Episode 26: Hospitality Solutions and AI!? A Convo with Jennifer Jones, HITEC Edition

Discover the transformative power of technology in the hospitality industry, the immense value of industry events, and the essential collaboration between various departments.

Jennifer Jones, a seasoned IT consultant from J2 Hospitality Solutions, delves into how AI and machine learning are revolutionizing hospitality. Jennifer’s balanced perspective highlights how technology can enhance, but never replace, the human touch that defines hospitality.

Rob and Kees take a backseat, giving Jennifer the floor to share her extensive knowledge and actionable insights. From leveraging high-tech solutions for small businesses to integrating AI in hotel operations, this episode is packed with practical tips and strategies.

Don't miss out on this insightful episode filled with valuable advice and industry secrets. If you enjoyed this episode, remember to like, subscribe, and share the podcast with your network. Stay tuned for more engaging discussions on hospitality, technology, and innovation. Happy HITEC!

Podcast Timestamps:
[00:02:48] Embracing problems for growth.
[00:08:00] Implementing technology in hotels.
[00:12:32] AI impact in hotel operations.
[00:17:07] AI in the hospitality industry.
[00:20:04] Data unification challenges
[00:22:28] Human errors and change control.
[00:27:56] User-friendly interface in hospitality tech.
[00:31:49] New Open APIs in Integration.
[00:33:43] APIs and open source integration.

Quotes:
00:01:11 - "You know, I think it's important to highlight, you know, none of us are human haters, right? But humans, by nature, we are flawed. Human condition, right? So understanding that humans do cause errors, but also tech can cause errors."
00:04:17 - "we came up with a really good solution, but it also opened up a whole new line for us to communicate and do more stuff together, which I think so many people are so afraid of problems that they shy away from it, where I think we love to lean into it."
00:13:25 - "It still amazes me how some vendors will charge X for an integration where it might be an API and it's super self-service."
00:15:25-00:15:36 - "AI can impact the workflows of the reconciliation process or identifying errors before day rolls."
00:18:48-00:18:59 - "AI is like the eager intern."
00:21:33-00:21:43 - "We collect all this data, but some of it isn't correct. Correct. And so if we're going to plug in AI to be doing... It's going to be messy."
00:27:21-00:27:31 - "when you approached us like, hey guys, and excuse my French, you got a fair warning that when I don't, I can't come up with the proper wording, I'm gonna be a bit more vocal. It's like, hey guys, you're fucking shit up. Help us out here. That's where a partnership kicks in. Again, super intentional, but focused on the solution for the customer."
00:29:25 - "How do we make it as easy as possible for them to get what they need from step A to B?"
00:32:35-00:32:46 - "Fuck the system up now and then to see what the error logging is looking like."
00:34:01 - "It could just be one field that needs to be passed and people playing well in the sandbox and seeing that stuff happen. That one field means a tremendous amount of value for that one vendor."