Today's episode features hosts Steve Carran and David Millili interviewing Jill Wilder, the newly appointed President of Aptech Computer Systems, at the HITEC conference. Jill shares insights from her 38-year career at Aptech, discusses the company's evolution in hospitality technology, and highlights their latest innovations in hotel accounting and business intelligence solutions. In this episode, you'll learn: The resurgence of HITEC post-COVID and industry networking What are Aptech's core pr...
Jul 16, 2024•14 min
In this episode, we sit down with Theresa Ellsworth from Sertifi. Theresa shares insights into her background growing up in Yonkers, New York, her passion for hospitality, and her journey from college to a 14-year stint at Springer Miller. The conversation delves into how Sertifi accelerates revenue for hotels through digital authorization processes, securing revenue by reducing chargebacks, and using advanced AI-driven fraud prevention tools. Additionally, Sertifi's new features, such as ACH tr...
Jul 11, 2024•9 min
In this episode, recorded at the HITEC trade show floor, Steve interviews Rich O'Brien from Xpodigital and Michael Parissee from HSMS about digital investments in hotels and event spaces, focusing on how large-format LED displays and digital signage are transforming guest experiences and revenue opportunities. In this episode, you'll learn: The evolution of digital signage in hotels and event spaces How will large-format LED walls impact guest experience The challenges in implementing and mainta...
Jul 10, 2024•15 min
In this episode, hosts Steve Carran and David Millili interview Jon Schniepp, SVP of Marketing at Relay. Jon discusses his background, Relay's journey into the hospitality industry, and how their smart radio technology is revolutionizing hotel operations and staff communication. The conversation covers emerging trends in hospitality communication, staff safety solutions, and the innovative use of AI in overcoming language barriers. In this episode, you'll learn: Relay's evolution from a family p...
Jul 09, 2024•14 min
In this episode, join hosts Steve Carran and David Millili at HITEC 2024 in Charlotte as they interview a diverse lineup of hospitality industry leaders and innovators. From established executives to emerging startups, guests share insights on the latest hotel technologies, industry trends, and their experiences at the conference. The episode concludes with a lively discussion on whether anyone will hit a home run at the event’s batting competition. Join the conversation on today's episode on Th...
Jul 08, 2024•46 min
In this monthly "Hospitality Hot Topics" segment, David and Steve dive into the most pressing issues and exciting developments in hospitality. From the booming wellness sector to music tourism's impact on hotel bookings, they explore how these trends are transforming the guest experience and affecting business strategies. They also tackle important industry challenges, such as ongoing staffing shortages, and discuss potential solutions. With a mix of data-driven analysis and personal insights, t...
Jun 27, 2024•13 min
Paul Rantilla is a senior executive with over 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry. He currently serves as the Senior Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer for Hospitality Ancillaries at Plusgrade. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated expertise in hospitality management, market expansion, sales strategies, and marketing leadership. Prior to joining Plusgrade, Rantilla held key positions at prominent companies in the hospitality technology space. He was the Chief Commercial...
Jun 18, 2024•32 min
The remarkable journey of Sonesta, including its entrepreneurial spirit, growth strategies, and invaluable insights for aspiring hoteliers. In today’s episode, we dive into the world of hospitality with our special guest, Elizabeth Harlow, the Chief Brand Officer at Sonesta. Join hosts Steve Carran, and David Millili as they uncover Elizabeth’s fascinating journey—from skiing in the Swiss Alps to shaping luxury hospitality brands with her wealth of experience from Leading Hotels of the World and...
Jun 11, 2024•31 min
Providing next-level experiences is more important than ever in the Hospitality Industry. In this episode, we focus on experiential hospitality and unique stays with Ben Wolff. Ben is co-founder and developer of Onera, a luxury treehouse resort in Texas Hill Country. His experiential hospitality firm Oasi develops and manages a portfolio of landscape resorts, boutique hotels, and luxury retreats. Onera’s first location sold to Summit Hotel REIT in 2022, representing the first public REIT exit of...
Jun 04, 2024•39 min
Hospitality Hot Topics - May 2024 Join hosts Steve Carran and David Millili as they discuss the latest hospitality industry news and trends from May 2024. This month's hot topics include: The top U.S. markets for new hotel construction pipelines, including surprising leaders Dallas and the Inland Empire region of California Rising prices for luxury travel and higher guest expectations in the post-COVID era The resurgence of business travel in 2024, with over 80% of business travelers planning th...
May 28, 2024•13 min
Ever walked into a Starbucks and immediately thought “this looks like every other Starbucks?” Probably not. But, the painstaking effort organizations go to to maintain brand standards is manual and phenomenal. Huibin Yu is the founder of Fohlio. Fohlio is building a better path to digitize the process of product data management, specification, procurement, brand standards, and inventory. Creating tech in an industry that is the last frontier for technology and defining the industry standard. In ...
May 21, 2024•32 min
Amaury Piedra assumed the role of managing director in August 2020, where he leads Central Florida’s largest all-suite convention hotel located in the heart of the nation’s number one convention and tourist destination. Piedra is a bilingual veteran of the hospitality industry with 25 years of sales and operations experience leading Four Diamond lifestyle hotels, convention hotels, and multi-unit complexes in the U.S. and Caribbean, including properties for Wyndham Hotels and Resorts and Starwoo...
May 14, 2024•48 min
Diana Geseking is the General Counsel for Restaurant Technologies, where she advises the senior leadership on a wide array of legal issues. She oversees various legal functions across the business and brings diversified experience in contract negotiation, business transactions, corporate governance, intellectual property, risk mitigation, compliance and regulatory matters, privacy, advertising/marketing, employment and labor, and litigation management. She joined Restaurant Technologies in 2019....
May 07, 2024•38 min
In this episode, David and Steve give their thoughts on some of the most notable trends and topics during the month of April in the Hospitality Industry. They cover: International Hospitality Institute Awards Hilton Acquiring Sydell Group Blackstone Pouncing on Hotel Real Estate State of the Union - April Summer Demand for US Hotels Tropicana Las Vegas closes The Lafayette Named Hotel of the Year by Esquire Join the conversation on today's episode on The Modern Hotelier LinkedIn page The Modern ...
Apr 30, 2024•11 min
The Modern Hotelier Podcast and The Virtual GM Podcast come together for a special crossover episode hosted by Nick Horgan. This lively discussion brings together the hosts of the two popular hospitality podcasts - Steve Carran and David Millili from The Modern Hotelier, and Spencer Halford and Cody Adent from The Virtual GM Podcast. Nick puts the four hosts in the hot seat, digging into their backgrounds, hospitality experiences, and the origins of their podcasts. They share entertaining storie...
Apr 23, 2024•47 min
Seema Jain is the Founder and CEO of Seva Global – Growing Business Through Cultural Competency. She has years of experience helping companies become more culturally competent when engaging with people from different backgrounds. In her past role as Senior Director, Multicultural Affairs at Marriott International, Seema had responsibility for developing tools and resources for Marriott associates and hotel properties to enhance cultural competencies to better serve the company's diverse guests a...
Apr 16, 2024•38 min
Eric Szymanski is an award winning American hospitality industry professional with extensive sales & marketing leadership experience including Hilton, Marriott, Starwood and Disney. Eric has demonstrated success in leading high-performing sales teams through planning, implementing and monitoring actionable sales and marketing plans at hotels and resorts of all sizes, including city-center, convention district, airport and attractions areas. He has a proven track record of success at all leve...
Apr 09, 2024•54 min
Nikheel Advani is the COO and co-founder of Grace Bay Resorts and oversees overall operations, branding, sales, and marketing of resort development. He joined Grace Bay Club in August 2004 as the Managing Director, serving as the top operational executive in its expansion and renovation as it evolved from a $15 million, 22-room boutique hotel to a full-service luxury resort boasting 82 suites and residences, now valued at over $200 million. Most recently, he was responsible for the successful op...
Apr 02, 2024•46 min
In this episode, the hosts, Steve Carran and David Millili, along with producer Jon Bumhoffer, bring a new segment called "Hospitality Hot Takes" where they analyze and provide their thoughts on the major stories that happened over the past month. They provide insights from both an independent hotel perspective as well as a branded chain viewpoint. It's a conversational yet informative podcast that keeps listeners up-to-date on hospitality industry news through the lens of experienced profession...
Mar 26, 2024•17 min
Rachel Humphrey is a trailblazer in the hospitality industry, dedicated to advancing women in leadership roles. She is the Founder of the Women in Hospitality Leadership Alliance and serves as a Board Member, Principal, and Interview Host for DEI Advisors. Prior to her retirement in August 2021, Rachel served as the EVP & COO of AAHOA, the nation's largest hotel owners association. She was also the Interim President & CEO in 2019, after spending over 20 years as a trial lawyer before joi...
Mar 19, 2024•54 min
Mercedes Blanco is a Corporate Leader Executive in Global Travel & Hospitality with a solid record in International Sales and Marketing Strategies. She has over fifteen years of experience in the hospitality industry, while volunteering at SITE, HSMAI, MPI, and teaching at several universities. Her impressive professional journey has taken her across leadership roles at top companies in the hospitality space. Mercedes' unique combination of corporate experience and passion for education and ...
Mar 12, 2024•39 min
Emily Goldfischer is a London-based travel, food and culture reporter who founded and serves as Editor-in-Chief of Hertelier , an online platform for women in the hospitality industry. She has been living and reporting on UK and European travel trends since relocating from New York to London in 2010. Previously, Emily spent nearly twenty years working in public relations and communications for destinations and luxury hotel brands. With a passion for tourism and travel, she strives to continually...
Mar 05, 2024•39 min
Stuart Greif is a Global Travel and Hospitality Chief Executive Officer, Board Member, Advisor, Thought Leader, Speaker, Mentor and Investor. At Forbes Travel Guide, Greif drives strategy, innovation, and operations spanning over 80 countries and plays a leading role in Forbes Travel Guide’s Responsible Hospitality initiative. He previously served as Microsoft Corporation's Senior Executive for Travel and Hospitality and led J.D. Power and Associates' Global Hospitality and Travel group. In this...
Feb 27, 2024•48 min
Born and raised in 1980s Brooklyn, Virginia Toledo took inspiration from abandoned buildings and her contractor father to launch a career in interior design. Today, as the creative director of Toledo Geller, Virginia uses her creativity to transform high-end residential and hospitality spaces. In this episode, Virginia shares tips on differentiation in the short-term rental market, advice for future designers, and guidance on furnishing for longevity. Stay tuned to hear Virginia's inspiring jour...
Dec 14, 2023•48 min
Peter Ricci is the Clinical Associate Professor and Director of the Hospitality & Tourism Management Program at Florida Atlantic University. His experience ranges from destination tourism to hotels to education. He joins us to talk about what he's seeing with labor trends in the hospitality industry and how we can inspire the next generation of hoteliers. In this episode, you'll learn: The value of education in the hospitality and tourism industry How to inspire the next generation of hoteli...
Dec 07, 2023•48 min
Kevin Osterhaus is a storytelling expert with a wealth of experience working with renowned hotel groups such as The Standard, Bunkhouse, and Graduate Hotels. Since becoming President of Graduate Hotels in 2021, Kevin has focused on launching programs like the Graduate Academy for employee education and development. He discusses the importance of storytelling in hotels and shares examples of creative stories and nods to universities that Graduate properties focus on. Kevin explores some fascinati...
Nov 30, 2023•39 min
Stephen Shedletzky —or “Shed” to his friends— helps leaders make it safe and worth it for people to speak up. He supports humble leaders—those who know they are both a part of the problems they experience and the solutions they can create— as they put their people and purpose first. After years on a corporate track, Shed was introduced to and inspired by the work of best-selling author and TED speaker Simon Sinek and, soon after meeting him, became the fourth person to join his team. For more th...
Nov 16, 2023•28 min
Jeremy Wells is the owner and partner of Ozarker Lodge, an independent hotel in Branson, Missouri. He is also a partner at Longitude, a hospitality branding and design agency, and co-founder of Flyover Development. Jeremy has authored two books, "Future Hospitality" in 2022, and his newest book, "Indie Hotel," was published earlier this year. David Millili and Steve Carran sit down with Jeremy to discuss the inspiration behind his book, the resurgence of independent hotels, and the unique charac...
Nov 09, 2023•11 min
Anthony Melchiorri is the creator and host of Hotel Impossible, President of Argeo Hospitality, co-host of the No Vacancy Podcast, keynote speaker, and author of his new book, "Show Up: The Five Steps to Getting Out of Your Own Way." He joins us to share his inspiration behind writing the book and what it means to "Show Up" for yourself. Whether you work in hospitality or not, Anthony's book and experiences offer valuable insights for personal development, leadership, and achieving success. In t...
Nov 09, 2023•18 min
Aradhana Khowala is a global expert and one of the most influential leaders in the hospitality, travel, and tourism sector. Her career has spanned 20+ years, five continents, and more than 75 countries. Today, she is the CEO of Aptamind Partners, a strategic consultancy, which combines hard data and decades of experience to advise governments, emerging destinations, and public and private organizations on sustainable tourism development. Previously she was the Managing Director of Tourism at NEO...
Nov 02, 2023•35 min
