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.

The best guest experiences don’t come from SOPs. Hotels invest in training programs, but the moments guests talk about long after checkout are rarely the ones anyone planned for. Miru Schuurman, Guest Performance & Product Quality Manager at Amrâth Hotels, shares how too much structure can create staff that sticks to scripts instead of reading rooms, and what that can cost you on OTA ratings.

Is it time we thought about the PMS as profit, not property management? Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) represents nearly 20,000 hotel owners who operate 60% of all hotels in the US. Mews has recently become AAHOA’s official PMS. The association’s Chairman, Kamalesh (KP) Patel, joins Matt to talk about the partnership’s impact, along with why technology is now a profit decision, especially if you’re an independent hotelier.

What makes your guests return? And why do some stays become stories people keep telling instead of just rating? Guido Lips has the answers to this. He is the Co-founder and Head of Guest Experience and Culture at The July, a group of unique aparthotels that blend hotel service with the feeling of living in a neighborhood. Guido joins Matt to talk aparthotels, mindful check-ins and what it takes to make guests feel like they belong.

This hotel doesn’t have a lobby, but it also doesn’t need one. Scattered around Amsterdam's canals, 28 abandoned bridge keeper houses have been transformed into SWEETS hotel, a collection of standalone suites. Suzanne Oxenaar, SWEETS' Curator and Artistic Director, shares how the hotel came to life and how technology helps manage rooms when they’re spread across the entire city.

De L’Europe Amsterdam recently became the first hotel in the Netherlands to earn a record three MICHELIN Keys. Open since 1896, De L’Europe Amsterdam carries a long history. What makes it stand out? And what comes with running the landmark everyone measures themselves against? De L’Europe’s Managing Director Robert-Jan Woltering talks heritage, luxury and the kind of hospitality that keeps a hotel at the top.

How do you grow from one hotel into a group and don’t become a rigid chain? Inge Decuypere, Owner of C-Hotels, breaks down the operational choices and technology decisions that enabled their growth from a single property to a multi-hotel group along the Belgian coast. Inge also shares how walking away from a global franchise meant gaining control over their own operations, without sacrificing the occupancy they'd built.

Vicky Irwin has spent over six years shaping how Mews looks, sounds and feels as the company's Creative Director. In light of Mews launching a new identity, she joins Matt to talk about branding in hospitality. What is a brand when you strip away the logo? What makes hotels feel disconnected from their own identity? And when does a rebrand become necessary? Listen in.

Can a hotel brand successfully scale while building social impact into its business model? The Social Hub, now certified as a B Corp, is built on the belief that a hotel can serve its city as much as its guests. The Social Hub’s Founder and CEO, Charlie MacGregor, shares what it takes to keep profit high and purpose alive as the company scales.

Hotels have spent years trying to convince guests to skip daily cleaning through towel reuse signs, drink vouchers or loyalty points. Having run large city hotels, Floris Licht saw firsthand how none of those ever worked. He ended up founding Hotels for Trees, a non-profit that turns skipped room cleans into forests. One skipped clean –⁠ one tree planted, with over 800 thousand trees planted so far. Floris joins Matt to explain how Hotels for Trees fits into hotel operations, from door hangers to the digital guest journey with Mews.

When hotel GMs receive hundreds of emails from software vendors claiming to be the best, judging new tech becomes difficult. That exact problem led to Hotel Tech Report, one of hospitality’s most-trusted review platforms. Its co-founder Jordan Hollander joins Matt to talk about what goes into hotel tech buying decisions. The episode lands as Mews wins Best PMS for the third year in a row and Best POS at the 2026 HotelTechAwards, run by Hotel Tech Report.

Can a hotel run with one seventh of staff and still outperform its peers? Bob W is built for the modern traveler who wants the best of both worlds: the consistency and reliability of a hotel, with the space, utility and local feel of a short-stay apartment. But what truly sets Bob W apart is its software-first mindset. Niko Karstikko, Co-founder and CEO of Bob W, joins Matt to explain how Bob W blends apartments, hotels and automation into a new hospitality category.

Cocoons and capsules sit at the heart of Zedwell Hotels’ London city-centre vision, where rooms are designed around sleep, efficiency and the realities of urban life rather than tradition. In this episode, Matt speaks with Halima Aziz, Head of Hotels at Criterion Hospitality, which owns and operates Zedwell Hotels, about turning forgotten city spaces into some of London’s most profitable hotel real estate, all while removing TVs, kettles and even windows from the rooms.

Survival requires food and water, but spirit craves community. By building sports clubs inside refugee camps, KLABU creates places where people can gather, play and regain a sense of normal life amid displacement. KLABU’s founder Jan van Hövell explains how these clubhouses are set up in crisis zones, why sports help build communities and how KLABU and Mews are collaborating to support indigenous Venezuelan refugees in Boa Vista, Brazil.

What can the hospitality industry expect in 2026? Especially given the rapid development of AI and the fact that a third of travelers already use LLMs to search and get travel inspiration. Wouter Geerts, Director of Market Research at Mews, joins Matt to break down the 2026 Hospitality Industry Outlook report, shaped by conversations with 18 industry experts, including hoteliers, tech vendors, consultants and investors. You’ll hear about the changing AI use cases in hotels, new guest behavior patterns and what determines which hotels get surfaced and booked in 2026.

From the archives* Rogier Braakman from Net OS and Mr. Green Offices joins Matt to talk occupancy, why offices have tolerated emptiness for decades, and what happens when you apply hotel logic to desks, pricing and space. Along the way, Rogier dives into what technology should handle, where people still matter, why hotel room desks are often a mistake, and how underused meeting rooms could become a serious revenue stream if hoteliers rethink how work actually happens today. *Note that this episode was originally released in March 2025.

From the archives* Matt sits down with Alexander Edström, founder of Atomize RMS, a Mews Company, to dive into the world of revenue optimization. They explore how revenue management software can help hotels of all sizes, the state of RMS adoption in hospitality and the undeniable revenue uplift these systems provide. Note that this episode was originally released in February 2025.

For this end-of-year special, Matt is joined by Mews founder Richard Valtr. Except this time around, they both ask each other questions. What was the first app they opened this morning? What advice have they ignored? What decision looked smart at the time but almost broke the company? From there, they talk about the drivers behind great hotels, the core of hospitality and the 13 years of working together to shape Mews into what it is today.

How do you build a revenue strategy for a hotel that melts away every spring? When the temperatures fall in Finland, Maria Mänty, Sales Director at Snowhotel Family, and her team shape memorable stays out of snow, freezing nights and the glow of the Northern Lights. They build extraordinary ice rooms, set up ice sculpture workshops and even snow saunas. Maria joins Matt to talk about what it takes to keep their Arctic SnowHotel & Glass Igloos thriving when what you sell only exists for a few months of the year.

Armen Melkonian was forced to flee war-torn Syria and then Lebanon, until he rebuilt his life from scratch in the Netherlands through UNHCR’s resettlement programme. He opens up about finding safety as a member of the LGBTIQ+ community, the challenges of acclimatizing to a foreign culture and how his experiences shaped a deeply personal approach to service. To Armen, hospitality starts with something small –⁠ a greeting, a moment of acknowledgment, the thing that tells someone they’re no longer invisible.

A five-star hotel and a Michelin-starred restaurant that welcome dogs? There’s a big difference between a hotel that embraces pets and one that simply tolerates them. Dean Culpan, General Manager of South Place Hotel in London, has built a dog-friendly approach that even drives more revenue: fuller weekends, higher on-property spend and loyal guests who return because their pets are treated well. He joins Matt to talk about rising demand for pet-friendly stays and how his team delivers a luxury experience for both guests and their fluffy companions.

When Luka Berger landed a summer job as a housekeeper at Yellowstone National Park, he didn’t expect it to inspire his whole career trajectory. But seeing staff juggle walkie-talkies and race between rooms to remain on top of housekeeping tasks ultimately sparked the idea behind Flexkeeping. In this episode, Luka shares how Flexkeeping, now part of Mews, uses AI to automate time-consuming housekeeping tasks and break down language barriers.

AI in hospitality so far meant chatbots and big promises, while hotel teams still worked using manual checklists and post-it notes. Matt talks about the rise of AI agents and how the next wave will move fast for hotels built on the right tech stack. He explains why Mews acquired DataChat and how its technology brings a new kind of intelligence into hotel operations, one that listens, learns and acts.

When Maurits Bots stepped into the Hotel ICT Specialist role at WestCord Hotels, some properties still ran on legacy systems. Others used Mews like the old PMS. He didn’t set out to replace tools, but rather to rebuild how the work gets done. “The fact that somebody has to check every reservation – that time has passed”, Maurits says, as he joins Matt to talk about what it takes to automate the everyday without slowing anyone down.

Staff turnover in hotels is up to 70-80%, as Matthew Parker, Senior Manager of Talent Acquisition at Mews, points out. Between that and outdated recruitment and retention methods, many hotels are stuck in a loop of constant rehiring. Matthew joins Matt to discuss what it takes to attract and hire the best people in hospitality. They talk about the most effective recruitment channels, using AI in hiring and focusing on trial shifts over case studies.

When AMANO Group asked independent turnaround consultant Mirco Weber to review their hotel accounting processes, it didn’t take long to see the problem ran deeper. He found that the entire tech stack needed rebuilding, including the PMS. That shift triggered both a systems and a concept change, as AMANO rolled out Mews and rethought how guests are welcomed, including removing the reception desk at some of their hotels. Matt sits down with Mirco to hear how they pulled it off.

We’re celebrating. Matt Talks Hospitality turns one and hands over the mic to Ella McCann-Tomlin, VP of ESG at Mews. On this 50th episode special, Matt is the guest. He shares how the podcast began as a creative spark during a rough patch, how it turned into a weekly ritual, and what he learned from fifty weeks of honest conversations with hoteliers and industry leaders. Along the way, Ella gets Matt’s podcasting tips and tricks as she gears up to launch her own show, The Future is Human.

No Wi-Fi, a cold shower and a power outage topped with a frog jumping in his face. That’s what greeted Jason Noronha in a budget guesthouse in Goa and inspired him to open his own hostel. Years later, frustrated by disconnected hotel systems, Jason created D3x, a platform powered by AI agents that route guest messages from any channel straight to the right hotel system. Today, Jason joins Matt to share how it all works.

Hotels count rooms, hostels count beds. But as hotel commercial performance and technology consultant Diogo Vaz Ferreira explains, that doesn’t mean hostel revenue management is simpler. Quite the opposite. Where they do differ is their approach to tech. With younger tech-savvy guests expecting instant service, hostels are innovating rapidly and building lighter, faster, more connected tech stacks. Which might just offer a preview of where hospitality tech is heading.

Hospitality is at its best when everything just works. That’s the idea behind the very first Mews Summer Release, aptly named Smooth Operations. It's a bundle of new Mews features intended to make hotel operations (and stays) smoother. Think guest ID & selfie collection, wallet-based room keys, guest lifetime value insights and automatic payment routing, among others. Adam Britton, Product Director at Mews, joins Matt to talk it all through.

What happens when you hire for personality? That’s how Staypineapple built a culture where staff aren’t afraid to be themselves at the front desk, where genuine interactions win over guests and where hospitality feels authentic, not scripted. The hotel group’s president Dina Belon explains how that same culture kept the staff resilient when Staypineapple overhauled most of its tech stack – PMS, POS, CRM, housekeeping and guest communication tools. Learn more about the podcast here: http...

Michael Coscetta, President of Mews, knows how to build and scale global business teams in high-growth industries. He also spends about half of every year staying in hotels, which makes him an expert on loyalty programs from the guest perspective. In this episode, Michael joins Matt to talk points: are they still relevant, and do they have anything to do with loyalty? Learn more about the podcast here: https://hubs.ly/Q0350wrf0 #hoteltech #hospitalitypodcast #mews #hotelmanagementsystem #pms ...

Charlie Delamare knows hotel operations inside out. Before joining Mews, he was a hotelier himself, dealing with the same manual tasks every hospitality team faces. In this episode, Charlie and Matt discuss how AI tools like ChatGPT are already lightening the load for hotel teams. Think scheduling staff rotas without the spreadsheet pain, replying to reviews and guest emails in any language or staff onboarding that’s quick and interactive. Learn more about the podcast here: https://hubs.ly/Q0...

It’s mid-afternoon and the reception line is growing. Guests are restless, and staff are heads down just trying to keep up. Sound familiar? In this episode, Matt uncovers why lines really build up—and how smart tech keeps arrivals and departures flowing without overloading the front desk.Learn more about the podcast here: https://hubs.ly/Q0350wrf0 #hoteltech #hospitalitypodcast #mews #hotelmanagementsystem #pms #hotelrevenue 0:00 Introduction 0:46 Identifying check-in spikes &nbsp...

Rebecca Lane knows every inch of Paradise Resort. Having first served breakfast, 15 years later, she’s now running revenue across the entire property. Rebecca’s seen the resort transform from outdated systems and long check-in lines to one of the best rated family resorts in Australia. In this episode, she tells Matt how better tech and a shift in focus helped the team stop chasing room revenue and look at the full picture, leading to more efficiency and revenue. Learn more about the podcast ...

Claudia Meglin, Director of CMC Hospitality Software, has seen it all – botched migrations, bloated rate plans and hotels that swap systems without fixing what’s actually broken. In this episode, she joins Matt to unpack why so many PMS projects go off the rails, how to prepare your teams for go-live day and what smart hoteliers do before even touching their tech stack. Learn more about the podcast here: https://hubs.ly/Q0350wrf0 #hoteltech #hospitalitypodcast #mews #hotelmanagementsystem #pm...

Have we over-engineered the basics in hotels? Bashar Wali, Founder of Practice Hospitality and This Assembly, argues that true hospitality is human-led even as automation, AI and dynamic pricing become the norm. The tools may evolve, but the heart of great service stays the same. Bashar explains what hotels should protect as they modernize. Learn more about the podcast here: https://hubs.ly/Q0350wrf0 #hoteltech #hospitalitypodcast #mews #hotelmanagementsystem #pms 0:00 – Introduction &n...

AI chatbots are flooding the hotel tech space, but which of them actually deliver? In this episode, Matt puts the spotlight on the top 4 AI chatbots on Mews Marketplace and asks the founders to pitch their products. You'll hear from Evan Chen (Akia), Jeremy Atlan (Duve), Michiel de Vor (Runnr.ai) and Tiago Araújo (HiJiffy). Learn more about the podcast here: https://hubs.ly/Q0350wrf0 #hoteltech #hospitalitypodcast #mews #hotelmanagementsystem #pms 0:00 - Introduction to AI chatbots in hospita...

Matt doesn’t usually talk sports, but Wimbledon made him break his own rule. In this episode, he looks at how the tournament’s mix of tradition, innovation and excellence mirrors serving in hospitality. Anticipating needs before they appear. Turning every detail into a moment guests remember. Building dedicated teams and performing under pressure. Hotels and tennis might look different, yet they share a lot of the same values. Tune in. Learn more about the podcast here: https://hubs.ly/Q0350w...

It’s a time when hotels are short on staff. Costs are up. Talent’s scarce. How do you keep things running without burning out your team – or affecting the guest experience? In this episode, Matt gets into the real talk: what actually works when you have to do more with less and which parts of the job are best handled by technology and AI. Learn more about the podcast here: https://hubs.ly/Q0350wrf0 #hoteltech #hospitalitypodcast #mews #hotelmanagementsystem #pms 0:00 - What we're seeing in th...

Hotels love to talk data. But what does that look like in making pricing and revenue decisions? In this episode, Matt sits down with Henry Blackman, Director of Product GTM Strategy at Mews, to talk about data and testing as a fuel for smarter revenue strategies. They break down why it’s better to test and learn in the real world than to guess around a meeting table, why you don’t need perfect data to act and why knowing your guests is the foundation of good pricing and packaging. Learn more ...

Ett Hem, a beautiful hotel in Sweden, is one of Matt's favorites and for good reason. Ever stayed at a hotel that feels like home? Creating a homey feeling for guests is top priority for Ett Hem. Matt talks to Nicole Torbiörnsson, Director of Sales and Reservations at the hotel, who shares what their staff does to turn every stay into something personal and memorable. Learn more about the podcast here: https://hubs.ly/Q0350wrf0 #hoteltech #hospitalitypodcast #mews #hotelmanagementsystem #pms ...

Matt talks to Ryan Tomlinson, VP of Product and Engineering for Platform Enablement at Mews, about what it takes to keep a global hotel platform reliable and secure. He explains how the team utilizes cloud infrastructure, protects customer data and builds tools that help developers move fast – all so hotels can scale without disruption. Learn more about the podcast here: https://hubs.ly/Q0350wrf0 #hoteltech #hospitalitypodcast #mews #hotelmanagementsystem #pms

Is there joy in PMS migration? There can be, when it's done right. In this episode, Matt talks to Manisha Athukorala, VP of Deployment and Customer Success at Mews, about the secrets behind what really makes switching to a new PMS successful. Hear how flexible training, smart use of AI and strong partnerships help hotels stay on track while everything behind the scenes changes. Learn more about the podcast here: https://hubs.ly/Q0350wrf0 #hoteltech #hospitalitypodcast #mews #hotelmanagement...

Joshua Edwards (Penta Hotels), a seasoned hotelier, shares how a major cyber attack, coinciding with the birth of his son became a turning point for his hotel’s cybersecurity. In response, they rebuilt their strategy around six core pillars: protect, prevent, detect, respond, recover, and review. The overhaul included a new IT team, staff training to spot phishing, and tools like two-factor authentication and password managers. Key takeaway: sharing lessons from past breaches can drive real p...

In this episode Matt talks to leadership consultant Joe Pettigrew about investment strategies. They delve into various approaches to investing, sharing insights and experiences to guide viewers in making informed financial decisions. Hear their perspectives on navigating the investment landscape and what to be focusing on for 2025. Learn more about the podcast here: https://hubs.ly/Q0350wrf0 #hoteltech #hospitalitypodcast #mews #hotelmanagementsystem #hoteltech #RMS #guestexperience #luxury...