (10:12) Right, and the most underrated? Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (10:14) Sri Lanka. I lived, I lived in Colombo for a year and it absolutely blew my mind. I think it's still raw. The tourism has not ruined the country yet. ⁓ you still get that warmth of Southeast Asia, South Asia, really. ⁓ and it's just, I mean, it's wonderful. It's, it's a fantastic place. It's not my favorite place in the world. We already touched on this. It's Thailand, but the Future of Hospitality (10:16) ⁓ why is that? Okay. Yeah. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (10:44) but Sri Lanka is just completely raw and untouched. the Future of Hospitality (10:49) All right, okay, we'll remember that for the next travel. What was the exact moment, ⁓ Scott, that you knew hospitality and not finance was where you belonged? Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (11:03) Well, for a decade I worked in investment banking. I was young and driven and chasing the almighty dollar, but I always knew something was missing. The real turning point came ⁓ before finance. I was 18, I was just about to graduate high school and suddenly my whole life felt uncertain. I was about to become a police officer, my father was killed in the line of duty and... Finance just happened to appear a friend of a friend 18 the Future of Hospitality (11:33) I won't, sorry, I don't want to skip just that you're dead. You were 18 when your dad passed away in the line of duty. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (11:40) Yes, I turned 18 on April 14th. My father was killed on May 25th. So it was a month and a half. the Future of Hospitality (11:49) That must have impacted every choice. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (11:52) Every choice. mean, listen, even today, I consider myself, I have one skill, and that's to be a law enforcement officer, because I was raised in it, my whole family's it, my, you know, I just talked to my cousin, he's on, you know, Miami and I, FBI, DEA, I mean, it's just so in my blood. It's the only thing I know. I just, I think of myself trained as a law enforcement officer, but the Future of Hospitality (11:53) Mm-hmm. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (12:21) I happen to know social media and sales. So that's how I view myself. And I think it's, you know, it's worked. ⁓ you know, after 10 years, I left finance and, and I'll tell you the story. The guy who sat next to me, his best friend was an expat who worked in Bangkok. And every time he used to come visit South Florida where he's from, he always used to tell me to come visit him. And I worked 90 hours a week. I was like, There's no way I can't take that long of a flight. And January of 99, it was a Friday, they came out of the office and said, we just sold the firm. And if you show up on Monday, you're going have a new owner. So myself, as well as probably half the firm resigned. And the guy called me the next day on Saturday and said, come over, you have no job. That Sunday, about a two week ticket. And after four days, I called my mother. like, I'm never coming home. I love Thailand and I never used my return ticket. the Future of Hospitality (13:21) Damn! Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (13:21) I had been living in Bangkok for 11 years. I just fell in love with everything about Asia. You know, the culture, the people, the sense of connection. You know, what stood out to me most is how people treated each other. How respectful and respect and hospitality weren't just a job, part of everyday life. You know, that's when I realized finance was transactional. Hospitality was transformational. the Future of Hospitality (13:43) Mm-hmm. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (13:50) Hospitality is about the longing. And that's when I knew that's where I wanted to build my life. And I did for 11 years. the Future of Hospitality (14:00) So you've been living in Thailand, Southeast Asia, not just Thailand. You moved around, but predominantly in Thailand. And we touched it right at the start of this show. ⁓ The US doesn't feel like home anymore. Can you elaborate on that a little bit? Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (14:03) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. No, Yeah, you know, it's, I think that living in Europe and Asia for so long, I, and I do this to myself. Of course it would feel like home if I planted roots, if I bought a house, if I got married, if I had kids, of course I could make it feel like home, but I really don't want to. I like being the global citizen. I like being able to say, well I have nothing to do in November. Let me go rent an Airbnb in Lisbon for a month. Let me go to Thailand in December. Let me go visit a friend in Perth. for a month. You know, like I like being able to do that. And I think it gives me a global perspective that being here and like most people, and it's not necessarily a bad thing. It's how people's lives are set up. You know, you get married, you have kids, you have a house and you're handcuffed for lack of a better word. You know, you can't leave your job because you need that money to pay the bills for the family, then the wife and the, you know, and the Future of Hospitality (15:24) Yeah. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (15:32) It's not necessarily a bad thing. mean, you can have a wonderful life. My parents were beyond happiest. I mean, and they had that life. They had it, you know, even though my mother... the Future of Hospitality (15:42) but that was not in the cards for you. So you're still, you're like a digital note. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (15:46) It was in the beginning. It wasn't in beginning. It wasn't until I went overseas and that really changed everything for the Future of Hospitality (15:53) Yeah. So you became a digital nomad, nomad as they call it nowadays. Yeah, before that I was going to say, because now it's a thing, Portugal, Bali. Yeah, yeah, you go. ⁓ But yeah, that is, that is, that is, that has been your life for a long time. So, Asia and America, Europe, ⁓ total different, ⁓ personalities, behavior, communication. Let's dive into the main subject. That's why I wanted to talk to you. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (15:57) Before they were cool. Right, Yeah. the Future of Hospitality (16:23) ⁓ let's build that bridge from there. So last week I saw a LinkedIn post that you shared, you wrote, and that was about ghosting. And I was like, damn. So I read your post and I commented and then I was like, know. Yeah, I comment. And I was like, I need to send you a message and then realized that we have been chatting, but I totally forgot to follow up on that. So I was so much. Yeah, I was not really ghosting you, but I didn't respond. I didn't respond. That's a big difference. There's a big difference. But you triggered my mind. was like, and a lot of people commented on that post. I was like, you touch something here. Because can you give me your definition, especially when you, I mean, I've traveled in Southeast Asia myself, so I know how the people treat one another. A lot more respect, humbleness, et cetera, et cetera. I don't think the word ghosting is Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (17:09) Yeah. Yeah. the Future of Hospitality (17:21) I don't know, but maybe it doesn't even exist there or maybe it does now. But can you give me your definition of ghosting and why did you make a post about it? What is the difference between Asia and the West when it comes to that? And let's talk about it, why people do it in the first place. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (17:41) So it's a global problem. It is not a Asia, US, Europe problem because listen, hospitality. I mean, there's lots of Americans and Europeans and Asians working in Asia. So you're communicating with all nationality types. So it's not a regional thing. ⁓ know, ghosting and this is one man's opinion, but I know the Future of Hospitality (17:57) Yeah. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (18:10) It's a lot of people's opinion. Ghosting is one of the most disrespectful habits in business. And unfortunately it's rampant in hospitality. This is an industry built on communication and care. When a brand, a hotel, a tourism board ghosts someone, whether it's an employee, a partner, or even a guest, they're saying without words, you don't matter. That destroys trust and trust is the livelihood of hospitality. I've had hotels and tourism boards ghost me after in-depth discussions about partnerships, strategy, working together. And what's ironic is these same organizations talk nonstop about guest experience. It's garbage. It's real garbage. You can't deliver a world-class guest experience if you can't even return a message or follow up with someone professionally. I don't care if you don't want to work with me. Tell me no. the Future of Hospitality (18:58) They don't even know the meeting. They don't even... But at least say something, because that is the issue. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (19:15) Correct! Like how were you raised? Ghosting kills culture internally. Once culture is broken inside, it shows on the outside with guests. the Future of Hospitality (19:22) I know, do you? Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (19:29) Hospitality must... Ghosting kills internally and once culture is broken inside it shows on the outside with guests. the Future of Hospitality (19:30) Can you repeat that? Can you repeat that one more time? I like that one. Do you think people realize that they are ghosting? Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (19:47) I think some do, most do, some don't. the Future of Hospitality (19:51) It became normal. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (19:53) You know what it is? And some are going to use the excuse that, I'm just so busy. And if your, your email didn't make sense, why should I reply? I don't have time. the Future of Hospitality (20:02) That's disrespectful. Totally. I have a good experience. ⁓ My good friend, ⁓ is applying, you're looking for something new. ⁓ Well-educated, 30 years plus years experience in sea level hospitality. Knows everything about communication. I mean, our age. ⁓ Is being ghosted a lot. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (20:05) Couldn't agree more. Couldn't agree. the Future of Hospitality (20:31) I have to say with sending out resume, have a first call, ⁓ then it takes some time for the second. And then there is a promise we will hear something within a week and we will update you. And then there is no communication at all. That's frustrating because there is someone at the end. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (20:50) Yeah. So I want to say one more thing. There is a difference between. sending out a proposal or an initial email or a resume or whatever, and this person's getting a thousand of those a day and you don't get a response. What I am talking about is the conversation starts and then it doesn't complete. That is what I'm talking about. I'm not talking, because those are two different things. I mean, I think everything should be replied to. the Future of Hospitality (21:18) Yeah, once there is a conversation, yeah, yeah, yeah. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (21:26) But I understand if you're getting, listen, I get several hundred DMs per week. It's a full-time job to reply to everyone. I do it because I'm human and I was just built that way, but I understand how people can't. But if you're in the middle of a conversation, close it out. the Future of Hospitality (21:29) One, two. Yeah, that's what I mean. That is the example that I was giving my friend who was in the middle of a conversation and he didn't hear anything back. And I told him, I said, funny enough, I'm going to talk with Scott about ghosting. And I said, this is for me, unacceptable ghosting. At least, I had it myself a few weeks ago and there was a list of people waiting for an answer. I my business partner, said, well, how long is it to go that you receive those messages? Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (21:50) Right. Right. Yeah. Yeah, you're great. the Future of Hospitality (22:16) ⁓ a days. said, I'm going to answer every single one of them today, at least to let them know you're going to hear from us. I mean, that is the least I can do because ⁓ I want to be treated like that. So I'm going to treat people the same way. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. On your posts on LinkedIn, ⁓ what is the overall comments or what are the most interesting comments that you received? Do you remember that? Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (22:30) Exactly! Exactly. What do you mean? What do you I'm the ghosting. mean, listen, people know it's a problem. People know it's a problem. And I got news for you. So if you see that I get a hundred comments on a, on a post, know that I get probably three or four times that DM. So I get a lot of posts from people that work for big household names. the Future of Hospitality (22:46) On the ghosting, linting post that you... Yeah. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (23:13) that they're afraid if they post publicly that they'll be fired. Seriously? Yeah. the Future of Hospitality (23:21) That comes as a surprise. How? Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (23:25) I mean, just, you know, maybe their boss sees it, maybe their boss is active or whatever. mean, you know, maybe not fired, maybe reprimanded, maybe talked to, maybe whatever, but it's not a good thing. And, you know, I find that the companies that do that to their employees are the ones that are treating them wrong to, to begin with. Like, what do you have to hide? You know what I'm saying? the Future of Hospitality (23:47) lord. Yeah, I know. But this is all about communication. I encourage people in my team to, I mean, yeah, it happens on LinkedIn, especially a lot happens there. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (24:01) It's a big ⁓ problem. the Future of Hospitality (24:04) It's a big problem. ⁓ I want to move on to a strategy for hotels. What's one strategy? What I'm talking about social media again, promoting themselves. So what's one strategy that consistently drives loyalty for hotels and cruise lines that you work with? Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (24:26) So the single biggest driver of loyalty is how employees are treated. Cause that trickles down to the guests. Guests can feel it immediately. You can build them. Yeah, correct. You can build the most beautiful building in the world, but if your staff is unhappy, underappreciated or ignored, guests will pick up on it in seconds. I've walked into hotels where the building was five star, but the energy was flat. And I've walked into smaller. the Future of Hospitality (24:36) Just like that ghosting stuff. It's, it's, yeah. All right. i feel it i feel that energy right away yet Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (24:55) Yeah. And I've walked into smaller properties where the staff has greeted me like family. And I remembered that experience forever. Brands that treat their employees as their first guests create a cycle. Okay. They create a cycle of loyalty. Empower your people, investing training, celebrate the wins. That energy, it gets passed on to every single guest. Loyalty is not built on marble lobbies. It is built on smiles and stories and respect. That's a strategy that it's hard to write down. the Future of Hospitality (25:37) Yeah, but it comes from the inside. It's something we all should know by nature. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (25:42) And this is also, you know, the revenue department's always talking about ROI and what am I going to see? Like, you can't measure that ROI. But it's something that should be done. the Future of Hospitality (25:52) It's unmeasurable. Yeah. How is that compared, I mean, you're in the business now for two and a half decades, at least. How is that before social media and now in the landscape of very busy social media? Is there any difference? Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (26:13) What do you mean? Give me a little bit more context. the Future of Hospitality (26:17) It's about communication. That's what we were talking about. a lot of time they get it wrong. That's what you said. So I wonder, has that changed over the years? Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (26:28) It changes all the time, but the fundamentals never change. The fundamental of treating employee good, creating good culture and it trickling down to your guests, that doesn't change. That doesn't change for years. the Future of Hospitality (26:34) Okay. people pick up on that, I mean, it's the energy around you. Yeah, yeah. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (26:49) Yeah, 100%. You know, little nuances change. They change with time, you know? Everything changes. That's the one constant in life, is that things change. the Future of Hospitality (27:00) Yeah, I'm glad I'm speaking with you about this because I see it all around me and people have difficulties with the change. But when you think about it, it's all about the communication that you would want to have with people around you and you want to be treated the same way. And that is what we need to take with us, I think, in hospitality as well. ⁓ Interesting. What's the biggest shift that you have seen when everyone ⁓ Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (27:22) you the Future of Hospitality (27:29) in social media, I mean, for over the last five years. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (27:34) biggest shift is from brand first to people first. Guests don't follow logos. They follow people. They want human connection. That's why influencer marketing has exploded because people trust people more than brands. Another huge shift recently is AI. Some people will ask AI, what's the best resort in the Caribbean? AI won't prioritize the property with the biggest ad spend. It'll surface the brand with the most consistent, authentic digital footprint. That means the winners will be the brands telling real stories through people, not polished ads. The psychology here is credibility. People create voices they can trust, not slogans. Those days are gone. Again, gotta keep your finger on the pulse. the Future of Hospitality (28:20) huh. Yeah, right. So you, in your work. There's people talk a lot about influences, but I sometimes see influence. I'm very critical when it comes to influences. Is that a real one or is that an influencer just to be an influencer for themselves? Very polished. So I see the difference there. I know totally see what you mean. That's why I liked what you do. What I saw until now, that's authentic. You don't try to be pretend someone else or anything else, but this is who you are. ⁓ Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (28:42) Yeah. Yeah. you the Future of Hospitality (29:00) in comparison to a lot of influencers, but those are not probably the ones that are being hired by hotels, I can only imagine. So what makes a good influencer? yeah, authenticity, realness, right? Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (29:15) Yes. mean, listen, post pandemic, so many people got in this business. I mean, it's so saturated. ⁓ I mean, you have to be real, you know, I mean, I get contacted, listen, it's the main reason people reach out to me because I have a huge audience and they want to work with me about my audience. So that is the lowest hanging fruit for me. But you'd be shocked how many people reach out to me and say, the Future of Hospitality (29:28) Mm-hmm. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (29:46) I want to work with you, ⁓ you know, can you do this type of content? And I say, did you look through my social media at all? Because if you would have, you would have saw I don't do that type of content. I mean, you would be astounded how many people do not do research before they reach out to people. the Future of Hospitality (30:06) Is that laziness? I wonder why. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (30:07) Of course it is. But to them, they will say, I don't have the time. the Future of Hospitality (30:14) Okay, the time, I don't have time, yeah, excuse, I see what you mean. Okay, yeah. How can... Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (30:18) But of course it's laziness! Of course! Like... Yeah, I mean, you wanna invest in something, make it worthwhile. the Future of Hospitality (30:28) Yeah. So how can brands use storytelling? I believe it's all about storytelling. I do that myself. I see you do that. How can brands use storytelling, not just marketing, but realness? mean, authentic storytelling to create trust. Because you mentioned the word trust. It's all about trust. So how can brands use storytelling? What is the best way you think for them? that? Yeah, go ahead. I want to know that from you. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (30:33) Yeah. mean, yeah. Yeah. The psychology of hospitality social media marketing today is simple. People don't want to be sold to. They want to be moved. Storytelling works because it taps into emotions, not just logic. A book now post is marketing. A story about a chef who learned recipes from her grandmother is a connection. People may not remember the price of a room, but they'll remember how your story made them feel. the Future of Hospitality (31:09) That's marketing. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (31:22) The psychology here is trust. When people hear authentic storytelling, authentic stories about your people, your culture, your values, they begin to trust you. Trust leads to loyalty. Loyalty leads to bookings. This is the difference between shouting promotions and inviting someone into your story. the Future of Hospitality (31:33) You I just love that. No, honestly, I'm just listening. I feel nothing to ask. I'm just listening. but ⁓ I'm going to ask anyway because I've prepared this. How do you help brands stand out when everyone is fighting for that? I mean, there's only little bit of attention span. So how do you help them stand out? Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (31:52) Hahaha! Okay, I'm really glad that you brought up the attention span thing. Yes, attention spans are shorting, but attention spans are shorting for boring content. People still binge watch a whole season of Netflix in one day on a Saturday or Sunday or a Thursday night. So attention spans aren't necessarily shortening, they're shortening when they want it to be shortened. It's shortened for boring content. You know, most brands make the mistake of marketing features instead of feelings. They say, we have the biggest pool instead of this is where families reconnect. Hospitality. Yeah. Hospitality marketing. It's about psychology. Guests want to feel aspiration, connection and belonging. I help brands flip their content so it speaks to emotion. not just amenities, that's what makes them stand out. The digital world is overcrowded. That's not gonna change. But attention flows to whoever tells the most human story. the Future of Hospitality (33:15) So. Amen. I'm so glad you mentioned this. It's true. Back to basic. That's, that's yeah. I mean, yeah, I totally agree. ⁓ so Asia and America or Asia and the West, what's working in Asia right now that us hospitality still hasn't caught up on. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (33:41) personalization. In Asia, even digitally, you're treated like an individual. From pre-arrival surveys to customized dinner experiences, personalization is built into the culture. The U.S. is still heavily transactional. Guests often feel like a number, not a person. The psychology here is recognition. When guests feel seen, the Future of Hospitality (33:44) person. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (34:11) They spend more, they return, they share the story. Personalization is the ultimate, the ultimate form of respect. the Future of Hospitality (34:23) Okay. I knew that already. I want to say something, but I will not promote my own company, but ⁓ guestjourney.ai. just mentioned this, guestjourney.ai. I will move on. It's right. Personalization. People want to be seen. I feel much better, feel amazing when I'm being seen, when people mention my name. When twice it's, that person knows me. I mean, it's really those little things. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (34:33) Yeah There you go. Yeah, I get it. Yeah. the Future of Hospitality (34:53) ⁓ Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. A lot of stories come to mind that from the interviews that I had with people on this podcast, general managers who told me their ⁓ personal story and what they experienced and how they grew and it's all about being seen, just like you said. ⁓ Move on to your work. Have you ever launched a campaign that didn't work? And what did you learn from that? Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (35:08) Yeah. Yeah. Sure. Early on, I worked on a campaign with a major brand. We don't need to get into the brand. But they refused to let go of the old school tactics. They insisted on focusing on billboards, brochures, glossy ads, while the audience have already shifted to digital and mobile. They spent a fortune, but it failed to connect. The lesson was clear. Don't fight the market. The market doesn't care what worked 20 years ago. You either adapt or you get left behind in the dust. That's it. Period. Yeah. the Future of Hospitality (35:49) shit Well, that's clear. And what do brands waste money on when it comes to ⁓ digital? Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (36:05) vanity metrics. They throw money at boosting posts without a strategy behind them, buying followers just because they want to look bigger than they are, chasing the likes, creating campaigns that look good in boardrooms and in presentations, but they have no ROI. They spend for the sake of activity, not for effectiveness. The psychology here is insecurity. Brands want to look busy. So they buy the illusion of success instead of investing in the long-term trust in community. So if you notice, I speak a lot about the psychology because I dive deep into the psychology side of social media marketing, because once you get into the psyche of the guests, all things change. And then I reverse engineer everything. the Future of Hospitality (36:42) Yeah, you do, Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (36:59) So what do you want to have happen and work backwards from there and then build out the strategy? the Future of Hospitality (37:03) Well, it's like still building a business. When you build a business, you go to the end goal first, I want to be there. This is my goal. This is what I want to do at this. And then you walk back, you walk back. Okay, now I'm here. So I know the steps and now I know which steps to make. And that's the exact same thing, what you just said. And I believe it is you have to have the guts almost to connect with your guests, your future guests, understand who is. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (37:11) Exactly. the Future of Hospitality (37:32) Who wants to walk through that door? Who is that person? Yeah, I totally see you. I like this. ⁓ What is the wrong way to build an audience? Is there a wrong way? Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (37:35) Hooray. Hehehe. Yes, talking at people instead of with them. Hospitality, it's a conversation. It's not a billboard. If your social media is just blasting promotions, you see them all the time, the hotels. my God, it's so ridiculous. You're invisible. The wrong way is pushing. The right way is pulling people in with stories and conversations. I did this post a couple of days ago, pulling versus pushing. the Future of Hospitality (37:51) with people, right? You get tired. Yeah, you get tired of it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (38:17) The psychology here is belonging. People want to feel like they're part of a community, not just a target. the Future of Hospitality (38:26) Identification. Hey, I'm that person. That's me. That's me. That's me on that that lounger there. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (38:28) Of course! It's only thing that matters! Yeah! the Future of Hospitality (38:38) So you worked with both giant corporations and small independents. And what is one mistake they both share? Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (38:52) hate to say it, they undervalue their own people. Corporations hate the Future of Hospitality (38:56) Under, they undervalue the wrong people. All right. their own people. Their own people, they're under... You should put all your people there. That's what I would do. Yeah. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (38:59) their own people. Yes. So corporate, yeah. So corporations, corporations hide behind their systems. Independence think they can get by without training. Both under invest in their own teams. The psychology here is simple. Staff are the heartbeat of hospitality. Ignore them. You'll never win the loyalty from guests. Now don't get me wrong. A lot of the independents are doing it right. the Future of Hospitality (39:20) No Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (39:35) They really care for their employees. They really go deep with their staff. They treat them right, but a lot of them still do it wrong. the Future of Hospitality (39:44) You know what, was every time you, you mentioned this a few times now, it keeps coming back. And every time you mentioned it, this little private, my own experience, this is from 40 years ago, almost. was an assistant manager in a big restaurant in the Netherlands in Rotterdam. We had 50 staff. I think there were like 300 seats, big restaurant. And I remember there was this lady at a table. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (39:55) V. the Future of Hospitality (40:11) And she said, we come here. I said, I know you, come here. Yeah, we come here a lot. And our friends are coming here. You know what I like about you guys? You are a team. You got everything under control. I can see that in every single person, you guys, interact with one another. This is the health. She said it. She said, this is such a healthy team. I'm so proud. said, thank you. But we were. And I said it, I mentioned that to the whole team at the end of our shift. I said, guys, this is what Lady Suchichelle said. my God, did she say that? And everybody was happy. Yeah, but we were a team. It's exactly what you said. I mean, everyone, everyone in our team felt appreciated. And that's how we move forward. We were always sold out always. Yeah. So yeah, that makes makes total sense what you just, what you said. Okay. A few final questions. Is hospitality too obsessed with luxury and not enough with authenticity? Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (40:55) Yeah. Yeah. Yes. the Future of Hospitality (41:14) Yeah, I thought so. I was afraid of that answer. Why do you think that is? Is that maybe part of the desperate fights to get that guest? Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (41:25) because they think that that's what works. And they look at the aesthetics more than they look at the reality of. So they're playing the short game and not the long game. That's the end of the, mean, that's the bottom line. the Future of Hospitality (41:40) Okay. ⁓ In social media, ⁓ we talked about influences. Is social media influence undervalued or overhyped in travel? Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (41:56) It's overhyped when brands chase vanity numbers, undervalued when brands see it as real community building. Influence isn't about fame. It's about trust. know, listen, I hate the word influencer, even though it's the word I get most referred to as because I hate it because people get into this business just for the free stuff, just to become famous. just for the egotistical value. And I hate that. ⁓ You know, I just happened to become an influencer. I didn't set out to become one. And doing influencer campaigns is like 20 % of my total work that I do in a year. the Future of Hospitality (42:44) What made you the influencer that you were? How did that happen? Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (42:51) I was early. I mean, that's the only word to describe it. I was early, very, very active. I realized a long time ago that I could, it had nothing to do with business. I've always been a people person. I mean, I learned that from my father, you know, being a cop and you have to be that way. So I've always been a people person. When I realized that I could make friends online, globally, 24 hours a day, I was like, whoa, this is awesome. the Future of Hospitality (42:53) Thank you. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (43:20) I went all in. just was very, very active. mean, it was not uncommon when I was on Twitter back in the day to tweet 15, 20 times a day, seven days a week. And I probably did that for five years. And I replied to every comment, every DM, every, you know, Twitter X is the only platform now that I don't reply to DMS just because, and I have it in my bio, just because I get, not, not these days, but When I'm active on there, I mean, I'll get hundreds of per day. So it's just, it's too much. And most of them are just garbage. ⁓ but yeah, it's, I went all in and, and I, I mean, it was the right decision because now I'm steady in this business, but yeah. I, for me, it was about making friends. the Future of Hospitality (43:59) Mm-hmm. Wow, okay. And it turned out you became a huge influencer because of that. Because of responding to messages, because of valuing people's time. I totally see what happened. Cruise lines. Do you think cruise lines are the future of travel or are they already outdated? Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (44:16) Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. ⁓ They're not outdated. Cruising is booming. It's probably one of the fastest sectors of the travel industry, ⁓ especially expedition and small ships, because they offer immersion, exploration, and community. There's no other form of travel that can combine that. Far from outdated. They're evolving faster than any hotel can possibly ⁓ grow. I mean, think about this. the Future of Hospitality (44:33) Okay. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (45:00) In normal travel, there's a lot of moving parts. Say I leave my house in Miami. I take an Uber to the airport. I fly to my destination. I take an Uber to the hotel. I check in. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I'm either eating on property or I have to take a transportation to, from, plan out my activities, this and that. Cruise? I just have to get to the ship. That's it. I unpack once and the country's come to me. It's so easy. It's so simple. I, I mean, I grew up in Fort Lauderdale and, and back then Fort Lauderdale had the biggest cruise port in the world. Now it's Miami, it's 30 minutes up the road. I grew up cruising was a, already a part of my family vacation every year. So I grew up cruising. I've done 122 cruises in my life and I work heavily with the cruise lines. ⁓ but the Future of Hospitality (45:49) Mm-hmm. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (45:59) it's not slowing down at all. I mean, if you look at these shipyards, these shipyards are backlogged for 10, 15 years. the Future of Hospitality (46:08) And getting bigger and bigger. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (46:08) And you got everything. Like we just did a cruise to all the islands, Bora Bora, Tahiti, all those French Polynesia islands. We were on a ship with 30 people. Or you can get on one of these monsters that have 8, 9,000 people. So I mean, there's everything in between. the Future of Hospitality (46:23) Yeah. Yeah. I see that the expedition ones, Antarctica, the Nordic, mean, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And it's also a bigger audience. I China is getting, I mean, more more Chinese people are traveling. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (46:31) those are nice. ⁓ they're so, yeah, they're so big in expeditions, yeah. the Future of Hospitality (46:43) So the whole travel industry is just maybe at the start of a new growth spurt. That's possible. If you had to bet on one market shaping the next decade of travel, ⁓ where would it be? Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (46:59) What do you mean? Like the where the guests coming from? the Future of Hospitality (47:02) Yes, we talked just I mentioned the Chinese market. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (47:05) So, well, listen, there's still ways for them to go to take over anything. So in cruising globally across all cruise lines, I would say more than 50 % are Americans. But Canada's right after them, UK, Australia, Asia, they're all growing, but nobody cruises more than Americans just because it's the most popular and the most profitable cruise region in the world is the Caribbean. the Future of Hospitality (47:21) devil. Yeah, true, true, true. And then the... Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (47:42) And that's not going away anytime soon because they have these private islands and they just make so much money on these private islands. It's ridiculous. the Future of Hospitality (47:50) So what do you see the next 10 years in cruise? Let's focus on the cruising industry. How do you see that develop in the next 10 years then? Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (47:59) I think expeditions are going to become even bigger than they are. think, I think, you know, now you have all the brands coming out, know, Ritz Carlton is coming out, Seasons, Ritz Carlton is out. I think they have three ships now. Four Seasons is coming out soon. Amman's coming out soon. Orient Express, I think, is coming out with a ship. I mean, you're going to see branded ships come out for all these big brands. know, hotels see the growth and they're diving in head first. the Future of Hospitality (48:26) Mmm. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (48:29) I don't think you'll see a Marriott ship anytime soon, but you will see some of the smaller brands. the Future of Hospitality (48:35) But you know what? I've also seen that luxury brands like Louis Vuitton and Gucci are also ⁓ moving their way into ⁓ hotels, fully designed in Gucci. I've got about to name a few. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (48:53) Well, what's big is the branded residences now, the condos. I mean, we have the Porsche Tower in Miami. We have Austin Martin. ⁓ The Austin Martin building in downtown Miami is one of the most beautiful condos I've ever seen. I mean, it is stunning. Yeah. the Future of Hospitality (48:58) Yeah. Oscar Martin in Miami, yeah. Really? talking about the future of hospitality. ⁓ Two more things I almost forgot. You've been part of the Star Alliance campaign back then. Yeah, can you tell us a little bit more about that? What worked and why? Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (49:21) Yeah. So it was the first, yeah, so Star Alliance didn't really go deep into social media and I was part of their first round the world campaign. This is many years ago, way pre-pandemic. And I think there were six of us and ⁓ each one of us had a different sector and I had food and wine just because back then I was big in the wine world. And it worked because it wasn't about the planes. It was about the people. highlighted the connections travelers make, the stories behind the journey, not just the schedule. know, people don't fall in love with flight times. They fall in love with the experiences. That's why the campaign resonated. It was emotional and it was great. We did five continents in 35 days, four days in each one. It was awesome. Yeah, it was really cool. the Future of Hospitality (50:02) Experience, yeah. Nice one. Wow. wow. ⁓ What's one partnership that you're most proud of? What did it achieve? Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (50:25) So I'll give you one that's recent. There's lots that I'm proud of. ⁓ As I mentioned, my mother was born in Jamaica, so I work heavily with the tourism board there and a lot of hotels down there. There's a brand down there called S Hotels. It's S Hotel Kingston and S Hotel Montego Bay. And I'm really good friends with the family that owns it. So we went down there and we... Did a campaign for both properties and really like dove deep, you know, we didn't showcase the rooms We told the story of Jamaica itself the culture the ownership the legacy of the issa family the the guy that owns it and It wasn't about selling nights as it was about creating pride and connection and the campaign Elevated the hotel beyond a property and it positioned it as part of Jamaica's identity the Future of Hospitality (51:17) That's good. I like that. When tourism boards approach you, what do they usually want and what do you give them instead? Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (51:24) Mm-hmm. So they usually want exposure. They want numbers, clicks, impressions. What I give them instead is strategy. So exposure without engagement is worthless. It's like an empty bottle of wine. I help them craft stories that drive emotion and build reputation. Impressions disappear. Stories last. the Future of Hospitality (51:55) Story last, yeah, I mean, it's a reoccurring thing. It's a boomerang. This whole conversation is trust, storytelling, authenticity. I mean, and that keeps coming back. It's really, really simple actually when you think about it. Last question, what is the most creative upsell you've ever seen work in hospitality? Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (52:07) Yeah. Yeah. What do you mean? Give me a little bit more contact. the Future of Hospitality (52:20) Creative upsell. ⁓ Upsell. Hotels, all... ⁓ Yeah. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (52:23) Okay, okay. so I, I did a cruise one time where the chef invited guests into the galley for a private dinner. It turned a standard meal into a story. the Future of Hospitality (52:36) There you go. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (52:38) That's what hospitality upselling should be, turning transactions into stories. the Future of Hospitality (52:44) into stories and experiences and never, never ⁓ a memorable experiences. That's the word. Right. I think we should do a part two. And also, ⁓ because this is we're almost ⁓ almost an hour. I usually do 30 minutes, but I know honestly, I feel that and that it was my whole thing. ⁓ I'm gonna see you again, because we're gonna do some round tables with students in the near future. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (52:52) correct. Yeah Hehehehehe the Future of Hospitality (53:13) So ⁓ I will have you, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm preparing that as we speak. For now, Scott, I want to end part one because we're going to have a part two because I want to dive deeper into, yeah, I want to dive deeper into the subjects that we touched upon, which I believe have a lot more depth and I want to dive into that with you. Okay, let's do that. All right. Thank you. Scott Eddy (@MrScottEddy) (53:14) Yeah, that'd be fun. Yeah, we should go deeper. We should go deeper. Yeah? Yeah? Are you r- Thank you for having me. Appreciate it. the Future of Hospitality (53:44) Okay, I think that was the right...