CEO of Frontline Performance Group on Scaling Hotel Upselling with AI

This episode is part of a series created in partnership with Forge (Questex) and The Hospitality Show Miami where Dan will be speaking on November 2nd. What happens when a hotel management company stops treating AI as a side project and starts building it into the operating model? In this episode, Dan Fernandez, VP of Digital Marketing at Concord Hospitality, shares how one of North America’s largest third-party hotel operators is approaching AI, digital marketing, and technology adoption across more than 150 hotels and 50 restaurants. Rather than chasing every new tool, Concord has built a structured AI steering committee, created field-level feedback loops, and adopted a disciplined approach to running focused 90-day pilots before scaling what works. For experienced hoteliers, the conversation goes beyond generic AI predictions and gets into what is actually changing inside hotel operations and commercial strategy today. In the episode we discuss: • Build an AI operating model, not just an AI toolkit. Learn how Concord structures its AI steering committee, field committee, and training efforts so GMs, sales leaders, F&B teams, finance, and corporate executives can identify practical use cases without overwhelming hotel teams with more software. • Pilot narrowly, then scale aggressively. Concord typically tests two AI initiatives at a time over roughly 90 days. Dan explains how that approach helped validate an AI voice agent at a large resort receiving hundreds or thousands of calls across the hotel, spa, golf, marina, and F&B operations before expanding it more broadly. • Prepare for a major shift in hotel discovery. Dan explains why declining organic website traffic does not necessarily mean declining demand. AI is increasingly narrowing a traveler’s consideration set before they ever reach a hotel website, creating fewer visits but potentially higher-intent traffic. He also discusses how Concord is testing tools designed to improve hotel visibility and information accuracy across large One of the more surprising insights from the conversation is that Dan believes the hotel marketing channel mix five years from now may look fundamentally different from today’s mix of paid search, social, SEO, email, and traditional distribution channels. His recommendation is less about predicting the winner and more about creating an organization that is constantly testing new channels early enough to learn before the rest of the market catches up. The episode also covers the growing role of GEO and first-party hotel content in AI search, why soft brands are gaining strategic importance in upper-upscale and luxury development, how paid social is becoming more measurable as a revenue channel, and why hotel technology buyers may be undervaluing one of the least glamorous parts of vendor selection: post-sale customer service. Dan brings an unusual perspective to the discussion. At Concord, he oversees digital marketing while also working across branding, social media, PR, and broader commercial functions, giving him visibility into both corporate strategy and what actually works at the property level. That operating perspective makes the episode especially useful for hoteliers trying to separate practical AI applications from vendor hype. Subscribe to Hotel Tech Insider for more conversations with hotel executives testing new technology, commercial strategies, and operating models across the industry.

What if buying a hotel no longer meant inheriting fourteen-hour days, outdated systems, and a business that owns you? In this episode of Hotel Tech Insider, Simona Eicher, CEO and owner of Hotel ÜJA in Switzerland, shares how she and her partner bought an under-digitized independent hotel from a retiring owner and rebuilt it around a more modern operating model. With a background in McKinsey, software procurement, and venture building, Simona entered hospitality with little traditional hotel experience. She used technology to simplify operations, improve the booking journey, make better commercial decisions, and preserve the human side of hospitality where it matters most. The results are compelling: more than 80% direct bookings, a 30% increase in ADR, and higher occupancy. Simona also breaks down the practical lessons behind the transformation, including how she selected and later replaced her PMS, why digital lock and local system integrations became non-negotiable, and where software demos can fail to reveal real-world operational limitations. More broadly, the episode explores a growing opportunity in independent hospitality. As longtime owners retire and younger family members opt out of the operating model they grew up watching, a new generation of buyers can acquire under-digitized hotels and use modern technology to turn them into more profitable, flexible, and attractive lifestyle assets. Subscribe to Hotel Tech Insider for more stories from hotel owners using technology to build better businesses.

What happens when an experienced hotel technology leader uses AI to extend what his team can build, analyze, and improve? In this episode, Bill Legrand, Executive Director of Commercial Applications at VAI Resort in Glendale, Arizona, shares how he has used AI-assisted development to build roughly a dozen internal applications while preparing one of the industry’s most ambitious new resorts for opening. VAI combines hotel operations with a 14,000-person amphitheater, water attractions, and entertainment experiences, creating an unusually complex technology environment. For experienced hoteliers, the takeaway is not about replacing established hotel systems. It is about using AI as an augmentation layer around the existing tech stack—helping teams build specialized tools faster, connect data more effectively, improve workflows, and solve problems that may not justify a standalone enterprise platform.

What if the biggest opportunity in hotel technology isn’t making your team more efficient - but removing entire workflows from the equation? Kurien Jacob (KJ) of Highgate Technology Ventures argues that nearly every major hotel software category is now vulnerable to AI-driven disruption. Few people have had a better vantage point on that shift. Before helping lead Highgate Technology Ventures, KJ spent roughly 15 years building Highgate’s revenue management capabilities and ultimately served as Chief Revenue Officer. Today, he evaluates hotel technology from both sides of the table: as an investor looking for scalable businesses and through Highgate’s operating portfolio, where products can be tested against real hotel needs. Key Takeaways: Rethink what “AI-native” actually means. KJ explains why simply adding AI features to an existing SaaS product isn’t enough. The winners will redesign both their products and their own operations around AI, while leveraging the integrations, workflows, and infrastructure they’ve already spent years building. Expect major hotel software categories to collapse or converge. From PMS and CRS to RMS, CRM, financial reporting, payments, and distribution, KJ outlines where agentic workflows could eliminate manual steps - and in some cases eliminate the need for entire software layers. One surprising example: if an RMS can intelligently manage pricing and distribution mix, why should hotels still need a separate CRS for rate management? Look beyond copilots toward autonomous execution. The most important shift isn’t software helping employees perform tasks faster; it’s software completing the underlying job itself. For experienced operators, that means evaluating technology based on which workflows it can fully execute—from guest check-in and room assignment to revenue posting, reconciliation, marketing personalization, and task management. The episode also explores what the next hotel tech stack may actually look like. Rather than 20 or 30 disconnected systems, KJ expects the market to consolidate around a smaller number of powerful operating, commercial, financial, and marketing platforms - while still leaving room for a handful of exceptional best-of-breed products. One of the most unexpected ideas comes from the guest experience side: instead of separate AI tools for voice, messaging, concierge, and service requests, KJ sees the opportunity for a single “brain” that remembers the guest across every interaction - from booking through checkout - and uses that context to orchestrate hotel operations behind the scenes. For hotel leaders deciding where to invest, what to replace, and which emerging vendors deserve attention, this conversation offers a practical framework: focus less on AI features and more on whether the technology can own and execute a meaningful business outcome.

What if the biggest competitive advantage for the next generation of hotel owners is knowing when not to fly a flag? In this episode, Skift Editor-in-Chief Sarah Kopit - formerly a managing editor at Bloomberg - joins Hotel Tech Insider to unpack why more hotel owners are questioning the economics of traditional franchise relationships. Her reporting reveals a surprising shift: while actual de-flagging remains relatively limited, the conversation around independence has moved from fringe idea to legitimate strategic option for owners evaluating expiring franchise agreements. For experienced hoteliers, the episode goes beyond the usual “brand vs. independent” debate and gets into the operational mechanics making independence more viable. What you’ll learn: How technology is changing the franchise value equation. Modern PMS platforms, distribution tools, digital marketing, AI, and third-party management companies increasingly allow owners to assemble capabilities that were once difficult to replicate outside a major brand ecosystem. How to evaluate whether your brand is actually generating enough demand. One franchise attorney Sarah interviewed suggests owners should closely examine how much business the brand and loyalty ecosystem truly deliver—and reconsider affiliation if that contribution doesn’t justify the economics. What hotel owners need to replace when they deflag. The episode breaks down the practical transition: financing, PMS selection, distribution, branding, digital presence, Google reviews, and customer acquisition. One owner even unlocked an entirely new demand channel through Airbnb after becoming independent.