From Hotel Guest to Hotel Owner: Building The Colony & The Hedges with Sarah Wetenhall

Sarah Wetenhall had never worked in hospitality when she and her husband decided, almost on a dare, to buy The Colony Hotel in Palm Beach. She joins me to talk about turning decades as a guest into two of the most in-demand boutique hotels in the country, and what it took to build The Hedges Inn in East Hampton next.

(00:00) Introduction

(02:00) The Colony: family history & buying in with zero experience

(06:39) Deciding to buy The Hedges

(09:00) Opening The Hedges & bringing Swifty's east

(11:22) Inside the guest experience

(13:35) Local recs: restaurants, shops & hidden gems

(27:24) The Ina Garten story

(29:43) Best times to visit East Hampton

(32:00) What's next for Sarah and Andrew

(34:25) Community programming: Conversations at the Hedges

(39:10) Wrap-up