Josiah Mackenzie

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

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

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

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

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

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

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