Aug. 8, 2025

From Forts to Function: The Innovation Kids Love That Drives Repeat Stays - Saar Shai

From Forts to Function: The Innovation Kids Love That Drives Repeat Stays - Saar Shai

Saar Shai, co-founder of Wanderland, returns to share how a simple idea—born from watching his own kids on vacation—is changing the way hotels welcome families. (See our first conversation here.) Since our last conversation, Saar has been working with leading hotel brands to introduce “Screener,” a modular, themed room divider that gives kids their own space while improving the stay experience for parents.

We explore how this innovation solves a common operational challenge—limited connecting rooms—while creating memorable moments that drive guest loyalty. Saar also shares what he’s learned about building partnerships with creative hoteliers, the traits that make them open to new ideas, and why starting small often leads to the biggest wins.

If you want to delight your youngest guests, strengthen family loyalty, and spark more creativity in your operations, this conversation will give you ideas you can put to work today.

Links:

A few more resources:

If you found this episode interesting or helpful, send it to someone on your team so you can turn the ideas into action and benefit your business and the people you serve!

Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands