Hospitality Daily Podcast

By Josiah MackenzieSociety & Culture Business Places & Travel

Hospitality Daily Podcast episodes

October 23How I Think About AI as a Hotel CFO - Paul Mengacci, Desert Hospitality Management
In this episode, Paul Mengacci, Chief Financial Officer at Desert Hospitality Management, shares a finance leader's view of where AI fits in a hotel business. He explains why his team is adding AI Insights for Hotel Effectiveness, why the bigger payoff with AI is getting hotel managers away from their computers, and how more time with team members and guests shows up in bottom-line results.
Learn more about Paul Mengacci on LinkedIn
More with Paul:
How We Turn Hotel Revenue Into Bottom-Line Profit
How I Learned to See the Whole Hotel Business
Mentioned in this episode: Actabl AI for hotels

A few more resources:
If you're new to Hospitality Daily, start here.
You can send me a message here with questions, comments, or guest suggestions
If you want to get my summary and actionable insights from each episode delivered to your inbox each day, subscribe here for free.
Follow Hospitality Daily and join the conversation on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
If you want to advertise on Hospitality Daily, here are the ways we can work together.
If you found this episode interesting or helpful, send it to someone on your team so you can turn the ideas into action and benefit your business and the people you serve!
Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands
10 min
October 22How We Turn Hotel Revenue Into Bottom-Line Profit - Paul Mengacci, Desert Hospitality Management
In this episode, Paul Mengacci, Chief Financial Officer at Desert Hospitality Management, shares how his teams evaluate different types of business, connect forecasts to operating decisions, and use lessons from the results to improve the next forecast. He also shares why better training and deeper use of technology can help improve profitability.
Learn more about Paul Mengacci on LinkedIn
Mentioned in this episode:
Paul on Actabl’s webinar: From Momentum to Margin: The H1 Hotel Profitability Story
Actabl’s recap: H1 2026 Hotel Profitability: What Drove Revenue and Margin Growth
Actabl technology: ProfitSword and Hotel Effectiveness

A few more resources:
If you're new to Hospitality Daily, start here.
You can send me a message here with questions, comments, or guest suggestions
If you want to get my summary and actionable insights from each episode delivered to your inbox each day, subscribe here for free.
Follow Hospitality Daily and join the conversation on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
If you want to advertise on Hospitality Daily, here are the ways we can work together.
If you found this episode interesting or helpful, send it to someone on your team so you can turn the ideas into action and benefit your business and the people you serve!
Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands
23 min
October 22How I Learned to See the Whole Hotel Business - Paul Mengacci, Desert Hospitality Management
In this episode, Paul Mengacci, Chief Financial Officer at Desert Hospitality Management, shares the experiences that taught him to see the whole hotel business. He reflects on his career in operations and finance, the people who helped him grow, and how those experiences shape the way he leads today.
Learn more: Paul Mengacci on LinkedIn

A few more resources:
If you're new to Hospitality Daily, start here.
You can send me a message here with questions, comments, or guest suggestions
If you want to get my summary and actionable insights from each episode delivered to your inbox each day, subscribe here for free.
Follow Hospitality Daily and join the conversation on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
If you want to advertise on Hospitality Daily, here are the ways we can work together.
If you found this episode interesting or helpful, send it to someone on your team so you can turn the ideas into action and benefit your business and the people you serve!
Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands
16 min
October 14AI-First Hotel Technology and the Art of Possibility - Kevin King, Shiji International
What does becoming an AI-first company make possible for hotels and their guests? Kevin King, CEO of Shiji International, shares how Shiji is building on years of investment in connected technology to develop AI with hotel companies, simplify complex workflows, and give teams more time with guests.
We discuss why Shiji took time to establish the right foundations for AI, how it's changing the way their teams build technology, and a late-checkout development example that shows what having work done for you could look like. Kevin also offers guidance on choosing technology partners and shares his vision for the "art of possibility": systems that learn how people need to work.
Learn more about the technology discussed:
Daylight PMS
Shiji Platform
Meridian Experiences
Read the article discussed: Shiji AI·R: Transitioning to an AI-First Hospitality Platform.
This episode is sponsored by Shiji International
A few more resources:
If you're new to Hospitality Daily, start here.
You can send me a message here with questions, comments, or guest suggestions
If you want to get my summary and actionable insights from each episode delivered to your inbox each day, subscribe here for free.
Follow Hospitality Daily and join the conversation on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
If you want to advertise on Hospitality Daily, here are the ways we can work together.
If you found this episode interesting or helpful, send it to someone on your team so you can turn the ideas into action and benefit your business and the people you serve!
Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands
39 min
October 13Cornell Professor and Hotel Owner: What Changed for Me - Chris Anderson
In this episode, Chris Anderson, the Professor and Area Chair of Services Management at the Cornell Nolan School of Hotel Administration, shares what he has learned as owner of a historic inn in Ithaca.
You'll hear why owning a property where most guests return year after year gave him a different perspective on pricing than others, why the inn closes during its slower periods so his team can travel and be with family, and what getting close to operations—then stepping back from it—taught him.
Listen to my earlier conversations with Chris:
Why Hotels Can't Wait on AI
What I've Learned About How Hotel Leaders Learn
More from Chris: ckanderson.com

A few more resources:
If you're new to Hospitality Daily, start here.
You can send me a message here with questions, comments, or guest suggestions
If you want to get my summary and actionable insights from each episode delivered to your inbox each day, subscribe here for free.
Follow Hospitality Daily and join the conversation on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
If you want to advertise on Hospitality Daily, here are the ways we can work together.
If you found this episode interesting or helpful, send it to someone on your team so you can turn the ideas into action and benefit your business and the people you serve!
Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands
11 min
October 12What I've Learned About How Hotel Leaders Learn - Chris Anderson, Cornell
In this episode, Chris Anderson, the Professor and Area Chair of Services Management at the Cornell Nolan School of Hotel Administration, shares what he's learned about how hotel leaders learn, from teaching both 20-year-old undergraduates and 65-year-old seasoned leaders. You'll hear how Chris keeps learning himself, why real learning is supposed to feel inefficient, and why AI is bringing hands-on, learn-by-doing skill-building back to leaders in their 40s, 50s, and 60s.
Chris's course: AI in Hospitality certificate (eCornell)
Listen to my earlier conversation with Chris: Why Hotels Can't Wait on AI
More from Chris: ckanderson.com

A few more resources:
If you're new to Hospitality Daily, start here.
You can send me a message here with questions, comments, or guest suggestions
If you want to get my summary and actionable insights from each episode delivered to your inbox each day, subscribe here for free.
Follow Hospitality Daily and join the conversation on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
If you want to advertise on Hospitality Daily, here are the ways we can work together.
If you found this episode interesting or helpful, send it to someone on your team so you can turn the ideas into action and benefit your business and the people you serve!
Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands
10 min
October 11Stewarding Little River Inn as a Fifth-Generation Innkeeper - Cally Coombs
In this episode, Cally Coombs, the fifth-generation innkeeper at Little River Inn, shares how her family's inn on California's Mendocino Coast keeps changing while remaining loved by locals and visitors alike. You'll hear why the bar stays exactly as it is while everything else is up for grabs, how a loyalty program for the rainy months brings guests back when the coast is quiet, and why giving your team real authority only works when they care enough to listen first.
Mentioned in this episode:
Little River Inn
Rain Chasers (the inn's program for stays from November to April)
Little River Inn Golf & Tennis
Little River Inn packages (including the Cioppino Dinner Package)
Pet-friendly stays at Little River Inn
Little River Inn dining and Ole's Whale Watch Bar
Visit Mendocino
Mendocino Coast Clinics (beneficiary of the Crab Cake Cook-Off)

A few more resources:
If you're new to Hospitality Daily, start here.
You can send me a message here with questions, comments, or guest suggestions
If you want to get my summary and actionable insights from each episode delivered to your inbox each day, subscribe here for free.
Follow Hospitality Daily and join the conversation on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
If you want to advertise on Hospitality Daily, here are the ways we can work together.
If you found this episode interesting or helpful, send it to someone on your team so you can turn the ideas into action and benefit your business and the people you serve!
Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands
34 min
September 30Why Hotel Guest Satisfaction Is Rising - Andrea Stokes, J.D. Power
Hotel guest satisfaction increased across every segment in J.D. Power's 2026 North America study. Andrea Stokes, Practice Lead, Hospitality Intelligence, explains what guests are noticing in rooms and shared spaces, why responsive human service still matters alongside mobile check-in, and what operators can learn from food and beverage. We also discuss how J.D. Power benchmarks large third-party hotel management companies.

Learn more:
2026 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study
2026 North America Third-Party Hotel Management Guest Satisfaction Benchmark
2023 conversation: How J.D. Power studies hotel guest satisfaction
2024 conversation: Changing guest expectations and hotel management

A few more resources:
If you're new to Hospitality Daily, start here.
You can send me a message here with questions, comments, or guest suggestions
If you want to get my summary and actionable insights from each episode delivered to your inbox each day, subscribe here for free.
Follow Hospitality Daily and join the conversation on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
If you want to advertise on Hospitality Daily, here are the ways we can work together.
If you found this episode interesting or helpful, send it to someone on your team so you can turn the ideas into action and benefit your business and the people you serve!
Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands
36 min
September 29Research: The State of AI in the Hotel Industry - Josiah Mackenzie
Today in Washington, DC, I shared findings from the State of Hotel AI research I ran with Nazpari Aydin for Destination AI. We surveyed hotel company leaders about how they feel about AI, where it's paying off today, and what's holding them back.
The research
State of Hotel AI: Fall 2026 findings
Take the survey to get the full benchmarking data set
Related episodes
Destination AI: How I Built the #1 Hospitality AI Event From Scratch (Nazpari Aydin)
Stop Guessing About AI. See What Hotel Leaders Are Actually Doing (Nazpari Aydin)
AI is the Tool. Mindset is the Operating System. Hospitality is the Outcome. (Danica Smith)
How Loews Hotels Puts AI to Work for Guests and Teams (Dan Kornick, Loews Hotels)

A few more resources:
If you're new to Hospitality Daily, start here.
You can send me a message here with questions, comments, or guest suggestions
If you want to get my summary and actionable insights from each episode delivered to your inbox each day, subscribe here for free.
Follow Hospitality Daily and join the conversation on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
If you want to advertise on Hospitality Daily, here are the ways we can work together.
If you found this episode interesting or helpful, send it to someone on your team so you can turn the ideas into action and benefit your business and the people you serve!
Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands
12 min
September 28AI is the Tool. Mindset is the Operating System. Hospitality is the Outcome. (Danica Smith)
AI is the tool, mindset is the operating system, and hospitality is the outcome. In this episode, Danica Smith, Guest Experience Correspondent at Hospitality Daily and founder of MorningStar GX, shares what this framework means for hospitality leaders: giving people the time and support to use AI, keeping experimentation focused on useful outcomes, and considering operational efficiency alongside team well-being and guest experience.
Read Danica’s article: You Cannot Automate Your Way Out Of Overwhelm
Listen to our previous conversation: Is AI Actually Improving Our Lives?

A few more resources:
If you're new to Hospitality Daily, start here.
You can send me a message here with questions, comments, or guest suggestions
If you want to get my summary and actionable insights from each episode delivered to your inbox each day, subscribe here for free.
Follow Hospitality Daily and join the conversation on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
If you want to advertise on Hospitality Daily, here are the ways we can work together.
If you found this episode interesting or helpful, send it to someone on your team so you can turn the ideas into action and benefit your business and the people you serve!
Music for this show is produced by Clay Bassford of Bespoke Sound: Music Identity Design for Hospitality Brands
20 min

About Hospitality Daily Podcast

From the publisher's feed

Stay informed and inspired to delight people and grow your business with daily conversations with interesting people doing interesting things. Hosted by Josiah Mackenzie.