In this episode, Emily Johnson, founder of Elevate Hospitality Collective; Erica Huss, creator of All Too Well; and Jen Veralle, founder of Mindful Drinking Movement and Sauna and Sobriety, share a practical approach to hotel wellness that doesn't start with a big CapEx budget.

They explore why the guest room may be the most powerful wellness facility on a property, how a thoughtful non-alcoholic beverage program can create incremental revenue, and how guided sauna and community experiences can give guests restorative ways to connect without depending on alcohol.

This is a practical look at building wellness into the complete guest journey using rooms, F&B programs, existing spaces, and the knowledge already present within hotel teams. The conversation also examines how owners and operators can connect those choices to guest feedback, incremental spend, loyalty, and repeat business.

Learn more about our guest experts:

• Elevate Hospitality Collective
• Erica Huss and All Too Well
• Jen Veralle
• Why We Should Rethink Drinking Culture, Jen's TEDx talk
• Sauna and Sobriety
• Jen's writing about sauna

Related research and examples:

• RLA Global and HotStats 2026 Wellness Real Estate Report
• How a dedicated NA menu changed beverage sales at Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia

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

What does AI adoption personally mean for a hospitality technology leader? In this episode, Sage Hospitality CTO Matt Schwartz explains how he is using AI to manage email, meetings, calendar demands, and other work so he can get back time for his company, family, and personal well-being.

Matt also shares how he keeps building AI fluency by learning from peers inside and outside hospitality, following technology companies and industry thinkers, and making continuous learning part of his routine.

Listen to our series with Matt:

• Part 1: The Weekend Class That Changed My Career
• Part 2: How We’re Leading AI Adoption With a Human-First Approach
• Part 3: Our 4-Layer AI Framework: Data, Reporting, Insights, Action

Learn more about the Destination AI Forum in Washington, DC (where Matt will be speaking)

More resources:

• OpenAI Academy
• One Useful Thing — Ethan Mollick
• TLDR technology newsletters
• Destination AI Forum in Washington, DC

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

In this episode, Sage Hospitality CTO Matt Schwartz explains how hospitality leaders can evaluate AI investment by connecting it to expense reductions, revenue, GOP, and NOI.

Listen to our series with Matt:

• Part 1: The Weekend Class That Changed My Career
• Part 2: How We’re Leading AI Adoption With a Human-First Approach
• Part 3: Our 4-Layer AI Framework: Data, Reporting, Insights, Action

Learn more about the Destination AI Forum in Washington, DC (where Matt will be speaking)

More:

• Uber caps employee AI spending after blowing through budget in four months — TechCrunch
• Where AI Actually Pays Off in Hospitality, and What Owners Should Demand — Ben Rafter
• How a Revenue Manager-Turned-CEO Drives Profit as Market Conditions Shift — Ben Campbell
• Destination AI Forum in Washington, DC

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

Every technology partnership is a bet, especially when AI is changing what software can do and which providers may remain relevant. In this episode, Sage Hospitality CTO Matt Schwartz explains how he evaluates hotel technology partners -- and who he chooses to work with.

Listen to the series:

• Part 1: The Weekend Class That Changed My Career
• Part 2: How We’re Leading AI Adoption With a Human-First Approach
• Part 3: Our 4-Layer AI Framework: Data, Reporting, Insights, Action

Learn more:

• The Bitter Lesson versus The Garbage Can — Ethan Mollick
• Sage Hospitality’s CTO on Infusing AI Into the Hotel Tech Stack — Hotel Tech Insider
• How To Get Better Results From Technology — Mark Fancourt
• Destination AI Forum in Washington, DC

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

Sage Hospitality CTO Matt Schwartz shares the four-layer framework guiding the company's AI strategy: data, reporting, insights, and action. He explains why hotel data must be brought together and normalized before AI can produce useful analysis or support operational decisions.

The framework moves from a reliable data foundation toward a future in which AI agents can take action, with the ultimate goal of giving property teams more time with guests and their other associates.

Listen to the series with Matt:

• Episode 1: The Weekend Class That Changed My Career
• Episode 2: How We’re Leading AI Adoption With a Human-First Approach

Learn more:

• Read Ethan Mollick’s essay, The Bitter Lesson versus The Garbage Can
• See how Actabl approaches hotel data normalization
• Learn more about the Destination AI Forum in Washington, DC where Matt is speaking

More on hotel data and AI with Actabl:

• Why Actabl’s Approach to Hotel Data Earned a Patent and Prepares Hotels for AI
• How Hotel Companies Turn AI Into Competitive Advantage
• How Innovative Hotel Companies Are Building Better AI Through Forward-Deployed Engineering

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

Giving people access to AI does not guarantee that they will use it or that your organization will benefit. Sage Hospitality CTO Matt Schwartz explains why he sees AI adoption as a change-management challenge and walks through how he and his team are helping both on-property and home-office leaders build AI fluency.

Matt also shares how Sage measures progress toward its adoption goals, addresses fear and resistance to AI, and focuses its AI initiatives on a human-first goal: helping their people spend less time in front of screens and more time with guests and their teams.

Links:

• Connect with Matt Schwartz on LinkedIn
• Learn more about Sage Hospitality
• Build your AI fluency with OpenAI Academy
• Learn more about ChatGPT Enterprise
• Learn more about the Destination AI Forum in Washington, DC (where Matt will be speaking)

Other episodes you may enjoy:

• AI & Hotel Tech Bets for a People-First Approach with Dina Belon
• Why Hotels Buy Technology but Still Struggle to Get Results with Mark Fancourt

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

Before Matt Schwartz became Chief Technology Officer at Sage Hospitality, a weekend HTML class changed the trajectory of his career. In the first episode of our six-part series with him, Matt shares how that unexpected experience led him from environmental economics into technology and ultimately hospitality technology leadership.

Learn more about the Destination AI Forum in Washington, DC (where Matt will be speaking)

Want more?

• Learn more about Sage Hospitality
• Listen to Matt discuss bringing AI into the hotel technology stack on Hotel Tech Insider [Podcast]
• Podcast episodes with Sage founder Walter Isenberg:
  • The Letter That Turned a Young Dishwasher into a Hospitality Leader
  • The Dana Crawford Playbook

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

Kevin Masse is the founder and owner of Small State Provisions (IG: @SmallState), a Connecticut bakery and café built around one simple idea: create a place where people want to gather. In this conversation, Kevin shares how a career in marketing, advertising, and food media shaped his approach to hospitality, why thoughtful design and local sourcing matter, and how he's navigating the transition from hands-on baker to visionary leader as the business grows. Listen to hear practical insights on building community, creating memorable guest experiences, and scaling without losing what makes a business special. 

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

In this sponsor bonus episode, Joseph McGroarty of Actabl shares what he learned working on site with a hotel company in the Forward Deployed Engineering model. He explains how observation and careful listening revealed the language, workflows, and operating knowledge needed to build AI around how hotel teams work and make decisions. 

You'll also hear how Actabl's Altitude product provides verified answers about hotel and portfolio performance, and why co-creation between hotel companies and technology providers helps move AI from a promising product to technology that defends a company's differentiators and drives real value. 

You may also enjoy:

• How Hotel Companies Turn AI Into Competitive Advantage - Steven Moore and Joseph Benjamin explain Actabl’s Forward Deployed Engineering model and how hotel companies move from AI experimentation to business outcomes.
• Why Our Approach to Hotel Data Earned a Patent and Prepares Hotels for AI - Joseph McGroarty, Clark Brayton, and Pritesh Patel explain Actabl’s normalized hotel data layer and how AI relies on a strong data foundation.
• AI That Works for Hotel Leaders Is Finally Here - Stephen German shares how Actabl built Altitude to let hotel leaders ask questions about business performance and receive verified answers they can trust.

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

In this episode, Emily Johnson, the Founder and CEO of Elevate Hospitality Collective, brings together Joli Barfield, Corporate Director of Human Resources, and Kristi Ellingsworth, Director of Hospitality, both at Dartcor Enterprises, to explore why great guest experiences begin long before a guest arrives.

Drawing on experience across hotels, restaurants, HR and operations, they explain why employee wellbeing is more than a benefits program. It's a leadership and operational practice that shapes everything that matters in hospitality. You'll hear why so many guest-facing wellness initiatives fall short, how Dartcor is building employee wellbeing into daily operations, and practical ideas leaders can apply through manager development, pre-shift meetings, and simple tools for handling pressure on the ground.

If you're looking to build stronger teams, reduce burnout, and create better guest -- and employee -- experiences, this conversation offers a practical framework for where to start.

Learn more:

• Why the guest experience breaks before reaching the guest, and how to fix it (Emily Johnson in HOTELS Magazine)
• Nervous System Regulation in Hospitality: A Commercial Playbook for Hoteliers
• The Yield of Calm: The ROI of Mental Health in Hospitality
• Elevate Hospitality Collective on Substack
• BLS JOLTS quits rates by industry

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

In this episode, Christina Poon, the General Manager at the Detroit EDITION, shares what watching AI companies can teach hospitality leaders: continuous improvement as a way to win in a business that's "always done it this way," AI as a research tool, and rethinking how you communicate with the next generation joining your team.

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