Episodes

Hotel guest satisfaction increased across every segment in J.D. Power's 2026 North America study. Andrea Stokes, Practice Lead, Hospitality Intelligence, explains what guests are noticing in rooms and shared spaces, why responsive human service still matters alongside mobile check-in, and what operators can learn from food and beverage. We also discuss how J.D. Power benchmarks large third-party hotel management companies. Learn more: 2026 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study20...

Today in Washington, DC, I shared findings from the State of Hotel AI research I ran with Nazpari Aydin for Destination AI. We surveyed hotel company leaders about how they feel about AI, where it's paying off today, and what's holding them back. The research State of Hotel AI: Fall 2026 findings Take the survey to get the full benchmarking data set Related episodes Destination AI: How I Built the #1 Hospitality AI Event From Scratch (Nazpari Aydin) Stop Guessing About AI. See What Hotel Leade...

AI is the tool, mindset is the operating system, and hospitality is the outcome. In this episode, Danica Smith, Guest Experience Correspondent at Hospitality Daily and founder of MorningStar GX, shares what this framework means for hospitality leaders: giving people the time and support to use AI, keeping experimentation focused on useful outcomes, and considering operational efficiency alongside team well-being and guest experience. Read Danica’s article: You Cannot Automate Your Way Out Of Ov...

In this episode, Danica Smith, Guest Experience Correspondent at Hospitality Daily and founder of MorningStar GX, joins Josiah Mackenzie to share her read on AI in travel and hospitality, fresh from the main stage at AI Summit Barcelona, where not one person in the room said they would let an AI agent book their trip without approval. Danica and Josiah compare that hesitation with Josiah’s recent experience using AI to research and book a trip. They also discuss inequality in experimenting with ...

In this episode, Steven Moore, CEO of Actabl, and Joseph Benjamin, Actabl's Chief Technology Officer, share a practical approach to using AI in hotel operations as leaders prepare for budget season. They explain why reliable operational AI depends on trusted data, how it can give hotel teams more time with guests, and how leaders can move from scattered experiments to a coherent architecture without creating new security and cost problems. Watch the webinar: Access the original on-demand Acta...

Dan Kornick, Chief Information Officer at Loews Hotels, explains how they decide where AI can improve hotel work and guest service. Dan also discusses working with technology partners, measuring results, and testing whether the value justifies the cost. Going to Destination AI? Hear Dan there: Destination AI Forum. Read my related HotelOperations.com article: Most Hotel AI is Stuck in “Pilot Purgatory” But Loews Sees a Way Out. A few more resources: If you're new to Hospitality Daily, start ...

Alex Cabañas, founder and CEO of Astound Ventures and executive chairman of Pyramid Global Hospitality, shares how our industry can innovate to make hotels more profitable, working in hotels more rewarding, and stays in hotels more enjoyable. Learn more: Astound Ventures: launch announcement, net unit margin approach & portfolio companies Operational examples: Base Power (home batteries) | Fox Fold (refillable paper) | Outmore (heated outdoor furniture) | Relivable (meeting and event workflo...

Sloan Dean introduces AI Hospitality Group and explains why he's building an AI-native hotel management company. He covers the pace, risks, and benefits of AI; the pressure on hotel owners; and how he's approaching recruiting, sales, and daily operations through hotel partnerships. Sloan also explains his profit-sharing management model and what he believes this approach could mean for hotel associates, owners, and guests. Links: AI Hospitality GroupSloan’s newsletter: Services Are the New So...

In this episode, Cornell professor Chris Anderson shares why hotels cannot afford to treat AI as a "wait-and-see" issue. Drawing on research he conducted about how different traveler segments use AI, he explains why hotel discovery is becoming more contextual and why reviews and trusted third-party information matter. We also discuss what hoteliers can test now, why integrated technology will matter more, and how more specific guest requests could eventually change what hotels offer. Chr...

In this episode, hosted by our careers correspondent Emily Goldfischer, founder of hertelier, Charlotte Weatherall, General Manager of Corinthia London, shares what she has learned about building a career and leading as herself. Charlotte explains how her sales and marketing background prepared her to become a GM, why trusting her team shapes the guest experience, and how she balances ambition with family life. She also shares what hospitality needs to change to support women’s progression and ...

Jeff Wielgopolan, Service Director at Meadowood Napa Valley & The Napa Valley Reserve and former Senior Vice President of Learning & Development at Forbes Travel Guide, shares a recent experience with AI as a guest, and then what it's like providing service in a world where more and more people use AI as they travel. Previous episodes with Jeff: The Energy of Excellence The Fundamentals of Service in Luxury Hospitality The Experience That Earned Us Michelin’s Three Key Distinction A few more r...

Jeff Wielgopolan, Service Director at Meadowood Napa Valley & The Napa Valley Reserve and former Senior Vice President of Learning & Development at Forbes Travel Guide, shares a few thoughts on how to train your teams for excellence. Previous episodes with Jeff: The Energy of Excellence The Fundamentals of Service in Luxury Hospitality The Experience That Earned Us Michelin’s Three Key Distinction A few more resources: If you're new to Hospitality Daily, start here. You can send me a message...

Jeff Wielgopolan of Meadowood Napa Valley explains what it means for a guest experience to be consistent within itself, with the setting, language, and service all fitting together. He shares how that coherence can look different across properties and individual guests, including a bellman in Johannesburg whose personal response met him exactly where he was after a long journey. More conversations with Jeff: The Energy of Excellence The Fundamentals of Service in Luxury Hospitality The Experie...

Jeff Wielgopolan, Service Director at Meadowood Napa Valley & The Napa Valley Reserve and former Senior Vice President of Learning & Development at Forbes Travel Guide, joins us to explore what excellence looks and feels like in hospitality. He explains why you often sense the quality of a hospitality experience within the first minutes, and how team energy, attentiveness, and simple acts of service shape the guest experience. You’ll hear examples from Meadowood and Raffles Warsaw, plus Jeff’s s...

This summer, Hospitality Daily founder Josiah Mackenzie did something he’d wanted to do for years: drive across the U.S. coast to coast. In this episode, he shares some of the experiences that stood out to him, what he appreciated as a guest, and how an evening gone wrong reminded him how important hospitality is. Mentioned in this episode: evo Hotel Salt Lake City Conversation with Kevin Masse of Small State Provisions Share with Josiah what stood out to you about your travels here A few more...

In this episode, Drew Bridges, principal at JMI Realty, shares the process behind one of the hotel deals the Wall Street Journal recently covered, including how he uses AI to read thousands of guest reviews and understand what is actually broken in a hotel before buying it. You’ll hear how Drew uses guest feedback to identify investment opportunities, how the same analysis showed him that the elevators at the Hilton Garden Inn Austin Downtown were a real capital problem while the air conditioni...

In this episode, Emily Johnson, founder of Elevate Hospitality Collective; Erica Huss, creator of All Too Well; and Jen Veralle, founder of Mindful Drinking Movement and Sauna and Sobriety, share a practical approach to hotel wellness that doesn't start with a big CapEx budget. They explore why the guest room may be the most powerful wellness facility on a property, how a thoughtful non-alcoholic beverage program can create incremental revenue, and how guided sauna and community experiences can...

What does AI adoption personally mean for a hospitality technology leader? In this episode, Sage Hospitality CTO Matt Schwartz explains how he is using AI to manage email, meetings, calendar demands, and other work so he can get back time for his company, family, and personal well-being. Matt also shares how he keeps building AI fluency by learning from peers inside and outside hospitality, following technology companies and industry thinkers, and making continuous learning part of his routine....

In this episode, Sage Hospitality CTO Matt Schwartz explains how hospitality leaders can evaluate AI investment by connecting it to expense reductions, revenue, GOP, and NOI. Listen to the series: Part 1: The Weekend Class That Changed My Career Part 2: How We’re Leading AI Adoption With a Human-First Approach Part 3: Our 4-Layer AI Framework: Data, Reporting, Insights, Action Learn more: Uber caps employee AI spending after blowing through budget in four months — TechCrunch Where AI Actually P...

Every technology partnership is a bet, especially when AI is changing what software can do and which providers may remain relevant. In this episode, Sage Hospitality CTO Matt Schwartz explains how he evaluates hotel technology partners -- and who he chooses to work with. Listen to the series: Part 1: The Weekend Class That Changed My Career Part 2: How We’re Leading AI Adoption With a Human-First Approach Part 3: Our 4-Layer AI Framework: Data, Reporting, Insights, Action Learn more: The Bitter...

Sage Hospitality CTO Matt Schwartz shares the four-layer framework guiding the company's AI strategy: data, reporting, insights, and action. He explains why hotel data must be brought together and normalized before AI can produce useful analysis or support operational decisions. The framework moves from a reliable data foundation toward a future in which AI agents can take action, with the ultimate goal of giving property teams more time with guests and their other associates. Listen to the s...

Giving people access to AI does not guarantee that they will use it or that your organization will benefit. Sage Hospitality CTO Matt Schwartz explains why he sees AI adoption as a change-management challenge and walks through how he and his team are helping both on-property and home-office leaders build AI fluency. Matt also shares how Sage measures progress toward its adoption goals, addresses fear and resistance to AI, and focuses its AI initiatives on a human-first goal: helping their peopl...

Before Matt Schwartz became Chief Technology Officer at Sage Hospitality, a weekend HTML class changed the trajectory of his career. In the first episode of our six-part series with him, Matt shares how that unexpected experience led him from environmental economics into technology and ultimately hospitality technology leadership. Learn more about the Destination AI Forum in Washington, DC (where Matt will be speaking) Want more? Learn more about Sage Hospitality Listen to Matt discuss bringi...

Kevin Masse is the founder and owner of Small State Provisions (IG: @SmallState), a Connecticut bakery and café built around one simple idea: create a place where people want to gather. In this conversation, Kevin shares how a career in marketing, advertising, and food media shaped his approach to hospitality, why thoughtful design and local sourcing matter, and how he's navigating the transition from hands-on baker to visionary leader as the business grows. Listen to hear practical insights on ...