Experiential Hospitality Lessons from Scribner's Catskill Lodge

Fran (00:00): Hi everyone, welcome to another episode of Conversations on Experiential Hospitality.

My name is Fran. I'm the co-founder of Turneo and with me today is Jade Sinskul, the marketing manager at an amazing company called Escape Hospitality, managing a wonderful lodge called Scribner's. Hi, Jade.

Jade (00:23): Hi, how's it going?

Fran (00:25): Good thanks. Thank you so much for taking the time to chat to us. How are you doing today?

Jade (00:31): Good, good. Yeah, I'm based in Hunter, New York right now, so it's beautiful fall day.

Fran (00:38): Fantastic. I have to say, I am a huge fan of Scribner's. Can you tell us a little bit of background about the Lodge, about what you have there, and perhaps your role in it as well?

Jade (00:50): Absolutely, yeah. So Scribner's Catskill Lodge, it's a little history behind it. It was built in 1966. Since then, it's had many iterations and over new ownership took over in 2015. From there, we became Scribner's Catskill Lodge, a boutique hotel in upstate New York. We have 49 rooms, 38 are which at the lodge, and then we have new accommodations called the rounds, which are 11 luxury cabins. and just continuing to grow. In my role as marketing manager for Escape Hospitality, I kind of oversee all the brand and marketing and digital efforts we put across Scribner's, the rounds, our on-site restaurant called Prospect, as well as our sister cafe, Fellow Mountain Cafe. So from those, we kind of manage it all in-house and then we also continue to expand in the Hunter,

Fran (01:40): Fantastic.

Jade (01:40): Yeah, Hunter region and stuff. So very exciting.

Fran (01:43): Upstate New York sounds dreamy, literally like the fall movies that I see on TV. That's how I imagine Upstate New York.

Jade (01:49): That's literally, especially, I would also say after COVID too, just how the area has exploded. You know, we're only two and a half hours from New York City. So it's a great location just to get those weekend getaways, whether it's in the fall, winter or summer.

Fran (02:04): So I understand that guests visit you among other things because of some incredible experiences that you have. Just naming a few here that are in your digital store. It's anything from Thanksgiving dinners to mahjong to Halloween decorations. We can see the hiking, the candle studio, the yoga sessions, jujitsu, and then all the way to stargazing, sightseeing. pool, garden, lounge, I mean you've got so much going on. So tell me a little bit about the background of how and why experiences became central to Scribner's.

Jade (02:44): Course, mean, experiences really became essential for Scribner's because of the market and in the hospitality in general. I think we see in a lot of hotels and a lot of demand by guests who want to stay at these boutique hotels that there is this need to have experiences. At the time, like maybe 10 or so years ago, there was the demand of putting money towards experience itself. And in that case, experiences was defined by... know, taking a trip out of the country or taking a trip, you know, two hours away. I think now there has been growth into, okay, I can go to a hotel and have this experience, but is there more depth that I can make this memorable and actually have memories that I can share with people and so on. And so with Turneo, when we came across this one amazing company, we thought, wow, this is, you guys are a startup. This is great. We, we love working with people who are you open to hearing what we're thinking of doing and then also just implementing it. And I think that's a huge part with hospitality because there's everything changes every day. So in this case, you know, we are trying to provide something for all our guests that is a wide range of stuff, but also working with a team that is able to accompany all those wide ranges, because once you've put yourself in a box and it becomes a little harder to do what we want to do and stuff like that. So.

Fran (04:05): Awesome.

So tell me the rationale. How did you manage experiences before we started working together? Because surely you were still offering a lot of experiences and then, you know, or before the digital age, let's say, and then what changes when you get a system or when you get a digital store where guests can look themselves?

Jade (04:24): Yeah, so before we joined Turneo, the way we kind of set up our experiences, we still had all these programming weekends and stuff like that, but it wasn't never, I wouldn't say it was as streamlined as it is now. So it was a lot of manual work from the team, more hands-on, taking time away from doing other projects to, you know, maybe organize this or book this or stuff like that. In this case, it also, there was uncertainty behind a lot of it because, you know, we could have, in this case, we have a cookie decorating class for Halloween.

Before we joined Turneo, you know, this would be on our essentially a calendar on our website, but we would never know the headcount. We'd have to take payment when people showed up as opposed to like capturing payment beforehand. There was real no cancellation fee and there was no real data providing it because we could take a headcount and we could maybe track that through an Excel sheet beforehand, but it was never going to be as efficient as it is now. So.

Fran (05:18): So there's something about the certainty you're saying about knowing who's going to show up at an experience that you've organized and put together and then the insights that come afterwards. What about even before that? How did you use to advertise? So you're obviously in marketing. How did you use to advertise or let people know well in advance, like, hey, we've got these amazing activities around Halloween or Thanksgiving, come and see us versus how do you do it now?

Jade (05:43): Yeah, I mean, before joining Turneo, the way we would promote these experiences, and I would say, I would actually just like to say we didn't really have experiences beforehand. So any of our page, like joining the local experts was not something we've never done. In this case, for any of our programming events that we do on site, it was really just streamlined through email marketing, digital and social media, which we continue to still do today because they're great tools, but it wasn't.

I wouldn't say it's as efficient on the website as it is now. And because of that, you know, we did see like, I'm sure there was a lower attendance from those programming weekends to there is now. And there is more people actually visiting the site because it's one interactive and I can see the price and I can book and have my, you know, get a confirmation email. And I think those things are really beneficial because it feels as from a guest perspective that this is going to happen during my trip. And this is something I can look forward to.

Fran (06:38): Absolutely. And I think sometimes even what we see is people plan their trips around experiences, right? So it's, I'm going there because of all of these things. And it's important to me as a guest to see that I can do it at those times, to see that there's availability, to see that I can click and book it at the same time or immediately after booking accommodation. Do you see that as well?

Jade (07:00): Yeah, absolutely. With guests coming in, especially we see it more so like, you know, the week they arrive, right? Which is great because there is still so many available like experiences that you can book during that time. And I think a lot of our partners, especially our local partners see that as well. So when they, you know, open up their calendar for fly fishing experience, they can actually plan it within, you know, the seven days they come or even further out, come to Scribner's stay, have a beautiful stay at our hotel. and then actually go out outside of the hotel and experience the Catskills in general. So an example of this is we had a mother and son come to the property during the fall time, which is, if you don't know, it's a great time to go fly fishing in the Catskills. They went onto this Esopus Creek which is this beautiful river up here, and they worked with our partners, Keepsake Outdoors, Tara and Jesse, who are amazing. And they, you know, from the feedback we received, it was like, definitely something they're gonna talk about for years. And this was, you this is just one of the experiences we have on our page. And because of this very defining moment for them, like we're gonna have them as return guests again. So, you know, and when they become return guests, there'll be definitely more different experiences and more partners that they can try out. And again, it's creating those relationships that will continue to last for years and hopefully even generations, which would be really cool.

Fran (08:20): You mentioned partners a lot here and hotels are like the focal points in a destination and you have so many amazing partners. They could be restaurants, patisseries, they could be tour guides, they could be free or paid, you know, places to visit. Managing partners, especially for bookable experiences, is something that I see often talking to hoteliers, they're most afraid. They're like, you know, my partners will never want this. They will never...

How did you have similar thoughts when you went about digitizing your experiences? And if so, how did you overcome that and how is it working today?

Jade (08:55): Yeah, in terms of like having meeting partners and doing these experiences with Turneo and you know maybe there's some concern with that. I think the very first meeting I had with Turneo was with Tina and again we shared our you know our fears and our hopes and our dreams you know all that what we really want this page to look like and so with when talking to her you know she heard our concerns and everything but since from Then on the initial call to what it is now, every time I have a meeting with a partner or local expert, you know, it's so great to have Turneo as this partner because they're just hands-on. So the way we've kind of set up our system has been so streamlined and effortless where if there's any questions or concern, one, the support team of Turneo, I would say is one of the fastest supporting responses I've ever worked with in hospitality, which is phenomenal. And I would also say that there, I don't think, you know, that because there's so much transparency behind with you guys and with our partners and these three different groups of the hotel, the partners, Turneo, that it feels like, you know, if there were an issue to rise, it could be resolved really quickly or there's ways to pivot. And I think especially as, know, as a hotel, that is something we always have to be concerned of because things happen all the time and, stuff like that. So having that kind of cushion room to. if anything were to happen is phenomenal. And I haven't seen anything in terms of like any downsides to it because there's, there is people who are going to have concerns, but then once you're actually in the program, in the backend and everything, it becomes extremely easy and user friendly.

Fran (10:34): Yeah, I think that's the thing. I organizers of amazing experiences are already digitizing. They're going down that route. They're already offering something digital, perhaps on their website, perhaps on other platforms, you know, for experiences. And they want to digitize with hotels as well. They don't need concierges at hotel to constantly be calling them. Of course, organizing something particular and specific requires a phone call, but... booking in on a very, very standard, let's say tour, which is a package that you've got a

Program that's been said can be done digital. Once they, once they do it once they see, wow, this was really simple, right.

Jade (11:12): It's really simple and I would love to add that one of the reasons we also, when we partner with any of our local experts is like there's marketing behind it for them as well. Like we're promoting these local businesses in our area who, you know, people might not find them. Maybe they don't have websites because, you know, they're new or they're, you know, been doing it for so long that they're haven't really changed their, business strategies. But in this case, when we say like, you know, we do get and the last, I have to check again, but around like 15,000 people in the last three months traveling to this one page on our website, it's showing these local businesses in the area that this is something you can do. And you know, the Catskill's, you can hike and you can go play, but there's also a ton of people who offer such amazing and unique services that you might not find doing a quick Google search or anything like that. So even if, let's just say, even if they're not even staying with us, we still think this page is beneficial for people to use who. are even community members or staying in another hotel or just like looking to see what they can do up here.

Fran (12:08): I mean, it's almost like a corporate social responsibility element to it with what you're doing for the community by showcasing all of these products, services, experiences. And as you said, I think that's fantastic. A lot of the real local experiences often aren't something that at the moment you can find on Google, but you being the local expert, a place of stay where I'm asking you for advice, it's such a great thing that you can recommend those to guests.

Jade (12:37): Yeah, absolutely. And I think, you know, as we continue to grow this page and put in even more unique experiences, like for example, we're talking to a local brewery who wants to do tastings and a local chocolatier, you know, who's about 20 minutes away that people might not know about, but can actually tour the chocolate factory and try sample, you know, so there's all these different things that people might not know that this is available that will be, you know, coming forward and for, you know, for many years. So.

Fran (13:06): Let's go back to guests a little bit because we've talked a lot now about organizers and they're such an important part of the ecosystem in travel. But everything that we do, that we do as a tech company, that you do as a hospitality company or that they do as a tour or experience organizer, it always goes down to guests, their expectations. You've been in hospitality for many years. How would you say guest expectations today are changing when it comes to discovering or booking experiences?

Jade (13:34): Yeah, that's a great question. I think with guest expectations nowadays, especially that because the experience is more than just coming to a hotel, it's more about creating memorable experiences, hence what we have on our page. I believe their expectations are set to be, know, one, they want to create memories that will continue to last for a long time. And two, they just, I think there's a void of which you know, they might have the money to spend these things, but they don't know what to spend it on. And so when guests come in and have this expectation, sometimes, especially in the Catskills and this is a more regional thing, is, you know, it's a beautiful stay, I'm leaving the city for, you know, two hour easy drive and I can come up and do whatever I want. What can I do? And so I think expectations are growing where, because there's so much more happening up here than they know, that they're just...

I think they're just finding new things that they might not have known about in the beginning. Sometimes I feel like, and I want to say that sometimes their expectations are low because they're like, okay, I'm going to stay at this beautiful boutique hotel. But then when I see the experience page, it's almost a little bit like, wow, there's so much I can do and it's going to continue to grow. And I think that also is a testament to the programming we do at our hotel, which is our special weekends, like our... our book lovers retreat, which we'll have authors come up, or we're doing a mahjong weekend where you can learn how to play mahjong for three days. And I would say a lot of guests book and then see these happen and then their expectations are like, my gosh, this is a surprise. And this is great because I can do this experience here and on property at the same time I'm having this stay. So yeah, that's from my perspective I've seen. And I think, you know, because this is new to us and we're continuing to grow, I think in the coming years, the expectation will become, oh, every time I visit this page, I hope to see something new on there, right? And so I think the growth of it is gonna continue and the new ideas we come up with and the local partners we join, I think the guests will have so many options that they can choose from that will be just more exciting.

Fran (15:36): Yeah, I think that's so important, the constant change that we see in hospitality, that when you come next time, there's an element of sameness, like it's the same room, perhaps, it's the same view, and it's giving me peace at my vacation. But also there's these new things I can do, which is giving me excitement and discovery, right, as a guest. And that combination is a killer combo, I think, for exceeding guest expectations.

Jade (16:02): Yeah, absolutely.

Fran (16:05): The thing I've noticed also is that when you come up with new, I've heard recently a hotelier in Singapore told me, I've got these amazing wine sommeliers at my restaurant and I could totally do a wine tasting, but I don't know how to distribute it. Like how do I sign people up? I need to create this and that. So I guess that having technology behind that can help you quickly mock that up into an experience, put some photos, put some descriptions, put some dates and prices and put it on your website.

It helps also being creative with new things that you can create and offer to guests.

Jade (16:37): Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I think because of the system and the way it's set up on the back end with Turneo, I think there's no question to it that whenever, especially if we have an idea internally that we want to do from, know, we have, in this case, we have our finance director who happens to also be a certified yoga teacher and she hosts amazing classes all year round and also hosts private classes on property. And so, you know, it's kind of the idea of because it is so easy and user friendly that it's not intimidating at all to do. And it, in this case, it might be, you know, daunting to look at it before, but once you actually put it on the page and like, it showcases, you know, even if you, you know, I can't do this because I'm working my nine to five job, I have windows afterwards or beforehand. And I think it's, you know, it's just really taking that first step. And then once you're in it and the Turneo team. is back behind you and the amazing support it has, then it's gonna feel like such an easy and breezy journey from there.

Fran (17:38): Thank you very much for those kind words. We're coming to a close. I wanted to ask you in terms of your future vision of experiential hospitality. We've touched on a few subjects there in topics, but where do you see it going in the future? Think Scribner's, especially in your area is one of the leaders of experiential hospitality. You have probably the most amazing experiences page I've seen in East coast, not even just

Jade (18:03): Thank

Fran (18:03): Upstate New York where where do you see it going? At Scribner's, but in general also as an industry, where do you see experiential hospitality going?

Jade (18:11): Yeah.

In terms of the future and experiential hospitality, let's start one with Scribner's. See one continuing to grow with like joining local experts in the area, finding these pockets of people who are so knowledgeable and want to share these experiences with our guests. I think there is going to continue to grow along at least the East Coast and in the US base because, you know, right now we are one of the leaders in this, especially in our area.

We haven't seen any other of our competitor hotels do this as well, but I think it will provide more insight on to why, like choosing hotel up here, because I would say, especially in the Catskill region, especially post COVID, the hospitality industry has boomed up here. There is at least one hotel opening up every year. And so it's really differentiating ourselves from those hotels to ours, because nowadays anyone can have kind of a boutique hotel with. the correct capital and the team behind them, but it's like, how do you make yourself different from everyone else? And I think, yes, you can have a beautifully designed room and great food and beverage outlet and those kinds of things, but actually providing experiences for in-house guests that can be bookable on our site is gonna be a game changer. In terms of experiential hospitality as a whole industry, I think it's gonna continue to grow and be a defining moment. one thing to touch upon too is just the growth of AI and so how AI is going to change a lot of technology, especially in experiential hospitality. Know. I believe Turneo has already, already dipped your toes into AI with the emails and stuff like that. And I think continuing that motion of almost it goes hand in hand is like putting up more experiences, but also contributing AI into, you know, you booked this experience. This is also a great complimentary to your experience. And, know, then you create the kind of like. dollar spend amount and all of that. But in the end of it, you really just are trying to create memorable experiences for our guests and to have them come back. And I think those are the things that will continue to grow and people are going to want to do and see in the future, especially both at Scribner's and just like, and hospitality in general.

Fran (20:15): Absolutely, you hit the nail on the head there, especially with the AI element of it. It will just help curate things a lot better for guests. It'll help you distill for the guests what is more relevant to the guests themselves. And that's going to help them make the right decision and ultimately have those amazing experiences.

Jade (20:35): Absolutely.

Fran (20:36): Jade, thank you so much for your time, for your insights.

Jade (20:38): In.

Fran (20:38): I wish you all the very best at Scribner's.

Next time I'm on the East Coast, I'll make sure to come and visit and try out part of your amazing programming.

Jade (20:45): Yes.

Fran (20:48): And we look forward to helping, know, continuing to support you on that journey.

Jade (20:53): Yes, thank you so much, Fran this is again, this has been such an amazing experience and we continue, you know, we're so excited to see the future.

Fran (21:00): Brilliant. Thanks everyone for listening. This was another episode of Conversations on Experiential Hospitality with Jade Sinskul of Scribner's. See you all next time.