Episode
224 | Bridge & Tunnel Walk
- Podcast
- Top Floor
- Published
- Dec 30, 2025
- Duration seconds
- 2258
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://www.topfloorpodcast.com/episode/224
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Summary
Steven Rubin is the CEO of Collared Martin Hospitality, the management company behind Faraway Hotels, with a career that's zigzagged from overnight manager at a 600-room Marriott in 1999 New York City to revenue strategy trailblazer and culture-first leader. He's helped open and grow iconic lifestyle hotels at Kimpton, led across operations, asset management, and hospitality tech, and now steers an independent, experience-obsessed brand expanding from Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard into Sag Harbor and Jackson Hole. Susan and Steve talk about muses, markets, and management—brand-building. What You'll Learn About: • How to think about the "best" path to GM in different segments, from luxury F&B to commercial • What overnight shifts in late-90s New York teach you about composure, guest recovery, and not losing your mind • Why Steven moved from front desk chaos to revenue zen, and how that one decision rewired his whole career • Why Collared Martin is betting on high-barrier leisure markets like Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, Sag Harbor, and Jackson Hole • The madness and method of onboarding 26 tech systems in a brand-new management company • How Faraway's fictional female muses shape design, rituals, and guest touchpoints in each destination • Where AI can actually enhance a stay (hello, smarter pre-arrival notes) and where lazy prompts will absolutely backfire • The one thing Steven would change about hotel management companies: caring more loudly, clearly, and courageously *** Our Top Three Takeaways 1. Leadership Begins With Self-Awareness and Empathy Steven's stories from overnight relocations in New York City to his Kimpton-era emotional intelligence training highlight one central theme: great hospitality leadership starts with understanding people. His guiding…