What does it take to go from employee to founder — and create a boutique hotel brandin Dubai?

In this episode of Hospitality Huddles, Scot Turner sits down with Judit Toth, Founder of Inhabit Hotel, to explore her remarkable journey from wellness and sales to building her own hotel company. From the chaos of pre-opening tosustainability practices and financial discipline, Judit shares the entrepreneurial mindset that turned her vision into reality.

Expect insights on:

- How to make the leap from employee to entrepreneur in hospitality
- Lessons from launching a hotel brand during Covid
- Why “young at heart” is a better target audience than demographics
- How to build culture through empowerment, trust, and ownership
- Balancing sustainability with profitability in boutique hotels
- Why human connection remains more valuable than technology
Chapters:
00:00 – Introduction to Judit Toth and her journey
01:40 – From Hungary to Dubai: career beginnings
05:28 – Why Dubai is a hub for entrepreneurship and growth
09:51 – Making the leap from employee to founder
16:28 – Creating a boutique hotel for the “young at heart”
20:23 – Empowerment and culture in hotel operations
24:16 – Doing things differently: entrepreneurial mindset vs tradition
28:13 – F&B challenges and profitability lessons
30:04 – Biggest learnings from pre-opening
34:16 – How guest expectations are changing
36:07 – Future trends and the next generation of travellers
38:25 – AI vs human connection in guest experience
41:11 – Closing reflections and where to find Judit