Hotel Tech and AI: No Buzzwords, Just What Actually Works

The hospitality technology space is full of bold claims and inflated promises. In this episode, Kim Spolén, Regional Director of Sales at StayNTouch, cuts through the noise to explain what hotel technology actually delivers versus what vendors say it will.

Drawing on a career that spans frontline roles at luxury Stockholm hotels and a move into hospitality tech sales, Kim brings a rare dual perspective: someone who has worked in operations and now helps hotels choose the tools that run them. He explains how to evaluate AI solutions critically, why most hotels are looking for the wrong thing, and what questions operators should actually be asking vendors.

The conversation also explores the role of authentic relationships in a world increasingly driven by product demos and feature lists, and why Kim believes that finding out what customers actually need, rather than pitching what you have, is the only sustainable approach to selling in hospitality tech.