Tackling Compliance and Regulation in Hospitality with Village Hotels, Mollies and SuperCity Aparthotels

At the HOSPA regional event in Manchester, hosted by Focus on Hospitality, we brought together three operators who are right at the sharp end of regulation, compliance and commercial pressure. With Rob McGlynn from Supercity Aparthotels, Kelly Cronin from Village Hotels and Matthew Bell from Mollie’s, we explore what it really takes to stay profitable, compliant and future-ready in a fast-shifting landscape.From Airbnb regulation and business rates to data privacy, AI and guest expectations, this is an honest, practical conversation about protecting your business without losing sight of what hospitality is actually about.What We Explore- The Uneven Playing Field: Why short-term lets, ghost kitchens and inconsistent regulation are creating a compliance tax for responsible operators.- Data, Direct and the Battle for Loyalty: How anonymised bookings, OTAs and fragmented systems are reshaping customer ownership.- Experience Over Everything: Why the real differentiator is still how you make people feel, even as AI and automation reshape operations.We hear how Supercity’s lean apart-hotel model is feeling the strain of rising business rates and wage increases, while campaigning for fairer regulation. Village Hotels shares the complexity of building a unified customer view across hotels, leisure clubs, co-working and retail, all while navigating data compliance and evolving guest expectations. Mollie’s brings the perspective of a challenger brand balancing value-led design, B Corp ambitions and the realities of scaling responsibly.There is frustration here, especially around short-term political thinking and the lack of long-term vision for hospitality. But there is also optimism. Whether it is using bots to remove admin so teams can focus on guests, rethinking loyalty, or doubling down on community and wellbeing, the message is clear. Compliance matters, but connection wins.Hoteliers' Voice is one of FeedSpot's top Hospitality Podcasts and is produced by Urban Podcasts.