The Modern Hotelier

David Millili & Steve Carran
  • 4.9 (44)
  • Places & Travel
  • Updated Weekly

Each episode we discuss industry trends, talk about new technologies, and speak to industry experts. All so that you, The Modern Hotelier, can succeed in a new age of hospitality.

  1. 2h ago

    #307: Elevating the Airport Lounge Experience | with David Collyer of Aspire Pre-Flight Hospitality

    In this episode of The Modern Hotelier, David Millili and Steve Carran sit down with David Collyer, Global SVP of Aspire PreFlight Hospitality, to explore how hospitality principles are transforming the airport lounge experience. David shares his fascinating career journey—from studying design in London and working with global brands like IHG, British Airways, and Accor, to leading guest experience innovation across luxury retail and aviation. He reveals how Aspire is applying hotel-style service standards, technology, design thinking, and guest insights to elevate airport lounges around the world.  In this episode, you'll discover:  How Aspire is reshaping airport lounges through hospitality-first thinkingThe role of AI, occupancy management, and dynamic pricing in lounge operationsWhy guest expectations have dramatically changed post-pandemicThe importance of guest feedback and data-driven innovationDavid also shares his vision for the future of airport hospitality, including luxury airport experiences, in-terminal hotels, sustainability initiatives, and how lounges can become a seamless extension of the travel journey. Watch the FULL EPISODE on YouTube: https://youtu.be/45AdsDBRe-A Links:David Collyer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-collyer-a1341641/Swissport: https://www.swissport.com/Aspire: https://www.aspirelounges.com/ For full show notes head to: https://themodernhotelier.com/episode/307 Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-.. Join the conversation on today's episode on The Modern Hotelier LinkedIn page Connect with Steve and David:Steve: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E...David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-mil.

    51 min

  2. 1d ago

    #306: A Better Way For Hotel Marketing | with Evan Saunders

    How can hotels use AI and location intelligence to attract new guests instead of spending marketing dollars on travelers who were already planning to book? In this special HITEC edition of The Modern Hotelier, David Millili sits down with Evan Saunders, who shares how Azira is helping hotels rethink marketing through AI-powered location intelligence and attribution. Rather than focusing on vanity metrics like inflated return on ad spend, Evan explains how hotels can identify untapped travelers, win guests away from competitors, and measure the true impact of their campaigns. The conversation also explores the evolving role of OTAs, the importance of guest journey marketing, World Cup travel strategies, and why hotels should prioritize experience-driven campaigns over generic discounts and promotions. In this episode, you'll learn:  How AI and location intelligence help hotels attract new guests  Why traditional hotel marketing metrics can be misleading  The power of foot traffic attribution and booking-channel-agnostic measurement  Why experience-focused advertising outperforms discount-driven campaigns Watch the FULL EPISODE on YouTube: https://youtu.be/79-_nfYS2Xg Links:Evan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evansaunders/ Azira: https://azira.com/ For full show notes head to: https://themodernhotelier.com/episode/306 Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-.. Join the conversation on today's episode on The Modern Hotelier LinkedIn page Connect with Steve and David:Steve: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E...David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-mil.

    18 min

  3. 4d ago

    #305: Transparency & Confidence is Key in Owner Accounting | with Brian McGeown

    How can hotels eliminate spreadsheets, improve financial transparency, and strengthen relationships with owners? In this special HITEC episode of The Modern Hotelier, David Millili and Steve Carran sit down with Brian McGeown, General Manager of Owner Relations, to discuss how technology is transforming owner accounting and financial reporting in hospitality. Brian shares the biggest challenges hotels face with traditional owner accounting workflows, why real-time financial transparency is becoming essential, and how automation helps management companies save time while improving accuracy. The conversation also explores seamless PMS integrations, branded owner portals, portfolio scalability, and the future of owner reporting as hotel organizations continue to grow. In this episode, you'll learn:  Why spreadsheets create risk in owner accounting  The importance of real-time financial transparency  How automation reduces manual work and owner support requests  Scaling owner accounting across multi-property portfolios  Trends shaping the future of hospitality financial reporting Watch the FULL EPISODE on YouTube: https://youtu.be/FSDifQU_IqI Links:Brian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-mcgeown-a0390213/Owner Relations Technology: https://www.ownerrelations.com/ For full show notes head to: https://themodernhotelier.com/episode/305 Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-.. Join the conversation on today's episode on The Modern Hotelier LinkedIn page Connect with Steve and David:Steve: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E...David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-mil.

    7 min

  4. 5d ago

    #304: How In-Room Tablets Are Increasing Guest Engagement & Unlocking Revenue | with Kevin Bidner

    In this special HITEC episode of The Modern Hotelier, David Millili and Steve Carran sit down with Kevin Bidner, Founder and CEO of HCN (Hotel Communication Network), to discuss how in-room tablets are reshaping the guest experience and driving new revenue opportunities for hotels. Kevin shares HCN's journey from startup to industry leader, explaining why guest room tablets are becoming an essential communication platform for hotels. The conversation explores how interactive tablets improve guest engagement, increase room service revenue, reduce operational costs, and create personalized experiences through AI-powered concierge services. Kevin also reveals HCN's innovative revenue-sharing model that allows hotels to deploy tablets at no upfront cost while earning recurring income through network promotions. Key Topics:  HCN's growth and acquisition of Crave  Why in-room tablets outperform hotel apps  Increasing ancillary revenue and operational savings  HCN's free-to-hotel revenue-sharing model  The future of hospitality technology showcased at HITEC Watch the FULL EPISODE on YouTube: https://youtu.be/9xA-wYZ5DGk Links:Kevin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbidner/The Hotel Communication Network Inc.: https://hcn-inc.com/ For full show notes head to: https://themodernhotelier.com/episode/304 Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-.. Join the conversation on today's episode on The Modern Hotelier LinkedIn page Connect with Steve and David:Steve: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E...David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-mil.

    19 min

  5. 5d ago

    #303: How Hotel Maintenance Impacts the Guest & the Bottom Line | with Chris Zach

    In this special HITEC edition of The Modern Hotelier, David Millili and Steve Carran sit down with Chris Zach, Senior Director of Product Marketing at ServiceChannel, to explore how hotels can modernize facilities management, improve guest satisfaction, and reduce operational complexity. Chris shares how ServiceChannel helps hotel operators manage external vendors from start to finish, streamlining everything from dispatching work orders to invoice approvals, while providing access to a network of more than 70,000 service providers. The conversation dives into the growing challenges facing hotel engineering teams, rising labor costs, and why proactive maintenance is becoming a competitive advantage. The discussion also covers how AI is transforming facilities management by helping hotel teams prioritize critical work orders, improve response times, and make smarter maintenance decisions without adding more technology complexity. Chris explains how ServiceChannel integrates seamlessly into existing hotel tech stacks while giving operators, owners, and asset managers greater visibility into property health and long-term capital planning. Key Topics:  How ServiceChannel simplifies facilities and vendor management  The biggest maintenance challenges facing hotel operators today  Integrating facilities management into the modern hotel tech stack  Best practices for scaling maintenance across multiple propertiesWatch the FULL EPISODE on YouTube: https://youtu.be/XCSttDN1ATY Links:Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chriszach/ServiceChannel: https://servicechannel.com/ For full show notes head to: https://themodernhotelier.com/episode/303 Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-.. Join the conversation on today's episode on The Modern Hotelier LinkedIn page Connect with Steve and David:Steve: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E...David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-mil.

    8 min

  6. 6d ago

    #302: How the Best Hotel Operators Are Approaching Technology | with Jake Lewis

    In this special HITEC edition of The Modern Hotelier, hosts David Millili and Steve Carran sit down with Jake Lewis, President of Jonas Hospitality Property Systems, to explore how technology is reshaping the hospitality industry. With over 25 years of experience, Jake shares insights on the shift from disconnected software systems to unified hospitality platforms, why seamless guest experiences are becoming the new standard, and how clean, connected data is laying the foundation for AI-driven innovation. The conversation dives into the future of hotel technology, the importance of aligning tech with operational strategy, and why the most successful hoteliers focus on solving real guest problems, not simply adopting the latest tools. Jake also discusses Jonas Hospitality's vision for creating integrated ecosystems that empower both hotel staff and guests through smarter, more personalized experiences. In this episode, you'll learn:  Why hospitality is moving from standalone systems to connected platforms  How guest expectations are evolving in the age of Amazon-like convenience  The role of clean, unified data in unlocking AI's full potential  Why technology should enhance—not replace—the human side of hospitality Watch the FULL EPISODE on YouTube:  https://youtu.be/H1Vn4jwLMJI Links:Jake on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake-lewis-98985110/Jonas Hospitality: https://www.jonashospitality.com/ For full show notes head to: https://themodernhotelier.com/episode/302 Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-.. Join the conversation on today's episode on The Modern Hotelier LinkedIn page Connect with Steve and David:Steve: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E...David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-mil.

    13 min

  7. Jun 30

    #301: Helping Hotels Reduce Revenue Leakage | with Mike Baldinger

    In this episode, Steve Carran sits down with Mike Baldinger, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Evention, live from HITEC San Antonio, to uncover one of hospitality's most overlooked profit leaks: OTA revenue reconciliation. While most hoteliers understand OTA commission costs, Mike explains why the real financial risk lies beneath the surface. From virtual credit card errors and overpaid commissions to billing mistakes and guest disputes, hotels could be losing hundreds of thousands of dollars annually without realizing it. The conversation explores: Why OTA revenue leakage often goes undetectedCommon billing and reconciliation mistakes hotels makeHow inaccurate guest charges impact online reviews and brand reputationThe hidden financial risks of disconnected hospitality systemsWhy Evention is building a "financial trust layer" instead of just another reconciliation toolPractical questions every GM and CFO should ask their finance team this weekWatch the FULL EPISODE on YouTube: https://youtu.be/vfM8Oa5ZkJo Links:Mike Baldinger on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikebaldinger/Evention: https://eventionllc.com/ For full show notes head to: https://themodernhotelier.com/episode/301 Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-.. Join the conversation on today's episode on The Modern Hotelier LinkedIn page Connect with Steve and David:Steve: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E...David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-mil.

    14 min

  8. Jun 29

    #300: Innovating the Meeting & Events Sales Process | with Mike Waltman

    How has hospitality technology evolved from the early days of CD-ROM site inspections to AI-powered sales intelligence? In this special HITEC edition of The Modern Hotelier, David Millili sits down with Michael Waltman, Founder of Interactive Sites, to explore his remarkable journey from hotel operations to building one of the industry's most trusted group sales technology companies. Michael shares the story behind Interactive Sites, the evolution of ShareIt Online, and how the platform now helps nearly 13,000 hotels improve lead sharing and qualification. The conversation also dives into Seller Ready, Interactive Sites' latest AI-powered solution that helps hotel sales teams evaluate RFPs, identify winning strategies, and make smarter decisions faster. They also discuss the future of AI in hospitality, improving lead quality, and the energy and innovation showcased at HITEC. In this episode, you'll learn:  How Interactive Sites pioneered hospitality technology before the web era  The evolution of ShareIt Online and its impact on group sales  Why lead quality matters more than lead quantity  How AI is helping hotel sales teams qualify opportunities and win more business  Key hospitality technology trends emerging from HITEC Watch the FULL EPISODE on YouTube: https://youtu.be/gjgDUjOUy4A Links:Michael on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-waltman-262a6995/ Interactive Sites: https://www.interactivesites.com/ For full show notes head to: https://themodernhotelier.com/episode/300 Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-.. Join the conversation on today's episode on The Modern Hotelier LinkedIn page Connect with Steve and David:Steve: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E...David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-mil.

    11 min
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4.9
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About

Each episode we discuss industry trends, talk about new technologies, and speak to industry experts. All so that you, The Modern Hotelier, can succeed in a new age of hospitality.

Information

  • Creator
    David Millili & Steve Carran
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    308
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © David Millili & Steve Carran
  • Show Website
    The Modern Hotelier

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