Matt Talks Hospitality: Real conversations for innovative hoteliers

98% of hoteliers use AI. Few use it well. They’re still plugging in tools that don't really understand how their property operates. Madeline Bushbeck understands this better than anyone, as she leads the strategy and roadmap for agentic AI product initiatives at Mews. Madeline joins Matt to talk about AI strategy in hospitality: where to start, what to automate, what to keep human and how to make AI work the way your property needs it to.

The PMS has been at the heart of every hotel for decades. Has it changed at all? What does the next generation PMS look like? Some of hospitality’s most well-known voices, Ira Vouk and Simone Puorto, join Matt to trace the full arc of hotel tech: why big brands are stuck on legacy systems, why hoteliers keep picking the wrong PMS and what every hotelier should ask before signing their next contract.

Matt arrived at an 800-room Marriott and ended up in a line that went out the door. In this episode, he breaks down what he'd do differently if he were running that front desk today. You’ll hear about the best housekeeping practices, early check-in charges, kiosks, online check-in and how all of it works together to shrink lines and drive revenue at the same time.

When Gorjan Lazarov became the CEO of OREA Hotels & Resorts in 2016, direct bookings were at zero and guests chose the brand mainly for its locations. Ten years and 20 hotels later, guest ratings are through the roof and 60% of revenue comes in through OREA’s own platform. Gorjan shares how the group rebuilt its culture, utilized innovative tech and turned OREA into one of the Czech Republic’s most beloved hotel brands.

Hotels have always been in the business of trust: guests hand over their passports, their credit cards, their personal information and expect it to be safe. But this industry is a prime target for cybercrime. What are some of the most common threats to data security in hospitality and how can hoteliers protect against them? Matt talks to CISO/Security expert Fleur van Leusden and Terry Brown, Senior Director of Engineering at Mews.