This podcast episode is all about Contactless Technology in Hotels. Julie Grieve, Founder & CEO at Criton, Samantha Noll, Head of DACH & Middle East at Oaky, Deniel Frey, Vice President Revenue Management at H-Hotels.com and Member of HSMA Germany's Revenue Management advisory board, and Sebastien Leitner, Vice President Strategic Partnerships at Cloudbeds, and President at HEDNA (Hotel Electronic Distribution Network Association) joined André Baljeu to discuss what a realistic approach towards contactless technology might look like for hotels.
Contactless technology solutions have been in the background and available for some time in the hospitality industry. Pre-COVID, hotels (specifically major global brands) around the world slowly made it possible for guests to use digital check-in, digital room keys, and even in-room voice devices. It just never ended up being a priority - why? Was this a user issue, or were the hotels just not keen on driving the guest towards it? Tune in to hear from our experts what their takes are on contactless tech in hotels.
Julie is Founder and CEO of Criton, an award-winning technology provider based in Edinburgh. Criton is a guest engagement and integrations platform. It enables hotels to deliver the perfect digital guest journey, maximise in-stay revenue and wrap all guest-facing technology into a sophisticated mobile app. Criton’s mission is to give independent hotels access to the same technology that large hotel chains already adopt. Prior to starting her own business, Julie was the CEO of Lateral City, a luxury serviced apartment operator in the heart of Edinburgh. Her early career was spent in serviced offices where she became Managing Director of Abbey Business Centres, a UK wide serviced office operator, which she successfully sold in 2011.
Connect with Julie on LinkedIn.
Criton is a Contributing Member of techtalk.travel.
Samantha leads the expansion of Oaky’s award-winning upselling platform in the DACH and Middle East regions. Half Maltese, half German and born in Antigua, Samantha was raised in hotels across the globe. She fell in love with the world of travel and hospitality early on and gained operational experience in multiple luxury hotels across Europe. After completing her studies at École hôtelière de Lausanne in 2013, she joined the hotel-tech startup world and has been in it ever since! She’s passionate about enhancing experiences for guests and hoteliers alike through innovations that drive our industry further. Get in touch with her to chat about revenue generation, creative upselling, personalisation or even to share some travel stories!
Connect with Samantha on LinkedIn.
Oaky is a Contributing Member of techtalk.travel.
Deniel has been working for more than 13 years in the profession of Revenue Management, in various roles at Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, Concorde Hotels, Sofitel, and four years abroad for Principal Hotels in the UK. Since 2018 Deniel has been Vice President Revenue Management at H-Hotels.com. Deniel is also teaching revenue management at hospitality-focused schools and universities and is a member of the Revenue Management Expert Circle at HSMA Germany.
H-Hotels.com is one of the largest hotel operators in Germany. The family-run company is based in Bad Arolsen, Hesse, with around 3.000 employees. The portfolio includes the brands Hyperion, H4 Hotels, H+ Hotels, H2 Hotels, as well as H.omes and H.ostels, which are marketed and distributed under the umbrella brand H-Hotels.com
The steadily growing hotel group is currently present in 50 different destinations in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland with 60 hotels. For more information about the company and all hotels, visit H-Hotels.com.
Connect with Deniel on LinkedIn.
Sébastien heads up global partnerships and industry relations. Sébastien’s team partners with solution providers, guest experience and engagement tools, distribution partners, and new technologies to enhance the guest stay. His team also oversees Cloudbeds' public relations with industry partners and associations.
Before Cloudbeds, Sébastien worked at Expedia in various roles managing lodging connectivity for independent and chain hotels and vacation rentals. After studying Hotel Management and Business Administration in Germany, Sébastien started his career in hospitality, working for Le Meridien Hotels and Swissotel.
Sébastien has been a board member of HEDNA since January 2014. He is currently serving as President for HEDNA. Sébastien speaks English, German, and French. He is based in Montreal, Canada, where he lives with his family.
Connect with Sebastien on LinkedIn.
Cloudbeds is a Founding Member of techtalk.travel.
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