Hotel Tech Insider

HotelTechReport
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The HotelTechInsider podcast interviews the top leaders at the convergence of hotels, travel and technology. Guests include founders, executives, top hoteliers and industry organization leadership. Find all of the episodes at hoteltechreport.com

  1. CEO of Frontline Performance Group on Scaling Hotel Upselling with AI

    1d ago

    CEO of Frontline Performance Group on Scaling Hotel Upselling with AI

    What if your front desk could generate millions in incremental revenue - without adding staff or compromising the guest experience? In this episode, Geoffrey Toffetti, CEO of Frontline Performance Group (FPG), shares how his company evolved from a hospitality consulting firm into a SaaS platform now used by nearly 3,000 hotels to improve frontline performance, increase guest satisfaction, and unlock measurable revenue through AI-driven coaching. Geoffrey also makes a bold prediction that may challenge how experienced hotel leaders think about the future of hotel software: AI won't just enhance software - it could replace much of it. Key Takeaways: How top-performing hotels create millions in incremental revenue at the front desk. Learn the practical frameworks luxury hotels are using to increase upsells, improve frontline engagement, and achieve ROI as high as 50:1, including why personalized conversations consistently outperform scripted offers.Why AI coaching - not just AI automation - is the next competitive advantage. Discover how AI can analyze frontline performance data, identify individual coaching opportunities for every employee, and recommend targeted actions that help managers develop stronger teams at scale.Lessons from leading a hospitality company through massive transformation. Geoffrey shares candid insights from FPG's journey from an on-site consulting business to a SaaS company, including the leadership practices, communication strategies, and experimentation mindset required to successfully navigate disruptive technologies like AI.A surprising vision for the future of hotel technology. Geoffrey argues that many reporting and business intelligence tools may eventually disappear altogether as AI agents become capable of interrogating hotel data directly and delivering actionable answers without traditional software interfaces.Whether you oversee revenue management, operations, commercial strategy, or hotel technology, this conversation offers actionable ideas for increasing incremental revenue, developing higher-performing frontline teams, and preparing your organization for the next generation of AI-powered hotel operations. If you enjoyed this episode of Hotel Tech Insider, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, leave a review, and share this episode with a colleague who's thinking about the future of AI, hotel operations, and commercial performance. For more interviews with the industry's top innovators, visit HotelTechReport.com. Hotel Tech Insider is a leading global podcast focused exclusively on hotel technology, digital transformation, revenue strategy, AI, operations, guest experience, and hospitality innovation. The show features long-form interviews with industry leaders, hotel executives, and technology founders to help experienced hoteliers stay ahead of the trends shaping the future of hospitality.

    25 min
  2. $1.6B Hotel Portfolio CEO on Who Wins the AI Era

    Jun 22

    $1.6B Hotel Portfolio CEO on Who Wins the AI Era

    What happens when the biggest threat to hotel owners isn't brands, OTAs, or labor costs—but AI? In this episode, Sloan Dean, former CEO of one of the largest hotel management companies in the United States, shares why he believes the hospitality industry's incentives are fundamentally broken, which hotel technologies actually move the needle, and why many operators may be underestimating the disruptive force of AI. During his tenure as CEO of Remington Hospitality, Sloan Dean helped grow the company from roughly 80 hotels to more than 150 properties generating over $1.6 billion in annual hotel revenue. With a background in engineering, asset management, and hotel operations, Sloan brings a rare perspective that spans ownership, management, technology, and investment. What we cover in this episode: • The hotel industry's incentive problem is reaching a breaking point. Sloan explains how value has steadily shifted away from hotel owners toward brands, OTAs, management companies, and increasingly venture-backed software providers—and why that trend may not be sustainable. • The technology investments that delivered the highest ROI. From labor management systems to revenue management platforms, Sloan shares the specific technologies that generated measurable operational and financial improvements across a portfolio of more than 150 hotels. • Why AI could radically reshape hotel operations. Most industry leaders view AI as a tool to improve their existing businesses. Sloan argues something more disruptive may happen: AI could fundamentally change who captures value in hospitality and create entirely new operating models that challenge today's incumbents. • The surprising lesson from leading large-scale digital transformation. Rather than chasing revolutionary technology, Sloan reveals why his first major wins came from fixing basic operational systems and how experienced operators can avoid one of the most common technology adoption mistakes. • Where robotics will impact hotels first. Sloan outlines why housekeeping, laundry, engineering, and food & beverage may look dramatically different over the next decade—and what owners should be preparing for today. Whether you're an owner, operator, asset manager, or hotel technology executive, this conversation offers a candid look at where hospitality is heading and what industry veterans should be doing now to stay ahead. Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe to Hotel Tech Insider for more conversations with the leaders shaping the future of hospitality technology, hotel operations, revenue strategy, and guest experience. Share this episode with a colleague and visit Hotel Tech Report for additional insights, research, and technology resources.

    25 min
  3. CEO of Yanolja on AI Agents Running Hotels

    May 5

    CEO of Yanolja on AI Agents Running Hotels

    What if your hotel ran itself - an “army of AI agents” handling everything from reservations to check-in - while your staff focused entirely on guests? In this episode, Aejaz Sodawala, CEO of Yanolja Cloud Solution, shares a forward-looking blueprint for how hotel tech is evolving - from fragmented systems to unified, AI-driven platforms powering over 33,000 hotels globally. Takeaways:  Why data silos are quietly killing your AI strategy — and how to restructure your tech stack around a shared data layer to unlock real-time decision-making and automation. How leading operators are driving 20%+ direct bookings — using integrated booking engines, pricing transparency vs OTAs, and content-driven websites that convert. What “agentic PMS” actually means in practice — and how AI agents will replace repetitive roles (reservations, check-in, pricing) to free staff for higher-value guest interaction. Aejaz has spent 15+ years scaling hotel tech from on-premise systems to cloud platforms now used in 170+ countries. His perspective cuts through the AI hype: most hotels aren’t ready - not because of tools, but because of fragmented infrastructure. The surprising insight? The winners won’t be those adopting more tools—but those consolidating into fewer, more intelligent platforms. If you’re rethinking your tech stack or planning your next phase of growth, this episode is required listening. Subscribe to Hotel Tech Insider for more operator-level insights—and share this episode with a colleague who’s still managing disconnected systems.

    27 min
  4. Amano Group Managing Director on Scaling Hotels with Automation

    Apr 20

    Amano Group Managing Director on Scaling Hotels with Automation

    In this episode, Amano Group Managing Directors share how a 1,300-room urban hotel operator executed a full-stack overhaul—switching PMS, rethinking integrations, and redesigning the guest journey around automation, not tradition. This isn’t theory. It’s a live case of what happens when you treat your tech stack as infrastructure, not tooling. Key Takeaways: How to rebuild your tech stack around integrations, not vendors. Why Amano replaced nearly every core system—and how they evaluated PMS integrations (not marketplaces) to reduce manual workflows and eliminate operational bottlenecks.The operational playbook for removing the front desk. How kiosk + online check-in enabled a full shift to “ground floor staff,” cutting admin work and reallocating labor toward revenue-driving F&B and guest interaction.Where automation actually delivers ROI in high-occupancy hotels. Why top-line impact is hard to isolate—and where they did see gains: task speed, error reduction, and process efficiency across housekeeping, CRM, and guest messaging.What most hotels get wrong about AI adoption. Amano’s view: AI won’t just optimize workflows—it will fundamentally shift hotel roles from executing tasks to steering systems. The implication is organizational, not just technical. Most operators talk about adding tools. Amano rebuilt the system underneath—and made structural changes (like eliminating the front desk) that most hotels won’t seriously consider. Subscribe to Hotel Tech Insider for operator-led breakdowns of what’s actually working in hotel tech—and share this episode with a colleague rethinking their stack.

    20 min
  5. Nomse Founder on Fixing Hotel Data Before AI Adoption

    Apr 6

    Nomse Founder on Fixing Hotel Data Before AI Adoption

    Most hotels are trying to deploy AI on top of broken data. In this episode, the founder of Nomse—managing 26 independent hotels—explains why fixing your data layer is the real prerequisite to turning insights into daily decisions. Why AI fails in most hotels: Without clean, connected data across PMS, marketing, finance, and operations, AI outputs lack context and produce little value.How to turn data into daily decisions: Using pickup, pace, and on-the-books performance to guide pricing, marketing, and operational actions in real time—not just reporting.How to track true revenue performance: Linking every booking source—including OTAs, direct, and offline B2B deals—to acquisition cost for a complete, actionable view of profitability.

    25 min
  6. CEO of MEHR Consultancy on Building Cross-Platform Hotel Ops

    Mar 23

    CEO of MEHR Consultancy on Building Cross-Platform Hotel Ops

    Most hotel tech stacks are overbuilt and underused. This one isn’t. In this episode, Harmeet Mann—CEO and cofounder of a 30+ property management firm—breaks down how her team runs high-performing hotels using simple systems, tight workflows, and a stack that’s largely not hotel-specific. Key Takeaways: • How to eliminate operational silos across properties by structuring communication and task ownership into one shared system—so nothing gets lost between departments. • A repeatable method for turning everyday operational mistakes (missed payments, duplicate vendors, dropped leads) into permanent process fixes using permissions, workflows, and SOPs. • Why most hotel tech investments fail after implementation—and how to drive real ROI through training, adoption, and accountability (not more software).

    21 min
  7. COO of Nuvho on Automating Hotel Revenue Strategy

    Mar 10

    COO of Nuvho on Automating Hotel Revenue Strategy

    What if the biggest mistake hotels make with technology isn’t adopting it too slowly—but using it to reinforce outdated assumptions about how guests want to interact with your property? In this episode, Matt Dybing, Co-Founder and COO of Nuvho, shares a candid look at how leading operators are using automation, revenue systems, and smarter distribution strategies to outperform competitors. Nuvho advises nearly 200 hotels across Australia and the UK, ranging from small regional properties to world-class luxury boutiques. With a unique vantage point across hundreds of tech stacks and revenue strategies, Matt brings a practical operator’s perspective on what actually drives performance - not just what vendors promise. Why “luxury equals human interaction” is often wrong: Matt challenges a common hospitality assumption: that removing friction with automation hurts the guest experience. Instead, he argues that luxury today is about choice—letting guests decide whether they want a frictionless mobile check-in or a high-touch arrival.How top hotels use OTAs strategically instead of fighting them: Rather than avoiding OTAs, Matt explains how smart operators optimize listings to rank on page one, where nearly all bookings occur—then convert that visibility into direct bookings using better booking engines and websites.A real example of technology-driven turnaround: Hear how a struggling luxury lodge increased revenue by 50% and returned to profitability after implementing automated revenue management, proactive marketing, and improved financial visibility—demonstrating how technology works best when paired with the right operational philosophy.Subscribe to Hotel Tech Insider for more conversations with the operators and innovators shaping the future of hospitality technology.

    18 min
  8. President of Plusgrade on Agent-Ready Hotel Revenue

    Feb 23

    President of Plusgrade on Agent-Ready Hotel Revenue

    What if 70% of your guests are willing to upgrade—but your pricing strategy is leaving that revenue on the table? In this episode, Erik Tengen, President of Hospitality at Plusgrade and former co-founder of Oaky, explains why the future of hotel profitability isn’t RevPAR—it’s total revenue, frictionless upselling, and becoming “agent-ready." Experienced hotel operators, GMs, commercial leaders, and ownership groups focused on driving profit—not just topline revenue—in an increasingly AI-driven distribution landscape. Erik brings a rare combination of entrepreneurial grit and global scale. After building Oaky into one of hospitality’s leading upsell platforms and selling it to Plusgrade—a global leader in ancillary revenue across airlines, cruise, and rail—he now oversees hospitality strategy for one of the most advanced ancillary monetization engines in travel. His vantage point spans independent hotels to major global brands actively modernizing their tech stacks. • Why TrevPAR Beats RevPAR in 2026 and Beyond Erik breaks down the industry’s post-COVID shift toward total revenue management and explains why pairing a Revenue Management System with dynamic upselling technology unlocks meaningful profit growth across parking, F&B, spa, upgrades, and more. • Dynamic Pricing Isn’t Just for Rooms Flat pricing for parking, late checkout, or room upgrades? That’s profit leakage. Learn the core data inputs required to dynamically price ancillaries—inventory, forecasted occupancy, and scarcity—and how to operationalize this without overwhelming your team. • “Commercial Empathy” as a Competitive Moat A surprising insight: personalization isn’t about more data—it’s about small, meaningful actions that remove friction at micro-moments across the guest journey. Erik explains why “big data is useless without small actions” and shares real-world examples of hotels training frontline staff to turn service moments into revenue opportunities. • What It Means to Be Agent-Ready With agentic AI poised to transform how travelers search and book, Erik outlines why structured data and open APIs will matter more than flashy AI features. Vendors—not hotels—must become agent-ready, but operators need to choose partners that are. • Scaling Upselling Without Nickel-and-Diming Guests The episode dives into seamless fulfillment—from PMS integrations to housekeeping workflows—and how top-performing brands debundle strategically without eroding guest trust. If you’re serious about driving profitable travel and future-proofing your hotel’s tech strategy, subscribe to Hotel Tech Insider, share this episode with your commercial team, and follow along for more operator-level insights from the leaders shaping hospitality’s next chapter.

    28 min
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About

The HotelTechInsider podcast interviews the top leaders at the convergence of hotels, travel and technology. Guests include founders, executives, top hoteliers and industry organization leadership. Find all of the episodes at hoteltechreport.com

Information

  • Creator
    HotelTechReport
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    80
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 Hotel Tech Insider. All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Hotel Tech Insider

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