How can hotels use AI and location intelligence to attract new guests instead of spending marketing dollars on travelers who were already planning to book?

In this special HITEC edition of The Modern Hotelier, David Millili sits down with Evan Saunders, who shares how Azira is helping hotels rethink marketing through AI-powered location intelligence and attribution. Rather than focusing on vanity metrics like inflated return on ad spend, Evan explains how hotels can identify untapped travelers, win guests away from competitors, and measure the true impact of their campaigns.

The conversation also explores the evolving role of OTAs, the importance of guest journey marketing, World Cup travel strategies, and why hotels should prioritize experience-driven campaigns over generic discounts and promotions.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How AI and location intelligence help hotels attract new guests
• Why traditional hotel marketing metrics can be misleading
• The power of foot traffic attribution and booking-channel-agnostic measurement
• Why experience-focused advertising outperforms discount-driven campaigns

Watch the FULL EPISODE on YouTube: https://youtu.be/79-_nfYS2Xg

Links:
Evan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evansaunders/
Azira: https://azira.com/

For full show notes head to: https://themodernhotelier.com/episode/306

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 eliminate spreadsheets, improve financial transparency, and strengthen relationships with owners?

In this special HITEC episode of The Modern Hotelier, David Millili and Steve Carran sit down with Brian McGeown, General Manager of Owner Relations, to discuss how technology is transforming owner accounting and financial reporting in hospitality.

Brian shares the biggest challenges hotels face with traditional owner accounting workflows, why real-time financial transparency is becoming essential, and how automation helps management companies save time while improving accuracy. The conversation also explores seamless PMS integrations, branded owner portals, portfolio scalability, and the future of owner reporting as hotel organizations continue to grow.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why spreadsheets create risk in owner accounting
• The importance of real-time financial transparency
• How automation reduces manual work and owner support requests
• Scaling owner accounting across multi-property portfolios
• Trends shaping the future of hospitality financial reporting

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

Links:
Brian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-mcgeown-a0390213/
Owner Relations Technology: https://www.ownerrelations.com/

For full show notes head to: https://themodernhotelier.com/episode/305

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.

In this special HITEC episode of The Modern Hotelier, David Millili and Steve Carran sit down with Kevin Bidner, Founder and CEO of HCN (Hotel Communication Network), to discuss how in-room tablets are reshaping the guest experience and driving new revenue opportunities for hotels.

Kevin shares HCN's journey from startup to industry leader, explaining why guest room tablets are becoming an essential communication platform for hotels. The conversation explores how interactive tablets improve guest engagement, increase room service revenue, reduce operational costs, and create personalized experiences through AI-powered concierge services. Kevin also reveals HCN's innovative revenue-sharing model that allows hotels to deploy tablets at no upfront cost while earning recurring income through network promotions.

Key Topics:

• HCN's growth and acquisition of Crave
• Why in-room tablets outperform hotel apps
• Increasing ancillary revenue and operational savings
• HCN's free-to-hotel revenue-sharing model
• The future of hospitality technology showcased at HITEC

Watch the FULL EPISODE on YouTube: https://youtu.be/9xA-wYZ5DGk

Links:
Kevin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbidner/
The Hotel Communication Network Inc.: https://hcn-inc.com/

For full show notes head to: https://themodernhotelier.com/episode/304

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.