The new standard in hotel technology with Stuart W Greif

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Unfold and its smorgasbord of exciting hospitality topics are just a few weeks away. Top industry leaders will join us in Amsterdam on April 4 to explore this year’s theme: The New Standard in Hospitality.

Talk about a substantive topic.

Well, if you insist… Our panelists are sharing their vision of the new normal in hospitality.

We’ve already discussed what the new revenue management standard looks like. Today the spotlight is on trends and changes in hotel technology, and who better than Stuart Greif, Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy, Innovation & Operating Officer of Forbes Travel Guide, can delve into the subject.

Previously, he was a Senior Executive for Hospitality and Travel at Microsoft and led JD Power’s Global Hospitality and Travel group. Greif also worked for a unicorn startup Amperity, backed by early investors in Facebook, LinkedIn and Amazon.

Now that you’ve met the master, let’s ask him some challenging questions.

Why do you love the hospitality industry?

When I started my career, I lived in hotels five to six days a week for months and spent a lot of time with the hotel staff. It’s something that has always resonated with me on a deep level in terms of feeling empathy and feeling kindness in a hotel and travel context of new experiences and people. This is what I find wonderful about creating memories and experiences, whether for business, travel or pleasure.

I have worked in many industries in the beginning of my career but over time it has become apparent that I continue to hang out with travel and hospitality folks. I think it’s been in my blood since I was very young, but unfortunately I didn’t get the opportunity to realize it as early as others.

What do you think is the new standard in hospitality?

For me, the new standard in hospitality is self-actualization. Covid has really changed the idea that life is precious and there has been a recalibration of enjoying life in different ways, not necessarily waiting until work is done. And this is where themes like bleisure emerge.

I think there is a need and desire to connect on a much deeper level: experiential and authentic. The new standard is the self-realization of ourselves as guests and travellers, but also as employees and colleagues, in what we do and how we integrate it into our daily work and personal life. This is the unstated macro trend out there in the ether, and I hope it will be sustained for a long time to come.

On a generational level, there were already changes afoot due to macroeconomic conditions as younger generations realized that there was more to life than work. And I think it’s healthier. European countries have that culture inherently in ways that other countries around the world don’t, so there’s also a recalibration within different cultural contexts.

The new standard in hospitality should be based on what is really happening and what people need – the employers, our industry peers, the guests, our partners. He has to consider everyone.

What role does technology play in this?

There is an increasing use of technology to remove friction, make things faster, personalize and personalize using data in ways that resonate with customers and employees. It helps make connections in a human way, even if it’s not a human, just look at chat bots and stuff like that.

And then there are the remaining touchpoints of kindness and authenticity. The question is how to make a human connection there? Within hospitality, particularly in the airline industry, there is a trend towards less direct human contact, mainly for business and financial considerations. This is where technology will play a big role.

That’s where I see companies like Mews and others innovating in ways that can cut through legacy systems. They understand how critical it is to be authentic and to have the technology enable it in ways that humans couldn’t do at scale in the same way.

Tell us more about social commerce.

For me, social commerce represents a profound change. Around 60% of people look to social media first for inspiration and discovery, and it goes beyond celebrities and influencers. People whose care I respect and who resonate with me might be friends and family, or simply experts in a particular food area in a particular country or locality.

There is a growing demand for direct travel bookings through the mail. So if you look at all the major social platforms as a hotelier, that’s where you need to meet your guests. I know some startups that are working to solve the booking problem natively through influencers, friends or family. This is what people want.

And I think that’s also true for OTAs. What happens when influencers at scale offer decentralized ways to market your brand or your products and services? When bookings are enabled directly through them, they become points of sale and distribution. It’s set to become a new channel where people are looking for reviews written by people with common interests, instead of going through a bunch of aggregated, unfiltered reviews.

How does ChatGPT fit into all of this?

Suppose a Google search returns five personalized recommendations in ChatGPT. The question is, how do you end up among those five suppliers, what is the basis of the algorithm? I think Norm Rose described it as a recovery. So instead of searching, it’s more like retrieving a subset of more custom discrete shifts. I think it has profound implications for travel.

The reality is that Google and ChatGPT will coexist for a long time and hoteliers will have to embrace influencers as a new distribution channel. They will have to decide where to spend their advertising budgets by considering multiple channels at the same time.

What other trends are emerging in hospitality?

There is also the challenge of work. There are some upcoming concert models coming that will complement, but many people have left hospitality for other emerging economies due to job security, benefits and not having to work nights or weekends. The restaurant industry is also facing this problem.

Whenever this kind of intersection occurs between labor shortages and the need for financial return, innovative technology emerges to help achieve these goals. And it usually results in digital experiences with fewer people and less human experience. A good example of this is opt-in cleaning. We’re also seeing this in the airline industry and in hotels that don’t cater to luxury or boutique guests.

If I want to interact with a human, I have to pay much more or become a frequent guest. But even though the foundations of loyalty are changing, you can still have a great experience. One could say that the people who are there matter even more, but I think we will see fewer human touchpoints.

Do you see generational transitions?

Absolutely. The younger generation is completely digital. They’ve grown accustomed to self-service and QR codes, take-out type of experiences, so they may be more accepting of these trade-offs. And while there are things that no one can predict that will have a profound impact on all of us over the next 10 years, there are also things like responsible and sustainable tourism that we know will have the greatest impact on the younger generation.

Let’s talk about the obstacles and enablers in hospitality.

So, the obstacles would be legacy technology and mindset.

Mews is a perfect example of a middleware and API product that eliminates the need to work with legacy technology. Innovate instead; allowing you to do things with customer data, personalization, PMS system, etc.

There are also new generations of startups looking to create a new way to connect socially, as well as the growing focus on responsible and sustainable travel. There is a big company called Kind Traveller. It allows sustainable hotels to choose a local charity according to UN guidelines and support them through guest donations, 100% of which goes to a selected local charity. Every guest receives an impact report showing the exact impact they’ve had: the number of meals served, animals rescued or trees planted. So, it’s not abstract or hypothetical.

A give and take model is a wonderful way to help advance responsible tourism. The climate and responsible travel hurdle is being tackled by some wonderfully innovative startups. Naturally, more needs to be done, so I think we’ll see an increase in that area over the next 10 years.

What books would you recommend?

I love this question. It doesn’t matter what you do or what part of the industry, or how senior or junior you are reading and absorbing information from different sources is one of the most important things. Some of the best insights or thoughts on my business strategy have come from reading about nature, science, evolution, and adaptive theory. Microsoft CEO Satya often said: learn everything, you don’t know everything. What a beautiful quote.

I highly recommend PhocusWrights 2022 interview with Frederic Lalonde, CEO of Hopper. They understand what Chinese companies have pioneered when it comes to social commerce and how powerful it is. And what they’ve discovered is how to engage customers when they’re not on the road using innovative loyalty programs. So instead of missing out on opportunities to engage with their guests when they’re not traveling, hotel groups can organize local events, like yoga classes or cooking workshops with their chefs.

I also highly recommend Hertelier. Emily Goldfischer is doing an amazing job with that platform and it’s exciting to see the next generation of women leaders and diverse teams emerge. It will be a transformation for our industry in a very positive and complementary way, so be sure to check out hertelier.

Greif will speak at Mews Unfold, hospitality’s most innovative one-day event. It takes place in Amsterdam on April 4 and there are still tickets available.

About Mews

Mews is a leading platform for the new era of hospitality. Over 3,000 properties in 70 countries are powered by Mews. Mews Hospitality Cloud is designed to streamline operations for modern hoteliers, transform the guest experience, and build more profitable businesses. Clients include Accor, Generator-Freehand, Nordic Choice Hotels, The Social Hub, Life House and Airelles. Mews was named the World’s Best Independent Hotel PMS Provider by the World Travel Tech Awards (2022) and Best Place to Work in Hotel Tech (2021, 2022) by Hotel Tech Report. The company has offices in Europe, the United States and Australia.

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