The Modern Hotelier

Robert Marusi shares the leadership principles, technology strategies, and commercial mindset that have helped him lead some of the world's most iconic luxury resorts, including Hotel del Coronado and Grand Wailea. In this episode, Steve and David speak with Robert Marusi, Commercial Director of Hotel del Coronado and Grand Wailea, about how AI, personalization, and data are transforming the hospi...

What does it take to lead one of New York City's most iconic hotels?  In this episode of The Modern Hotelier, we sit down with David Salcfas, General Manager of Hard Rock Hotel New York, to explore his remarkable journey from washing tables and filling ice bins at a racetrack with his father to leading one of hospitality's most recognizable lifestyle brands. David shares the leadership principles...

In this episode of Hospitality Hot Topics , Steve Carran and David Millili are joined by Dean Compoginis, the iconic voice of The Modern Hotelier , to break down the biggest hospitality stories from July. They discuss how the World Cup boosted hotel revenue across the U.S., why food and beverage experiences are becoming a major factor in hotel bookings, and how the rapid expansion of AI data cente...

What does it take to build a hospitality career that breaks barriers while staying ahead of constant industry change? In this episode, Steve Carran and David Millili sit down with Karima Zaki, COO of Town and Desert Hospitality, to explore her remarkable journey from immigrating to the United States without speaking English to becoming one of the first female hotel executives to lead major hospita...

What if the future of hospitality isn't just about exceptional service—but about creating meaningful human connection? In this episode, hosts David Millili and Steve Carran welcome Elizabeth Mullins, President of Evermore Hospitality and former executive with Ritz-Carlton and Disney, for an inspiring conversation on the future of guest experiences. Elizabeth shares her remarkable journey from disc...

What does it really take to renovate a hotel while keeping guests happy, protecting reviews, and maximizing owner returns? In this episode, David Millili and Steve Carran sit down with Tom Kelley, CEO & President of Digney Holding Companies, to explore the business of hotel renovations, capital planning, and hospitality development. Drawing on decades of experience spanning architecture, Marri...

Live from HITEC 2026, we sit down with the winners of the prestigious E20X startup competition to explore the technologies redefining the future of hospitality. First, Mergim Kacija, CEO of Stayfull AI and the E20X Grand Prize winner, shares how his experience as a hotel owner inspired him to build an AI-native property management platform designed specifically for independent hotels. Learn how sp...

What does it take to lead one of the world's fastest-growing global hotel groups while staying true to the heart of hospitality? In this episode of The Modern Hotelier, hosts David Millili and Steve Carran sit down with Gonzalo Aguilar, CEO of Europe & Americas at Minor Hotels, to discuss his remarkable journey from restaurant manager to global hospitality executive. Gonzalo shares how growing...

What does the future of hospitality really look like? In this special Modern Hotelier Round Table, industry leaders come together for an honest conversation about leadership, technology, AI, hotel operations, employee engagement, and the future of guest experiences. Joining the discussion are Shannon McCallum, VP of Hotel Operations at Resorts World Las Vegas; Dmitry (Dima) Kroshka, CEO of Phunwar...

In this episode of The Modern Hotelier , David Millili and Steve Carran sit down with David Collyer , Global SVP of Aspire PreFlight Hospitality, to explore how hospitality principles are transforming the airport lounge experience. David shares his fascinating career journey—from studying design in London and working with global brands like IHG, British Airways, and Accor, to leading guest experie...

How can hotels use AI and location intelligence to attract new guests instead of spending marketing dollars on travelers who were already planning to book? In this special HITEC edition of The Modern Hotelier, David Millili sits down with Evan Saunders, who shares how Azira is helping hotels rethink marketing through AI-powered location intelligence and attribution. Rather than focusing on vanity...

How can hotels eliminate spreadsheets, improve financial transparency, and strengthen relationships with owners? In this special HITEC episode of The Modern Hotelier , David Millili and Steve Carran sit down with Brian McGeown, General Manager of Owner Relations, to discuss how technology is transforming owner accounting and financial reporting in hospitality. Brian shares the biggest challenges h...

In this special HITEC episode of The Modern Hotelier , David Millili and Steve Carran sit down with Kevin Bidner, Founder and CEO of HCN (Hotel Communication Network), to discuss how in-room tablets are reshaping the guest experience and driving new revenue opportunities for hotels. Kevin shares HCN's journey from startup to industry leader, explaining why guest room tablets are becoming an essent...

In this special HITEC edition of The Modern Hotelier , David Millili and Steve Carran sit down with Chris Zach, Senior Director of Product Marketing at ServiceChannel, to explore how hotels can modernize facilities management, improve guest satisfaction, and reduce operational complexity. Chris shares how ServiceChannel helps hotel operators manage external vendors from start to finish, streamlini...

In this special HITEC edition of The Modern Hotelier , hosts David Millili and Steve Carran sit down with Jake Lewis, President of Jonas Hospitality Property Systems, to explore how technology is reshaping the hospitality industry. With over 25 years of experience, Jake shares insights on the shift from disconnected software systems to unified hospitality platforms, why seamless guest experiences...

In this episode, Steve Carran sits down with Mike Baldinger, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Evention, live from HITEC San Antonio, to uncover one of hospitality's most overlooked profit leaks: OTA revenue reconciliation. While most hoteliers understand OTA commission costs, Mike explains why the real financial risk lies beneath the surface. From virtual credit card errors and overpaid co...

How has hospitality technology evolved from the early days of CD-ROM site inspections to AI-powered sales intelligence? In this special HITEC edition of The Modern Hotelier, David Millili sits down with Michael Waltman, Founder of Interactive Sites, to explore his remarkable journey from hotel operations to building one of the industry's most trusted group sales technology companies. Michael share...

How can AI make hospitality more human instead of less?  In this special HITEC episode of The Modern Hotelier, David Millili and Steve Carran sit down with Noelani Schroy, VP of Global Sales at Onyx CenterSource, to explore the future of hospitality technology and why the industry's greatest competitive advantage will always be people. Noelani shares why hoteliers need to better understand the tra...

Today, we sit down with Shawn Tarter, CEO of RealTime Reservations, to discuss one of the biggest announcements at HITEC—the company's strategic acquisition and vision for transforming hotel technology. Shawn shares the story behind meeting Stay's founder at a previous HITEC, how that relationship evolved into a partnership spanning more than 2,600 hotel properties, and why creating a unified plat...

In this special HITEC edition of The Modern Hotelier, David Millili and Steve Carran sit down with Rodd Herron, Regional Sales Director at Sirma, to discuss how hotels can move beyond disconnected technology systems and prepare for the future of AI. Rodd explains why fragmented hotel tech stacks continue to challenge operators and how integrating data across PMS, POS, spa, golf, and other systems...

In this special HITEC edition of The Modern Hotelier , hosts David Millili and Steve Carran sit down with Apaleo co-founder Philip von Ditfurth and SVP Revenue Florian Montag to explore the future of hospitality technology, AI, and open platform architecture. The conversation dives into why Apaleo chose a composable, API-first approach long before it became an industry trend, how leading hotel bra...

In this episode, hosts David Millili and Steve Carran sit down with Jesús Olivares Sánchez to explore how hospitality is being reshaped by AI, data, and rapidly evolving guest expectations. Jesús shares his journey from engineering and financial services into hospitality tech, eventually joining Amadeus, where he now focuses on connecting the hospitality ecosystem through data, distribution, perso...

In this special HITEC episode of The Modern Hotelier , hosts David Millili and Steve Carran sit down with Branigan Mulcahy, CEO and Co-founder of Virdee , to explore how AI and digital wallet technology are transforming the hotel guest experience. Branigan shares insights into Virdee’s partnership with Apple and Google to bring hotel room keys directly into mobile wallets, eliminating many of the...

Recorded live from HITEC, Steve Carran sits down with the Alliant leadership team—CEO Tristan Gadsby, SVP of Customer Experience Andrew Pirret, and CRO Alberto Santana—to explore how technology is transforming the guest experience while keeping hospitality at its human core. The conversation dives into Alliant's collaboration with Les Clefs d'Or, where concierge professionals are embracing AI and...

In this special HITEC edition of The Modern Hotelier , hosts David Millili and Steve Carran sit down with Jeff Bzdawka, CEO of Hapi and a Hall of Fame inductee in hospitality technology. Jeff shares his unique journey from aspiring dentist to hospitality technology leader, reflecting on the experiences that shaped his career across Hyatt, Pegasus, TravelClick, Noland, and now Hapi. The conversatio...