The Hotel Tech Podcast

Episode 37

Revenue Beyond Rates

What if your independent property could generate a 27% increase in ancillary revenue? Learn about the process, the people, the technology to do just that, as Glenn and Estella visit with one of HSMAI’s Top 25 Extraordinary Minds in Hospitality Sales, Marketing, Revenue Optimization for 2019.

Guests: Linda Gulrajani, VP of Distribution and Marcus Hotels and an HSMAI 2019 Top 25 Extraordinary Minds
Time: 15 min

Episode 36

Is Revenue Management Stuck in a Rut?

Hilton is making 50,000,000 rate updates with the help of a revenue management system (RMS), every single year. Conversely, an 1,800-room branded hotel in New York City, up and until recently, had employed a team of 11 people to manage revenue via spread sheets. RMS or not, your hotel is making revenue decisions every day. Our guest, Max Starkov, along with Glenn and Estella, break down the difficulty of competing without an RMS and why the lack of adoption from independent hotels has gone on for so long.

Guests: Max Starkov, former President & CEO, HEBS Digital, now Founder & Director
Time: 34 min

Follow Max’s LinkedIn conversation on this topic:

Episode 35

Rise of the Tech Stack Marketplace?

Mews, apaleo, Siteminder and Impala are all trying to be like Salesforce, will it work in hospitality? The former CEO of StayNTouch blew up LinkedIn with this question–at last count, with 43 comments and 53 reactions. So, we’d thought we’d bring this ‘hot’ topic to the show. Listen in!

Guests: Jos Schaap, former CEO of StayNTouch, former SVP at Micros and hospitality technology entrepreneur
Time: 30 min

Follow Jos’s LinkedIn conversation on this topic:

Episode 34

How do you drive guests to your hotel with technology and loyalty programs?

CRM and loyalty technology are hot now, but are they working? According to our guest, Ryan MacDonald, the advances in technology is allowing hoteliers to get in front of a larger demographic to convert them to loyalty members, primarily those Millennial corporate travelers. Hear how Palm Holdings is managing loyalty and what else is working for hoteliers.

Guests: Ryan MacDonald, VP of Revenue Management & E-Commerce, Palm Holdings
Time: 33 min

Episode 33

Bridging the gap between Digital Marketing and Revenue Management

Is the lack of interdisciplinary knowledge between Revenue Managers and Digital Marketers contributing to a hotel’s challenge of connecting with the guest? Do their uncorrelated metrics drive a wedge between the departments? And, can hotels articulate the problems they are trying to solve with technology, before buying technology, in order to empower both disciplines to work towards the same goals? Our guest, Dan Wacksman, walks us through what brings these two groups together so we can book more rooms and be more profitable.

Guests: Dan Wacksman, Principal, SASSATO LLC, Sr Advisor at McKinsey & Company, and former Sr VP, Marketing and Distribution at Outrigger Hotels & Resorts
Time: 38 minutes

Episode 32

Gobbling Up Group Business

CEO of Knowland joins our hosts to discuss the importance of group business and how it relates to a hotel’s healthy bottom line. Topics include how to win group business in all economic times by avoiding commoditizing the group experience for better pricing power, reinventing the sales experience, avoiding cookie cutter responses and more.

Guests: Robert (Bob) Post, CEO, Knowland
Time: 28 minutes

Episode 31

5G, the IoT, and Your Hotel

5G is coming, and it will empower a IoT (Internet of Things) revolution. What does that mean for your hotel? With the adoption of IoT–think Apple Watch, Smart TVs, Amazon’s Alexa, etc., 5G could become table stakes for your hotel as guest demands mirror the same experience they have at work and home. A huge opportunity is coming for your hotel and how it will engage its guests. Michele Depré, from Verizon, breaks it all down for us.

Guests: Michele Dupré, Group Vice President, Verizon Enterprise Solutions
Time: 21 minutes

Episode 30

Is Your Hotel Ready For Conversational eCommerce?

What is conversational ecommerce? Our guest explains that it’s the intersection between messaging apps and shopping, empowering brands to interact directly with consumers. How does this impact the guest journey? The guest experience during their stay? Your hotel revenue? Only one way to find out…listen in now!

Guests: Lex ten Veen, EVP Strategic Partnerships, Uberall, former CEO of Navads
Time: 28 minutes

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Episode 29

Google’s Efforts to Simplify the Hotel Guest Journey

Glenn and Estella are joined by Cliff Galitz from Google Travel to break down Google’s efforts to simplify the guest’s travel planning process and how to secure your hotel strong leads by leveraging Google My Business and all the cool intelligence and automation wrapped up in Google Hotel Ads.

Guests: Cliff Galitz, Partner Development Manager, Google
Time: 18 minutes

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Episode 28

Customer Experience 2.0 and your hotel’s reputation

Savvy hoteliers are taking control of their hotel’s reputation with guest feedback technology, but it’s their embrace of Customer Experience 2.0—dealing with issues, real-time, and putting that data in motion, that is making a huge difference. Why is this different than historical hotel surveys? It’s easier than ever to engage with a guest while still in-house, gathering positive, and negative feedback, but most importantly, allowing issues to be resolved before the guest leaves, before they bash your brand online. The scintillating Mareesa Hoglund from SocialSurvey, joins Glenn and Estella to talk us through using technology to keep your hotel’s reputation immaculate.

Guests: Mareesa Hoglund, Customer Success Manager, SocialSurvey
Time: 22 minutes

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Episode 27

How is AI and machine learning going to make hoteliers more money while making guests happy?

Hoteliers have been talking about collecting data for years, but have struggled to turn it into something practical. Now, the advances in technology and processing power are allowing the use of machine learning to leverage that data in meaningful ways. But, what does that really mean? Kelly McGuire sits down with Glenn and Estella while at HITEC 2019 to break it all down for us.

Guests: Kelly McGuire, PhD, Revenue Management, Cornell and former Sr VP, Revenue Management at MGM
Time: 25 minutes

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Episode 26

Breaking Down the Challenges and Opportunities with Your Hotel’s PMS

Seasoned Revenue Manager, Collette Barss, joins Glenn and Estella on the floor at HITEC 2019 to talk about moving the use of a hotel’s property management system beyond simply ‘check-in’ and ‘check-out.’ But, the PMS is siloed is it not? Where can we go from here and what’s on her wish list? Listen in to found out!

Guests: Collette Bars, Revenue Manager, Portola Hotel & Spa
Time: 21 minutes

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Episode 25

Let’s Rally! How Collaboration Between Sales, Marketing, and Revenue Management Can Drive the Highest Profit In Your Hotel

Keeping Sales, Marketing, and Revenue Management on the same page in a 20-property boutique hotel collection is no small task. This is not a big brand, with big brand support. These small departments are crafting unique experiences from the mountains to the sea. Dan Rollins from Abuerge Resorts Collection joins Glenn and Estella and walks them through how these teams decide on a single source of truth, from which systems, and who sees the most relevant data for them, how to set goals, take action, and what to expect as a result. What should they expect? “…understanding guest behavior, what’s driving them, what’s making them happy, what doesn’t—and booking a better mix of business.” Learn more by listening in now!

Guests: Dan Rollins, Corporate Director, Revenue Manager, Auberge Resorts Collection
Time: 20 minutes

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Episode 24

A Sit Down with Sean O’Neil from Skift LIVE from HITEC

Sean O’Neill, from Skift, sits down with Glenn during a live recording on the showroom floor of HITEC 2019, to talk about how all the private equity and roll up of various companies and solutions could retool the hotel tech landscape.

Guest: Sean O’Neill, Travel Technology Editor, Skift
Time: 26 minutes

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Episode 23

HITEC Wrap-up with Scot Campbell, CHTP

Scot Campbell, the President, Board of Directors, with Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP®), who produce HITEC, joins Glenn–Estella was busy demoing, to record on the show floor during HITEC 2019. Scot is also the CTO North American Concerts with Live Nation Entertainment, and is in the Hospitality Technology Hall of Fame!

Scot and Glenn discuss the biggest tech trends he sees relevant to the future of the hotel business. It’s all in this show and you do not want to miss this one.
Time: 25 minutes

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Episode 22

The Tech of HITEC

The Hotel Tech Podcast was podcasting on the HITEC show floor, and we have many great interviews we’ll be running during the next couple of weeks.

Today, it’s a roundup of interviews focusing on great tech companies and leaders. In this show Estella Hale, Chief Evangelist with SHR and co-host Glenn Haussman share their impressions of the trade show before going to interviews with:

Todd Davis, CEO of SkyTouch Technology

Michael Bennett, SVP of Global Marketing with Cendyn

Luis Segredo, CEO and Laurent Idrac, COO at hapicloud.io

Parminder Batra, CEO, TrakNProtect

Time: 40 minutes

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Episode 21

5G Is Coming. Will Your Hotel Be Ready?

Go back to when 4G came out. No one could have imagined the impact it would make on our lives. There was no Uber, Instagram or Snapchat prior to 4G. 5G has the potential to revolutionize how hotels market themselves, engage with guests while on-property, and mange day-to-day operations. The press is out on 5G but when will it really be ready to make a difference? When should your hotel be ready to invest, and in what will it be investing in, exactly? One thing is for sure, the ultimate 5G experience is not anything like the 5G we know today. So, what’s in store for hoteliers? Jake Moskowitz, from Emodo, an Ericsson company, joins Glenn and Estella to break down what we know today, what is possible and when.

Guest: Jake Moskowitz, VP of Data Solutions, Emodo *Checkout Emodo’s new podcast, ‘Five: The 5G Podcast for Marketers.
Time: 36 minutes

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Episode 20

Artificial Intelligence–an Exciting Time for Hotels

“It’s like discovering a map that will take you to buried treasure that you didn’t realize existed.” In this episode, with the help of our very special guest, Glenn and Estella, simplify what AI and machine learning ‘is doing’ and ‘will do’ for hotels.

Guest: Roberto Battiti, University of Trento
Time: 35 minutes

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Episode 19

Everything Your Hotel Should Know About Voice Search

By 2020, 50% of search will be by voice. What’s driving voice search? What is your hotel going to do not get left behind? The CEO of Milestone, the digital marketing company for hotels, joins Glenn and Estella to talk about the state of voice search and what your hotel should be doing now.

Guest: Anil Aggarwal, CEO, Milestone, Inc.
Time: 33 minutes

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Episode 18

Your Hotel Can Compete by Deploying Right-sized Distribution

One size doesn’t fit all. Glenn and Estella chat with Millennium’s SVP of Digital Distribution & Revenue Strategy about his approach to right-sizing distribution.

Guest: Nayan Peshkar, SVP Digital Distribution & Revenue Strategy, Millennium Hotels & Resorts
Time: 38 minutes

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Episode 17

State of the Revenue Management System

Vivek Bhogarju joins Glenn and Estella to talk about the current crossroads hoteliers find themselves with regards to understanding and adoption of today’s revenue management systems.

Guest: Vivek Bhogaraju, Director, Revenue Management Systems, Expedia
Time: 34 minutes

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Episode 16

Know Thy Guest: Is Personalization the Key to Brand.com Bookings?

The battle between OTAs and booking direct rages on, and while brands are expected to continue inching forward with brand.com reservations, hotels continue to struggle with loyalty, rewards, and personalization. Glenn, Estella, and our guest, Robert Cole, break it all down.

Guest: Robert Cole, RockCheetah, Founder and Phocuswright’s Lodging Senior Research Analyst and J.D. Power Senior Consultant
Time: 49 minutes

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Episode 15

Understanding Personalization and Guest Profile Ownership

What should personalization look like for hotels? Who truly owns the guest profile? Expedia? Google? Join our hosts, Glenn and Estella, as they sit down to chat with Andy Owen Jones about this and more.

Guest: Andy Owen Jones, CEO, bd4Travels
Time: 33 minutes

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Episode 14

State of the Hotel Tech Stack

Jennifer Jones of J2 Hospitality Solutions joins Glenn and Estella to contemplate the current state of the hotel technology stack. How does your hotel stack up? Listen to find out!

Guest: Jennifer Jones, President, J2 Hospitality Solutions
Time: 33 minutes

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Episode 13

A Chat With Dhisco’s Newly Appointed President, Chinmai Sharma

Chinmai Sharma, President, Dhisco, chats it up with Glenn and Estella on the rationale for the recent acquisition from RateGain, which is now basically the largest distribution specialist in the world, and how this increases the competitiveness of hotels around the world.

Guest: Chinmai Sharma, President, Dhisco
Time: 32 minutes

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Episode 12

Taking Down Tech Silos in Hotels

Klaus Kohlmayr, Chief Evangelist, IDEAS, walks our co-hosts through the origins of tech silos, primarily disparate legacy systems, leading up to today’s modern tech stack providing a great experience for the guest, from booking through stay.

Guest: Klaus Kohlmayr, Chief Evangelist, IDEAS
Time: 32 minutes

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Episode 11

Will Tech Save Your Hotel in 2019?

Max Starkov, HEBS Digital, breaks down with our co-hosts the need for hoteliers to first resolve “the big picture” of customer engagement, acquisition and retention and its underlying technology solutions like CMS, CRS, CRM, RMS, ORM, etc., before falling for “shiny widgets.”

Guest: Max Starkov, former President & CEO, HEBS Digital, now Founder & Director
Time: 40 minutes

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Episode 10

Have a Happier Holiday with Better Bookings

Chris Blaine, VP, Global Sales & Customer Success at Sojern shares the secrets you need to ensure your hotel has a very merry holiday season with show host Estella Hale, Chief Product Evangelist at SHR and No Vacancy’s Glenn Haussman.

Guest: Chris Blaine, Vice President – Global Sales & Customer Success, Sojern
Time: 33 minutes

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Episode 9

A Hotelier’s Digital Marketing & eCommerce Strategy

This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at The Time Hotel in NYC. Our guest, Michael Zayas, Corporate Director of Digital Marketing and eCommerce for Real Hospitality Group, discusses the current realities of guest booking, and the importance of clearly communicating your hotel brand to attract and convert more users.

Guest: Michael Zayas, Corporate Director of Digital Marketing & eCommerce, Real Hospitality Group
Time: 29 minutes

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Episode 8

Driving Direct Demand with Facebook and Google

We sat down with Sanjay Wahi, VP of Product Management at Sojern, to find out how you can start using guest habits and information from Facebook and Google to your hotel’s best advantage.

Guest: Sanjay Wahi, Vice President of Product Management at Sojern
Time: 36 minutes

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Episode 7

Are You Shopping the Right Way for Your Hotel Tech?

In episode 7 of The Hotel Tech Podcast, Glenn and Estella speak with two great guests: Chuck Valentino, V.P. of Operations for Vagabond Inn, and Jordan Hollander, co-founder of Hotel Tech Report to learn what their opinions on the state of hotel tech are.

Guests: Chuck Valentino, Vice President of Operations for Vagabond Inn, and Jordan Hollander, Co-Founder of Hotel Tech Report
Time: 48 minutes

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Episode 6

Best-in-Class Hotel Revenue Strategy: Unpacking RLH RevPak

In this episode, we sit down with Greg Mount, President and CEO of Red Lion Hotel (RLH) Corporation to find out how his team took a 40-year old hotel brand and brought it into a new era via the RLH RevPak, and how their vision can help other hoteliers win their own markets.

Guest: Greg Mount, President and CEO of Red Lion Hotel Corporation
Time: 34 minutes

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Episode 5

Latest Industry Survey: Are Hoteliers and Their Tech Vendors on the Same Page?

In the latest episode of The Hotel Tech Podcast, Glenn and Estella discuss a new hospitality industry survey that asks if today’s hoteliers are on the same page with their technology vendors.

Guest: Stuart Butler, COO for Fuel Marketing
Time:  36 minutes

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Episode 4

Meeting Your Hotel Guests Where They Are Through Predictive Marketing Tech

With so many data-gathering technologies emerging in the last few years, knowing what to choose to serve your guest and your hotel is a growing challenge.

Guest: Rich Maradik, Founder of nSight for Travel
Time: 34 minutes

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Episode 3

What Was Hot at HITEC & ROC 2018 and Why It Matters to Hoteliers

Glenn Haussman and Estella Hale, Chief Product Evangelist with SHR, take a look at the hot topics from HITEC 2018.

Guests: Doug Tucker, Director of Product Managment for SHR, and Nicole Adair, Corporate Director of Revenue Management for SHR
Time:  34 minutes

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Episode 2

Why Most Hotels Fall Short of Their Integration Goals, and How to Reach Yours

On this episode of The Hotel Tech Podcast, we sit down with Kevin Duncan, Vice President of Revenue Management for Classic Hotels & Resorts to discuss what he has seen in his day-to-day experiences with hotel technology integrations.

Guest: Kevin Duncan, Vice President of Revenue Management for Classic Hotels & Resorts
Time:  35 minutes

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Episode 1

The Cost of Distribution: Why It Matters When Managing Channels

To kick off our Hotel Tech Podcast series, we sat down with Wendy Norris, Corporate Director of Revenue Management and E-Commerce for Valencia Group, to discuss the study, what she has seen in her day-to-day, real-life experiences, SHR’s position, and what this all may mean for your hotel business.

Guest: Wendy Norris, Corporate Director of Revenue Management and E-Commerce for Valencia Group
Time: 31 minutes