Episode 29: Creating Guest Experiences with Sue Graves, CEO of Experience Alive

We sit down with Susan Graves, a former hotelier turned solution provider, to explore the future of hospitality. Susan shares her passion for modernizing the industry through sustainability, automation, and AI, all while enhancing the guest experience.

Discover how easy-to-use and affordable solutions can significantly impact guest and employee satisfaction. Susan discusses innovative approaches like automating linen inventory management for predictive budgeting and ordering, which streamlines operations and boosts efficiency. Learn about the importance of providing bite-sized, mobile-friendly training modules that empower staff without disrupting daily tasks, ultimately leading to superior guest service.

The conversation also delves into sustainability in the hospitality industry, highlighting solutions that reduce energy expenses by up to 40% and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Susan emphasizes that sustainable practices are not only environmentally friendly but also financially beneficial, attracting eco-conscious travellers and improving hotel reputation.

This episode is packed with actionable insights on leveraging automation, AI, and sustainable practices to modernize your hospitality business. Whether you're interested in improving operational efficiency, enhancing guest experiences, or embracing sustainability, this episode offers valuable strategies for driving long-term success.

Podcast Timestamps:
[00:00:25] Modernizing the hospitality industry.
[00:04:44] Automation in the hospitality industry.
[00:07:26] Repetitive questions at the front desk.
[00:12:10] Elevating guest experience through technology.
[00:15:23] Guest experience innovation in hospitality.
[00:20:01] Utilizing underutilized urban spaces.
[00:22:49] Opening up new revenue streams.
[00:25:08] Sustainable solutions in hospitality.
[00:28:20] Sustainability in hospitality industry.
[00:33:16] Modernizing the Hospitality Industry.
[00:36:11] Be a tier one.

Quotes:
00:00:13 - "Our most valuable asset right now is our people."
00:03:23-00:03:34 - "I want employees to be able to be happier at work. I want guests to have a better guest experience and let the automation take care of some of the workflow where it can and let the people work with the people. So that's what this industry is all about."
00:06:08 - "Yeah, that's what I said. Like, where were you when I was managing hotels? But like, Something as simple as like, how do we reduce repetitive tasks?"
00:09:32-00:09:43 - "a necessary question, but does it have to be answered by the desk clerk or could AI step in with a real human voice"
00:12:32 - "the guest experience by freeing up the human from repetitive tasks and repetitive calls and repetitive questions to be able to deal with the human to give them a better guest experience."
00:15:43-00:15:54 - "Yeah, great question. I think the brands are hungry for it. I meet with a lot of brand personnel now. They're hungry for it."
00:18:24 - "The whole context of creating the guest experience changes."
00:20:43 - "Everyone talks about it, but not everyone's doing it."
00:22:18-00:22:28 - "In this position, this actually created a wonderful job for her, and she's making more money than working three jobs running around. That's amazing."
00:26:32 - "I actually found solutions that actually save you money."
00:29:44 - "A property that's including sustainability, 70% will swing right now."
00:31:32-00:31:43 - "I want to bust the myth on this. Like it seems scary, but when you break it down base layer, there are some easy steps you can implement to already do ABC."
00:34:40 - "Hospitality is a tremendous industry."
00:35:30 - "And to have people, folks out there like yourself, who are looking at how do we create change in the most effective way possible so that we can reduce the headache of implementing new stuff is going to be super impactful."