Happy Thursday fam,

I’m happy to report that after FINALLY visiting Lake Tahoe for the first time this past weekend - it is as advertised. RP approved.

You can literally:

• drive to the Edgewood

• valet for free

• grab a bite and drinks at Brooks’

• post up in an Adirondak on the beach

• play bocci ball in the sand

• and leave all your troubles behind

This is free alpha, folks - no gatekeeping here. I live to promote the worlds great hospitality experiences.

Speaking of hospitality…

Thread The Needle 🪡

Former colleague and friend of the blog Yash Gupta just released a timely post on the future of Sports & Travel from the POV of his investment firm: Will Ventures.

TLDR: Huge opportunity in 2 main areas:

• Spectator Sports Tourism (fans traveling domestic/international to watch teams & players)

• Participatory Sports Tourism (fans traveling to specific hotels/locations because of their incorporated athletic/adventure/experiential offerings)

Obviously, being a VC Firm investing in sports/entertainment/consumer, they’re approaching this from the POV of untapped markets, business opportunities, and dollar signs. No arguing that here.

In fact, we’ve covered both topics in past weeks, including our NFL International Schedule Ranking & our analysis on athletes as the new hotel amenities.

That’s right, we’re 2 for 2 boys and girls. I’m open to starting our own firm & accepting LP partners if you’ve got a few extra bucks you’re ready to put to work.

Here’s the deal - both travel and sports are 2 of the most human-proof experiences we have left in this intensely digital world.

Nothing beats unscripted drama unfolding on the field, and nothing beats a Jet2 holiday. Put them together? And you’re primed for an unforgettable weekend.

To that end, sports tourism is only going to accelerate as humans crave experiences that touch on all the senses, are authentically crafted, and tailor made for them + their interests. No more generic algorithmic recommendations.

But wait - there’s more!

American Express announced a strategic partnership with Toast to “elevate hospitality experiences” in dining. Sound familiar??

Everybody is getting in on the human-proof experiences…it’s truly one of the last places to differentiate yourself.

And for those keeping score at home, that’s sports, travel & dining. An RP WEEKLY Triple Threat™️.

What Amex knows and Yash rightly points out, is that there’s alot of room for improvement when it comes to streamlining the experience - both for the fans, the teams, the hotels, restaurants etc.

This will change.

Here’s my take: While Amex is leading the charge by offering cardholders the benefit of enhanced dining personalization thanks to Toast and it’s restaurant network, this will eventually happen on a universal level thanks to a combo of blockchain and ai.

One day we will all have an incredibly intricate digital profile on the blockchain that tracks our fandom, favorite food, interests, travel history (among other things) which our own ai agents will read and use to book streamlined, yet highly personalized experiences for us.

Here’s the risk: in an effort to capture marketshare, providers will abandon the human element and farm everything to the machines. There’s a needle to thread here. Use the tools to enhance the service and experience, not replace entirely. As everyone gets the opportunity to taste this new normal, authentic differentiation will remain a premium.

Here’s the hope: this allows the hospitality & entertainment pros (like Michael Albanese) to delegate & automate menial tasks so they can focus all their resources and effort towards curating highly personalized and deeply human experiences. Once the busy work is out of the picture in hospitality, it’s gonna be the steroid era of surprise and delights. Check out this tease from the Wander CMO (we discussed Wander on RP WEEKLY here)…it’s going to happen sooner than we think.

Around the Horn

Master of the Pen: I wrote a post on X this week: I’m All-In On Writing.

NBA on NBC: There’s hope for the association yet. These 90’s throwback vibes are exactly what the world needs. Here’s to NBC giving the game presentation the proper care & attention it deserves.

The Future of Media is a Bank: Daisy Alioto wrote a killer blog post on media, taste, monetization, and meaning that will be cited for years.

This Week’s Songs

What do George Strait, Brigitte Bardot & Slightly Stoopid all have in common?

They made it onto the best playlist on Spotify.

Enjoy…

RP WEEKLY!!!