HN Originals

HN Original
Opinion Article Sales & Marketing

ChatGPT Booked My Hotel While I Made My Coffee

Earlier this morning, a hotel reservation was made under my name. But to be accurate, I didn’t make it. It was executed on my behalf by the recently launched ChatGPT agent, an autonomous AI system capable of parsing ambiguous input, retaining contextual preferences, scanning through massive datasets in real time, and translating a loosely expressed intent (in this case: “find me a place to stay in Rome”) into a concrete, optimized, executable outcome.

By Simone Puorto, Head of Emerging Trends and Strategic Innovation, Hospitality Net
HN Original
Opinion Article Sales & Marketing

OTAs aren't stealing your guests. You’re giving them away.

A hotel general manager is scanning her monthly report, once again feeling growing frustration about the rising number of OTA guest bookings her properties are experiencing - and the fees that came with them. Direct bookings were down last month and OTA commissions were higher than ever, leaving her feeling like the OTAs are winning.

By Karen Stephens, Chief Marketing Officer, Revinate, Inc.
HN Original
Explainer Technology

From Crown Jewels to Compliance: 5 Ways to Buid a Cyber‑Resilient Hotel Tech Stack

Picture a scenario where a hacker poses as an employee and tricks IT support into resetting credentials, bypassing multi-factor authentication and gaining access to core systems. That’s exactly what happened to one of the world’s leading casino brands in 2023, when a social engineering attack brought down everything from check-in kiosks to room keys and slot machines. Operations were disrupted for over a week, costing the company more than $100 million in lost revenue and leading to a $45 million class-action settlement.

By Aleksander Ludynia, Chief Security Officer, Shiji
HN TV
Interview Technology

Interview with Ryan King (Shiji Group): Why Experience Is the New Currency

At HITEC 2025 in Indianapolis, we sat down with Ryan King, Senior Vice President for the Americas at Shiji Group, to unpack how hotels can measure, interpret, and act on guest experience data. Ryan explained why reputation now depends as much on real-time feedback analytics as on human service, and how tools like the Guest Review Index (GRI) are helping hoteliers identify both standout moments and systemic breakdowns. He also weighed in on AI’s growing role in the industry - not as a replacement for people, but as a tool to enhance guest experience and operational focus.

Ryan KingSimone Puorto
Ryan King in conversation with Simone Puorto
HN TV
Interview Technology

Fix the Data First: Why AI Alone Cannot Solve Hospitality’s Content Challenges

At HITEC 2025 in Indianapolis, we sat down with Natalie Kimball, Vice President of Strategic Accounts for Americas and EMEA at Shiji Group, to explore the evolving role of hotel content management, data accuracy, and distribution, particularly in the complex Chinese market. Natalie also shared her candid views on AI in hospitality, the importance of operational control, and the risk of losing the entry-level roles that built today’s industry leaders.

Natalie KimballSimone Puorto
Natalie Kimball in conversation with Simone Puorto
China
HN Original
Opinion Article Technology

Connecting the Dots: Shiji’s Approach to Seamless Data

Hotel technology can get complicated. If I had to explain why this is to a kid or a golden retriever, I would say it’s because we used the best tools at our disposal at the time, stitching things together as best we could over years or even decades, and then tried to continuously pivot to newer, better systems while keeping the engine running.

By Adam Mogelonsky, Partner, Hotel Mogel Consulting Limited
HN Original
Opinion Article Development

The GINTO Model: Boutique Hotel Substance Meets Scalable Growth

In a hospitality industry where boutique often means niche and scale often means compromise, GINTO Hotels is quietly proving that the two can coexist. On a recent trip to Paris, I had the opportunity to meet with Brice de Puymorin, Julien Kiefer, and Emmanuelle Pochat, the visionary trio behind GINTO, and to experience their philosophy firsthand during a stay at PILGRIM, their bold Left Bank property. What emerged from our conversation was more than a brand story—it was a blueprint for a new kind of urban hospitality: one that preserves the charm and substance of a neighbourhood hotel while delivering a business model designed for growth across Europe.

By Henri Roelings, Founder, Hospitality Net
France
HN TV
Interview Technology

Bridging Revenue and Marketing: How IDeaS’ Spotlight Is Driving Commercial Alignment

At HITEC 2025 in Indianapolis, we sat down with Klaus Kohlmayr, Chief Evangelist and Development Officer at IDeaS, to discuss how the company’s latest solution, Spotlight, is helping to close the gap between revenue management and marketing. Klaus shared insights into how unified data, AI fluency, and strategic thinking are shaping the future of commercial performance in hospitality.

Klaus KohlmayrSimone Puorto
Klaus Kohlmayr in conversation with Simone Puorto
HN TV
Interview Technology

From Data to Voice: How Revinate Is Rethinking Hospitality Personalisation

At HITEC 2025 in Indianapolis, we caught up with Karen Stephens, Chief Marketing Officer at Revinate, to talk about how changes in leadership are fuelling product innovation, particularly around guest data, AI, and voice. With a fresh team of tech and data leaders on board, Revinate is doubling down on efforts to unify guest profiles and rethink how technology supports human connection in hospitality. Karen also shared insights on AI’s role in luxury travel, the future of voice, and why hospitality is safe from the AI job scare.

Karen StephensSimone Puorto
Karen Stephens in conversation with Simone Puorto
HN TV
Interview Technology

How Mobile Engagement and AI Are Transforming the Guest Journey

At HITEC 2025 in Indianapolis, we caught up with Jeremy Krol, COO of Phunware, a company helping hotels deepen guest engagement through mobile technology and data-driven personalization. In our conversation, Jeremy explained how Phunware uses mobile apps, behavioral data, and AI to improve the guest experience and generate additional revenue. From replacing paper maps with seamless digital navigation to enabling smarter upsell opportunities, Phunware is helping properties enhance their digital footprint without losing the human touch.

Simone PuortoJeremy Krol
Simone Puorto in conversation with Jeremy Krol
HN TV
Interview Technology

Why HITEC 2025 Felt Like a Turning Point: Education, Innovation and the Guestroom of 2075

At HITEC 2025 in Indianapolis, we sat down with Justin Taillon, President of HFTP and professor of hospitality technology, for a closing reflection on what made this year’s event stand out. From a record-breaking exhibitor floor to packed education sessions, Justin shared what makes HITEC more than just a trade show. He also gave us a preview of his next project, a bold new book on what hotel guestrooms might look like in 2075.

Justin TaillonSimone Puorto
Justin Taillon in conversation with Simone Puorto
HN Original
Opinion Article Sales & Marketing

Marseille Was Never for Tourists. Neither Is Venice (Or: How We Disney-fied Cultural Europe, and What We Might Do Before It's All Gone)

A few days ago, Jeff Bezos anchored his floating temple of techno-capitalism (a yacht longer than Piazza San Marco) just off the coast of Venice. The media, predictably, responded with sterile moral outrage, but the more profound irony escaped most: Bezos isn’t visiting Venice; he IS Venice. Or rather, he embodies what Venice has become: a luxury simulation of itself. Stripped of context, suspended in spectacle. That moment brought back a provocation I had posted months ago in my weekly column on 10 Minutes Hotel: maybe the only rational way to manage Venice today is to treat it like Disneyland, not as a joke, but as a system. At the time, it sounded dystopian. Now, it sounds like long-range urban planning.

By Simone Puorto, Head of Emerging Trends and Strategic Innovation, Hospitality Net
HN Original
Opinion Article Technology

Data Sovereignty Is the New Hospitality Imperative: Why Hotels Need to Rethink Their Tech Stack Now

Should a hotel GM have to consult a legal advisor every time a vendor updates their cloud TOS? This isn’t a theoretical debate anymore; for hoteliers juggling international guests, loyalty programs, and global cloud systems, data sovereignty has become a frontline concern. And it’s reshaping how hotels choose their tech partners.

By Aleksander Ludynia, Chief Security Officer, Shiji
HN TV
Interview Technology

The End of Standards? Why AI Might Finally Break Down Hotel Tech Silos

At HITEC 2025 in Indianapolis, we caught up with Ira Vouk, Editor-in-Chief of the 2025 edition of the Hotel Yearbook – Technology Edition. A respected voice in hospitality tech, Ira curated a remarkable collection of essays from over 35 industry leaders, each offering their outlook on where hotel technology is heading. In this interview, she reflects on the themes, surprises, and controversies behind the publication, and shares her own bold view on how AI could disrupt the long-standing standards that have held hotel tech together , or perhaps back.

Ira VoukSimone Puorto
Ira Vouk in conversation with Simone Puorto