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Pillow Talk Sessions
Pillow Talk Sessions is a podcast about modern hospitality operations and how guest experience is operationally delivered in a tech-enabled world.
Hosted by Jessica Gillingham, author of Tech-Enabled Hospitality, and produced by Abode Worldwide, the show features in-depth conversations with leaders building, operating, and scaling modern hospitality across hotels, short-term rentals, serviced living, and flexible living models.
Each episode explores how hospitality is evolving beyond traditional hotels. From the hotelization of real estate to the rise of platform-driven and automated operations, we unpack how technology, systems, and organizational design are reshaping how stays are designed, delivered, and experienced.
Pillow Talk Sessions goes deep on hospitality operations, technology, and strategy. Topics include new operating models, guest experience delivery, AI and automation, platform ecosystems, and the convergence of hotels, short-term rentals, and serviced living.
This podcast is for hospitality operators, founders, owners, and technology leaders who want to understand the future of hospitality beyond trends, and how modern hospitality actually works on the ground.
About your host
Jessica Gillingham is the author of “Tech-Enabled Hospitality – Strategies to Elevate Guest Experience and Operational Efficiency,” and is also an industry speaker, adviser, and the CEO of Abode Worldwide, a global strategic communications and PR agency for the tech transforming hospitality.
The podcast is brought to you by the team at Abode Worldwide.
Pillow Talk Sessions
Building Sustainable Hospitality with Marc Laros (The Usual Hotels)
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In this episode of Pillow Talk Sessions, Marc Laros, CTO of The Usual Hotels, explains how sustainability, technology, and guest experience can be designed as one integrated operating system.
The Usual Hotels is building toward becoming Europe’s most sustainable hotel brand, targeting 20 hotels in five years. Rather than treating sustainability as a layer, the company embeds it into how hotels are built, operated, and measured.
At the same time, a flexible, API-driven tech stack and growing use of AI are transforming operations. From frictionless check-in to automated backend workflows, technology is used to remove complexity and allow staff to focus on delivering meaningful guest experiences.
The conversation explores how hospitality can evolve by aligning sustainability, automation, and human service into one coherent model.
Key themes explored:
Why sustainability must be embedded into operations
How transparent reporting builds trust and accountability
Using AI across guest communication and operational workflows
Why automation should enhance staff roles, not replace them
How frictionless journeys improve both efficiency and experience
The importance of flexible, API-driven infrastructure
Why community engagement is central to modern hospitality brands
For hospitality and technology leaders, this episode highlights a clear shift. The future of hospitality will not be defined by sustainability or technology alone, but by how effectively they are integrated.
#SustainableHospitality #HotelTech #AIinHospitality #DigitalTransformation #GuestExperience #PillowTalkSessions
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Website: https://www.pillowtalksessions.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pillowtalksessionspodcast/