Matt Talks Hospitality: Real conversations for innovative hoteliers

As Matt Talks Hospitality celebrates 2 years and 100 episodes, Mews CEO Matt Welle reflects on what all these conversations have taught him about innovative hospitality. He revisits his favorite stories of hoteliers who defy gravity and dare to do something different, and explores what drives their success. Matt also looks at the technology behind these hotels and the freedom it gives hoteliers to build the concept that sets them apart.


After years in the trenches of hospitality, Matt joined the Mews journey during its early days in 2013. Since then, he’s been our fearless CEO, leading the company and the industry forward.


Meet Matt Welle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthijswelle

More about Matt Talks Hospitality: https://hubs.ly/Q0350wrf0

More about Mews: https://www.mews.com/en


#hoteltech #hospitalitypodcast #mews #hotelmanagementsystem #pms #hotelrevenue 



Matt Talks Hospitality is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

Hospitality is still working out its relationship with AI, embracing it where it saves time and holding back where it touches the guest. Catherina Gioino, a News Editor at Fortune covering AI and technology, brings an outside read on where that technology helps and where it falls short. She joins Matt for a view on where the industry stands and what AI is doing to the way people find, book and experience a hotel.

Catherina Gioino is a News Editor at Fortune, covering finance, markets, tech, AI and privacy. Before returning to journalism, she worked in community engagement, policy and partnerships for micromobility startups.


Meet Catherina on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catgioino

Meet Matt Welle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthijswelle

More about Matt Talks Hospitality: https://hubs.ly/Q0350wrf0

More about Mews: https://www.mews.com/en


#hoteltech #hospitalitypodcast #mews #hotelmanagementsystem #pms #hotelrevenue 



Matt Talks Hospitality is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

Can your staff keep up with guest messages and requests? Most hotels would say no. Messages scatter across five or six apps, and by the time someone replies, the guest has moved on. Guest Messaging and Automations, two new AI-powered Mews features, intend to fix that. Adam Britton, Director of Product and Engineering at Mews, joins Matt to explain how.


Adam Britton is Director of Product and Engineering at Mews. He blends hotel experience with a sharp eye for product marketing. At Mews, he’s helped shape tech that drives real impact for hoteliers.


Meet Adam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittona

Meet Matt Welle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthijswelle

More about Matt Talks Hospitality: https://hubs.ly/Q0350wrf0

More about Mews: https://www.mews.com/en


#hoteltech #hospitalitypodcast #mews #hotelmanagementsystem #pms #hotelrevenue 



Matt Talks Hospitality is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

Digital room keys are increasingly replacing the classic physical keycard, with more hotels handing guests a key that lives in their phone wallet instead of a piece of plastic at the desk. Mews and Vingcard, an ASSA ABLOY company, are part of that shift, having launched a partnership to offer native wallet-based room access. Tess Mattisson, Vice President and Head of Product for Hospitality at ASSA ABLOY, joins Matt to talk about the partnership, the tech behind wallet-based keys and the future of hotel locks.

Tess Mattisson is Vice President and Head of Product for Hospitality at ASSA ABLOY. She started out on the hotel side, having worked in leading roles at Strawberry, Choice Hotels and Scandic Hotels, before moving into technology.


Meet Tess on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tessmattisson

Meet Matt Welle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthijswelle

More about Matt Talks Hospitality: https://hubs.ly/Q0350wrf0

More about Mews: https://www.mews.com/en


#hoteltech #hospitalitypodcast #mews #hotelmanagementsystem #pms #hotelrevenue 

 

Matt Talks Hospitality is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

Every hospitality startup pitches a similar story: better tech, faster growth, bigger returns. Someone has to decide which ones are worth the check. On this episode, Matt is joined by Chris Hemmeter, Managing Partner at Thayer Investment Partners. They talk about how venture capital finds and funds the future of hospitality tech: what convinces investors, what makes a business worth the investment risk, and where the smart money thinks this industry goes next.


Chris Hemmeter is a Managing Partner at Thayer Investment Partners, a venture capital platform investing in technology companies in the travel and mobility space. Chris has over 35 years in and around startups and high-growth businesses in travel, hospitality and technology, having founded seven companies.


Meet Chris Hemmeter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherhemmeter

Meet Matt Welle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthijswelle

More about Matt Talks Hospitality: https://hubs.ly/Q0350wrf0

More about Mews: https://www.mews.com/en


#hoteltech #hospitalitypodcast #mews #hotelmanagementsystem #pms #hotelrevenue



Matt Talks Hospitality is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

Wellness is one of the fastest-growing categories in hospitality, and for a lot of properties it has moved from a nice-to-have into a real part of how the business makes money. Steve Porter, Co-founder of Trybe, has spent years building software for exactly that part of the hotel. Steve and Matt talk about why guests now book the spa before the room, what makes it the most complex system in a hotel to run and how wellness is redefining hospitality.


Steve Porter is the Co-founder of Trybe, the platform that runs booking and operations for hotel spas, bathhouses, and wellness resorts.


Meet Steve Porter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steveporter92

Meet Matt Welle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthijswelle

More about Matt Talks Hospitality: https://hubs.ly/Q0350wrf0

More about Mews: https://www.mews.com/en


#hoteltech #hospitalitypodcast #mews #hotelmanagementsystem #pms #hotelrevenue


Matt Talks Hospitality is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

Every hotel used to fight for a guest's attention on Google. Now guests are asking ChatGPT where to stay, what to book, even what to buy once they get to the room. That shift changes hospitality. Gilad Berenstein founded Utrip, the world's first AI travel company, which helped 225 million travelers plan trips before it sold. He now runs Brook Bay Capital, investing in AI across travel and hospitality. Gilad joins Matt to talk about the AI use cases property owners can already try as agentic AI takes hold.


Gilad Berenstein is the Founder of Brook Bay Capital, which invests in AI across travel and hospitality. He is also the founder of Utrip, the world's first AI travel company, which helped 225 million travelers plan trips before it sold.


Meet Gilad Berenstein on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/giladberenstein

Meet Matt Welle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthijswelle

More about Matt Talks Hospitality: https://hubs.ly/Q0350wrf0

More about Mews: https://www.mews.com/en


#hoteltech #hospitalitypodcast #mews #hotelmanagementsystem #pms #hotelrevenue


Matt Talks Hospitality is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

Matt Marrs owns Cactus Cove Inn & Suites in Amarillo and operates a portfolio of hotels, RV parks and short-term rentals across Texas. He migrated his properties to Mews this spring, went live during peak season and signed up for every beta feature available before onboarding was done. In this episode, the two Matts talk about what drove that decision, how to think about tech across three different asset types and what it means to be an operator helping shape hotel software from the inside.


Matt Marrs is the owner of Cactus Cove Inn & Suites in Amarillo and operator at Llano Real Estate Group, a Texas-based portfolio that spans hotels, RV parks and short-term rentals.


Meet Matt Welle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthijswelle

More about Matt Talks Hospitality: https://hubs.ly/Q0350wrf0

More about Mews: https://www.mews.com/en


#hoteltech #hospitalitypodcast #mews #hotelmanagementsystem #pms #hotelrevenue

Matt Talks Hospitality is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

Buying a new property management system is one of the biggest decisions a hotelier can make, and most of them will tell you the process is painful. Tommy Kalita has been on both sides of that process. Before joining sales and then fintech solutions at Mews, he ran his own hotel in Edmonton, Canada. In this episode, Tommy and Matt talk about what hoteliers often overlook during the RFP process, who should be involved in the decision beyond leadership and what changes for a property once a new system goes live.


Tommy Kalita is a Fintech Solutions Specialist at Mews. Tommy spent many years in banking until he decided to run his own hotel in Edmonton, Canada. He now works in fintech at Mews, helping hoteliers simplify payments and cash flow.

Meet Tommy Kalita on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommykalita

Meet Matt Welle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthijswelle

More about Matt Talks Hospitality: https://hubs.ly/Q0350wrf0

More about Mews: https://www.mews.com/en



#hoteltech #hospitalitypodcast #mews #hotelmanagementsystem #pms #hotelrevenue


Matt Talks Hospitality is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

SiteMinder's distribution engine, the largest in the world, is now being built natively into Mews. Availability, rates, inventory and other content are now handled in one place: Mews Channel Manager, powered by SiteMinder. This closes the gap that hotels have had to bridge manually between two systems. Leah Rankin of SiteMinder joins Matt to talk about what this partnership changes for hoteliers, how hotels should think about their channel strategy, and where AI is taking distribution next.


At the time of recording, Leah Rankin was Chief Product Officer at SiteMinder, the world's leading hotel commerce platform, connecting over 53,000 hotels to more than 500 channels and processing 135 million reservations a year. She spent 25 years in product and tech across telco, travel and software before joining SiteMinder, where she led the customer teams before finding her way back into product.

Meet Leah Rankin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leah-rankin-9b94b230

Meet Matt Welle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthijswelle

More about Matt Talks Hospitality: https://hubs.ly/Q0350wrf0

More about Mews: https://www.mews.com/en
 

#hoteltech #hospitalitypodcast #mews #hotelmanagementsystem #pms #hotelrevenue


Matt Talks Hospitality is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so