In this episode, David Millili and Steve Carran sit down with Elle Rustique, Founder and CEO of TipBrightly—a FinTech company revolutionizing tipping through easy, cashless, app-free technology. Inspired by her mother, a hotel housekeeper, Elle turned a personal story into a mission to create more equity, gratitude, and recognition for frontline hospitality workers.

Elle shares her journey from education and entrepreneurship to launching TipBrightly in Silicon Valley, the challenges of breaking into hospitality tech without prior industry experience, and how cashless tipping is helping hotels improve employee morale, retention, and guest satisfaction. She also discusses the power of data, future trends in digital tipping, and offers advice for aspiring hospitality entrepreneurs.

From heartfelt stories about how tipping changed employees’ lives, to practical insights on navigating long sales cycles and industry adoption, this conversation is both inspiring and thought-provoking.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• How a personal story inspired the creation of TipBrightly
• Challenges of entering the hospitality tech space as a first-time founder
• The role of tipping in boosting retention and recognition in hotels
• Trends shaping the future of cashless tipping and guest engagement
• Elle’s advice for entrepreneurs looking to innovate in hospitality

Watch the FULL EPISODE on YouTube: https://youtu.be/vCHaugoSD-k

This episode is sponsored by TipBrightly: https://tipbrightly.com/
 

Join the conversation on today's episode on The Modern Hotelier LinkedIn page
The Modern Hotelier is produced, edited, and published by Make More Media

Links:
Elle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erustique/
TipBrightly: https://tipbrightly.com/

For full show notes head to: https://themodernhotelier.com/episode/203

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

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