In this episode, David Millili and Steve Carran sit down with Rocco Bova, founder of the Summit Latinoamericano Branded Residences, to discuss the future of hospitality in Mexico and Latin America, the growth of luxury branded residences, and the importance of human connection in the guest experience.

With a career spanning international hospitality brands such as Jumeirah, Four Seasons, Hilton, Aman, and St. Regis, Rocco shares how his global experiences shaped his leadership philosophy and inspired him to launch hospitality-focused summits and challenge traditional approaches to industry education.

In This Episode, You'll Learn About:

• How working across different countries and cultures shapes better hospitality leaders and strengthens people-management skills.
• Why hospitality education needs to evolve to attract younger generations through shorter, more practical training programs.
• What is driving the growth of branded residences in Mexico and what developers and investors need to understand about these business models.
• Why Mexico presents significant opportunities for luxury hospitality development and investment.
• How hotels can build financial resilience and prepare for economic uncertainty without relying primarily on workforce reductions.

Watch the FULL EPISODE on YouTube: https://youtu.be/OYtV98L5C18

Links:
Rocco on LinkedIn: https://mx.linkedin.com/in/roccobova
Summit Latinoamericano Branded Residences: https://sumexhosp.com/

For full show notes head to: https://themodernhotelier.com/episode/343

Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-..

Join the conversation on today's episode on The Modern Hotelier LinkedIn page

Connect with Steve and David:
Steve: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E...
David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-mil.

How do hotel financing decisions impact profitability, deal viability, and investment opportunities?

In this episode, hosts Steve Carran and David Millili sit down with Ryan Bosch, Principal at Arriba Capital, to explore the financial realities shaping today’s hospitality industry.

Ryan shares his unconventional journey from building a multimillion-dollar professional paintball business to becoming a hotel capital markets advisor. He explains how lenders evaluate hotel financial statements, why refinancing based on predictions of lower interest rates can be risky, and how branded and independent hotels compare when it comes to financing and profitability.

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

• How lenders evaluate hotel P&Ls, NOI, insurance, taxes, and capital expenditures
• Branded vs. independent hotels: financing, fees, and flexibility
• Why office-to-hotel conversions are creating new investment opportunities
• The common reasons hotel deals fail and how to build a stronger business plan
• What investors need before pursuing hotel financing

Watch the FULL EPISODE on YouTube: https://youtu.be/0jZdlGMqB_Q

Links:
Ryan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-bosch-0b42308
Arriba Capital: https://www.arribacapital.com/

For full show notes head to: https://themodernhotelier.com/episode/342

Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-..

Join the conversation on today's episode on The Modern Hotelier LinkedIn page

Connect with Steve and David:
Steve: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E...
David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-mil.

How can hotels use technology, AI, and better Wi-Fi to improve guest experience?

In this episode, David Millili and Steve Carran sit down with Hannah Greenberg, CEO of Eleven, to explore the future of hospitality technology, hotel operations, entrepreneurship, and what it truly takes to deliver exceptional guest service.

Hannah shares her journey from working at a hotel front desk at just 16 years old to acquiring Eleven through entrepreneurship through acquisition. With experience in hotel operations, real estate development, private equity, and hospitality software, she explains why successful hotel technology is about more than just implementing new products. She also discusses the importance of cybersecurity, loyalty enrollment, modernizing legacy hotel systems, and balancing technology investments with other capital expenditures. She shares practical advice for hotel owners and hospitality leaders on evaluating technology solutions, embracing fresh perspectives, and building a culture where people and service come first.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why hotel Wi-Fi is essential infrastructure for guest satisfaction, cybersecurity, and hotel operations.
• How AI is transforming hotel bookings, hospitality technology, and guest service expectations.
• Why adding more hotel technology products doesn't automatically solve operational problems.
• The importance of evaluating AI solutions and improving interoperability across hotel brands’ technology stacks.
• What makes hospitality successful through people, empathy, accountability, and exceptional service

This episode is sponsored by Eleven: https://www.elevensoftware.com/

Watch the FULL EPISODE on YouTube: https://youtu.be/fbmbOuLJ7-c

Links:
Hannah on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannahgreenberg
Eleven: https://www.elevensoftware.com/

For full show notes head to: https://themodernhotelier.com/episode/340

Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-..

Join the conversation on today's episode on The Modern Hotelier LinkedIn page

Connect with Steve and David:
Steve: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E...
David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-mil.

On this episode of The Modern Hotelier Hospitality Hot Topics, Steve Carran and David Millili sit down with Christopher Ahlgrim from Preferred Travel Group to talk about the latest news and trends in hospitality.

They kick things off with a look at Astound Ventures’ new $30 million investment fund and Dormakaba’s acquisition of Alliants, and what these moves could mean for hotel technology and the guest experience. They also get into why travelers are still hesitant to book hotels through social media, especially with AI making it easier to create misleading photos and content.

Chris also talks about how AI is changing the way travelers find hotels, why keeping website rates competitive matters, and how hotels can protect their margins while encouraging more direct bookings.

If you work in hospitality or want to keep up with what’s happening in the hotel industry, this episode is packed with useful insights and real-world perspectives.

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

• Burt and Alex Cabañas launch Astound Ventures
• Dormaka buys Alliants
• Consumer Hesitance with Booking Travel Via Social Media
• We were just at IHS, favorite talk or experience
• What is new at Preferred?

Watch the FULL EPISODE on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Ok2q5QSt_UU

Links:
Christopher on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherahlgrim
Preferred Travel Group: https://preferredtravelgroup.com/

For full show notes head to: https://themodernhotelier.com/episode/339

Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-..

Join the conversation on today's episode on The Modern Hotelier LinkedIn page

Connect with Steve and David:
Steve: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E...
David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-mil.

Is your hotel lost in the "AI pilot trap"?

In this episode recorded live at AI Washington, D.C., David and Steve sit down with Sajid Shariff, Founder and CEO of Dextr AI, to discuss how multi-agent AI systems are shifting hospitality from simple chatbots to full-scale operational intelligence.

Sajid shares his journey from IIT Bombay and Stanford to building businesses across consulting, tech, and hospitality. He breaks down why single-point tech solutions are failing hoteliers, how Dextr AI automates everything from front desk lockouts and room reservations to tailored guest food-allergy workflows, and how voice AI is capturing missed direct-booking revenue.

Key Topics Covered:

• Why standard "one-size-fits-all" AI pilots fail and how forward-deployed, custom agent workflows deliver measurable bottom-line value.
• How intelligent voice AI picks up the ~40% of missed calls that normally end up on high-fee OTA platforms.
• Why AI agents should act as frontline "buddies" to remove busywork and let hospitality staff focus on the guest experience.
• How Dextr AI handles payment security, API encryption, and prompt injection defense to maintain guest trust.
• What the fully AI-supported, front-desk-free hotel of the future will look like.

Watch the FULL EPISODE on YouTube: https://youtu.be/8p6Yn0EYiPM

Links:
Sajid on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shariffsajid
Dextr AI: https://www.dextr.ai/

For full show notes head to: https://themodernhotelier.com/episode/338

Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-..

Join the conversation on today's episode on The Modern Hotelier LinkedIn page

Connect with Steve and David:
Steve: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E...
David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-mil.

What can a modern revenue management system (RMS) actually do for an independent hotel?

In this episode, David Millili sits down with Steve Taft, VP of Partnerships at ampliphi RMS, and Tim Kolman, VP of Sales at ampliphi RMS, to discuss how modern revenue management systems are helping independent hotels compete with larger brands.

For many 40-room independent hotels, revenue management is still something owners and operators handle at the end of a long day. From check-ins and check-outs to laundry, breakfast, maintenance, and guest service, there is often little time left for analyzing demand and optimizing room rates.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why independent hotels have historically been underserved by hospitality technology
• How a 40-room independent hotel can approach hotel pricing and revenue management
• Why legacy RMS technology created the perception that revenue management requires extensive manpower
• The difference between an all-in-one hotel technology stack and a best-in-breed technology strategy

If you're a hotel owner, general manager, revenue manager, hospitality technology professional, or independent hotel operator interested in hotel revenue optimization, RMS technology, AI for hotels, dynamic pricing, RevPAR, commercial strategy, and independent hotel technology, this episode is for you.

Watch the FULL EPISODE on YouTube: https://youtu.be/bmg2EWB-8NU

Links:
Steve on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevetaft/
Tim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tkolman/
ampliphi RMS: https://www.getampliphi.com/

For full show notes head to: https://themodernhotelier.com/episode/337

Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-..

Join the conversation on today's episode on The Modern Hotelier LinkedIn page

Connect with Steve and David:
Steve: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E...
David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-mil.

roommaster is evolving—and the future of hotel technology is all about modernization, flexibility, and helping hoteliers work smarter.

In this episode, recorded at the Independent Hotel Show Miami, Steve Carran sits down with Mark Bloomquist, Chief Revenue Officer, and Steven Burman, Director of Sales at roommaster, to discuss how the 30-year-old hospitality technology platform is being reimagined for the next generation of hoteliers.

They explore what “modern” really means in hotel technology, why hoteliers are looking for more unified platforms, and how roommaster is combining PMS functionality with revenue management, reporting, AI, integrations, and human support.

The conversation also dives into the growing role of AI in hospitality, not as a replacement for hotel staff, but as a way to automate repetitive tasks and free teams to focus more on guest experience. Mark and Steven also explain why human account management and personalized support remain critical as technology continues to evolve.

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• How roommaster has evolved after 30 years in hospitality
• What “modern” hotel technology actually means
• Why hoteliers want all-in-one platforms and seamless integrations
• Where AI belongs in the hotel guest journey
• Who roommaster is designed to serve

Watch the FULL EPISODE on YouTube: https://youtu.be/gSHANsDJSmw

Links:
Mark on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-bloomquist-a7a4639/
Steve on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenburman99/
roommaster: https://www.roommaster.com/

For full show notes head to: https://themodernhotelier.com/episode/336

Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-..

Join the conversation on today's episode on The Modern Hotelier LinkedIn page

Connect with Steve and David:
Steve: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E...
David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-mil.