How does a 150-year-old luxury hotel adopt AI without losing its soul?

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🎙️ HXD212: Turning up the heat in hospitality.

Unfiltered conversations with leaders, rebels, and builders shaping what comes next. Human-to-Human. At 212°F.

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In this first episode, Paul Sorantin, Commercial Director of Hotel Sacher, shares how one of the world’s most iconic heritage hotels embraces innovation without compromising what truly matters.

Hotel Sacher in Vienna is a global symbol of tradition. Behind the scenes, it is also a modern commercial organisation navigating AI, data, revenue, leadership, and constant change.

Over coffee, Thibault Catala and Paul explore how legacy hotels can innovate without breaking what makes them special, how technology can make service warmer rather than colder, and why judgement, storytelling, and alignment matter more than dashboards.

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In this episode, we discuss:

• Why heritage can help organisations move faster, not slower
• Which traditions at Sacher are non-negotiable
• What should have been automated years ago, and why it wasn’t
• How AI can improve service without dehumanising teams
• The biggest data challenges guests never see
• Why luxury is shifting from perfection to presence
• Why people resist uncertainty more than technology
• What still makes hospitality unforgettable in an age of AI

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⏱️ Episode chapters

• 00:00 Heritage Reloaded. Inside Hotel Sacher
• 01:18 Revenue Management and the Future of Hospitality
• 06:42 Tradition vs Innovation at Hotel Sacher
• 11:09 The Human Element Behind the Data
• 12:23 The Skills That Will Matter Most in the Future
• 16:13 Using Technology to Make Hospitality Warmer
• 20:04 Why People Resist Uncertainty More Than Technology
• 25:25 The Original Sacher Torte and What It Represents
• 28:06 What Truly Makes the Sacher Experience Special
• 30:26 How Technology Enables Personalised Guest Experiences
• 33:18 Human vs Tech. Where the Line Should Be
• 37:14 Breaking Silos Between Commercial, Ops, and Leadership
• 39:25 Key Lessons from Inside Hotel Sacher
• 41:00 Advice for the Next Generation of Hoteliers
• 44:15 Final Reflections

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🎧 Follow Hotel Sacher & Paul

• Hotel Sacher. https://www.sacher.com
• Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/sacherhotels
• Paul Sorantin on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-sorantin-843791a8/

🔥 Follow Thibault & HXD212:

• Follow Thibault Catala on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/thibaultcatala
• Follow HXD212 on Instagram. https://instagram.com/hxd212
• Follow HXD212 on TikTok. https://www.tiktok.com/@hxd212podcast
• Catala Consulting. https://catalaconsulting.co.uk
• Revenue Management Online Course. https://learn.thibaultcatala.com/revenuemanagement

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If this episode resonated, follow HXD212 and share it with someone who cares about the future of hospitality.