Matt Talks Hospitality: Real conversations for innovative hoteliers

Choice Hotels is built around the idea that a franchisee is in business for themselves but never alone in it. That premise shaped the company that grew into one of the largest franchisors in hospitality. Raul Ramirez, Chief Segment and International Operations Officer at Choice Hotels International, tells Matt how technology supports that premise, and why he believes the next battle for hotels will be fought over distribution.

As Matt Talks Hospitality celebrates 2 years and 100 episodes, Mews CEO Matt Welle reflects on what all these conversations have taught him about innovative hospitality. He revisits his favorite stories of hoteliers who defy gravity and dare to do something different, and explores what drives their success. Matt also looks at the technology behind these hotels and the freedom it gives hoteliers to build the concept that sets them apart.

Hospitality is still working out its relationship with AI, embracing it where it saves time and holding back where it touches the guest. Catherina Gioino, a News Editor at Fortune covering AI and technology, brings an outside read on where that technology helps and where it falls short. She joins Matt for a view on where the industry stands and what AI is doing to the way people find, book and experience a hotel.

Can your staff keep up with guest messages and requests? Most hotels would say no. Messages scatter across five or six apps, and by the time someone replies, the guest has moved on. Guest Messaging and Automations, two new AI-powered Mews features, intend to fix that. Adam Britton, Director of Product and Engineering at Mews, joins Matt to explain how.

Digital room keys are increasingly replacing the classic physical keycard, with more hotels handing guests a key that lives in their phone wallet instead of a piece of plastic at the desk. Mews and Vingcard, an ASSA ABLOY company, are part of that shift, having launched a partnership to offer native wallet-based room access. Tess Mattisson, Vice President and Head of Product for Hospitality at ASSA ABLOY, joins Matt to talk about the partnership, the tech behind wallet-based keys and the future of hotel locks.