Hospitality Daily Podcast

Hotel Tech & AI Deep Dive With Mews Founder Richard Valtr [Sponsor Bonus]

In this episode, Mews founder Richard Valtr shares a practical look at how AI is reshaping hotel operations, guest experience, and revenue strategy. The conversation focuses on why hoteliers should design the guest journey first, then apply technology to scale it—along with concrete ideas for monetizing beyond rooms and preparing teams for what’s coming next in hospitality tech.Resources:Our previous conversation with Richard: Hospitality is 'eating the world' - here's what it means for your business and your careerBehind the Stays podcast: How He Built Mews — And Rewired the Modern Hotel StaySkift podcast: Rewiring Hotel Tech for HumansModern Hotelier podcast: Helping Hoteliers Monetize the Full 24 ExperienceBook a demo with MewsChapters: 00:02:16 What does Mews do?00:03:28 What is a PMS?00:05:42 The 3 assets in a hotel business00:08:01 Monetization opportunities00:14:19 Opportunities without admin work00:15:44 Experiment: Building customer archetypes with AI00:21:49 "Red teaming" to "destroy" the company00:24:38 Agentic hospitality00:25:55 Future: Mesh of AI-assisted work00:27:13 LLMs as middleware00:29:35 Misconceptions00:31:54 The first thing you need to do00:33:30 AI needs the truth00:35:38 Speeding up training content creation00:36:36 Where to start with using AI00:41:36 Advice for finding technology partners00:42:26 What Richard is proud of at Mews nowThis is a special sponsor bonus episode, sponsored by Mews.A few more resources: If you're new to Hospitality Daily, start here. You can send me a message here with questions, comments, or guest suggestions If you want to get my summary and actionable insights from each episode delivered to your inbox each day, subscribe here for free. Follow Hospitality Daily and join the conversation on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram. If you want to advertise on Hospitality Daily, here are the ways we can work together. If you found this episode interesting or helpful, send it to someone on your team so you can turn the ideas into action and benefit your business and the people you serve! Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands

"Calmxiety": Leading Hospitality Through AI with Clarity - Monika Nerger

In this episode, Monika Nerger, former Group Global Chief Information Officer at Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, shares a leadership perspective on AI in hospitality. Drawing on her experience leading global digital transformation—and her current immersion in the AI and technology ecosystem in San Francisco—Monika introduces the concept of “calmxiety”: the tension leaders feel between urgency and uncertainty. She shares why trust, foundations, and clarity matter more than rushing into tools, how to think about AI investment and partners, and why human service remains central to hospitality. Resources: Previous podcast with Monika: How We Led Digital Transformation at Mandarin Oriental by Putting Brand First (Watch on YouTube)HTNG (Hospitality Technology Next Generation)Destination AIDecentralized Identity FoundationAI Daily BriefCyberWire Daily A few more resources: If you're new to Hospitality Daily, start here. You can send me a message here with questions, comments, or guest suggestions If you want to get my summary and actionable insights from each episode delivered to your inbox each day, subscribe here for free. Follow Hospitality Daily and join the conversation on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram. If you want to advertise on Hospitality Daily, here are the ways we can work together. If you found this episode interesting or helpful, send it to someone on your team so you can turn the ideas into action and benefit your business and the people you serve! Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands

How We Led Digital Transformation at Mandarin Oriental by Putting Brand First - Monika Nerger

In this episode, Monika Nerger, former Group Global Chief Information Officer at Mandarin Oriental, shares how she led a large-scale digital transformation by putting brand DNA—not technology—at the center of the strategy. She explains why data governance became the foundational layer, how cross-functional collaboration reshaped decision-making, and what it took to drive real change during the pandemic and beyond. The conversation explores the often-overlooked role of change leadership, trust, and cultural alignment in making transformation stick.  A few more resources: If you're new to Hospitality Daily, start here. You can send me a message here with questions, comments, or guest suggestions If you want to get my summary and actionable insights from each episode delivered to your inbox each day, subscribe here for free. Follow Hospitality Daily and join the conversation on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram. If you want to advertise on Hospitality Daily, here are the ways we can work together. If you found this episode interesting or helpful, send it to someone on your team so you can turn the ideas into action and benefit your business and the people you serve! Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands

Why Managing From Your Office is Costing You Money - Craig Poole

In this episode, Craig Poole, a three-time Hilton Connie Award winner and AHLA’s General Manager of the Year, shares why returning to the basics of hospitality starts with leadership presence on the floor. He shares how being visible to guests, employees, and the surrounding community directly impacts revenue, demand, and long-term growth. Craig explains the concept of the “point of impact,” why managing from reports creates blind spots, and how walking lobbies and working banquets unlocked new business opportunities in his hotels. See more with Craig: Listen: People are the point of impact: How to create new beginnings and empower through leadershipListen: Transforming lives through hospitality: What inspired me to do moreListen: Be the change you want to see: My advice for hospitality leadersWatch: Follow Me and I Will Be Behind YouFollow Craig on LinkedIn A few more resources: If you're new to Hospitality Daily, start here. You can send me a message here with questions, comments, or guest suggestions If you want to get my summary and actionable insights from each episode delivered to your inbox each day, subscribe here for free. Follow Hospitality Daily and join the conversation on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram. If you want to advertise on Hospitality Daily, here are the ways we can work together. If you found this episode interesting or helpful, send it to someone on your team so you can turn the ideas into action and benefit your business and the people you serve! Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands

It's Time to Go Back to the Basics in Hospitality - Craig Poole

In this episode, Craig Poole, a three-time Hilton Connie Award winner and AHLA’s General Manager of the Year, shares why it’s time to go back to the basics of hospitality. Craig shares why leadership, presence, knowing your people, and engaging directly with guests still matter more than ever. Drawing on decades of experience, he offers practical reminders for hotel leaders seeking to build stronger teams, deliver better guest experiences, and build more resilient businesses.See more with Craig: Listen: People are the point of impact: How to create new beginnings and empower through leadershipListen: Transforming lives through hospitality: What inspired me to do moreListen: Be the change you want to see: My advice for hospitality leadersWatch: Follow Me and I Will Be Behind YouFollow Craig on LinkedIn A few more resources: If you're new to Hospitality Daily, start here. You can send me a message here with questions, comments, or guest suggestions If you want to get my summary and actionable insights from each episode delivered to your inbox each day, subscribe here for free. Follow Hospitality Daily and join the conversation on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram. If you want to advertise on Hospitality Daily, here are the ways we can work together. If you found this episode interesting or helpful, send it to someone on your team so you can turn the ideas into action and benefit your business and the people you serve! Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands