Friday Night Audit Flashback: Where This Whole Mess Started

Because it's STILL the holidays, I'm rerunning something that still makes me smile — episode one of Friday Night Audit.

This show started in 2021, smack dab in the middle of COVID, when a lot of us in the hotel business felt disconnected, stuck at home, and spending way too much time on video calls.

We also missed the best part of conferences: hanging out at the bar afterward, talking shop, telling stories, and laughing at how completely cuckoo this business can be.

So we built Friday Night Audit to feel like that moment.

The idea was simple: hotel people as real people, having a drink, reacting to the week, and letting the conversation go where it goes. No scripts. No polish. Just the kinds of conversations that usually happen after the badges come off.

Early 2026 marks five years of the show, and we'll hit 200 episodes in February, right around that anniversary. And yes, it still feels a little ridiculous considering how this all started.

This first episode sets the tone immediately, with me and Craig Sullivan, joined by our first-ever guest Kate Burda — who shotguns a beer. Producer Dave also makes his presence felt early, adding strong insulting power as we figure this show out in real time and clearly have way too much fun doing it.

Highlights from episode one:
🍺: Immediate regret about starting the show — followed by leaning into it
🎤: The first guest appearance and the rhythm that stuck
🏨: Real hotel stories, awkward guest moments, and industry inside jokes
🤣: A lot of laughter that probably wouldn't have survived editing if this weren't a live show

If you've ever stayed late at the bar after a conference because the conversation beat the session schedule, this show was made for you.

Question:
Did you find Friday Night Audit early, or did you come across it later once the chaos was already established?