Episode 5: Making Hospitality Human with Jacob Messina, CEO of Stayntouch

On this episode of Hospitable our host Rob Napoli sits down with Stayntouch CEO, Jacob Messina to talk about making hospitality human.

Join us as we discuss the importance of innovation in the digital world and how it can enhance the human aspect of hospitality. Our special guest, Jacob Messina, Senior VP of Technology at MCR and CEO of Stay In Touch, shares his insights on the role of technology in the industry and the need for competition to drive innovation. Tune in to discover how technology is revolutionizing the hospitality sector and making it more human-centric.Learn about Jacob's unique path into hospitality and how his unique experience as a culinary teacher and his love for games such as RollarCoaster Tycoon has influenced his career path.

Podcast Timestamps:
[00:01:26] Love for hospitality started.
[00:04:08] Less technology, more face-to-face.
[00:07:56] Telling stories with data. [00:10:30] Using technology in hotels.
[00:14:59] Making hospitality more human.
[00:17:41] Generational gap and technology.
[00:21:13] Learning retention in training.
[00:25:38] Best or worst travel stories.
[00:27:20] Getting immersed in other cultures.
[00:30:08] Hospitality and embracing imperfections.
[00:33:43] Cooperating with competition.
[00:36:39] Connecting with Jacob.

Shownotes:
00:04:57 Less technology, more face-to-face.
00:05:27 Technology should support, not hinder.
00:13:06 Simplicity and consistency are key.
00:15:40 Technology facilitates knowledge transfer.
00:19:44 Technology should be intuitive and easy to learn.
The timestamp in the podcast where it starts to say "Technology empowers and ruins experiences" is at 00:25:10. Technology empowers and ruins experiences.
00:29:19 Embrace imperfection in hospitality.
00:34:05 Competition drives innovation and growth.