I don’t look the part. That’s the point.
Honest reviews of the world’s best hotels from a guest they didn’t expect — and the real playbook behind growing a small card shop into a multimillion-dollar business across two countries.
Five-star stays, reviewed from the other side of the front desk.
Most luxury reviews are written by people who look like they belong. Mine aren’t. Every review includes a score you won’t find anywhere else: how they treated me — before they knew who I was.
All hotel reviews →From a local card shop to a multimillion-dollar operation.
How we actually run it: the tech stack, the card show circuit, expanding into Japan, and what I’m seeing in the collectibles market right now. No guru talk — just what worked and what didn’t.
All business insights →Latest notes
View allOsaka opens next week
Our Osaka store opens next week. It took us almost two years to break into the Japanese market. Business there is completely different, and …
Same jeans, two very different hotels
On the same trip in October, I stayed at two of the best-known hotels in Europe, dressed the same way at both: jeans and a T-shirt. At the […
Latest hotel stays
View allWaldorf Astoria, Osaka
Great location and room, really good service overall, decent breakfast. Downstairs, they were more interested in other guests than getting me a taxi.
How they treated me: 5/10
Shangri-La, Paris
Everything was amazing, and they didn't make me feel out of place in jeans and a T-shirt.
How they treated me: 10/10
Disneyland Hotel, Paris
Didn't have the Disney service. We should have stayed in Paris and gotten a driver.
How they treated me: 4/10
Latest business insights
View allBuilding a card shop or collectibles business?
I advise owners on operations, tech, card shows, and expanding into Japan — the things I’ve done myself, at scale.
The full playbook is coming.
I’m writing the whole story down — the numbers, the mistakes, the systems. Be first to know when it’s out.