Do you think the future is tech-enabled hospitality?
Well, I think it’s already here. I don’t think that’s the future. The fact that the world is so fast-paced, the fact that there is so much happening—we have to be dynamic. We can’t be static like we’ve previously done before.
One of the interesting stats that we’ve talked about quite a lot is the fact that the events industry, as an example, is going to double in size by 2032. So you can understand the impact that real-time events are having on hotels which means that they can’t be static. They have to be dynamic and make real-time decisions.
That’s only going to be enabled by tech. The question is more, I think: how do we stay ahead and how do we continue to innovate to make sure that we can keep up with that pace of change?
How can hoteliers maximize tech investments for revenue, efficiency, and guest experience?
It’s not just about making life easier for the hotels—although I would argue that if you’re streamlining operations in a hotel, ultimately the guest will benefit because there’s more time to spend with guests, more time to focus on the guest experience.
Really, as a hotelier, I would be looking for a solution that’s always willing to innovate, up-to-date, very customer-centric obviously, but also thinking about the future. What can we do to make sure we are always thinking about that guest experience first and foremost—whilst making sure we’re simplifying and reducing friction for hotels?
Amid ITB’s innovations, how can hoteliers stay agile and choose the right tech?
It’s a great question. I’ve seen some awesome solutions. In the world of AI there’s so much happening, and it’s moving at a really fast pace.
Again, I think one of the key things I would thinking about—is that solution one that is open? Is it thinking about the seamless way that connectivity can happen? Because not every hotel is the same.
Some solutions are happy with an all-in-one to simplify that whereas some of the more sophisticated hotels will need something that not one solution can offer. So making sure there’s something flexible, open, and that has seamless connectivity to give you that flexibility—I think is really key.
How can technology help hoteliers unlock new revenue beyond room sales?
The world where you used to book a room and it was purely about just going and putting your head down and having that room to sleep in is long gone.
As a hotelier, you need to be thinking about other ways that you can maximise revenue. And really, it is about the guest experience—because the guest is looking for more.
I believe the stats—if I get them right—we’ve seen that guests coming to hotels and staying for a mix of business and pleasure is up to 41%. That’s a massive statistic—it’s come up by 5% only over the last two years.
So we’re seeing this shift and that means hotels need to adapt. Maybe they need to think about that pre-stay experience, maybe getting a guest from an airport to a hotel, think about other ancillary options – Wi-Fi, other business-type functionality – they could offer in-house.
Again, it’s thinking more holistically about that end-to-end experience, and how they can tap into that as a revenue stream.
How can hotels use tech to deliver authentic, personalised experiences?
Something I’m really passionate about.
Our world is powered by data—and that’s a phenomenal thing. If you harness it, you’ve got a real opportunity to use that data to understand who the right guests are for the right hotel.
We’ve all been in a situation where we’ve gone to a hotel for business, and there are kids playing in the pool which is distracting while you’re in a meeting. Getting that fit right is really important.
If you can do that through data, you can also think about a personalised experience. You can make sure you’re recommending the right type of room. You can understand if that guest has been a repeat guest, and therefore they’ve got a favourite type of room or pillow you might want to add.
All of this becomes enabled by tech through data, algorithms, machine learning, and AI. It’s a pretty exciting place to play.
Is the future of hospitality tech in specialized platforms or all-in-one solutions?
I touched on this earlier and I don’t think it’s one or the other. It depends on the needs of the property.
We definitely see some instances where you’ve got a very small property—two to ten rooms, owner-operated. They just want one system. They don’t want the hassle of being built by multiple systems. They need a super simple user interface. In that situation, an all-in-one would definitely tick the box.
But if you go up to a larger independent or groups and chains, that’s very different. An all-in-one solution might be too rigid. It doesn’t offer the flexibility or sophistication that they need. They might need to adapt to different systems, plug into different solutions, and cater to a different market or guest type.
So it’s neither one nor the other. It’s about the type of property and their needs.
What are you most excited about for SiteMinder in the next year?
I know AI is the buzzword, of course but we’ve just released a new dynamic revenue+ solution that is powered by AI.
It takes all of the data we have in our platform to provide recommendations for the next best action for hotels so they can optimise revenue by taking all those data points and stitching them together in a way that you can’t do manually. You can’t do that in a human way.
We’re really excited about this solution. It brings together intelligence, distribution, revenue optimisation, and—most importantly—gives people the ability to execute and deliver their strategies in one platform, in one place.
I think that’s going to be a game changer and honestly, how the world can change, how we can bring in more data sets—and how AI is rapidly changing—I think we’ll really evolve that solution over time.
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