In this episode of Hotel Moment, Karen Stephens is joined by Sims Foster, co-founder of Foster Supply Hospitality. With roots spanning over 100 years in the Catskills region, Sims brings a unique perspective on hospitality that combines industry expertise with a deep connection to the community.

Sims discusses his unconventional journey from lying about his age to get a dishwasher job at 13 to managing celebrity nightclubs in Manhattan, and eventually returning home to revitalize his local hospitality scene. Foster Supply Hospitality operates small-scale hotels and James Beard-nominated restaurants throughout the Catskills — focusing on creating full-service resort experiences in intimate 12-30 room properties.

Throughout the conversation, Sims explores how the hospitality landscape has evolved, particularly with the dramatic rise of short-term rentals in rural areas. He shares candid insights about competing with unregulated inventory that operates without traditional hospitality overhead, while emphasizing how authentic human connection remains a hotels' greatest differentiator.

The discussion also highlights Sims' commitment to community impact through A Single Bite, a nonprofit organization addressing food insecurity and nutrition education that has delivered over 200,000 meals and reaches every seventh-grade student in Sullivan County.

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Instructions on how to do this are here.

[10:05] The short-term rental surge and its impact - Sims discusses how short-term rentals in Sullivan County have increased sixfold over the past five years — creating an "unregulated one-key hotel industry." He explains how these property owners can operate without the regulatory oversight that commercial hotels face, while many don't understand hospitality metrics like ADR and occupancy. "The short-term rental owner doesn't have the overhead of our business. They're now affecting ADRs and occupancies, and they don't even know what those two words mean," Sims notes. This creates unique competitive challenges for traditional hotels that must find new ways to differentiate their offerings.

[13:36] Leveraging professional hospitality advantages - Karen and Sims explore how hotels can compete with "amenity adjacent" short-term rentals by emphasizing the benefits of professional hospitality service. Sims explains that many short-term rentals simply copy and paste hotel amenities in their marketing — claiming proximity to restaurants, spas, and activities. However, hotels have distinct advantages including flexible length-of-stay options, professional cleaning and maintenance standards, and the reliability that comes with trained hospitality professionals managing the guest experience.

[17:48] The power of human connection in hospitality - Sims emphasizes what he sees as hotels' greatest competitive advantage: authentic human interaction. "As much as you can brand your short-term rental and create this thing, and it feels good, when you check in, it's still an empty house as far as human beings," he explains. He describes how guests connecting with staff members like Will, Saudi, or Anastasia reminds them of "the real power and joy and specialness of staying in a hotel." This human element cannot be replicated by short-term rental properties, no matter how well-designed or branded they may be.

00:00 - Intro 
01:53 - Introduction to Foster Supply Hospitality and the Catskills 
03:37 - Sims' journey from dishwasher to hospitality entrepreneur 
05:08 - The role of restaurants in the Foster Supply experience 
06:36 - The Catskills' history and evolution 
09:28 - How short-term rentals are changing the hospitality landscape 
12:34 - Competing with short-term rentals through professional hospitality 
15:13 - Converting restaurant guests to hotel guests 
17:48 - The irreplaceable value of human connection in hotels 
17:02 - A Single Bite: Addressing food insecurity in Sullivan County 
22:52 - Advice for aspiring hospitality entrepreneurs 
25:04 - Closing