Hospitality Daily Podcast

Episod

• 
  Danica Smith and Josiah Mackenzie: Is AI Actually Improving Our Lives? 26.09.2026 28min

  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 wi...
• 
  AI That Works: How Hotel Leaders Move From Experimentation to Results - Steven Moore & Joseph Benjamin, Actabl [Sponsor Bonus] 25.09.2026 32min

  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...
• 
  How Loews Hotels Puts AI to Work for Guests and Teams - Dan Kornick, Loews Hotels 24.09.2026 31min

  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, sta...
• 
  How to Make Hotels More Profitable and More Human - Alex Cabañas 22.09.2026 50min

  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 companiesOperational examples: Base Power (home batteries) | Fox Fold (refillable paper) | Outmore (heated outdoor furniture) | Relivable (meeting and event work...
• 
  Why I'm Building an AI-Native Hotel Management Company - Sloan Dean, AI Hospitality Group 21.09.2026 39min

  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...
• 
  Cornell's Chris Anderson: Why Hotels Can't Wait on AI 17.09.2026 24min

  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...
• 
  Authentic Leadership and Why Kindness Wins - Charlotte Weatherall, Corinthia London 15.09.2026 1j 9min

  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 a...
• 
  My Positive (and Negative) Experiences with AI in Hospitality - Jeff Wielgopolan, Meadowood Napa Valley 11.09.2026 10min

  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 ExcellenceThe Fundamentals of Service in Luxury HospitalityThe Experience That Earned Us Michelin’s Three Key Distinction A few...
• 
  How to Train Your Teams for Excellence in Hospitality - Jeff Wielgopolan, Meadowood Napa Valley 10.09.2026 8min

  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 ExcellenceThe Fundamentals of Service in Luxury HospitalityThe Experience That Earned Us Michelin’s Three Key Distinction A few more resources: If you're new to Hospitality Daily, start here. You can s...
• 
  What Should Stay Consistent in Hospitality, and What Should Change? (Jeff Wielgopolan, Meadowood Napa Valley) 09.09.2026 9min

  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 ExcellenceThe Fundamentals of Service in Luxury HospitalityThe Experie...
• 
  The Energy of Excellence - Jeff Wielgopolan, Meadowood Napa Valley 08.09.2026 9min

  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 Raffle...
• 
  Summer Road Trip Reflections: What Stood Out Driving Coast to Coast - Josiah Mackenzie 07.09.2026 14min

  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 travel...
• 
  The Hotel Investor The Wall Street Journal Spotlighted for Using AI to Listen to Guests - Drew Bridges, JMI Realty 04.09.2026 37min

  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 conditio...
• 
  How to Make Hotel Wellness Practical and Profitable - Emily Johnson, Erica Huss, and Jen Veralle 15.08.2026 37min

  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 c...
• 
  How AI Is Changing My Work and Life as a Hotel Leader - Matt Schwartz, Sage Hospitality Group 07.08.2026 10min

  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 routin...
• 
  Planning for Profit: How to Budget for AI - Matt Schwartz, Sage Hospitality Group 06.08.2026 9min

  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 our series with Matt: Part 1: The Weekend Class That Changed My CareerPart 2: How We’re Leading AI Adoption With a Human-First ApproachPart 3: Our 4-Layer AI Framework: Data, Reporting, Insights, ActionLearn more about the Destination AI Forum in Washington, DC (where Matt will be speaking) More: Uber caps empl...
• 
  How We Choose Technology Partners in the AI Era - Matt Schwartz, Sage Hospitality Group 05.08.2026 9min

  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 CareerPart 2: How We’re Leading AI Adoption With a Human-First ApproachPart 3: Our 4-Layer AI Framework: Data, Reporting, Insights, ActionLearn more: The Bitter ...
• 
  Our 4-Layer AI Framework: Data, Reporting, Insights, Action - Matt Schwartz, Sage Hospitality Group 04.08.2026 10min

  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...
• 
  How We're Leading AI Adoption With a Human-First Approach - Matt Schwartz, Sage Hospitality Group 03.08.2026 18min

  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 peo...
• 
  The Weekend Class That Changed My Career - Matt Schwartz, Sage Hospitality Group 02.08.2026 9min

  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 HospitalityListen to Matt discuss bringin...