GAIN Momentum - Lessons from Leaders in Hospitality, Travel, Food Service, & Technology

In this episode, we interview Michael Levie , co-founder of citizenM .   Levie has a wealth of hotel technology and operations experience. He was at Sonesta for 16 years and at NH Hotels for over three years, before cofounding citizenM (and acting as chief operations officer) in early 2005. Levie formally left citizenM in late 2021 after 17 years and continues to advise hotel vendors and other hos...

In this episode, we interview Anthony Melchiorri , author, including his latest book “ Show Up ”, and TV show host, including Hotel All Stars .   Melchiorri has been a hotel executive for over three decades. For the past 14 years, he has been the Founder and Managing Director of Argeo Hospitality, a hotel management company based out of New York.  ************* LINKS & RESOURCES *************...

In this episode, we interview Frank Pitsikalis , Senior Vice President of Strategy at Agilysys .   Pitsikalis is the Founder and CEO of ResortSuite, a fully integrated hospitality management software system that was founded in 1999 and acquired by Agilysys in early 2022. From that point on, Pitsikalis has acted as the SVP of Product Strategy for Agilysys. Outside of this, Pitsikalis has been a mem...

In this episode, Adam Mogelonsky and Neil Foster, fellow GAIN Advisors, discuss the nonfiction book “ Generations ” (2023) by Jean M. Twenge PhD and its implications for hospitality in terms of finding customers amongst Boomers, Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z, as well as how the workforce is changing amongst these generations.   As background, here is the book’s description from Amazon: A groundbrea...

In this episode, we have Richard Valtr , Founder at Mews .   Valtr started Mews as a property management system in 2012 from the Czech Republic, which has since expanded to include a global team and thousands of hotels worldwide.  ************* LINKS & RESOURCES ************* For more information about GAIN, head to: https://gainadvisors.com/     Adam Mogelonsky is a GAIN Advisor and partner a...

In this episode, we have Brent Hayhurst , Director of Program Development at Curator Hotels and Resorts Collection.   Before entering the hospitality industry, Hayhurst worked at Verizon for over nine years. He was next a senior manager for corporate marketing, digital, and sponsorship management initiatives at Hilton. From February 2021 onwards, Hayhurst has led program development and all techno...

In this episode, we have Ryan King , Senior Vice President, Americas at Shiji Group .    King brings a diverse background of industry experience from both the hotel operations and the technology sides. Within the greater Washington DC area, he has held senior positions at the Sheraton Pentagon City, Sofitel Washington DC Lafayette Square, The Doyle Collection and the Phoenix Park Hotel. King was a...

In this episode, we have Warren Dehan , President of Maestro PMS.   Dehan has worked at Maestro PMS (formerly Northwind) since 1978, and has acted as company president over two decades. The company’s emergence as a foremost property management system provider is outlined in the episode, so give it a listen! ************* LINKS & RESOURCES ************* For more information about GAIN, head to:...

In this episode, we have Mark Hope , senior vice president of development at Coast Hotels .   Hope started his longstanding hospitality career in the front office at Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, the Delta Vancouver Airport Hotel & Marina (now Pacific Gateway Hotel), and then The Hotel Grand Pacific. Following this, he began his now-30-years-long career at Coast Hotels as a director of sales...

In this episode, we have Christopher Hunsberger , co-founder and chief operating officer of Appellation , a new hotel brand born from an elegant merger of the culinary and hospitality worlds.   Hunsberger brings well over three decades of hospitality experience prior to founding Appellation. A longstanding veteran of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, his senior roles include Regional Vice President...

In this episode, we have John Smallwood , president at Travel Outlook , the maker of Annette, the virtual hotel agent.   John Smallwood has several decades of experience in hospitality technology, having founded Travel Outlook in 2006 as a hotel call center for premium and luxury brands. More recently, Travel Outlook has built an industry-leading conversational AI called Annette as a virtual hotel...

In this episode, we have Shannon McCallum , vice president of hotel operations at Resorts World Las Vegas .   McCallum has an extensive hospitality career, including senior roles at the Renaissance Vancouver Hotel Harbourside, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, ARIA Resort & Casino, and Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino before her current role. She has also been a strategic advisor for Roomdex and Vo...

In this episode, we have Tanya Pratt, vice president of Opera Cloud strategy and product management at Oracle Hospitality. Pratt has been in hospitality for her entire career, first on the hotel side before moving over to the hospitality technology side. For the former, Pratt started in Delta Hotels and Resorts for over ten years in operations then revenue management, followed by another decade at...

In this episode, we have Frank Reeves , co-founder and CEO of Avvio, and chief evangelist at SHR Group .   As CEO of Avvio, Reeves has been dedicated to delivering innovative technologies and new distribution networks to grow direct bookings for hotels since the company’s founding in 2003. In late 2022, Avvio was acquired by Sceptre Hospitality Resources (SHR) Group, at which point Reeves joined t...

In this episode, we have Neil Foster , immediate past president of HFTP (Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals).   Foster has over two decades of experience in hospitality technology, with a diverse perspective based on his career spanning different sides of the hotel equation. Starting as an IT manager for Westin Hotels & Resorts then an area manager of IT for Starwood Hotels and...

In this episode, we have Frank Trampert , senior vice president and managing director of commercial and global strategy for hospitality at Sabre Corporation .   Trampert brings to this podcast an immense skillset in hospitality, technology and international commercialization, including a 13 years at Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group as well as being managing director of Asia Pacific for Wyndham Group, C...

In this episode, we have Luis Segredo , CEO of Data Travel, LLC, the maker of the Hapi platform that maps then migrates data from multiple hospitality sources for above-property and enterprise-level managers.   Segredo’s hospitality technology experience includes over 18 years at MTech, followed by roles as president at Newmarket International and EVP of strategic initiatives at Amadeus, prior to...

In this episode, we have Robert Stevenson , CEO of INTELITY, a guest experience platform with rich staff operations and ticketing backend for hospitality, casino and residential end markets.   Stevenson has an incredibly diverse technology career. Prior to his present six-plus years at INTELITY, he has held positions as SVP of product development and acquisitions at DreamCatcher Games, VP of busin...

In this episode, we have Adam Glickman , vice president of brand strategy at Actabl .   Glickman career in hospitality started out at Waldorf=Astoria in business development. Glickman next spent 13 years at InterContinental Hotels Group, working in reservation products, hotel products, marketing and partner programs before becoming the director of global brand management, overseeing the launch of...

For our 13th episode, we interview Karen O’Neill , a GAIN Advisor and GAIN’s chief revenue officer, as well as the co-founder and COO of RationalAI.   O’Neill has an extensive career in hospitality technology. Following over 14 years at MICROS Systems (now part of Oracle Hospitality, O’Neill has held vice president or president-level roles at StayNTouch and Unifocus (formerly Knowcross). Presently...

For our twelfth episode, we interview Eva Fayemi , cofounder and CEO at Bond Agency as well as a GAIN Advisor.   Based out of Lisbon, Portugal and London, England, Bond Agency focuses on helping next-generation tech companies unlock rapid growth. Outside of Bond, Fayemi has a broad background of marketing, hospitality and technology expertise, holding senior positions at Trax Magazine, Destination...

For our eleventh episode, we interview Steven Bronken , head of Global Hospitality at Ruckus Networks .    A Canadian based out Halifax, Nova Scotia, Steven Bronken’s hospitality career encompasses his tenure at The Halifax Club, director of business development at Elfiq Networks, and executive vice president of marketing and brand management at Safety NetAccess before joining Ruckus Networks. ***...

For our tenth episode, we interview Anne Bleeker , cofounder and managing director of In2 Consulting , a business communications agency, and a GAIN Advisor.   Anne Bleeker’s career in corporate communications and public relations spans over two decades, including senior positions at Radisson SAS, Jumeirah Group and Future Pipe Industries Group. Founding In2 Consulting in 2010 based out of Dubai, B...

For our ninth episode, we interview Jeff Bzdawka , the Chief Executive Officer of Knowland , an event intelligence and hospitality sales solution provider.   Jeff Bzdawka has a vast array of hospitality technology experience on both the buyer and the seller side. His career spans over two decades at Hyatt Hotels, occupying a variety of roles including SVP of Global Hotel Operations and SVP of Glob...

For our second On The Road episode, Adam went down to New York to attend ILC Cultivate (July 11-12, 2023). In between sessions on how next-generation technologies are impacting hotels, conference delegates were each asked, “What’s the number one way that hotels can deploy artificial intelligence and web3 tools right now?” ************* LINKS & RESOURCES *************    The GAIN Momentum Podca...