Be Brave: A Conversation with Infor at ITB Berlin
Infor's David Poprawka argues hospitality must rebuild its data foundation before AI can succeed, showcasing AR proof-of-concepts for check-in and housekeeping.
Interviews
The Always-Reply Future: A Conversation with TrustYou at ITB Berlin
TrustYou's CEO envisions moving from fragmented guest communication to unified conversational AI that maintains context across all channels and touchpoints.
Experiences Are Inventory, Not a Feeling: A Conversation with Journey at ITB Berlin
Journey executives explain how hotels can generate 50% of revenue from non-room sources by treating experiences as bookable inventory rather than add-ons.
Payments, AI Commerce, and Why Retail Went First: A Conversation with Stripe at ITB Berlin
Stripe's James Lemon discusses payment infrastructure challenges in hotels and why AI booking technology is more complex for travel than retail.
The Toggle Tax and the Invisible Lobby Boy: A Conversation with Access Hospitality at ITB Berlin
Access Hospitality's Champa Magesh argues system fragmentation hurts guest experience more than data quality, coining the "toggle tax" for staff switching between platforms.
One Platform, One Source of Truth: A Conversation with Access Hospitality at ITB Berlin
Access Hospitality's Navigator uses natural language AI to query unified hotel data, eliminating the need to toggle between multiple systems.
Friction, Wristbands, and Why Best-of-Breed Wins: A Conversation with TRYBE at ITB Berlin
TRYBE CEO discusses their wristband-based contactless system for spas, arguing specialized software with strong integrations beats all-in-one platforms.
Meetings, Events, and a Ride in a Trabi: A Conversation with VenueSuite at ITB Berlin
VenueSuite announced demand-based pricing for meetings and events, applying room revenue management logic to meeting spaces with early results showing increased bookings on lower-demand dates.
Simone Puorto discussed Humans-as-Luxury, AI, Imperfection, and the Future of Hospitality
Puorto argues AI requires structural process changes, not just tool integration, and introduces "Humans-as-Luxury" as human service becomes a strategic differentiator.
Quinta’s Daniel Doppler on Why Hospitality AI Now Starts With Data, Not Chatbots
Quinta founder argues the AI advantage has shifted from chatbot interfaces to data quality and maintenance, with hotels needing structured knowledge systems for agent-to-agent booking futures.
LodgIQ's CEO Vincent Ramelli on Reinventing Hospitality: Data, People and the Future of AI-Driven Hotels
Vincent Ramelli, CEO of LodgIQ, has been at the forefront of hotel technology for decades. In his recent interview for Hospitality Net, he reflects on a career that spans the early days of the internet, the rise of online distribution, and now the integration of generative AI into hotel operations.
EHL Back of House Podcast: Auberge Resorts' Christian Clerc: The Heart of Hospitality
In this Back of House episode, we sit down with Christian H. Clerc, President & CEO of Auberge Resorts Collection and proud EHL alumnus, for an intimate conversation about the soul of hospitality.
Christian Clerc, President and CEO, Auberge Resorts, Auberge Collection
Tech-Enabled Hospitality: Humanity, Innovation, and the Future Guest Experience
Jessica Gillingham, founder and CEO of Abode Worldwide, joins Simone Puorto for an engaging discussion about her recent book, "Tech-Enabled Hospitality." As a seasoned communicator with nearly a decade of experience in the hospitality and short-term rental technology space, Jessica explores the profound transformation underway in the industry, where technology is reshaping both operational delivery and the very nature of guest experiences. Her work brings together insights from over thirty-eight leaders in technology and hospitality, giving the book a rich, multifaceted perspective.
Hotel Cybersecurity in 2025 Emphasizes the Human Stack
Cybersecurity in 2025 for hotels is a game of Russian roulette. Odds are you’ll be safe most of the time, but then there’s the outside chance that it’s game over. The risks are far too great, and this is a topic that deserves constant and close study.
Whitney Spratt on the Power of Customer-Driven Innovation at Tripleseat
Whitney Spratt, General Manager of the Hotels Division at Tripleseat, sat down with us at HITEC 2025 to share how technology can unlock growth, improve guest experiences, and preserve the soul of hospitality.
Simone Puorto in conversation with Whitney Spratt
Agilysys VP Tim Hansen on 19% Growth, Tech Consolidation, and the Magic of Human Hospitality
Tim Hansen, Vice President of Sales – Hotels & Resorts at Agilysys, joined us at HITEC 2025 to talk about the company’s impressive growth, the evolution of tech stacks in hospitality, and the delicate balance between automation and human connection.
Simone Puorto in conversation with Tim Hansen
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.
Simone Puorto in conversation with Ryan King
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 Kimball in conversation with Simone Puorto
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.
Simone Puorto in conversation with Klaus Kohlmayr
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.
Simone Puorto in conversation with Karen Stephens