In this special collaborative episode of The Modern Hotelier, recorded at the Hunter Conference with Josiah McKenzie of Hospitality Daily, we share a compelling conversation with Azim Saju, CEO of ARK Holdings.

Azim discusses his multi-faceted role in hospitality—from hotel ownership and third-party management to development, acquisitions, and renovations—and unpacks how culture, financial literacy, and technology are reshaping modern hotel operations.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How ARK Holdings operates across management, acquisitions, development, and renovations
• Why increasing financial literacy among frontline staff (including housekeepers and breakfast attendants) directly impacts hotel performance and valuation
• How teaching team members, the “life cycle of a hotel” improves both business outcomes and personal financial well-being
• The critical role of forecasting and labor modeling in driving profitability and long-term asset value
• How culture and growth reinforce each other as a competitive advantage at ARK

This episode highlights a powerful shift in hospitality: moving from pure cost optimization toward education, empowerment, and long-term value creation.

Watch the FULL EPISODE on YouTube: https://youtu.be/qrF6xn9XJIA

Links:
Azim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/azimsaju/
ARK Holdings: http://arkhospitality.com/

Josiah on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josiahmackenzie/

For full show notes head to: https://themodernhotelier.com/episode/277

Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-..

Join the conversation on today's episode on The Modern Hotelier LinkedIn page

Connect with Steve and David:
Steve: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E...
David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-mil.

In this episode, hosts David Millili and Steve Carran sit down with Roman Pedan, the founder and CEO of Kasa, to discuss the future of hospitality, the role of AI in hotel operations, and how technology is reshaping the guest experience.

Roman shares his journey from immigrating to the United States from Ukraine to studying at the University of Pennsylvania and Stanford University, before building one of the hospitality industry’s most innovative tech-enabled brands. He dives into the inspiration behind Kasa, lessons learned from private equity at KKR and Walton Street Capital, and why he believes hospitality operators need tighter integration between technology and operations.

The conversation explores:

• How AI is transforming hospitality operations and guest communication
• The future of apartment hotels and flexible real estate
• Why traditional hotel tech stacks are broken
• The importance of balancing automation with human hospitality
• Kasa’s acquisition of Mint House and the company’s rapid growth

If you're interested in hospitality innovation, hotel operations, real estate, or the future of travel technology, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.

Watch the FULL EPISODE on YouTube: https://youtu.be/n-j4XSvUyLA

Links:
Roman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roman-pedan/
Kasa: https://kasa.com/

For full show notes head to: https://themodernhotelier.com/episode/276

Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-..

Join the conversation on today's episode on The Modern Hotelier LinkedIn page

Connect with Steve and David:
Steve: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E...
David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-mil.

In this episode, hosts David Millili and Steve Carran sit down with Maura Zambarano, President of Mattress Concierge, for an honest and wide-ranging conversation about entrepreneurship, resilience, and the evolving role of sleep in hospitality.

From a lightning-round icebreaker revealing Maura’s calm-inducing superpower to a deeply personal story of unexpectedly taking over a company after tragedy, this episode explores how life experience, adaptability, and customer obsession can shape leadership in powerful ways.

Maura shares her unconventional journey—from studying economics at Colorado State after a last-minute major switch, to grassroots sales launching a sauce business out of a converted Airstream, to building a career in senior living and ultimately stepping into the hospitality world through Mattress Concierge. She also dives into what makes boutique hospitality unique and why sleep has become one of the most overlooked yet critical components of the guest experience.

The conversation highlights how boutique hotels are redefining comfort, why mattresses are a strategic investment rather than just a cost, and how personalization and wellness trends are shaping the future of hotel stays.

In this episode you’ll discover:

• How Maura Zambarano unexpectedly became President of Mattress Concierge and rebuilt a company from the ground up
• Why sleep is one of the most undervalued drivers of guest satisfaction in hospitality
• What boutique hotels are getting right (and wrong) about the guest experience
• The future of personalized sleep experiences in hotels, from pillow menus to wellness-focused rooms
• Why durability and design matter more than ever when selecting hotel mattresses

Watch the FULL EPISODE on YouTube: https://youtu.be/2OX8QmpMmIw

This episode is sponsored by Mattress Concierge: https://www.mattressconcierge.com/

Links:
Maura on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maura-zambarano-95403911/

Mattress Concierge: https://www.mattressconcierge.com/

For full show notes head to: https://themodernhotelier.com/episode/275

Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-..

Join the conversation on today's episode on The Modern Hotelier LinkedIn page

Connect with Steve and David:
Steve: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E...
David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-mil.

In this episode, hosts David Millili and Steve Carran sit down with Chas Scarantino, CEO of RoomPriceGenie, to explore how modern revenue management is transforming the independent hotel space. From his early career in logistics and HVAC sales to leading global SaaS companies, Chas shares the experiences that shaped his leadership style and his passion for hospitality tech.

The conversation dives deep into the evolution of revenue management, the growing role of AI, and how independent hotels are now leveraging automation and data-driven pricing strategies once reserved for large chains. Chas also breaks down real-world pricing mistakes hoteliers make—and how smarter systems are helping them unlock significant revenue growth.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• How Chas Scarantino’s background in logistics and global tech shaped his approach to leadership in hospitality SaaS
• Why face-to-face sales experience still matters in a highly digital, AI-driven world
• The biggest lessons from building and scaling startups across health tech, product analytics, and hospitality
• How RoomPriceGenie’s Revenue Intelligence is helping hotels make faster, smarter pricing decisions in real time

Watch the FULL EPISODE on YouTube: https://youtu.be/fVQqGYwMBO0

This episode is sponsored by Room Price Genie: https://roompricegenie.com/

Links:
Chas on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chas-scarantino-31a5673/
Room Price Genie: https://roompricegenie.com/

For full show notes head to: https://themodernhotelier.com/episode/274

Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-..

Join the conversation on today's episode on The Modern Hotelier LinkedIn page

Connect with Steve and David:
Steve: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E...
David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-mil.

In this episode of The Modern Hotelier: Hospitality Hot Topics, hosts Steve Carran and David Millili are joined by Jennifer Olson, the Director of Commercial National Accounts, SERVPRO Team Zubricki, for a wide-ranging conversation on the biggest trends shaping hospitality today.

They dive into the growing concern around hospitality as a long-term career path for younger generations and discuss what the industry can do to attract and retain new talent. The conversation then shifts to the airline industry, unpacking the attempted American–United merger and what it signals about competition, consumer impact, and the future of air travel.

The trio also explores shifting travel behaviors, including the rise in domestic travel driven by geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty, and what that means for hotels needing to elevate guest experience. From there, they break down the growing popularity of glamping and how major hotel brands are entering the outdoor hospitality space.

A timely, insightful episode packed with real-world hospitality trends, industry strategy, and behind-the-scenes stories you won’t want to miss.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• Why hospitality is struggling to attract younger talent—and what the industry can do to change that
• What the attempted American–United airline merger reveals about competition and the future of air travel
• How rising costs, geopolitical tensions, and uncertainty are reshaping travel habits and driving more domestic trips
• How SERVPRO supports hotels in restoring operations quickly after catastrophic events

Watch the FULL EPISODE on YouTube: https://youtu.be/6S0HRgof9_8

Links:
Jennifer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-olson-a74651a0/
SERVPRO: https://www.servpro.com/

For full show notes head to: https://themodernhotelier.com/episode/273

Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-..

Join the conversation on today's episode on The Modern Hotelier LinkedIn page

Connect with Steve and David:
Steve: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E...
David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-mil.

In this episode, host David Millili brings listeners inside Indie Cultivate Boston, hosted in partnership with ILC.

David sits down with leading vendors and innovators including Airbnb, Watermelon Ghost, Direct Booker, Stash Rewards, Cloudbeds, Directful, and Canary Technologies. Across these conversations, a clear theme emerges: the independent hotel space is at a turning point driven by AI, evolving guest expectations, and the ongoing battle for direct bookings versus OTAs.

Guests discuss how AI is reshaping discoverability, guest engagement, and operations, while also raising critical questions about visibility in AI-driven search. From loyalty programs and retention platforms to booking infrastructure and guest experience tools, each guest shares how they’re helping independent hotels compete, differentiate, and thrive.

You’ll hear perspectives on:

• How AI is changing hotel discovery and booking behavior
• The future of direct bookings and OTA dependency
• Experiential stays and evolving guest expectations
• Why independent hotels have a unique opportunity in the AI era

Watch the FULL EPISODE on YouTube: https://youtu.be/wZUi1eIuS5A

LinkedIn Links:
Audrey Yates - VP of Hotel Partnerships, Stash Rewards
Adam Harris - CEO, Cloudbeds
Tim Kinsella - Global Sales - Strategy, Canary Technologies
Ron Sandel - Director of Hotels, Airbnb
Georgie Downie - Co-Founder & CEO, Watermelon Ghost
Lindsay Wenger - VP of Sales, Directful

Sanjay Vakil - Co-Founder & CEO, Direct Booker
Meg Gutowski - ILC

For full show notes head to: https://themodernhotelier.com/episode/272

Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-..

Join the conversation on today's episode on The Modern Hotelier LinkedIn page

Connect with Steve and David:
Steve: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E...
David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-mil.

In this episode, host David Millili sits down with Richard Aday, CEO and Co-founder of ThinkReservations, for an insightful conversation on entrepreneurship, technology, and the evolving hospitality landscape.

Richard shares his journey from building websites as a child in a tech-savvy family, to studying electrical and computer engineering, working at Amazon, and ultimately founding ThinkReservations after a chance encounter with a boutique hotel in Puerto Rico sparked a bold idea. He also reflects on growing up in a Cuban-American family in South Florida, the influence of a strong work ethic, and how his passion for travel and guest experience shaped his career in hospitality tech.

The conversation explores how ThinkReservations is redefining property management systems by prioritizing guest experience, simplicity, and customer support. Richard discusses the company’s evolution from a bootstrapped startup to a full hospitality platform, now including booking engines, channel management, marketing websites, payments, and accounting solutions.

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• How independent hoteliers can compete with OTAs and increase direct bookings
• The role of AI and automation in guest engagement
• What defines high-performing modern hoteliers today
• The biggest friction points in the guest journey and how technology is removing them

This is a must-listen episode for hoteliers, hospitality tech leaders, and anyone interested in how innovation is reshaping the guest experience and the future of independent hospitality.

Watch the FULL EPISODE on YouTube: https://youtu.be/qTgezcv7DbU

Links:
Richard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-aday-59182452/
ThinkReservations: https://www.thinkreservations.com/

For full show notes head to: https://themodernhotelier.com/episode/271

Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-..

Join the conversation on today's episode on The Modern Hotelier LinkedIn page

Connect with Steve and David:
Steve: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E...
David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-mil.

In this special episode, host David Millili takes listeners inside Indie Cultivate Boston in partnership with ILC, capturing candid conversations with some of the most forward-thinking leaders in hospitality.

Across the discussions, a common theme emerges while AI and automation are transforming back-of-house operations, the future of hospitality remains deeply human—rooted in creativity, storytelling, and meaningful guest connection. Leaders also reflect on the importance of independence in hotel development, the value of intimate industry gatherings like ILC, and how new models are reshaping ownership, management, and guest experience.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How leading hotel operators are thinking about AI—not as a replacement for people, but as a tool to automate and augment hospitality operations while keeping guest experience human-first
• Why independent hotels continue to thrive through creativity, storytelling, and strong emotional connection with guests
• How technology platforms like integrated PMS systems and “hospitality operating systems” are helping smaller hotel brands scale more efficiently
• What “Powered by Kasa” and similar models mean for hoteliers looking to build brands faster without losing creative control
• The emerging balance between technology-driven efficiency and analog, human-centered hospitality experiences

Watch the FULL EPISODE on YouTube: https://youtu.be/A6U4jtjfbpg

LinkedIn Links:
Roman Pedan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roman-pedan-594897325/
Steven Rubin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenmrubin/
Jen Parks: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferfigariparks/
Jason August: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaugust/
Brian Meyer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-meyer-b004832b6/
John Flannigan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-flannigan-73550a1/
Jen Barnwell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-barnwell-a8689ba/
Matt Schwartz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewaschwartz/
Andrew Benioff: https://www.linkedin.com/in/llenrockgroupbenioff/

For full show notes head to: https://themodernhotelier.com/episode/270

Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-..

Join the conversation on today's episode on The Modern Hotelier LinkedIn page

Connect with Steve and David:
Steve: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E...
David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-mil.