Hotel Tech Insider

What happens when the Chief Commercial Officer of the world’s largest hotel franchisor rethinks the entire guest-to-tech relationship? In this episode, Wyndham CCO Scott Strickland reveals how a single global tech stack, empathetic AI, and vendor co-development are quietly reshaping hotel operations at a scale few brands on earth can match.Key Takeaways: How Wyndham uses one global tech stack across 9,000 hotels—and why standardizing CRS, PMS, loyalty, CRM, and marketing systems unlocks speed, cost efficiency, and innovation (including a surprising 25% drop in handle time from a co-built tool). Actionable strategies for building high-trust vendor partnerships—including why Wyndham gives Canary Technologies, Oracle, Salesforce, Sabre, Hapi, and Adobe physical office space inside their HQ, and how that accelerates co-innovation. The real-world playbook for operational AI—from empathetic, multi-language AI agents that guests have literally asked out on dates to omnichannel reservation automation and hyper-personalized offers that adapt to guest behavior in real time. Lessons from other industries hoteliers rarely study—how retail, manufacturing, and airlines provide blueprints for automation, app-based journeys, and guest-centric digital experiences.If you’re serious about future-proofing your tech strategy, don’t miss an episode—subscribe to Hotel Tech Insider and share this one with a colleague who’s shaping the next generation of hotel operations.

Did you know 30–40% of guest calls to hotels go unanswered? In this episode, Harman Singh Narula, CEO and co-founder of Canary Technologies, shares how his team is tackling this operational gap while redefining the entire digital guest journey—backed by $80M in funding and multiple HotelTechAwards wins.This episode is for veteran hoteliers, brand executives, and asset managers who want to understand where guest-facing technology is headed and how AI-driven innovations, tipping solutions, and digital workflows can translate into higher revenue and better guest satisfaction.Key Takeaways: • How Canary evolved from solving a niche payments problem to building an end-to-end guest journey platform—and what that means for tech adoption across hotel portfolios. • Why AI voice is set to eliminate missed calls and improve upsell potential—plus insights on how independents can deploy it just as effectively as enterprise brands. • The surprising shift in how major hotel chains evaluate tech partners, moving toward best-in-breed guest-facing solutions rather than relying on slow in-house builds.

What if you could double your hotel’s efficiency—without adding headcount? In this episode, Michael Bohler, Founder of SUM Hospitality, reveals how he’s transforming independent hotels in Switzerland into high-performing, tech-enabled operations that run smoother, smarter, and more profitably. This episode is for hotel owners, general managers, and operations leaders looking to modernize their tech stack, reduce manual work, and build more sustainable, year-round business models.Takeaways: • Hear how Sun Hospitality uses integrated systems to automate front-office and back-office tasks, freeing staff to focus on guest experience. • Learn how streamlined tech enables year-round occupancy and better work-life balance for hotel teams in seasonal markets. • Understand why viewing technology as an investment in profitability not a cost center is key to future growth.

What happens when a 20-hotel operator treats brand data, RMS outputs, and labor costs as one system—and then points AI at it?Takeaways:Build a single source of truth: How Hospitality America centralizes Amadeus/TravelClick market data, Hilton Grow & Marriott OneYield outputs, and Actabl (ProfitSword + Hotel Effectiveness) in a Microsoft data lake to power faster decisions.Make revenue meet labor—down to the penny: Practical ways to pair booking windows, LOS, and mix with staffing models to decide whether to take Group A vs. Group B—and know the profit impact before you say yes.Operationalize AI for the field (not HQ): A roadmap for using Microsoft Copilot on top of your own data so GMs can ask, “How many room attendants do I need Saturday?” and get defendable answers—without surrendering human judgment. If this playbook sparked ideas for your portfolio, follow Hotel Tech Insider and subscribe for weekly, operator-tested tactics. Share this episode with your revenue and ops leaders, and visit HotelTechReport for the tools and case studies mentioned.

What if your team could double productivity—without adding a single new hire? In this episode, Diego Fernández, CEO of Port Hotels, reveals how his 11-property Spanish hotel group is scaling smarter by automating repetitive work and treating technology as an investment, not a cost.Takeaways:Build for scalability, not complexity: Learn how Port Hotels is using a unified PMS ecosystem to operate 11 hotels as efficiently as one.Free your team from repetitive work: Discover how AI and automation are helping staff shift from manual data entry to guest-facing, value-creating roles.Rethink ROI on tech: Hear Diego’s simple but powerful framework for pitching new technology projects to owners—turning “costs” into high-return investments.Port Hotels even tested service robots—not to replace staff, but to give them back time to connect with guests, showing that smart automation can enhance hospitality rather than depersonalize it. Subscribe to Hotel Tech Insider for more real-world lessons from forward-thinking hotel leaders like Diego who are redefining what operational excellence looks like in the digital era.

What if you could design the perfect hotel room—not on paper, but by testing it in real life with 200 real guests? In this episode, Asli Kutlucan, CEO of TFE Hotels Europe, reveals how her team built a “lab hotel” in Berlin to reimagine hospitality from the ground up.This episode is tailored for experienced hoteliers, executives, and owners who want to stay ahead of shifting guest expectations, leverage new technology, and explore strategies that balance innovation with operational efficiency.Takeaways:Inside the Lab Hotel: Learn how TFE turned a redundant retail space into a living R&D hub, where design, tech, and guest behavior are tested in real time.Guest Experience Platform (GXP): Hear how TFE built a scalable tech stack that eliminates admin work for staff while delivering a more intuitive, guest-driven journey.Surprising Innovations: Discover unexpected experiments like “upgrade boxes,” where guests can rent add-ons like Nespresso machines or hair straighteners by phone—transforming upsells into a frictionless, tech-enabled experience.Don’t miss future conversations with the leaders shaping hotel innovation. Subscribe to Hotel Tech Insider, share this episode with your peers, and stay tuned for more strategies to build the next generation of hospitality.

What if you could run a 116-property hotel portfolio without a single traditional front desk? In this episode of Hotel Tech Insider, Julius Anders, Head of Operations at Numa, reveals how his team is redefining hospitality with technology at its core.Key Takeaways:AI-Driven Decision Making: How Numa uses data, automation, and AI to save up to 60% in payroll costs.Guest Experience Reimagined: What a fully digital guest journey looks like—from booking to checkout—without a front desk.Build vs. Buy Strategy: Why Numa develops 60% of its tech in-house and how that shapes innovation and operational agility.With consumer behavior shifting and traditional hotel models under pressure, this conversation offers a roadmap for future-ready operations.👉 Subscribe to Hotel Tech Insider on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and share this episode with a colleague shaping the future of hotel operations.

Can rethinking something as fundamental as market segmentation unlock new performance gains in hotels? Joe Pettigrew, Group Chief Commercial Officer at L+R Hotels—one of the world’s largest privately held hotel investment and operating groups—thinks so.Takeaways: • Hear how L+R Hotels is standardizing PMS, RMS, and CRS across 100+ properties to unlock scale, consistency, and better reporting. • Learn why Pettigrew believes benchmarking intelligence platforms like CoStar, Amadeus, and Lighthouse matter more to revenue success than any single operational system. • Discover why stablecoins and AI discoverability could reshape payments, loyalty, and how hotels appear in future travel searches—insights most hoteliers aren’t yet preparing for. While most industry conversations fixate on personalization, Pettigrew argues it’s overrated—with limited returns compared to getting the fundamentals right in segmentation, benchmarking, and tech consolidation. Don’t miss this rare inside look at how one of the industry’s most sophisticated ownership groups is thinking about technology. Subscribe to Hotel Tech Insider for more conversations with leaders shaping the future of hotels.

What do you get when a 14-property hotel brand rips out its entire legacy tech stack—and lives to tell the tale? In this episode, Josh Edwards, Operating Systems Manager at Penta Hotels, takes us behind the scenes of one of the most ambitious tech overhauls in the European hotel market.Takeaways: • Hear how Penta Hotels saved 175,000+ staff hours annually by replacing outdated systems with a next-gen stack—without sacrificing service. • Learn how to successfully manage change at scale, from piloting PMS platforms to gaining buy-in from skeptical hotel teams. • Discover why 25% of guests now purchase upsells, and how thoughtful use of automation and kiosks can unlock new revenue without alienating staff or guests. Penta Hotels isn’t just any brand—it’s a forward-thinking company that dared to question every operational assumption. From payments to POS, CRM to guest messaging, Josh shares the blueprint for future-proofing your tech without losing your brand’s soul. One surprising insight? Automating card payments alone accounted for the majority of the 175K hours saved. If you’re thinking about upgrading your systems—or questioning whether bold change is worth it—this episode is for you. Subscribe to Hotel Tech Insider for more insider stories from leaders shaping the future of hospitality.

Bob Hotels converted 70% OTA reliance to nearly 50% direct bookings in under a year—partly by using an AI phone agent (GoodCall) to convert phone inquiries into instant SMS-driven bookings.Can a roadside motel really outperform the compset—and become the #1 value property in an entire city—within a year? In this episode, Janis Krums, Managing Partner at Bob Hotels, reveals how his team transformed a run-down Sleep Inn into a top-rated boutique brand using a fresh tech stack, street-smart branding, and startup-level hustle.This episode is for experienced hoteliers, GMs, and asset managers looking to revitalize underperforming assets, modernize their tech stack, and rethink guest engagement for today’s traveler—without breaking the bank.Takeaways: • How to build a modern tech stack from scratch: Janis walks through the exact vendors and decision-making logic behind Bob Hotels’ PMS, booking engine, CRM, guest messaging, revenue tools, and even an AI-powered phone agent. • Using social proof and reviews as growth engines: Learn how the team grew to 1,100+ Google reviews with a 4.8-star rating in less than a year—and how that impacted OTAs, pricing, and occupancy. • Why legacy vendors are getting left behind: Hear Janis’ frank take on why most hotel tech incumbents miss the mark—and why younger, hungrier companies are earning his business.