Hospitality Daily Podcast

In this episode, Milou Neelen , the Founder of Hôtel Magique , shares why so many beautifully designed hotels leave guests feeling nothing. You'll hear why she chases awe over polish, how imperfection makes a space feel more human, and why she believes an awe-inspired hotel moves guests from memorable to transformational. She also gets into the science of awe through the work of UC Berkeley&a...

Scaling a hospitality brand is about more than adding new properties. The real challenge is preserving the culture, service, and sense of connection that made the brand successful in the first place. In this episode, Lily Wecker , CEO of Aethos , shares how the company approaches growth by investing in people first, choosing locations with intention, and expanding alongside the communities they se...

Creating a memorable hospitality experience is only part of the challenge. Communicating it in a way that feels just as human is what sets great brands apart. In this episode, Lily Wecker , CEO of Aethos , explains how the company's human-centered philosophy shapes its marketing and communication. She shares why Aethos prioritizes people over products, how its campaigns capture the spirit of...

In this episode, Lily Wecker , the CEO at Aethos , shares how the brand designs guest experiences around 360-degree wellbeing rather than entertainment alone. She walks through Aethos's mix of outward-facing programming, DJ nights, live sketching, listening sessions, and inward-focused rituals like a personal-question card game played after community dinners. You'll hear why Lily believe...

In this special bonus episode, Josiah Mackenzie and Nazpari Aydin , Founder and Managing Director of Destination AI , introduce the State of Hotel AI survey , a study designed to reveal what's really happening with AI across the hotel industry, where it's delivering results, and where it still falls short. They discuss why an honest look at AI adoption matters, how the findings will help...

In this episode, Lily Wecker , CEO of Aethos ,  shares how her teams break hotel brand standards to deliver a feeling rather than a checklist. You'll hear why one property has no TVs in the rooms, why she tells front desk teams to observe guests instead of predicting what they want, and how a GM in Sardinia turned beach rocks into welcome-card holders. This conversation is hosted by our innov...

In this episode, Lily Wecker , CEO of Aethos , explains why she believes the future of luxury hospitality is shifting away from status and product, and toward genuine human connection. In conversation with our innovation correspondent Matthias Huettebraeuker , she shares how Aethos is redefining luxury through community, belonging, and a human-to-human approach to service. It's a fresh perspe...

This episode introduces our week-long series with Lily Wecker , CEO of Aethos , in conversation with our innovation correspondent Matthias Huettebraeuker . She reflects on her journey and a pivotal moment that changed how she thinks about success, leadership, and listening to yourself. A few more resources: If you're new to Hospitality Daily, start here .  You can send me a message here with...

In this episode, Ben Rafter , CEO of Hotel Equities , shares where he believes AI is already delivering measurable results in hospitality and why operational applications are advancing faster than guest-facing experiences. He explains how Hotel Equities evaluates and tests new technology through HE Labs, the questions hotel owners should ask when selecting a management company, and where he sees A...

In this episode, Ben Rafter , CEO of Hotel Equities , shares how his team is using AI, data, and real-time operational insights to improve labor management, often the largest controllable expense in a hotel. He explains how better scheduling and smarter decision-making create opportunities to improve efficiency while maintaining the guest experience. You'll also hear why data alone isn't...

In this episode, Ben Rafter , CEO of Hotel Equities , shares why he believes today's hotel operating model is becoming increasingly unsustainable for owners. He explains the growing pressure from labor, insurance, and other operating costs, why healthy hotel ownership is essential for the entire industry, and how Hotel Equities is responding through its problem-first innovation initiative, HE...

The use of AI is one of the biggest strategic questions in hospitality, and many hotel leaders face the same challenge: they believe in the potential, but need a clearer path from experimentation to measurable results. In this episode, Actabl CEO Steven Moore and CTO Joseph Benjamin explain Actabl's new forward-deployed engineering offering for the hotel industry. They discuss why data founda...

Martin Soler shares one of the most common challenges in hospitality: seeing the industry only through your own perspective. Drawing on his experience as a hotel operator, technology leader, and advisor, Martin explains why great ideas often fail when we don't fully understand other viewpoints. He shares practical ways to adopt different viewpoints, make better decisions, and evaluate opportu...

Personalization is one of hospitality's most important goals, but is it really a technology problem? In this episode, hospitality advisor and former hotel general manager Martin Soler explains why guest preferences are far more contextual and dynamic than many systems assume. Drawing on examples from both hospitality and everyday consumer technology, Martin explores the limits of hyper-person...

Martin Soler returns to explore "The PMS Wars," his ongoing series examining one of the most important shifts in hotel technology. What started as a race from legacy systems to cloud-based PMS platforms is now evolving into a conversation about AI, data infrastructure, and the future of hotel operations. In this episode, Martin explains why hospitality adopts technology differently from...

Hospitality is often criticized for lagging behind on technology. Martin Soler sees it differently. In this episode, he explores the paradox of hospitality innovation, arguing that hotels have frequently been ahead of other industries while also becoming burdened by technology that adds complexity rather than removing it. This conversation examines how AI could reverse that trend, freeing hospital...

In this episode, Martin Soler shares where hoteliers should focus as technology and AI reshape the industry. Recorded ahead of HITEC 2026, Martin explains why strong data foundations matter more than the latest AI tools, how to evaluate technology vendors through the lens of integrations and APIs, and what hotel leaders should prioritize today to prepare for what's next. If you're trying...

This episode is sponsored by Actabl. Learn more about its new product, Altitude, here .   For years now, AI has promised hotel leaders something it hasn't delivered: the ability to ask a question and get an answer you can actually trust. Today, that changes with the launch of Actabl Altitude. In this episode, I sit down with Stephen German , Actabl's SVP of Product, to tell the story beh...

What separates good leaders from great ones? According to Dina Winder , the EVP of Asset Management at Highgate and President of the Hospitality Asset Managers Association (HAMA) , the answer is simple: great leaders create more leaders.  In this conversation, Dina shares why she has dedicated so much of her time to mentoring future hospitality professionals through Highgate, H AMA, and AHLA'...

What's really going on in the hotel industry right now? In this episode, Dina Winder, EVP of Asset Management at Highgate and President of the Hospitality Asset Managers Association (HAMA) , shares her perspective on the forces shaping the hotel industry today. Drawing on conversations with owners and asset managers across the industry, she explains why demand has remained the top concern in...

Monthly owner calls are often viewed as performance reviews, but Dina Winder sees them differently. As EVP of Asset Management at Highgate  and President of the Hospitality Asset Managers Association (HAMA) , she believes the most productive conversations focus less on what happened last month and more on what happens next. In this episode, Dina shares how hotel leaders can prepare for owner calls...

Hotels have more technology, data, and operational tools than ever before. Yet some properties consistently outperform while others struggle to execute. In this episode, Dina Winder, EVP of Asset Management at Highgate and President of the Hospitality Asset Managers Association (HAMA) , shares why she believes hotel performance still comes down to leadership. You'll hear why the GM remains th...

Dina Winder is EVP of Asset Management at Highgate and President of the Hospitality Asset Managers Association (HAMA) . In this episode, she shares the unexpected path that led her into hospitality, from investment banking and real estate to one of the hotel industry's most influential roles: asset management. Dina explains what asset management means in a hotel context, how asset managers re...

In this episode, Rob Smith , the CEO and President of Stonebridge Companies , shares an operator's view on how AI can be used to take mundane, repetitive work off people's hands so they can spend more time with guests. You'll hear his "find us a drive-through window" philosophy of letting the best ideas come from people on property, why he sees scheduling and forecasting a...

In this episode, Rob Smith , the CEO and President of Stonebridge Companies , shares what he's found keeps people engaged and performing at their best. He also explains how culture is what underpins the outperformance that hotel owners care about.  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 sug...