Season 1 Host: Justin Sun (The Curious Concierge)

 Justin Sun is the creator and host of The Curious Concierge, a podcast exploring the dreamers, shapers, and innovators redefining hospitality across Asia. With a storyteller’s lens and an operator’s curiosity, Justin goes behind the scenes of hotels, villas, restaurants, and cultural spaces — spotlighting the people who bring experiences to life and the moments that make a stay unforgettable. 

 In collaboration with Short-Term Rentals Asia (STRA),  Justin Sun (The Curious Concierge)  hosts Art of STR,Season 1, a series dedicated to elevating understanding of the short-term rental and villa sector across Asia , through real voices, local context, and the stories behind the stays. 

Kadek Adnyana is the Chairman of BVRMA, representing hundreds of villa owners and operators across Bali. With roots in guiding and guest relations, he has worked across hotels and independent villas and now advocates for a more professional, sustainable, community-aligned STR ecosystem. He is also the founder of Individual Bali Villas, focused on locally grounded hospitality with long-term care for the island. 

 Bali is the beating heart of Asia’s villa movement — and few leaders have shaped it from the inside like Kadek, Chairman of BVRMA (Bali Villa Rental & Management Association) and founder of Individual Bali Villas.

In this opening episode, Kadek shares how Bali’s villa ecosystem evolved from early luxury roots into today’s fast-growing STR market — and why the next chapter must be driven by standards, compliance, and community-led sustainability.

He speaks candidly about unlicensed builds, zoning pressure, scams, service dilution, and the urgent need for government + industry alignment — including a clear call to action: start with a transparent registry, define villa standards, and protect conservation areas before it’s too late.

•  Why Bali’s “villa” product is at risk without clear standards and service expectations
   
• How BVRMA formed as a response to unpermitted development, scams, and environmental strain
   
• The case for step-by-step compliance (education first, enforcement second)
   
• Why a public list / registry of legal STR properties matters for trust, investment, and guest confidence
   
• Where Kadek believes demand is heading next: eco-led, nature-driven stays (bamboo, low-plastic, sustainable operations)

This episode is part of The Art of STR — a special series created in collaboration with Short-Term Rentals Asia (STRA), exploring how hospitality in Asia is evolving through real voices, regional context, and the stories behind the stays.

Bruno Barone is a Phuket-based operator and founder behind multiple ventures spanning property management, marketing/creative production (Closer Asia), and legal/compliance support (Closer Law). With 14+ years building in Thailand, Bruno is known for combining operational depth with community-minded leadership — and for seeing hospitality as both a business and a human system. 

Phuket is no longer just a beach destination — it’s a full-scale hospitality ecosystem powered by entrepreneurs, operators, and community builders. In this episode, Bruno Barone joins host Justin Sun (The Curious Concierge) to unpack what it really takes to build — and sustain — short-term rentals at scale in Thailand.

From his early days in Europe to launching in Phuket in 2011, Bruno has built across the entire STR stack: villa operations, property management, guest services, transport, maintenance, cleaning, pool services, marketing production (Closer Asia), and now legal/compliance support (Closer Law). What ties it all together is a clear philosophy: hospitality is not just a product — it’s emotion, rhythm, and community.

This is a grounded operator conversation about growth, adaptation, people management, infrastructure, and why Phuket’s next chapter will be shaped by quality tourism, stronger standards, and long-term livability.

•  How Phuket’s STR market evolved from “need” to today’s multi-layered ecosystem
   
• Why Bruno built vertically: housekeeping, transfers, pools, renovations — to protect quality
   
• The reality of running high service levels across independent villas (not hotel chains)
   
• Phuket’s advantages: connectivity, safety, diversity of guest segments, and emerging wellness/medical travel
   
• The rise of mid-term stays and “relocation demand” — and how it’s changing villa design and pricing
   
• Why compliance, residency questions, and trusted legal support are now core to destination maturity
   
• A leadership view on community: how giving back became part of the operating model

This episode is part of The Art of STR — a special series created in collaboration with Short-Term Rentals Asia (STRA), exploring how hospitality in Asia is evolving through real voices, regional context, and the stories behind the stays.

Ritwik Khare his journey from his eight years scaling MakeMyTrip’s international hotels and GCC business, to leading growth as COO & CCO at LEAD School,

Ritwik has built a career driving expansion, market share, and revenue at scale. An MBA Gold Medallist from FMS Delhi, his leadership at ELIVAAS is redefining premium hospitality and second home experiences across India and beyond. 

Working to build the world’s most admired vacation rental platform for second home owners and travellers. One villa, one apartment at a time! 

India’s luxury villa market is evolving fast — and it’s no longer just about space, privacy, or price. Today’s travellers want control, consistency, and a level of hospitality that feels both premium and personal.

In this episode, Justin Sun (The Curious Concierge) sits down with Ritwik Khare, Founder & CEO of Elivaas, to unpack how India’s short-term rental market is being reshaped by technology, guest expectations, and what Ritwik calls “humane hospitality.”

Born out of Ritwik’s own frustration managing a second home, Elivaas has grown into a fully serviced luxury villa platform — blending data discipline with deeply human service, and redefining how guests experience villas and how owners think about hospitality as a long-term business.

•  Why travellers now demand more control over the stay
   
• The rise of “privacy on demand” — and why rules are being rejected
   
• How Elivaas blends tech + human service at scale
   
• What “humane hospitality” looks like operationally
   
• India’s travel renaissance — and what it signals for Asia’s villa economy
   
• Lessons for founders building at the intersection of real estate + hospitality
   

This episode is part of The Art of STR — a special series created in collaboration with Short-Term Rentals Asia (STRA), exploring how hospitality in Asia is evolving through real voices, regional context, and the stories behind the stays.

Adhiguna is the CEO of The Kayon,  Bali, one of Ubud’s most respected luxury hospitality brands, known for its refined service philosophy, deep connection to Balinese culture, and commitment to sustainable tourism. 

His leadership spans end-to-end operations, guest experience, digital strategy, and organisational transformation — positioning  The Kayon as a benchmark for excellence in Bali’s hospitality sector. With a career grounded in tourism, branding, and technology adoption, Adhiguna brings a modern, strategic perspective to Bali’s evolving accommodation landscape. 

His work bridges the worlds of traditional hospitality and the fast-growing short-term rental sector, helping shape conversations around standards, compliance, and the professionalism needed for Bali to grow sustainably.

Adhiguna is also a respected collaborator across industry circles. He actively engages with villa managers, associations, and policy stakeholders to elevate transparency, operational quality, and responsible tourism across the island. 

“Bali can lead Asia in responsible, high-quality STR operations — when we combine hospitality excellence with transparency, community respect, and modern systems.” — Adhiguna

 Bali is one of Asia’s most iconic hospitality destinations — but beneath the beach clubs and headlines, the island is entering a more serious operating era. Growth is real, regulations are tightening, and the market is moving from informal to professional — fast.

In this episode, Justin Sun (The Curious Concierge) heads to Bali to speak with Adhiguna, CEO of Kayon Hotels & Resorts and former COO of Nakula Villas (70+ managed villas and estates across Bali). 

With leadership experience spanning Elite Havens and Lux Nomad, Adhiguna brings a rare “full-stack” view of Bali hospitality — from on-the-ground villa operations to corporate systems, culture, and brand storytelling.

This is a conversation about what it takes to scale without losing the soul of a destination — and why the next chapter of Bali’s STR market will reward operators who understand local culture, regulatory clarity, and operational discipline.

•  Why Bali must not become “another Ibiza” — and what authentic hospitality looks like
   
• The shift from loopholes to enforcement: clearer systems, fewer grey areas
   
• What owners and investors still misunderstand about operating villas legally at scale
   
• How Bali demand is redistributing beyond Canggu — and why “overconcentration” is the real issue
   
• Lessons from scaling operations across 70+ villas without doubling headcount
   
• How Kayon blends culture, wellness, and place-based rituals into a modern resort experience
   

This episode is part of The Art of STR — a special series created in collaboration with Short-Term Rentals Asia (STRA), elevating real operator voices and strengthening understanding of Asia’s short-term rental and villa sector through regional context and lived experience.

 Ankit  Goenka the driving force behind JadeCaps  and a rising voice in Asia’s Proptech & hospitality transformation.

We are  heading into one of Asia’s most complex and fast-evolving short-term rental markets: India.

Our guest is someone who’s seen the sector from a very different starting point. Ankit Goenka began his career in global banking, managing FX and derivatives flows across India, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. After more than a decade in finance, he made a decisive shift — walking away from that world to build something entirely new.

Ankit is the Founder and CEO of JadeCaps, a multi-market operator managing over 200 premium homes across India, Indonesia, Thailand, and Dubai, through brands including Stage 8, Red Olive, and Jade PMS. Today, his team supports more than 500 homeowners, combining operations, technology, and data to professionalize what has traditionally been a fragmented and informal sector. 

If you have stayed in a professionally managed villa or urban short-term rental in India, there is a growing chance Ankit’s systems or philosophy  that are shaping that experience.

In this conversation, we explore how India’s short-term rental market is maturing, what it takes to scale responsibly in an emerging market, why technology must be built locally, and how Ankit thinks about trust, regulation, and long-term value for both guests and owners.. 

•  How Ankit transitioned from global banking into building one of Asia’s fastest-growing short-term rental operators
   
• Why India’s STR market is fundamentally different from Western and Southeast Asian markets
   
• What it really takes to professionalize short-term rentals at scale in an emerging economy
   
• How JadeCaps is building an operator-led, tech-first “operating system” for second homes
   
• The role of data, local regulation, and owner trust in sustainable growth
   
• Why guest expectations, lead times, and booking behavior are reshaping the future of STR in Asia
   
• Ankit’s outlook on where India — and Asia — are headed over the next five years

 To close out Season 1, Justin Sun, who served as our inaugural host, will finish the series with a collection of live podcast recordings created on site at Gather · Connect · Grow in Bangkok on 11–12 February 2026.

These live conversations mark the conclusion of this six-episode inaugural series, created in collaboration with Short-Term Rentals Asia (STRA). 

Together with our Alliances and Partners, The Art of STR was designed to elevate understanding of the short-term rental and villa sector across Asia — through real voices, regional context, and the stories behind the stays.

Holiday Inn Sukhumvit , Bangkok 

Gather Connect Grow