Post-Pandemic Hotel Operations: Ken Merkel, Avocet Hospitality

Luca is the Co-founder and CEO of Jurny, an AI-driven hospitality platform that seamlessly automates operations and guest experiences through vertical integration and connectivity. This is a company that has taken the traditional property management system and flipped it on its head.The hotel industry has never been accused of being tip of the spear when it comes to technology adoption, but today, things seem different.After the pandemic trained people to do work remotely, tools that were not so commonly used 3 years ago are absolutely part of the mainstream today. Well, AI tools like ChatGPT and Google Bard are rapidly becoming integrated into everyday tools we all use and very soon, they will be impossible to ignore.So this episode is a little different than others... We discuss Jurny’s product and how it’s different from other PMS providers, but ultimately we start to scratch the surface on AI and how it’s starting to affect the hospitality industry. It may be too soon to see the true implications on hospitality, but company’s like Jurny are at the forefront of its integration and one thing is certain, it’s here, so now we need to figure out how to make it work for us, our guests and our operations.About LucaLuca Zambello is the co-founder and CEO of Jurny, an AI-driven hospitality platform that seamlessly automates operations and guest experiences through vertical integration and connectivity.As a former host and operator with more than 12 years of experience, Luca brings a wealth of hospitality knowledge. He is a renowned Forbes contributor for his expertise and industry acumen and has been featured in Entrepreneur, Bloomberg, Business Insider, and other publications.Luca was recently chosen as an Advisory Board Member for Entertainment and Hospitality Management at California State University, Fullerton, where he also delivers lectures as a guest. Furthermore, he has received multiple awards and nominations in the hospitality field, including the Titan Award and the American Best in Business Awards. Most recently, he was listed as one of the top 10 Notable Entrepreneurs in Los Angles by LA Weekly.LinksWebsite: https://www.jurny.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucazambello/---Do you know someone looking for a vacation rental management company? If so, Recreation Vacation Rentals has got a referral program that you might be interested in! You can earn $1,000 for every referral you make to Recreation Vacation Rentals.Contact us to learn more: https://recreationstays.com/refer-a-friend/---For past episodes, show notes or if you’ve got a story that might make a great episode, head over to theprovenprinciplespodcast.com. We’d love to hear from you.You can subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts, even on YouTube... and if you haven’t already, don’t forget to leave us a rating and a review. Thanks for listening to The Proven Principles Hospitality Podcast.

Juliana is a content creator and copywriter specializing in writing for the hospitality and tourism industry. If you’ve ever been responsible for writing an email to a guest, promoting a new offering, or creating content for a website, this episode is for you. Like many, I’ve been frustrated with the process of creating content only to have it miss the mark. It’s no easy task to create content that gets your message across in an engaging way, but also compels someone to want more AND spend their money at your business. We’re talking about what effective copywriting means on this episode and it’s deeper than just putting words to paper. Juliana shares insights in to finding your target audience, what effective copy actually looks like and even touches on the rise of AI in guest communications.And be sure to listen to the end because we cover some brands that are doing a great job who you may want to emulate in your own hotel.About JulianaJuliana Hahn is a content creator and copywriter specialized in writing for the hospitality and tourism industry. Before diving into the world of copywriting several years ago, she studied hotel management and worked in hotels around the globe. Today she leverages her industry experience to craft engaging content for hospitality tech companies, hotels and online publications. Recently she published her first eBook, Impactful Hotel Storytelling.LinksWebsite: https://www.hospitality-copywriting.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julianahahn/ ---Thank you to SiteMinder for sponsoring this episode. They are the world’s leading hotel commerce platform that provides hoteliers like you with the tools you need to sell, market, manage and grow your hotel business, all from a single dashboard. To see how SiteMinder can help you and your hotel, AND get 6 months free with a 12 month contract, visit siteminder.com/principles.---Do you know someone looking for a vacation rental management company? If so, Recreation Vacation Rentals has got a referral program that you might be interested in! You can earn $1,000 for every referral you make to Recreation Vacation Rentals.Contact us to learn more: https://recreationstays.com/refer-a-friend/---For past episodes, show notes or if you’ve got a story that might make a great episode, head over to theprovenprinciplespodcast.com. We’d love to hear from you.You can subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts, even on YouTube... and if you haven’t already, don’t forget to leave us a rating and a review. Thanks for listening to The Proven Principles Hospitality Podcast.Mentioned in this episode:SiteMinder --- Thank you to SiteMinder for sponsoring this episode. They are the world’s leading hotel commerce platform that provides hoteliers like you with the tools you need to sell, market, manage and grow your hotel business, all from a single dashboard. To learn more about how SiteMinder can help your business succeed, visit https://www.siteminder.com/principlesSiteMinder

Bart-Jan is the Founder of Loreca, a company specializing in online revenue strategies for the hospitality industry. They’ve developed an algorithm that enables hotels to have better control of their rates over multiple booking channels.Getting on the first page of an OTA seems like a never ending challenge for hotels. And now, as ever more marketing dollars flow into the equation, it may seem like an impossible task. This is why I wanted to have Bart-Jan on the show. His company is doing something truly innovative that could be a useful tool to help your hotel gain an edge on its competition, plus with the added benefit of making your operation more efficient.We dive into how OTA rankings work, the algorithm Loreca has developed, how you can make use of the data provided and much more. About Bart-JanBart-Jan is a 23-year old entrepreneur. He founded Loreca in June 2021. Loreca is a Belgian-based-company specialised in online revenue strategies for actors in the hospitality industry. Next to this they founded their own algorithm which embodies visibility on the right channel for the right guest, meaning their client have a top-noted positions on the given OTA's. Due to this their clients are able to play a role in the guessing-process of the willingness to pay from customers, and this is accelerated by the algorithm (which enables pricing segmentation based on the specific customers).LinksWebsite: https://www.loreca.beLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bart-jan-leyts-b427151b1/---Thank you to SiteMinder for sponsoring this episode. They are the world’s leading hotel commerce platform that provides hoteliers like you with the tools you need to sell, market, manage and grow your hotel business, all from a single dashboard. To see how SiteMinder can help you and your hotel, AND get 6 months free with a 12 month contract, visit siteminder.com/principles.---Do you know someone looking for a vacation rental management company? If so, Recreation Vacation Rentals has got a referral program that you might be interested in! You can earn $1,000 for every referral you make to Recreation Vacation Rentals.Contact us to learn more: https://recreationstays.com/refer-a-friend/---For past episodes, show notes or if you’ve got a story that might make a great episode, head over to theprovenprinciplespodcast.com. We’d love to hear from you.You can subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts, even on YouTube... and if you haven’t already, don’t forget to leave us a rating and a review. Thanks for listening to The Proven Principles Hospitality Podcast.Mentioned in this episode:SiteMinder --- Thank you to SiteMinder for sponsoring this episode. They are the world’s leading hotel commerce platform that provides hoteliers like you with the tools you need to sell, market, manage and grow your hotel business, all from a single dashboard. To learn more about how SiteMinder can help your business succeed, visit https://www.siteminder.com/principlesSiteMinder

Alex is a short-term rental developer and manager in Ashville, NC. A former Marine who found his way to real estate investing, he now runs Sargon Investments, a short term rental development company that is working on 650 cabins over the next 3 years. He also writes for Bigger Pockets, runs a YouTube channel and recently launched a short term rental educational course to help people get into the industry.This is a topic near and dear to me. The idea of taking years of hospitality experience and using it to create your own hospitality brand has grabbed me and I know it’s done the same to many other hospitality professionals. The trouble is taking real estate development from idea to reality is filled with hurdles and land mines. The analysis paralysis and anxiety are real, so where do go to take you one step closer to making your dream a reality? I hope this episode is it.Alex has been there. He started small and is working to build an empire. He shares more about what he did and how did it, what to look out for and the people you should have on your team to help.If you’re at all interested in getting into short term rentals, this episode is for you.About AlexAlex Jarbo is a short-term rental developer and manager. He was born and raised in Detroit Michigan. He served in the Marine Corps for 4 ½ years where he was stationed in Washington DC apart of the Marine Corps Honor Guard. He left the Marine Corps at 22 years old to pursue his career as a real estate professional. He is the founder and CEO of Sargon Investments and he has a goal of developing 650 cabins in the next 3 years. Alex holds a MBA with a concentration in Real Estate Development and is currently finishing a Doctorate in Business with a concentration in Leadership. He is the host of the YouTube Channel Alex Builds where he teaches the ins and out of short-term development and management.LinksWebsite: https://www.bdbstrmasterclass.com/enterYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN0sdWw5T6zP7-NG4p8Ry6gLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-jarbo-28a940139/---Thank you to SiteMinder for sponsoring this episode. They are the world’s leading hotel commerce platform that provides hoteliers like you with the tools you need to sell, market, manage and grow your hotel business, all from a single dashboard. To see how SiteMinder can help you and your hotel, AND get 6 months free with a 12 month contract, visit siteminder.com/principles.---Do you know someone looking for a vacation rental management company? If so, Recreation Vacation Rentals has got a referral program that you might be interested in! You can earn $1,000 for every referral you make to Recreation Vacation Rentals.Contact us to learn more: https://recreationstays.com/refer-a-friend/---For past episodes, show notes or if you’ve got a story that might make a great episode, head over to theprovenprinciplespodcast.com. We’d love to hear from you.You can subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts, even on YouTube... and if you haven’t already, don’t forget to leave us a rating and a review. Thanks for listening to The

Josef is the Founder and Managing Director of limehome, a European hospitality company with over 3,000 managed units, and is built on digitizing the guest experience and day to day operations.The discussion about automation and tech advances in hospitality have been coming up a lot lately. If you’ve listened to previous episodes of the podcast, we often try to find answers to questions around high-touch service vs. automated & remote guest journeys. This is a subject that limehome has been working on since its inception and one that they may have solved.Josef shares great insight into how the company came to be, how they’re looking at the industry, their business model and how commercial real estate professionals are approaching the next 6-12 months. If you’re at all connected to tech, automation and guest service, this episode is for you.About JosefAs Managing Director, Dr. Josef Vollmayr is responsible for the strategic direction of the company, the further development of the product, national and international expansion, and the areas of marketing and finance. In 2018, he co-founded limehome with Lars Stäbe, a radical technology- based hotel concept that can offer fully equipped suites at the price of a standard hotel room by fully automating all processes.Having spent more than 500 nights in various hotels around the world during his time as a management consultant at McKinsey, Vollmayr could not shake the idea of developing a concept that eliminates waiting times, combines modern design with a home-from-home feel, while promising the standards of an established hotel brand.Josef Vollmayr is the author of scientific articles in marketing, was a lecturer for statistics, CRM, and empirical methods at several universities and as a management consultant has supported companies from consumer industries and private equity worldwide in the development and implementation of their growth strategies.Privately, he invests in real estate and acts as an angel investor for tech start- ups and likes to spend his free time by the sea - to test other hotel concepts, but also to keep fit by surfing. The former competitive athlete (decathlon) is considered an expert in prop and travel tech industries, organizational development, and growth strategies.LinksJosef's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-josef-vollmayr-21743090limehome LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/limehome/Website: https://www.limehome.com/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/discover/LimehomeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/limehomeofficial---Thank you to SiteMinder for sponsoring this episode. They are the world’s leading hotel commerce platform that provides hoteliers like you with the tools you need to sell, market, manage and grow your hotel business, all from a single dashboard. To see how SiteMinder can help you and your hotel, AND get 6 months free with a 12 month contract, visit siteminder.com/principles.---Do you know someone looking for a vacation rental management company? If so, Recreation Vacation Rentals has got a referral program that you might be interested in! You can earn $1,000 for every referral you make to Recreation Vacation Rentals.Contact us

Sue is the EVP and Chief Human Resources Officer at HVMG, a hospitality management company based in Atlanta.You could make a strong argument that the common thread through which many of today’s challenges in hospitality are connected are through Human Resources. That’s definitely not saying that HR is the cause, but rather HR being the bridge to many of the solutions.We’ve done some episodes in the past about how hotels are dealing with challenges around retention, recruiting, culture, benefits or development, but I wanted to have Sue on the show to share how a large hotel company is thinking about these at a more global level.&nbsp;It’s relatively easy to innovate on a one-off hotel basis, but it’s another thing entirely to find and implement non-traditional solutions at scale, and that’s what we’re discussing on this episode. I really enjoyed hearing about some of the ideas that HVMG is bringing to life and my hope, as it is with every episode, is that you find something here that can help you and your business.About SueAs EVP and Chief Human Resources Officer, Sue oversees all Human Resources functions, including talent acquisition, talent development, associate retention and engagement strategies, human resources services, associate relations and benefits. Prior to joining HVMG, Sue worked as a management consultant supporting leading organizations to improve their enterprise performance management processes for clients including the The Coca-Cola Company, Coca-Cola Enterprises, Marriott International and the American Red Cross.&nbsp;Prior to working as a management consultant, Sue worked in the hospitality industry for 18 years. She worked for Starwood Hotels and Resorts as Global Director, Six Sigma Training and Deployment and prior to that as Director of Organizational Development for St. Regis Hotels. From 1996 - 2000 Sue worked for Lodgian, Inc. (formerly Impac Hotel Group) as Director of Training and Development; from 1991 - 1996 she worked for The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company as Corporate Quality Advisor and The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead in hotel operations and human resources. Her hospitality industry experience also includes a five-year adjunct faculty appointment at New York University's Robert Preston Tisch Center for Hospitality Travel and Tourism.&nbsp;Sue serves on the Metro Atlanta Board of Directors for the American Red Cross, the Hospitality Board of Directors for Georgia State University and is a special advisor to the Castell Project, promoting diversity in the hospitality industry. She holds MBAs from Columbia Business School and London Business School. Sue has a BS in Marketing from The Florida State University.LinksWebsite: https://www.hvmg.com---Thank you to SiteMinder for sponsoring this episode. They are the world’s leading hotel commerce platform that provides hoteliers like you with the tools you need to sell, market, manage and grow your hotel business, all from a single dashboard.&nbsp;To see how SiteMinder can help you and your hotel, AND get 6 months free with a 12 month contract, visit siteminder.com/principles.---Do you know someone looking for a vacation rental management company? If so, Recreation Vacation Rentals has got a referral program that you might be interested in! You can earn $1,000 for every referral you make to Recreation Vacation Rentals.Contact us to learn more: https://recreationstays.com/refer-a-friend/---For past episodes, show notes or if you’ve got a story that might make a great episode, head over to&nbsp;<a...

Jason is the Market Vice President for the Americas at SiteMinder, the world’s leading open hotel commerce platform.The company recently released its 2022 Changing Traveler Report. Featuring insights from 8000 traveler interviews, it’s the largest accommodation-specific consumer survey on a global level, providing valuable insights into the full traveler journey. In other words, how guests dream, plan, book, experience, and share their stay.We tackle 5 key insights from the report on this episode but most of the discussion centers on technology, because so many hotels are trying to figure out what guests want, how to incorporate these tools into their operations and, perhaps most importantly, how not to dilute their brands in the process.This was one of those recordings that went quick so it’s a fast and tactical conversation. Jason does a great job breaking down relevant and actionable data and making sense of some of the more ambiguous challenges that hoteliers are facing.About JasonDriven by the transformative power of digital technology, Jason Lugo has established a career fostering growth and innovation within market-leading brands where he witnessed first-hand the potential of a cloud platform that offered intelligent and simple solutions to its users.&nbsp;In 2016, Jason joined the world’s leading open hotel commerce platform, SiteMinder, where he remains today, leading the company’s fast-growing footprint throughout the dynamic Americas region. His intimate understanding of the different landscapes and market trends that exist within each country has proven invaluable for local hoteliers looking to best compete for today’s traveler.&nbsp;LinksWebsite: SiteMinder.com2022 Changing Traveller Report: https://www.siteminder.com/news/changing-traveller-report-2022/ ---Do you know someone looking for a vacation rental management company? If so, Recreation Vacation Rentals has got a referral program that you might be interested in! You can earn $1,000 for every referral you make to Recreation Vacation Rentals.Contact us to learn more: https://recreationstays.com/refer-a-friend/---For past episodes, show notes or if you’ve got a story that might make a great episode, head over to&nbsp;theprovenprinciplespodcast.com. We’d love to hear from you.You can subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts, even on YouTube... and if you haven’t already,&nbsp;don’t forget to leave us a rating and a review.&nbsp;Thanks for listening to The Proven Principles Hospitality Podcast.

Thad is the CEO of Talroo, a data-driven job advertising platform that helps hiring managers reach the candidates they need to build their essential workforce.It’s hard to get your head around the changes in the labor market over the past couple of years, and especially over the past few months. We’ve gone from mass layoffs to “the great resignation” to regret over changing companies. Pay, benefits and company culture dominate discussions on both job boards and within boardrooms; and many people have simply decided to go their own way, seeking stability in starting their own companies or diving deeper into the gig economy.No matter how you look at it, recruiting and retention is more complicated than ever. This discussion tries to simplify some of that complexity as we dive into recruiting psychology.Thad brings a lot of great insight into the current labor situation and I’m sure there’s something here that will help if everything you’ve tried hasn’t worked.About ThadThad Price is CEO at Austin-based Talroo, the award-winning talent data-driven job advertising platform, where he provides leadership, strategy, and guidance to all departments. With more than 17 years of experience in online recruitment and the job search vertical, Thad is a recognized thought leader in the HR/TA space. He genuinely believes that there is no industry that plays a more integral role in the economy. &nbsp;Thad uses his cross-functional experience to turn client feedback into innovative products that help companies hire better. Under Thad’s leadership, Talroo continues its mission of disruption in the industry. Prior to joining Talroo, he was a VP of Business Development at Job.com.&nbsp;LinksWebsite: https://www.talroo.comLinkedIn at&nbsp; https://www.linkedin.com/in/thad-price-2368b/---For past episodes, show notes or if you’ve got a story that might make a great episode, head over to&nbsp;theprovenprinciplespodcast.com. We’d love to hear from you.You can subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts, even on YouTube... and if you haven’t already,&nbsp;don’t forget to leave us a rating and a review.&nbsp;Thanks for listening to The Proven Principles Hospitality Podcast.

Tanya is Vice President at Oracle Hospitality and leads the OPERA Cloud Strategy and Product Management teams. Prior to joining Oracle Hospitality, Tanya spent over 20 years at Fairmont Hotels and Resorts in Hotel Operations, Revenue Management, Distribution and CRM.&nbsp;This is my second episode with Tanya. Way back on Episode 36, we discussed an Oracle study looking at the hotel industry’s path to recovery in light of the early days of the pandemic.&nbsp;Oracle has followed this up with a new study looking at how technology is changing the hospitality industry, how customers’ expectations have shifted, and organizations are responding.Titled, “Hospitality in 2025: AUTOMATED, INTELLIGENT... AND MORE PERSONAL”, the report dives deep into four main categories:&nbsp;Guest-facing technologyLabor and operationsAutomation and guest dataAncillaries, upgrades, and non-room revenueTanya shares important insights into the report and how industry leaders are reacting to circumstances they may have little control over.&nbsp;I really enjoyed this conversation with Tanya, and I think we do a good job digging beyond the typical talking points and bring this report to life with real examples that show meaning behind the findings.About TanyaA seasoned hotelier, Tanya Pratt is a Vice President at Oracle Hospitality, who leads OPERA Cloud Strategy and Product Management teams. Prior to joining Oracle Hospitality, Tanya spent over 20 years at Fairmont Hotels and Resorts in Hotel Operations, Revenue Management, Distribution and CRM. Most recently as the head of Business Technologies for Accor Hotels Luxury Brands division, Tanya was responsible for digital transformation, innovation and management of global programs and solutions. Her current focus is on driving value to our industry through increased levels of engagement with customers and delivering hospitality solution that enable and enhance strategic business priorities.&nbsp;LinksHospitality in 2025: AUTOMATED, INTELLIGENT... AND MORE PERSONAL: https://www.oracle.com/industries/hospitality/hospitality-in-2025-report/?source=:so:bl:or:awr:onew:::RC_WWMK220203P00065:&amp;SC=:so:bl:or:awr:onew:::RC_WWMK220203P00065:&amp;pcode=WWMK220203P00065&nbsp;Website: https://www.oracle.com/industries/hospitality/ Tanya’s LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/pratttanyaOracle Hospitality’s Twitter: @OracleHospOracle Hospitality’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/oracle-hospitality/---For past episodes, show notes or if you’ve got a story that might make a great episode, head over to&nbsp;theprovenprinciplespodcast.com. We’d love to hear from you.You can subscribe to the...

Will is the CEO and Director of ALTIDO, a company that manages Airbnbs, serviced apartments, hotels, and private residences across Europe.This is a classic episode of intending to talk about one thing, and pivoting to discuss something totally different. As someone who has spent much more time in the short term rental space over the past couple of years, I’ve watched ALTIDO grow and become fascinated by their bootstrapped beginnings to become one of Europe's largest players. Having Will on the show felt like being able to talk with myself 5 years from now.&nbsp;We discuss growth, vision, knowing when and where to get out of your comfort zone and discuss resisting when everyone in your space is going one direction and decidedly going the other way.People from all over hospitality are jumping into entrepreneurship, and whether you’re in short term rentals, hotels or a hospitality service provider, I hope that we touch on a point or two that speaks to what you may be going through right now and helps you figure out your next steps.About WillWill Parry graduated from Oxford University in 2010. He started his career in financial services at Matrix Group working on the renewable energy desk. Will left financial services to work in strategy consulting at McGrigor Group, a healthcare and insurance specialist based in London and Paris. After three years work in the corporate world, Will became a full time entrepreneur and successfully enrolled on to the New Entrepreneurs Foundation (NEF).Whilst at the NEF, Will set up The London Residents Club (LRC) with an old friend, Tom Archer. They scaled the business via a key acquisition of a competitor, Somewhere Like Home and in 2019 LRC merged with three European entities to form ALTIDO where Will is currently CEO. In January 2022, DoveVivo acquired ALTIDO - Will remains as CEO and director of ALTIDO Ltd.Linkshttps://www.stayaltido.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/wnaparry/ ---For past episodes, show notes or if you’ve got a story that might make a great episode, head over to&nbsp;theprovenprinciplespodcast.com. We’d love to hear from you.You can subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts, even on YouTube... and if you haven’t already,&nbsp;don’t forget to leave us a rating and a review.&nbsp;Thanks for listening to The Proven Principles Hospitality Podcast.