#227 - Hospitality Meets Philip Steiner - Every Committee Needs a Phil

Episode Summary

This week on Hospitality Meets, I’m joined by the brilliant Philip Steiner, Chief Operating Officer at Cycas Hospitality a man who’s spent his whole career planning for spontaneity (yes, it’s a thing).

From cleaning rooms to the C-suite, Philip’s journey is a joyful mix of graft, grit, and glorious chaos, proving that great leadership often comes down to knowing when not to turn up.

Our chat is packed with laughs and we chat about BBC blunders, linen truck disasters, diversity done right, and the art of stepping back so others can shine. It’s a conversation full of laughs, insight, and those “oh, that’s so true” moments that hospitality people will feel deep in their bones.

If you’ve ever tried to organise fun or manage chaos (sometimes at the same time), this one’s for you.

Key Takeaways

• Leadership Is Letting Go: Sometimes the best leaders get their A+ by staying home
• Plan for Chaos: Hospitality works best when you leave space for the unpredictable
• Adversity Builds Culture: The toughest days often create the strongest teams
• Diversity Needs Allies: Progress happens when everyone leans in, not just those affected
• You Can’t Plan Fun: But you can create the conditions for it to happen

Memorable Quotes

• “I got an A+ for staying home, best course ever”
• "You can plan everything around fun, but you can’t plan people having a good time”
• “Sometimes the worst of times are actually the best of times, because you pulled together and made it happen”
• "Even though the department is running brilliantly, it’s mostly because you’re there. Your next step is learning to do that without you there”
• "Every committee needs a Phil”

Final Thoughts

Philip reminds us that leadership isn’t about having all the answers, it’s about trusting your team, rolling with the madness, and laughing when plans inevitably go sideways.

He’s living proof that a little planning and a lot of humanity can turn chaos into culture.

Show Partners

A big shout out to Today’s show partner, RotaCloud, the people management platform for shift-based teams.

RotaCloud lets managers create and share rotas, record attendance, and manage annual leave in minutes — all from a single, web-based app.

It makes work simple for your team, too, allowing them to check their rotas, request holiday, and even pick up extra shifts straight from their phones.

Try RotaCloud’s time-saving tools today by heading to https://rotacloud.com/phil

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