213 | Party Ambulance

Bill Fanning is an Austin-based software leader turned hospitality-tech exec who's led revenue and sales across VC-backed, public, and PE-owned companies. After falling for the community-building power of restaurants and hotels, he brought his scale-with-discipline mindset to Stayntouch, a PMS for independent hotels and multi-property portfolios. Susan and Bill talk about tech rollouts without heartburn and career pivots with purpose. What You'll Learn About: • How different funding models shape company growth. • Why hotels and restaurants are the original social networks. • What drove Bill from social media into hospitality tech. • What it takes to roll out 140 hotels in 90 days. • Why culture change is harder than technology change. • Why listening beats talking in sales. • Why hospitality expertise matters in selling software. • How AI may reshape hotel tech—and where it falls short. • Why hotels resist new tech and how that's changing. • How hotel skills translate into careers beyond the industry. Our Top Three Takeaways 1. Hospitality as the Original Social Network Bill highlighted that long before digital platforms, restaurants and hotels served as true community builders—what he calls the "OG social media." These spaces create authentic human connection, culture, and shared experiences in ways that digital networks can't replicate. His career shift from social media technology into hospitality tech reignited his passion for building community through real-world venues. 2. Sales Skills Are Transferable, but Domain Expertise Matters While strong sales fundamentals—communication, listening, negotiation—apply across industries, selling strategic hospitality software requires a deep understanding of hotel operations. Bill emphasized that hoteliers often underestimate the value of their own experience: running complex properties gives them an expertise that's far more difficult to teach than sales technique. He believes hospitality professionals can thrive in tech by pairing their domain knowledge with learned sales skills. 3. Tech Change Is About Culture, Not Just Software When hotels adopt new property management systems (PMS), the biggest hurdle isn't the technology itself but the cultural change required to embrace new processes. Intuitive design, hands-on training, and creating internal champions are key to adoption. Looking ahead, Bill predicts AI will accelerate tech development, but he cautions against replacing human support with bots too quickly—hospitality still depends on personal, human connection.   Bill Fanning on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/billfanning1/ Stayntouch https://www.stayntouch.com/ Other Episodes You May Like:  103: Comedy Legend Thwarted with Jeanelle Johnson https://www.topfloorpodcast.com/episode/103 133: Stranded in the Rain with Frank Reeves https://www.topfloorpodcast.com/episode/133 98: Snapped Tow Rope with Craig Everett https://www.topfloorpodcast.com/episode/98