LONDON, 20 April, 2026 – Journey, the market leader in hotel retailing and the hospitality industry’s first unified Hospitality Performance Platform, today announced the appointment of Joe Watkins as Head of AI and Data.
Watkins joins the business with a strong background in AI and data strategy, having previously worked with household brands, including Tesco and KFC, and built an AI-powered recruitment platform. He will report to Journey’s CPTO Andrew Metcalfe.
In his role, Watkins will lead the expansion of AI capabilities across Journey’s product suite, spanning experience management, digital marketing, booking and payments. He will also support the development of AI services for hotel clients and oversee Journey’s internal AI working group, focused on experimentation, governance and the responsible adoption of emerging technologies.
The appointment comes as Journey expands its platform and AI capabilities across hospitality commerce, alongside its international growth in Ireland and Spain. Journey currently enables over 750 luxury hotel and spa properties to increase ancillary revenue while enabling a more personalised experience for guests.
Its unified Performance Platform is designed to help hotels sell and manage more than rooms, including spa, dining, golf and wellness experiences in one seamless booking flow, while using connected data and embedded payments to improve conversion.
Watkins will also help strengthen how data and AI are used across the business, including in product innovation, forecasting and decision-making unlocking new value for hotel partners. The company’s current strategy includes AI-driven personalisation, AI performance analytics, AI-powered features across products, and AI-enabled self-service tools in client support.
Simon Bullingham, CEO and Founder of Journey, said: “Joe brings exactly the kind of leadership we need as AI becomes a bigger part of how hospitality businesses grow and operate. His hands-on AI and data expertise, combined with his strategic vision, will help us move even faster and more confidently, building AI into our platform in ways that are practical, responsible and directly aligned with what our hotel partners need most.”
Joe Watkins, Head of Data and AI of Journey, added: “There is a significant upside from applying AI more effectively across hospitality, especially in technologies that enable experience management and experience retailing. Journey already has strong foundations in place, and I’m excited to build on that by embedding AI more deeply into our products and helping hotel partners unlock greater value through smarter tools and commercially focused advisory services.”
About Journey
Journey helps luxury hotels grow direct revenue by retailing the whole guest experience, not just rooms. More than 750 hotel and spa properties use Journey’s Performance Platform, a unified system across experience management, digital marketing, booking, and payments. Customers include Nikki Beach, Corinthia and Lakes By Yoo. With live bookable inventory at every moment, from pre-arrival to post-stay, Journey enables hotels to retail rooms, dining, spa, and activities in a seamless, shoppable experience for guests. The result is higher guest spend, stronger loyalty, and a measurable Return on Experience. For more information, visit https://journey.travel/.
