Kay Walten | Substack

Field Notes: An unlikely place to find a world record holder

I stopped for a drink at a village hotel in Provence. She told me to ignore the menu. Turns out it holds a Guinness World Record. Destinations take…

Apr 5 • Kay Walten

Soul-Searching on the French Riviera

I've been giving you a sanitized version of myself. That's over.

Mar 31 • Kay Walten

Destination Sunday: The Bakery Is Closed

The Airbnb Next Door Is Doing Great.

Mar 29 • Kay Walten

Your Social Media Feed Is The Problem

Not the reviews. Not the algorithm. You.

Mar 24 • Kay Walten

Whoever Sets the Guest Expectations Win

Most destinations now have two versions. The place itself and the one people saw online. That's where problems start.

Mar 22 • Kay Walten

Stories from 35 years of tourism, travel, and a life held together with duct tape. Destinations, hospitality, and the stuff nobody talks about.

Destination Sunday

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Destination Sunday: Why? And The Flip Side of More Tourists = Better Tourism

The origin story + the first flip side truth bomb. More isn’t more. More is a migraine. The flip side of tourism growth starts here.

Aug 17, 2025 • Kay Walten

Field Notes: An unlikely place to find a world record holder

I stopped for a drink at a village hotel in Provence. She told me to ignore the menu. Turns out it holds a Guinness World Record. Destinations take…

Apr 5 • Kay Walten

Destination Sunday: The Bakery Is Closed

The Airbnb Next Door Is Doing Great.

Mar 29 • Kay Walten

Whoever Sets the Guest Expectations Win

Most destinations now have two versions. The place itself and the one people saw online. That's where problems start.

Mar 22 • Kay Walten

Maybe Tourists Aren’t the Problem

What Greenland Taught Me About How Places Shape Behavior

Mar 8 • Kay Walten

The Business Side

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Your Social Media Feed Is The Problem

Not the reviews. Not the algorithm. You.

Mar 24 • Kay Walten

When Guests Leave Your Site for OTAs

Guests don’t leave your site because you’re more expensive. They leave at the exact moment don't safe. Fix that moment in under 5 minutes, keep more…

Mar 17 • Kay Walten

Why Guests Arrive Confused (And How to Fix It in 5 Minutes)

Most guest problems begin before check-in. Look at your last 10 guest messages, and you’ll see why.

Mar 11 • Kay Walten

Not All Returning Guests Are Equal

History is not a discount code. Not all returning guests strengthen your business.

Mar 3 • Kay Walten

Why Your Hotel Might Be Hard for AI to Find

AI tools don't read your story. They check your facts. Here's what to fix first.

Feb 26 • Kay Walten

Straight talk. Just without the safety net.

Recent posts

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When Guests Leave Your Site for OTAs

Guests don’t leave your site because you’re more expensive. They leave at the exact moment don't safe. Fix that moment in under 5 minutes, keep more…

Mar 17 • Kay Walten

What Happens When Visitors Don’t Understand the Place They’re Visiting

Visitors aren’t always the problem. Misunderstanding is. Field notes from Greenland on what happens when you explain the place before you hand people…

Mar 14 • Kay Walten

Why Guests Arrive Confused (And How to Fix It in 5 Minutes)

Most guest problems begin before check-in. Look at your last 10 guest messages, and you’ll see why.

Mar 11 • Kay Walten

Newsletters

Duct Tape & Wire Ties

True stories from a life of caves, dirt roads, and figuring it out as you go. Sometimes you just can't make this shit up.

Destination Sunday

Real places. Hard questions. What happens to destinations when nobody's paying attention to what actually matters.

The Business Side

Older posts on vacation rentals, small hotels, and the business side of hospitality. Still useful. Just written before I stopped being polite.

Stories, hard truths, and the occasional cuss word from 35 years in hospitality, tourism, and a life held together with duct tape.

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Destination Sunday

Field Notes

The Business Side

Recent posts

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